maybe gabriel brothers can fill the void, especially in toledo. 

I stopped in the Value City on Woodman today....they had some seasonal clearance sales going on, but no going out of business sale.  I was at the Value City in Lima on Sunday and they had going out of business signs everywhere, no return policy signs and receipts were on yellow paper to signify no returns.  None of that at the VC on Woodman, so at this point it looks like the one on Woodman might be staying open.

aww man. elyria city was the coolest discount store ever. it was an institution.

TechColumbus puts $1.2M into firms; agency readies satellite offices

Friday, February 8, 2008

Business First of Columbus

By Kevin Kemper, Business First

 

Five Central Ohio startup businesses are getting cash infusions from TechColumbus, and more young companies should soon be in line for aid as the technology incubator opens two satellilte offices.  Executives at TechColumbus said the organization funded five companies with nearly $1.2 million. 

 

The agency also plans to find more deals with regional entrepreneurs through offices in Dublin and New Albany scheduled to open in the next three months.  "One of our objectives is to turn Central Ohio into a hotbed of new-company formation," said Ted Ford, TechColumbus' CEO.

 

More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/02/11/story4.html

 

Good news for Dayton.

 

Dayton - Value City to maintain presence

Store on Salem Avenue will become Burlington Coat Factory while Value City on Woodman will remain open.

 

By Tim Tresslar

Staff Writer

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

 

One Dayton area Value City Department store will remain open while another is slated for conversion to a Burlington Coat Factory following the purchase of the retail chain last month by an investment group...

 

FULL ARTICLE AT: http://www.daytondailynews.com/b/content/oh/story/business/2008/02/11/ddn021208valuecity.html

Full story: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/insight/stories/2008/02/17/1_INCOME_TAX.ART_ART_02-17-08_G1_A39BP1U.html?sid=101

 

A heavier levy? As city and its services grew, so did income tax

Sunday,  February 17, 2008  -  7:49 AM

By Michael Curtin

FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

For the first time in a quarter-century, Columbus is headed for a debate over increasing the city income tax.  Mayor Michael B. Coleman last week appointed a panel to examine the city's expense and revenue structures and recommend improvements.  The big item for discussion will be whether to seek voter approval to increase the income tax, whose rate has been 2 percent since Jan. 1, 1983. 

 

"We have a structural problem," Coleman said.  "Since I became mayor (in 2000), we've cut (budgets) every year.  Even with those cuts, our revenues don't meet current needs.  Now we're at the bone."  For at least five years, City Auditor Hugh J. Dorrian has urged the mayor and City Council to begin a public discussion of the need for a tax increase.  "I'm a realist.  I want our government officials to start focusing on the need to maintain these services," Dorrian said.  "I don't want to see this community decline."

 

Q3 Stamped Metal to eliminate more than 150 jobs in Columbus, Urbana

Tuesday,  February 26, 2008

By Paul Wilson, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A metal-stamping company will cut more than 150 jobs at plants in Columbus and Urbana.  Q3 Stamped Metal Inc. will shrink from about 185 employees at the two plants to about 20, said Terry O’Donovan, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.

 

Q3 recently learned its biggest customer, International Truck and Engine Corp., will no longer buy parts from Q3, opting for other suppliers. International Truck represented more than 90 percent of Q3’s business.

 

The company’s headquarters and Columbus plant are at 777 Manor Park Drive.  The Urbana operation is at 605 Miami Street.

 

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/02/26/q_layoffs.html?sid=101

Central Ohio unemployment hits 2-year high

Business First of Columbus

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - 11:34 AM EST

 

Central Ohio's unemployment rate hit its highest level in two years as all counties in the region saw an increase in jobless levels, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Tuesday.  The seven-county region's unemployment rate hit 5.1 percent in January, up from 4.8 percent in December.  The unemployment rate a year ago was 4.9 percent.  The region's jobless rate has hit 5 percent or above only twice in the past two years, once in June with 5 percent and once in February 2006 with 5.2 percent.

