Buzz

Flying cars could take off in Ohio

DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/18/10 Thursday, February 25, 2010

A company that is building a flying car could produce the vehicles in Dayton, reports the Detroit Free Press.

The CEO of Terrafugia said the company has had discussions about moving production to Dayton, but he said he had no formal announcement.

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Bio-based jobs bill passes General Assembly

DEFIANCE CRESCENT-NEWS, 2/18/10 Thursday, February 25, 2010

Calling it the first jobs bill of the session, lawmakers overwhelmingly have passed legislation aimed at increasing the number of bio-based products purchased by state agencies, reports the Defiance Crescent-News.

Senate Bill 131, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Capri Cafaro, D-Hubbard, and Sen. Karen Gillmor, R-Tiffin, passed on a 92-1 vote in the Ohio House on Feb. 17, then gained concurrence in the Ohio Senate later in the afternoon before heading to Gov. Ted Strickland's desk for his signature.

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Report: Cities can lead Ohio�s economic recovery

Thursday, February 25, 2010

A new report recommending a path for Ohio to regain its economic footing points to key areas where the state should move forward, reports the Dayton Business Journal.

Columbus nonprofit Greater Ohio, along with the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution, on Monday released a report that looks at how Ohio fits into a broader picture of economic recovery but also offers up 39 specific policy recommendations.

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Hamilton County Business Center expands out of incubating

SOAPBOX, 2/16/10 Thursday, February 25, 2010

Like the start ups that have grown out of its incubators, the Hamilton County Business Center is expanding services, offering office space to companies that want to stick around after their incubation phase ends, reports Soapbox.

HcBC is leasing space at its 1775 Mentor Ave. building in Norwood to growing companies. The 1775 building is just across the street from HCBC's main building.

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Ohio EPA gives go-ahead for $340-million coke plant in Middletown

FOX 19, 2/9/10 Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has given the go ahead to Sunoco's Middletown Coke Company, reports Fox 19 in Cincinnati.

The plans to build a $340-million coke plant have been delayed for over five years as the company worked to meet clean air requirements.

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Third Frontier renewal measure heads to voters after legislative compromise

THE PLAIN DEALER, 2/4/10 Thursday, February 11, 2010

State legislators have voted overwhelmingly to place a $700-million, four-year renewal of Ohio's Third Frontier program on the May 4 ballot, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The move buoyed business and elected leaders alike, who are convinced the current 10-year, $1.4 billion program has moved the needle in efforts to move Ohio's economy from smokestacks to high technology.

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Brookings: Great Lakes region needs venture capital superfund

BUSINESS FIRST OF COLUMBUS, 1/29/10 Thursday, February 11, 2010

A new Brookings Institute report says a massive venture capital fund that pumps money into Great Lakes businesses is crucial for the economy of the region to move beyond its Rust Belt status, reports Business First.

Turning up the Heat: How Venture Capital Can Help Fuel the Economic Transformation of the Great Lakes Region, calls for creation of a $1- billion to $2-billion venture capital fund that would feed smaller funds investing in businesses and startups across the Great Lakes states, including Ohio.

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Agenda 360 gets $70,000 boost from Greater Cincinnati Foundation

SOAPBOX, 2/2/10 Thursday, February 11, 2010

Greater Cincinnati's Agenda 360 planning initiative got a $70,000 grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to continue its regional planning efforts, reports Soapbox.

The grant will help fund the Office of Agenda 360's efforts to attract and retain talent, jobs and economic opportunity to the region through specific benchmarks.

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Cincinnati "hackerspace" a sign of emerging Ohio-wide trend

SOAPBOX, 2/2/10 Thursday, February 11, 2010

Jason Bailey and more than a dozen thinkers and doers have a assumed a spot in a former Camp Washington factory building forming Hive 13, a Cincinnati "hacker space" where members are free to create or decimate however they choose, reports Soapbox.

There are hackerspaces planned or running in Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland.

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State awards $12 million in federal energy-efficiency grants

BUSINESS FIRST OF COLUMBUS, 2/8/10 Thursday, February 11, 2010

The state of Ohio has awarded nearly $12 million in federal stimulus funding aimed at making the state's manufacturing base more energy-efficient, reports Business First of Columbus.

Gov. Ted Strickland joined other state officials at Kovatch Castings Inc. in Summit County to announce the grants, part of $96.1 million in stimulus funding set aside for Ohio through the State Energy Program.

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Ohio explores creative ways to pay for passenger train

BUSINESS WEEK, 2/2/10 Thursday, February 11, 2010

Ohio is looking at other states for creative ways to pay for a new passenger train service connecting Cleveland and Cincinnati, says an Associated Press story published by Business Week.

Everything from advertising, naming rights and franchise fees for Wi-Fi and food service is on the table, said Stu Nicholson, spokesman for the Ohio Rail Development Commission, the state agency in charge of the project.

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Attorney General approves language for Ohio livestock care vote

BUSINESS WEEK, 2/5/10 Thursday, February 11, 2010

A proposed constitutional amendment that would require minimum standards for housing Ohio farm animals has passed a preliminary hurdle, says an Associated Press article published by Business Week.

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray approved a written summary of the amendment Friday in a step needed before petition signatures can be gathered toward getting the measure on the ballot.

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Business development organization streamlines focus on minority business growth

SOAPBOX, 2/9/10 Thursday, February 11, 2010

A year after Ohio launched two pilot programs aimed at minority business growth and job creation, the Minority Business Development Organization in Cincinnati is aimed at guiding small business owners determined make their businesses grow, reports Soapbox.

The state picked Cincinnati and Akron to launch the pilot program, aimed and growing jobs and creating economic wealth through each city's minority entrepreneurial communities.

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Northeast Ohio on upswing as hub for growing industry

THE AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 1/22/10 Thursday, January 28, 2010

The advancement of Northeast Ohio as a national hub of biomedical innovation can be symbolized by two very different outcomes of locally grown spinal implant companies, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Speaking before the Akron Roundtable, BioEnterprise president Baiju Shah � whose organization works to accelerate the growth of the region's biomedical industry � gave two examples that define the current environment.

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DuPont to expand production in Circleville

THE CHILLICOTHE GAZETTE, 1/19/10 Thursday, January 28, 2010

At a time when many companies are cutting back, the DuPont plant in Pickaway County has announced plans to expand its Tedlar film production line, reports the Chillicothe Gazette.

The company estimates the expansion will create 270 construction jobs and 70 manufacturing jobs.
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