In a partnership with state Sen. John Carey of Wellston and an ad hoc community planning committee, the Voinovich School helped develop a retail- and service-based market study for Wellston, Ohio in Jackson County. The purpose of the study was to find viable businesses to fill vacant buildings in the downtown area. The resulting report reflected both local participants’ and experts’ ideas for the businesses that could help Wellston improve its economic conditions. Six undergraduate business students laid the groundwork for the report by visiting Wellston to interview key stakeholders and compile a demographic profile.
Since the plan was completed, members of the planning group formed the Wellston Central Business District. They have applied for two grants to fill vacant spaces based on report recommendations. The Voinovich School’s Appalachian Regional Entrepreneurship Group has continued to work with Wellston to meet business needs and further implement the plan. This is a model project for the region, and other communities have contacted the Voinovich School about similar projects.
The Voinovich School’s involvement with Wellston began in 1997, when a group of six undergraduate business students created a marketing plan for the city. After Kuppenheimer Men’s Clothiers closed its Wellston plant, laying off 150 workers, local officials, led by state Rep. John Carey and Jackson County Economic Development Director Sherrie Lanier, contacted the Voinovich School for assistance.
The marketing plan included potential uses for Wellston’s available industrial sites and ways to promote the community, including trade journals, site-selection magazines and publishing a brochure about the area’s attributes. Suggestions for possible companies included telemarketing and packaging companies.
In recent years, the Voinovich School has also helped update the comprehensive development plan for Jackson County and written a reference guide for municipal officials in the region.