 

The state's jobless rate nudged down in January at 5.5 percent from 5.8 percent in December.  National unemployment also fell during the month to 4.9 percent from 5 percent in December.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/03/daily12.html?surround=lfn

8% slide in prices accompanies drop in January home sales

Monday, March 10, 2008

By Mike Pramik,THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The Columbus Board of Realtors said home sales got off to an unsurprisingly poor start in 2008.  But the big drop in the average sale price of the properties might open a few eyes.  The board said 1,225 homes were sold within the Central Ohio Multiple Listing Service in January, down 18.9 percent from 1,510 sales in January 2007.  What is perhaps surprising is the 8 percent decline in the average sale price of those houses.  They sold for $152,790, compared with a little more than $166,000 in January 2007.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/10/ZONE0310.ART_ART_03-10-08_C8_QE9IHRC.html?sid=101

Looks like the horrible Ohio economy is starting to drag down Central Ohio now...

 

Local job growth will lag nation's, survey says

Across Ohio and U.S., employers are 'cautious'

Tuesday, March 11, 2008 

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

 

Central Ohio employers expect to add jobs at a lower rate than companies statewide and across the country in the next three months, according to a report released today.  Only 7 percent of Columbus-area companies surveyed by Manpower Inc. expect to add workers from April to June, the global-staffing company based in Milwaukee said.  Nationally, 26 percent of companies plan to hire and 18 percent of Ohio companies surveyed planned to add workers.

 

Read more at http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/11/Jobs_Outlook.ART_ART_03-11-08_C10_849JRFG.html?sid=101 

<b>Top 10 Up-And-Coming Tech Cities</b>

William Pentland 03.10.08, 6:00 PM ET

 

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurstechnology/2008/03/10/columbus-milwaukee-houston-ent-tech-cx_wp_0310smallbizoutlooktechcity.html

 

<img src="http://images.forbes.com/media/2008/03/10/techcity_1.jpg">

 

<b>No. 1

Columbus, Ohio</b>

 

In 1997, the Battelle Memorial Institute, Ohio's largest research center, based in Columbus, managed a single lab for the U.S. Department of Energy with an annual budget of $1 billion. A decade later, Battelle oversees seven major laboratories for different federal agencies; budget: $4 billion in research funds annually. The institute has become a force in almost every area of emerging technology, especially life sciences and energy research. One of its children, Velocys, is working on a way to cut the cost of capturing the 3 trillion cubic feet of the world's stranded natural gas by converting it into easily transportable liquid.

 

http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/10/columbus-milwaukee-houston-ent-tech-cx_wp_0310smallbizoutlooktechcity_slide_2.html?thisSpeed=20000

 

Great find.  Battelle has an international high-tech rep but we frequently forget about it locally. 

 

I see you included their Fifth Avenue location on the banks of the Olentangy.  Battelle has an even larger campus located in Madison County where it is rumored that their "secret" government projects are tested.

I don't know a lot about most of the cities on this list, but I can tell you the Palm Beach ranking is a joke. Scripps and the others are only employing a few hundred people over the next couple of years. I used to work in that part of the country and dealt with all the Scripps potential spin off and job production reports and data. It is estimated that it will take years (decades) before that region will see major growth in that tech sector. So if up and coming means potential growth decade(s) from now then maybe this ranking works.

I don't know a lot about most of the cities on this list, but I can tell you the Palm Beach ranking is a joke. Scripps and the others are only employing a few hundred people over the next couple of years.

 

<i>Borrowing a method devised by Anthony Breitzman, a researcher at 1790 Analytics, an intellectual-property valuation firm, Auerswald then looked for important relationships among patents within each general technical area. The most important patents are generally referenced by other inventors in the field when they file for their own patents; lesser patents garner fewer citations. The greater the increase in the number of important patents in a given city, the higher it ranked on Auerswald's list.</i>

NetJets plans to expand in Columbus

Other cities had been considered; 800 jobs to be created

Wednesday,  March 12, 2008 - 1:00 PM

By Marla Matzer Rose

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

After considering at least three other cities for potential expansion, NetJets Aviation has decided to stay in Columbus and is expected to increase its work force by more than 800 people over the next several years.

