Buzz

A proposal to build a solar farm on the site of a former toxic tire dump has the makings of a green future that few could have predicted, reports The Columbus Dispatch.

Little of the 136-acre Kirby Recycling dump that burned out of control for five days in 1999 in Wyandot County remains except for $65.4 million in unpaid environmental fines and cleanup costs. But that might be OK with the state.

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According to the just-released Ohio Bioscience Growth Report, the estimated economic output of the state's bioscience industry is $61.6 billion, reports MICROHSCOPE.

Economic output is the value of goods and services that were produced in Ohio through the buy-sell relationships affiliated with the bioscience sector.

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A new study by The Ohio State University suggests strawberries may help prevent human esophageal cancer, reports PRNewswire.

According to lead researcher, Tong Chen, M.D., Ph.D., strawberries may help protect those at risk of esophageal cancer. This study builds on previously published research by Chen and colleagues in China, who found that freeze-dried strawberries significantly inhibited tumor development.

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Youngstown State is submitting an application to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for $10 million to help convert and equip the the home of YSU's Emerging Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Engineering, reports the Youngstown Business Journal.

The initial idea is to develop the building, which was formerly used by AT&T, to house the Center for Advanced Multi-scale Materials and Structures.

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When Todd Pugh founded Todd's Enviroscapes in Louisville, Ohio, 15 years ago, he was consciously building on a family tradition, reports Lawn & Landscape.

Today, Enviroscapes has 125 employees and $8.5 million in annual revenue. Yet when Pugh embarked on his journey to become a successful business owner, he soon learned that his greatest asset could also be a liability.

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The Canton Entrepreneur Launch is a new program that will award grants to entrepreneurs who plan to establish new business ventures in the city, reports The Canton Repository.

Mayor William J. Healy II has announced the creation of the program and the Canton Entrepreneur Launch Commission in conjunction with ystark! and JumpStart Inc.

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A new development corporation will be created to attract companies to Akron's biomedical corridor, Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic announced Tuesday in his annual State of the City speech, reported by the Akron Beacon Journal.

Medical Mutual of Ohio has contributed $1 million and FirstEnergy Corp. has agreed to be a sponsor, he says.

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Employment among the 300 biotech companies in southwest Ohio increased by nearly 400 jobs in 2009 reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.

BioOhio won't release its survey of industry growth until the end of this month, but preliminary data indicates biotech firms in southwest Ohio grew employment from 14,400 to 14,790 in 2009, the most recent data available.

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An invention created at the University of Toledo could turn ADS Biotechnology Corp. into one of the next big medical companies, reports The Toledo Blade.

The Sylvania firm is developing a blood volume replacement product to treat trauma patients -- a technology that was initially developed by a trio of UT researchers.

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A group of Ohio hospitals that reduced infections and medication errors is being used as a national example of how to improve care, reduce costs and save lives, reports The Columbus Dispatch.

Federal officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, came to Columbus this week to announce a program that will share the methods practiced by these hospitals with the rest of the country.

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Gov. John Kasich has found a new job for Mark Kvamme, the state development director whose status as a cabinet member has been challenged because he does not live in Ohio, reports the Cincinnati Business Courier.

A release from the governor's office Friday says Kvamme, a venture capitalist who lives in California, will serve as director of job creation in Kasich's office and step down as the director of the Department of Development. James Leftwich, CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition, will serve as the state's new development director. Under Leftwich's leadership, the coalition has helped attract more than $1.5 billion of capital investment to the Dayton area, the release says.

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Individual tax burdens for Ohioans are middle of the road compared to other states, according to the conservative Tax Foundation, but in assessing business taxes, it says Ohio is near the bottom, reports The Toledo Blade.

Gov. John Kasich said in his recent State of the State address that "high taxation" chases businesses away to places such as Indiana.

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Determining what will become the next great entrepreneurial success is an inexact science, reports the New York Times.

While successful tech clusters tend to grow organically, some states -- including Ohio -- are leading the way in efforts to provide capital support for the next Silicon Valley, a column about creation of tech-rich economies says.

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A trade group told lawmakers this week that allowing oil and gas drilling in state parks and other public lands could provide more than $300 million in lease and royalty payments, reports The Youngstown Vindicator.

"Of all the energy-source issues that have been recently debated at the Statehouse, the state lands leasing proposal is the only one that generates significant cash flow for the state, doesn't require subsidies or mandates to make economic sense and actually provides an immediate benefit to taxpayers," said Tom Stewart, executive vice president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. "This is about the state doing something to help itself."

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January was Ohio's biggest month for job growth in more than 10 years, reports the Van Wert Times Bulletin.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services credits a recovering economy for the increase, which saw 31,900 jobs added. The state's jobless rate also dropped for the 11th straight month to 9.4 percent.

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