The Dayton Development Coalition has been busy lining up businesses to move into a region that in less than a decade was hit hard by the loss of NCR, GM and DHL.
Just this month there have been three major announcements:
- Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co., a Chinese producer of auto safety glass, finalized its agreement to buy the former General Motors (GM) plant in Moraine.
- Mound Business Parkis now open for business after Miamisburg leaders cleaned up the former nuclear site.
- Procter and Gamble chose Union, Ohio to open a distribution centerand hire 800 people.
What led to these developments? The Coalition's Vice President of Development David Burrowssaid after the economic blows in 2008 and 2009 the community came together to figure out what to do with the empty spaces. Calls to California redevelopment group IRG paid off with Fuyao taking over the GM plant. Miamisburg was dedicated to bring new business to the old GM plant. Dayton leaders also say they just treat companies right.
"We feel by bringing everybody to the table early and listening to what their needs are and then being able to respond with what they need we feel that's one of the big things why we win companies," Burrows said.
Other strategies are paying off:
- The Coalition and Montgomery County paid for a logistics and distribution study showing that Dayton consistently shows up as one of the top sites.
- Letting companies know Dayton is within a day's travel of 60% of the workforce in the U.S.
Burrows says the future is bright. "It can always be brighter. We are not going to be complacent. " He is projecting the area will grow economically through 2019 and beyond.