 

The private jet company, controlled by billionaire Warren Buffett, said it will invest $200 million to expand its presence at Port Columbus.  State and local governments will provide incentives of close to $100 million.

 

The expansion will allow the company to concentrate its 2,022 central Ohio employees at one site while providing space to accommodate hiring plans.  The announcement was made at a news conference today at its operational headquarters at the airport.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/12/netjets.html?sid=101

Great to hear that they chose Ohio.

Fantastic news. The increased collaboration with OSU will hopefully bring even more interest and expansion to the university's aviation program, which has only recently really begun to spread its wings. The FlightSafety campus as well will bring in much new business and travel into the city. Kudos to Gov. Strickland, Mayor Coleman and all involved in getting NetJets to realize the incredible asset they have in their current operations in Central Ohio. For those interested, the official release can be found here:

 

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080312/20080312006141.html?.v=1

 

Some excerpts:

 

First, the company will construct an over $200 million world-class campus in order to draw the best and brightest talent from across the nation and help initiate a growing aeronautical cluster at Port Columbus International Airport.

 

Second, NetJets will embark on an unprecedented partnership with The Ohio State University to attract college graduates, solve real world business problems and develop existing talent in Ohio.

 

Third, the company has decided to take a leadership role in Ohio, including support for community and environmental initiatives.

 

Over the coming years, NetJets and FlightSafety will grow from a campus of approximately 19 acres to potentially over 120 acres, investing over $200 million, while retaining 2,022 positions in central Ohio and adding at least 810 high-wage jobs. FlightSafety will more than double the number of its existing simulators, creating its largest concentration of simulators in the country and attracting large numbers of pilots on a daily basis from outside Ohio for training. These simulators will support NetJets’ commitment to have the best-trained flight crews in the world while also helping to train other national aviation companies’ personnel.

Great great news for Ohio and Columbus. 

Wow!  I was afraid we were acctually going to lose them!  This is good news!  And, I've only read the headline so far! 

Battelle has an even larger campus located in Madison County where it is rumored that their "secret" government projects are tested.

 

Time for some fun with google earth.  Do you know abouts whereabouts in Mad County this is located?

It is Forbes... so ingest with a few morsels of salt... but this does seem to have a bit more substance than their "best cities for singles", "best cities for speed-walking" and "best cities for gay penguins" lists.  So good for Columbus.  I'm sure with its higher education sector and high concentration of state and federal jobs, it's well positioned to generate that elusive "tech economy". 

 

Let's see if they have a completely different Top 10 when they do this list next year. 

When I grew up in Columbus I heard about Battelle's secret gov't projects. They're like an urban legend in Columbus!

For what its worth, the rest of the list.  Whats up with Lake Charles LA?  bionic cajuns?

 

1. Columbus 2. Santa Fe, N.M. 3. Palm Beach County, Fla. 4. Houston 5. Milwaukee 6. Pittsburgh 7. Boise City, Idaho 8. Iowa City, Iowa 9. Lake Charles, La. 10. Yuma, Ariz.

Battelle has an even larger campus located in Madison County where it is rumored that their "secret" government projects are tested.

 

Time for some fun with google earth.  Do you know abouts whereabouts in Mad County this is located?

 

It's located just west of the Franklin/Madison County line.  The Battelle campus is roughly bordered by the Big Darby Creek on the east, I-70 on the north, SR142 on the west and US40 on the south.  Have fun.

^Yup.  GO COLUMBUS!

Here's the full follow-up from today's Dispatch...

