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Washington County looks to economic future

About 70 people gathered Tuesday night on the second floor of the recently renovated Ketter Block building on Front Street to get a glimpse into the economic future of Washington County and a look at the development landscape.

The Southeastern Ohio Port Authority’s annual meeting offered a panel of three experts, who examined the area’s strengths and challenges, to answer a series of questions from moderator and port authority executive director Andy Kuhn.

“Marietta shows very well; it’s got a wonderful downtown, and you seem to be bringing back young people with talent,” Mike Jacoby, president of Appalachian Partners for Economic Growth, said. “You’ve got a pretty diverse economy, two publicly traded companies, a four-year college, a community college, and a career center.”

Jacoby, whose agency covers 25 counties and is a JobsOhio partner for economic development, said the local workforce is one of its greatest strengths.

“I grew up in Marietta,” he said. “When I talk to area employers, they said, ‘I’ve got a great workforce – they show up every day, and outperform those in other locations.’ And, the higher the skill required, the older the workforce, the more you hear that.”

Vicky Woods, president of Washington State Community College, also speaking on the theme of a solid workforce, noted that her institution was ranked No. 1 in Ohio among community college for results, what students get out of their education.

“For higher education in general in Marietta, you have a quality community college and a quality four-year college. The other piece is, this is a small, river town, with a historic aspect and friendliness, a real strength in this community,” she said.

Jerry James, president of Artex Oil, emphasized the history of the area and the legacy of petroleum and petrochemical workers.

“Shell is building that new plant up at the top of the Ohio (a $4 billion ethane cracker in Beaver County, Pa.). I asked them to talk to an oil and gas convention in Houston about their workforce experience here – and they did. A senior vice president told them, “You’ve never seen anything like the workforce up there, they’re happy to come to work and they’re more productive than the workforce in Texas,’” he said. “Who do you think invented the petrochemical business? We did, here in Appalachia.”

James said part of the job of economic development is to spread the word about what Appalachia can do.

“We can compete on a world scale in energy production,” he said. “You hear a lot about the Permian Basin (oil deposits in Texas) but the Marcellus and Utica shales are every bit as big as the Permian. We need to tell the world because it doesn’t know. It’s our job and the community’s job to let the world know.”

Attracting large businesses, and even those on a smaller scale, is a competitive game that involves being prepared, Jacoby said.

Looking northward to Muskingum County, he said the county attracted a massive investment by Halliburton, the oilfield servicing corporation, that ultimately resulted in more than 2,000 jobs. That development didn’t happen without work and foresight, he said.

Halliburton located in an industrial park near Zanesville that was ready to go, he said, and that’s what companies are looking for.

“You need at least 20 buildable acres, with the utilities already there, and all the wetland, archaeological and endangered species surveys done. And it helps if it’s flat. That’s what your competition for these companies will have – big sites with the utilities installed, the due diligence done, something that for them involves very little time and very little risk and money,” he said. “Before anyone comes to see your site, they’ll do their research and send you their questions.”

The challenge in Marietta and most of Washington County is in part what makes it attractive – hilly countryside that’s been occupied for more than 200 years, which means a lack of large, flat building sites that aren’t already committed ground.

Nevertheless, Jacoby said, solutions can be found.

“You have to work together, have a vision, take some risks,” he said, adding that the Zanesville area is now developing its fourth industrial park. “It’s not just an investment in the future, they’re making some money now.”

Kuhn wrapped it up by urging the group to work with his agency to create a climate for development.

“We need to work with landowners, but it has to be transparent,” he said. “Sites need to be vetted, with all the questions answered. You can work with the port authority, and we can tell you what you need to do next to get a site ready.

“We don’t have any sites right now, and that’s unfortunate. Sewer, water, gas, that’s all a big part of it. If those aren’t there, those sites don’t even get looked at. Infrastructure is a struggle all over our region.”

He noted the great industrial accomplishments of the past all up and down the river.

“All those developments, they didn’t just happen,” he said. “Somebody planned for that.”

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