Columbus : Buzz

Tax breaks tied to plans for 135 central Ohio jobs

The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, June 27, 2013

Two Honda suppliers stand to receive state tax credits for proposed expansions in Logan County that would lead to a combined 65 new jobs. Those are two of four projects in central Ohio that could bring a total of 135 new jobs to the area. Fifteen projects statewide were offered incentives yesterday by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority. If all the companies follow through on their plans, 831 jobs will be created.

Read the whole story here.

ODSA accepting applications for IMAGE grant

Ohio Development Service Agency Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Ohio International Market Access Grant for Exporters (IMAGE) program is now accepting applications. All activities must be pre-approved in advance and executed no later than September 30, 2013.

IMAGE is a 50 percent reimbursement program designed to offset the costs associated with certain exporting initiatives. IMAGE is funded by the State of Ohio and the United States Small Business Administration as part of the National Export Initiative to double U.S. exports by 2015. The purpose of IMAGE is to increase exports and create jobs in Ohio by helping small businesses expand into new international markets.

Click here for more information.

Entrepreneurial boom expected in Ohio as a result of health care reform, study finds

Dayton Daily News Thursday, June 13, 2013

Ohio could add as many as 67,000 new entrepreneurs as a result of the federal government subsidies made available to aspiring business owners through the Affordable Care Act, according to a new report from the Urban Institute.

Get the whole story here.

Ohio to showcase aerospace products and services at Paris Air Show

Kallman Worldwide Thursday, June 13, 2013

Ohio will be represented in the 50th International Paris Air Show from June 17 to 23 by a delegation of aerospace manufacturers, universities, and aerospace advocacy organizations, as organized by The Ohio Aerospace & Aviation Council and JobsOhio. The State of Ohio’s booth will showcase the products and services of Precision Alloy Services, The Ohio State University, Renegade Materials, Maverick Corporation, SIFCO Industries, Inc., Tesla NanoCoatings Inc. and The University of Akron.

Read all about the 2013 Paris Show here.

Compressed natural gas fueling station coming to Mahoning Valley

Youngstown Business Journal Daily Thursday, June 06, 2013

Dublin-based IGS Energy plans to build and operate a new compressed natural gas fueling station in Girard, the first of its kind in the Mahoning Valley.

Read the full story here.

ArtPlace America grant will help create Columbus Idea Foundry HQ

Columbus Biz Insider Thursday, May 23, 2013

A $350,000 grant will kick off renovation of the new Franklinton headquarters for the Columbus Idea Foundry, a community workshop seen as a key to redeveloping the neighborhood by investing in the creative economy.

Read the full story here.

BioOhio to host three summer socials

BioOhio Thursday, May 23, 2013

It's time again for BioOhio to host a few parties around the state, bringing Ohio's bioscience players together for networking, talking shop, and putting faces to names.

Dates include June 12, 18 and 26.

Register and get more information here.

HealthSpot raises $10.4m from investors, secures $1.5m state loan

Columbus Business First Thursday, April 25, 2013

HealthSpot Inc., the Dublin company seeking to bust open the telemedicine market with its big blue booths, has raised another $10.4 million in a private investment round that included Cardinal Health Inc. and has secured a $1.5 million state loan.

Read the full story here.

Middle-market companies from Ohio choose open innovation to achieve competitive advantage

Nine Sigma, Inc. Thursday, April 18, 2013

NineSigma, Inc., of Cleveland, the leading innovation partner to organizations worldwide, today announced several new clients they will work with under the Ohio Third Frontier Open Innovation Incentive (OII) Program. As part of the program, NineSigma received a grant from the State of Ohio to help middle market companies, with revenues between $10 million and $1 billion, leverage Open Innovation strategies.

Read the full story here.

Columbus ranked among most intelligent cities by Intelligent Communities Forum

The National League of Cities Thursday, April 18, 2013

Consider Columbus, Ohio, one of this nation’s “legacy cities” in the industrial heartland. In a review of the city’s accomplishments toward earning the Most Intelligent title, Robert Bell, founder of the Intelligent Community Forum, cites assets including Ohio State University, the Columbus Metropolitan Library and the innovation incubator TechColumbus as significant advances in smart technology application and education. The city is further lauded for its multi-sector partnerships, inclusion of citizens in visioning and transparency of process in decision making.

Read the full story here.

Ohio declares STEM education, entrepreneurship economic cornerstones

Black Innovation and Competitiveness Initiative Thursday, April 18, 2013

Johnathan M. Holifield, NorTech’s Vice President of Inclusive Competitiveness affirmed, “This potential game-changer for Ohio is an economic competitiveness imperative. Ohio must cultivate a larger, more diverse and inclusive STEM pipeline to produce more job-creating entrepreneurs. This program will accelerate those efforts.”

Read the full story here.

Ohio State wins sustainability championship

The Lantern Thursday, April 11, 2013

While the Ohio State men’s basketball team was competing in the NCAA Tournament, other members of the university community were working toward a different championship title.

OSU was crowned the winner of the second annual Environmental March Madness Tournament early Tuesday, defeating other schools in the “Sustainable 16” after filing out initial surveys.

The tournament pitted universities against one another based on each college’s environmental curriculum and sustainability efforts and was organized by Enviance, an environmental software company.

As the 2013 national champion, OSU will be awarded a $5,000 grant for its Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability (EEDS) program. Its director will also get an all-expense paid trip to San Diego to attend the 2013 Enviance User Conference and be a part of a discussion panel in April.

Read the full story here.

Ohio ranked second in auto parts jobs

Dayton Daily News Thursday, April 11, 2013

Motor vehicle parts manufacturing is the largest source of manufacturing jobs in the United States, according to a study released Monday by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.

The industry directly employs more than 734,000 American workers and generates nearly $355 billion toward the gross domestic product, 2.3 percent of total U.S. GDP, the report said. The study was conducted with IHS Inc., a provider of analytics.

In Ohio, 89,423 workers are employed in making auto parts, making the state second to only Michigan, which has 102,624 workers directly employed in the industry, according to the association. Indiana was third with nearly 80,000 workers.

“With a presence in all 50 states, this industry is important to the health and success of American manufacturing and to the future of this country,” Bob McKenna, the association’s president and chief executive, said in a press release on the study.

In the Dayton area, companies like DMAX in Moraine, Tenneco in Kettering, Behr Thermal Products in Dayton, Ahresty in Wilmington and many others work for the auto industry, supplying General Motors nationwide or Honda in Ohio, among other original equipment manufacturers.

Read the story here.

Ohio State startups expected to double this year

WOSU 89.7 NPR News Thursday, March 28, 2013

Some of us may have thought about an invention that could help make life a little easier. But without the resources or connections to make it happen, the bright idea goes dark and it’s left for someone else to create.

At Ohio State University, the Technology and Commercialization Office helps students and faculty turn their idea into reality. This year, the TCO expects to double the number of start-up businesses fostered by the office. WOSU’s reports on a couple of OSU innovators whose ideas are well on their way to success.

Read the full story here.

Ohio science, tech groups target youth innovation

Canton Repository Thursday, March 28, 2013

A new scholarship program is being launched to encourage Ohio students to become high-tech inventors and entrepreneurs.

Believe in Ohio will be a youth commercialization and entrepreneurship program offering incentives for achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Read the full story here.