 

Netjets to stay at Port Columbus

2,000 jobs saved, 800 on the way

Political, business leaders say decision is turning point for state

Thursday, March 13, 2008 - 3:23 AM

By Marla Matzer Rose, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Forget the courtship by other cities.  NetJets Aviation is staying put.  Months of anxiety turned into elation yesterday when the company, which flies private jets around the world, said it not only will keep its operational headquarters at Port Columbus but also will expand it into a major aviation hub.

 

This means more than 2,000 NetJets jobs, with an average salary of more than $70,000, aren't going anywhere.  In addition, the company expects to add 800 jobs over the next half-dozen years.

 

The news couldn't have come at a better time for a state that has lost thousands of jobs this decade and has struggled to find a vehicle to better times.  NetJets Chief Executive Richard Santulli acknowledged that an Internet search on "Ohio" turns up multiple references to a "brain drain" of talented workers out of the state.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/13/netjets_thurs.ART_ART_03-13-08_A1_SB9KK2U.html?sid=101

 

Here's some background info about NetJets that came with the above story.  I had no idea they were founded in Columbus or had been here for so long.

 

About NetJets

What it does:  Operating much like a timeshare, NetJets Aviation allows customers to buy the use of a plane, rather than the plane itself. Ownership costs hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, plus monthly management fees and hourly-use costs.

Founded:  1964, in Columbus, as Executive Jet; renamed NetJets in 2002

Headquarters:  Woodbridge, N.J.

Operational headquarters:  Port Columbus

Aircraft:  751, making it the world's second-largest airline by number of aircraft

Flights:  More than 390,000 in 2007, covering 237 million miles

Countries served:  More than 173

Employees:  7,300

Clients:  Mostly corporations and some individuals, including Aetna, Dow Chemical and General Electric; celebrities include Annika Sorenstam, Andre Agassi and Tiger Woods.

 

 

When I grew up in Columbus I heard about Battelle's secret gov't projects. They're like an urban legend in Columbus!

 

I'll second that.

NetJets | How the deal was done

Big hitters went to bat to keep NetJets here

Business leaders helped sell aviation company on Columbus' strengths

Sunday, March 16, 2008

By Marla Matzer Rose, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Most cities would love to be home to the world's largest private jet firm, a company that flies millionaires, sports greats and movie stars all over the globe.  Many in Columbus didn't even know NetJets Aviation was here before the company said it might leave.  Last week, NetJets said it will stay and expand here, after being courted by several other cities for a possible relocation.

 

With the aid of more than $67 million in public incentives and more than $200 million of its own money, NetJets will grow its Port Columbus home to accommodate its 2,000 existing employees and 800 more that are expected to be added in the next half-dozen years.

 

"This was so important for us to get. There was very real concern that (NetJets) might go," Ty Marsh, president of the Columbus Chamber, said after last week's announcement. He added with a laugh: "I'm glad it's over."  Last week's big splash runs in sharp contrast to the low profile that NetJets has kept in central Ohio for much of its existence.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/16/netjets_deal.ART_ART_03-16-08_D1_BR9L1GM.html?sid=101

Good Jobs News - from the Dispatch Biz Page:

<b>Columbus - 12,000 area jobs added in 2007, revised report shows </b>

 

Central Ohio employment grew in 2007 by more than twice the amount originally reported, according to revised figures by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

Nearly 12,000 jobs were added in the Columbus area last year -- the highest rate since 2000. The federal government revises employment estimates for the past year each March as the original estimates, based on a limited sample of establishments, are supplemented by data from unemployment-insurance tax reports filed by nearly all employers.

 

Meanwhile, U.S. and Ohio employment growth was found to be lower than first thought. The state lost 11,400 jobs in 2007, compared with 8,500 that had been reported earlier.

Wow, that's pretty impressive!

:D

Post edited 9-5-09 to comply with terms of use.

Did someone say secret gov't projects at Battelle?

