ONE Lorain County hosts economic development leaders, JVS students at annual meeting

LORAIN — Lorain County is an economic powerhouse, the President/CEO of the Ohio Economic Development Association told a room of officials, business owners and developers Thursday morning. Overlooking the lakefront on the fourth floor of the Ariel Broadway Hotel, ONE Lorain County's annual meeting heard David Zak laud the area's growth and progress and say he hoped to see it continue in the right direction. Now in his third decade of economic development, Zak remembered the first job he with the state Department of Development covering Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Lorain counties. There, he worked with the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce and was involved in the Ford plant coming to the county's northeast center. He also noted Lorain County Community College and the Joint Vocational School's roles connecting students with career opportunities — and retooling educational offerings to meet the needs of local employers. Lorain County has a number of economic development organizations at the local and regional level, he said, with the support of elected officials scattered throughout the room that morning. Economic development is about trying to improve the economic well-being of residents, he said, by bringing private sector companies with jobs and tax income to an area, while supporting those existing industries. There are challenges, he said, including residents in opposition to economic development — like those who have pushed back against a rezoning for an industrial part near the Lorain County Regional Airport in New Russia Township, or the public outcries triggered by data centers or multifamily housing projects. While economic development is about transforming the lives of those living in an area for the better, he reminded those in attendance Thursday the default assumption may be that they need convinced to support whatever project is in front of them. Also at Thursday's session, several Lorain County Joint Vocational School students spoke in support of the schools' programs. Grace Denes, an allied health sciences senior from Wellington Schools who also attends Lorain County Community College, came to the JVS to get experience in health care, she said. She is now a certified STNA and works at Sprenger Healthcare, she said, noting the JVS is a gateway into the workforce even if she did not plan to attend a four-year university later, she was set up to have a successful career. Xaiden Natel, a senior from Elyria studying heating and air conditioning, credited the JVS with the hands-on experience he needed to get an apprenticeship that will further his career in HVAC. Caleb Gill, a senior precision machine technology student from North Ridgeville, said he came to the joint vocational school to follow in his brother's footsteps. When he arrived at the Pittsfield Township campus, Gill had no idea what he wanted to study, he said. Eventually, he found his way to the precision machining program and obtained a summer internship, then received an early placement for a job at Absolute Machine Tools. Tracy Green, vice president of strategic and institutional development at Lorain County Community College, said the college's — and its students' — success required the faith of leaders who built something they would not necessarily see the fruits of in their lifetime. Founded in the early 1960s as the first community college in the state, LCCC served to create a competitive workforce within a booming industrial county. While the industries its students join may have changed in the decades since, the college's mission has remained, Green said. By 2035, the college hopes to have awarded 35,000 credentials and degrees that align with jobs in the region, continuing a trend of its alumni living and working in Lorain County. Terry Slaybaugh, vice president of sites and infrastructure at JobsOhio, touched on the SiteOhio program, which helps communities develop shovel-ready sites. "If you want to have generational wealth for future generations and you want to have jobs for your region, you want to be able to have kids grow up in your communities and get a job … you have to be doing this kind of activity in your community," he said. "My message for Lorain County is you're not alone with what you're trying to do." Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.