 

Battelle's Bluefin wins Navy anti-mine deal worth up to $29M

Business First of Columbus

Friday, February 29, 2008

 

The U.S. Navy has exercised an option on a previously awarded contract with Battelle subsidiary Bluefin Robotics Corp. for an autonomous underwater vehicle.  The Cambridge, Mass.-based robotics company will provide its Bluefin-9 mine-detecting vehicles to the Navy.  The company said the contract has a potential value of $29 million, and includes engineering, support and other services.  The Bluefin-9 is designed to locate mines in shallow waters and will be used in port and harbor security.

 

Battelle acquired Bluefin in 2005, eight years after it was spun off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  The company designs advanced underwater vehicles that can be used by the military, surveyors, archaeologists and scientists exploring deep under the sea.

 

Battelle, on King Avenue, conducts scientific research and manages the federal government's seven national laboratories, including the operations at Brookhaven in New York state and Oak Ridge in Tennessee.  The company conducts about $4 billion annually in global research and development activities, overseeing more than 20,000 employees worldwide.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/othercities/columbus/stories/2008/02/25/daily36.html

 

Columbus continues to impress.

The study appears to be based on patents, which is why the prevalence of cities with US government labs on the list.

 

This isn't the only predictor of tech success, but it certainly bodes well for Columbus and the press sure can't hurt, especially since they are #1.

 

 

The Columbus Technology Economy

Friday, Mar. 21, 2008

By Bill Lafayette

Columbus Chamber of Commerce

 

Forbes Magazine has named Columbus the top up-and-coming tech city in the U.S.  They pointed to the strength of Battelle and its $4 billion research budget.  Battelle has a global footprint and has spun off a number of start-up companies to commercialize its technologies.  But there is a whole lot going on here besides Battelle.

 

You may be aware - or maybe not - that there are two other technology organizations here that have a global reach.  Chemical Abstracts houses the world's chemical research databases.  And OCLC does the same thing for the world's libraries.  It serves more than 60,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories around the world.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=home&story=sites/twn/content/pool/exclusives/2008/march/032108-WEB-Bus-lafayette.html&tab=tab1

 

<b>What exactly is an “Up-&-Coming Tech City”?</b>

 

Because according to Forbes.com Columbus is the number 1 Up-&-Coming Tech City in the US.

 

The <a href="http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurstechnology/2008/03/10/columbus-milwaukee-houston-ent-tech-cx_wp_0310smallbizoutlooktechcity.html">article</a> mostly just talks about Battelle, and how much they've grown in the past few years. Which is great and everything, but for some reason I have a hard time wrapping them around the "Up-&-Coming" title.

 

I sort of consider what I do with <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com">ColumbusUnderground.com</a> to be in the "tech" field. And while we were <a href="http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?p=344">nominated for a 2007 TopCat award</a> for "Outstanding Startup Business", there's not really been a whole lot of recognition or help along the way. I've gotten no grant money, no government funding, no donations from city or regional organizations. I did speak with someone at the <a href="http://www.cscc.edu/cpe/SBDC/SBDChome.asp">SBDC</a> a few years ago who despite not having much experience with an online business was able to point me in the right direction for getting the basics started. It didn't really make things much easier though. There really hasn't been a lot of hand holding for me. And I've looked.

 

Can anyone help fill me in? What sort of small/micro business incubators are out there for "tech" companies? If we've got the next google brewing in some kid's garage, what can he do to seek assistance or funding?

 

Let's keep this Tech City thing rolling.

 

http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?p=544

 

State tax breaks leave competitors asking, "Where's mine?"

March 23, 2008 - 4:00AM

Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

 

Like any hard-charging boss, Michael Scheeringa wants to ensure that a competitor's gain isn't his bottom-line pain.  That's why the chief executive of FlightOptions LLC says it's time for state and local governments to push big-ticket investments at Cuyahoga County Airport -- and maybe lighten FlightOptions' tax burden.

 

Scheeringa's competitive fears are understandable.  State and local leaders stood last week with bigwigs from Scheeringa's arch competitor, NetJets Inc., to announce a blockbuster -- a $200 million project at Port Columbus International Airport, creating a world-class aviation campus for the company.

 

Tax breaks, grants and other public aid will cover a whopping one-third of the cost.  Scheeringa fears the subsidies will give NetJets a competitive edge, unless he gets a timely response to his needs at the county airport in Richmond Heights.

 

MORE: http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/03/state_tax_breaks_leaving_compe.html

^ "Unless FlightOptions is considering an expansion similar to NetJets, it shouldn't expect the same treatment, said economist Ned Hill, dean of the urban affairs college at Cleveland State University."

 

Exactly.

 

 

Tech high note

Columbus' No. 1 ranking on national list draws positive attention to city

Monday, March 24, 2008

Columbus Dispatch Editorial

 

The Top 10 lists in Forbes magazine invariably spark talk.  So the landing of Columbus this month at the top of a Forbes.com list of "10 Up-and-Coming Tech Cities" is bound to provide a helpful boost to central Ohio's technology-development aspirations and efforts.

 

It includes an attractive aerial photograph of Battelle's headquarters, backed by a handsome view of the Columbus skyline, with the Olentangy River appearing particularly stunning on a sunny day, reflecting a blue sky overhead.  You just can't buy that kind of good publicity.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2008/03/24/TECHCITY.ART_ART_03-24-08_A8_6A9N35U.html?sid=101

Report: Columbus' growth, progress has ups, downs

A report that measures Columbus against 15 other U.S. metropolitan areas puts the city in dozens of comparative economic, demographic and cultural rankings.  What the numbers mean for the city isn't as easy to pinpoint.

 

The Columbus Partnership on Wednesday released its second annual Benchmarking Central Ohio report, which shows the city exhibits a range of economic and demographic characteristics found in slow and fast-growing metros.  For every strong ranking in transportation job growth, for instance, Columbus languishes at the bottom of the list in manufacturing employment.  Despite its relatively youthful population, the city brings up the rear in number of arts establishments when compared to the other communities.  And while the gap between top and bottom income groups remains smaller than most other cities, poverty and foreclosure levels in Central Ohio are hard to top.

 

In addition to Cleveland and Cincinnati, other cities used in the benchmarking report include Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Austin, Texas; and Nashville, Tenn., many of them considered economic development rivals for Columbus.

 

"The data reveal a complex picture of the Columbus metro area," said Roberta Garber, executive director of report developer Community Research Partners.  "We have characteristics of faster-growing areas in the South and West, as well as characteristics of the slow-growth cities of Cleveland and Cincinnati.  We need to be aware of both."

 

While officials said data from last year and this year are too inconclusive to begin uncovering trends, Columbus made considerable leaps in some comparisons.  The city's rental housing affordability, for example, fell to ninth on the list from second the year before.  And its eco-friendly building presence jumped to sixth from 13th in 2007, the report found.

 

Among the study's other contrasting findings:

 

- Columbus placed ninth for population growth, and its residents were ranked fourth-youngest among the 16 cities.

- The city ranked fourth for its share of Fortune 1,000 companies, but ranked last in its share of businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

- In an examination of residents' prosperity, Columbus ranked third best in owner housing affordability, but the city had the fourth-highest level of foreclosures.

- Columbus' share of uninsured adults was the third-lowest among the metro. But it also had the fourth-highest share of obese adults, a group that pose a significant and costly health risk.

 

The benchmarking report is available in a full version at http://www.communityresearchpartners.org/uploads/publications//Benchmarking%20Central%20Ohio%202008.pdf and a condensed version at http://www.communityresearchpartners.org/uploads/publications//BCOHighlights.pdf.

 

To download last year's benchmarking report, go to http://communityresearchpartners.org/uploads/publications//Benchmarking%20Central%20Ohio%202007.pdf.

Full Story: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wosu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1256660&sectionID=1

 

<b>Condo market better in city than 'burbs</b>

Mandie Trimble

 

MP3: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wosu/news.mediaplayer?STATION_NAME=wosu&MEDIA_ID=693637&MEDIA_EXTENSION=mp3&MODULE=news

 

<img src="http://media.publicbroadcasting.net/wosu/newsroom/images/2846843.jpg">

 

COLUMBUS, OH (2008-04-14) For many people the housing market is not the best place to be right now. It's almost inevitable that at least once a day one will hear something about home foreclosures, the credit crunch and the R word - that's recession. In this report, WOSU takes a look at how the nation's economy is affecting the condominium market in Franklin County.

 

Full story: http://www.nbc4i.com/midwest/cmh/news.apx.-content-articles-CMH-2008-04-15-0026.html

 

<b>Central Ohio Development Continues Despite Struggling Economy</b>

Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 - 04:53 PM

By Denise Yost

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The nation's economy is continuing to wallow as new figures show fuel and food prices are up -- and consumer confidence is down.  "The state of Central Ohio is obviously very strong, particularly compared to the rest of the state," said Chester Jourdan, executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC).

Hatching innovative ideas

Sunday, April 20, 2008

By Amy Saunders, The Columbus Dispatch

 

In a former mattress factory near Ohio State University, some of central Ohio's most promising start-up companies are working to fight cancer, squash the smell of smoke and cast a future TV star.  They're among the 26 tenants of TechColumbus, a nonprofit organization and business incubator that's growing in strength along with the region's tech reputation.

 

Forbes.com recently named Columbus the No. 1 up-and-coming tech city in America, a ranking that TechColumbus hopes to use in marketing its companies to venture capitalists.  In the past five years, incubator companies have generated 265 new jobs and $87.4 million in revenue.  The incubator wasn't so productive when it was established in 1984 as the state-subsidized Business Technology Center operating out of a Summit Street lab.

 

Its turnaround started in 2000, when state and private partners spent $5 million on a renovation that doubled the building's size.  Shortly thereafter, Ohio launched its 10-year, $1.6 billion Third Frontier Project to stimulate tech development.  The incubator also merged with a membership organization, the Columbus Technology Council.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/04/20/hatch.html?sid=101

Office vacancy rates buck national trend by remaining steady in 1Q

Business First of Columbus

Laura Newpoff, Business First

Friday, May 2, 2008

 

As office vacancy rates rise in major cities across the country, Columbus seems to be holding steady amid a restless economy and unemployment rate that's higher than the national average, according to first quarter data compiled by three of the city's largest brokerage houses.  Colliers Turley Martin Tucker Co. reports office vacancy rates in Columbus and its suburbs improved for the quarter.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/05/05/focus2.html?f=et177&b=1209960000^1629908&ana=e_vert

Local jobs growth likely won't last

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

 

Take heart, Columbus.  The region gained 2,500 jobs during the first quarter of 2008.  Now, for the bad news: April, in which Skybus Airlines collapsed and other troubling signs developed, falls in the second quarter.  Unemployment in the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Pickaway and Union counties, stood at 4.9 percent.  That was a slight improvement from the 5.1 percent unemployment locally in December.  However, the statistical sweep came before the failure of Skybus, which cost Columbus 365 jobs.  The acquisition of Wendy's International by the parent of Arby's in April also is expected to bring layoffs.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/05/14/Columbus_employment.ART_ART_05-14-08_C8_M7A6M5O.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101

Burlington Coat Factory's going in the Euclid store.

Burlington Coat Factory's also going into the Ridge store in Cincy. I think the main reason the Value City closed was because of the horrible access and congestion, but apparently BCF doesn't think it's a problem.

If someone gets off of the Ridge rd. exit to turn around, the Value City parking lot is the first thing they come to. So you have people making left turns on a two way street and it holds everyone up. It's guaranteed to happen every time. It really sucks.