By Alison D. Goebel, Associate Director Periodically, GOPC staff likes to get out of the office and meet with leaders in their communities to learn about new and exciting changes that are developing throughout Ohio. With this mission in mind, earlier this month I visited Tiffin and Findlay to find out what is going on in these Northwest Ohio cities.
Tiffin has about 17,500 residents; Findlay about 41,500. Both are the home to smaller universities and have beautiful rivers running through their downtown. Findlay is the headquarters for two Fortune 500 companies—Marathon Petroleum and Cooper Tire--and Tiffin has several smaller manufacturing plants.
Tiffin has a number of planning processes underway to better leverage its cute downtown, which includes historic buildings and sits between Tiffin University and Heidelberg University. As it is, in the last three years, the city has established a local job creation tax credit that complements the state tax credit, signaling to employers that the city wants to be business friendly. The city has also created a facade enhancement program to help downtown building owners, and they have established a revitalization district in downtown and along a major corridor to help attract businesses. Small businesses have already begun to return to empty storefronts in downtown and the downtown redevelopment plans are expected to help Tiffin become even more strategic with its resources.
Downtown Findlay is very picturesque and almost all storefronts have first floor tenants. Marathon is expanding their downtown campus and a large grocery distributor is building a new facility on the edge of town that will employ 425 residents. While Findlay is working at distinct corporate advantage with its two Fortune 500 headquarters located within its borders, Findlay elected officials credit the city’s success to the private sector's engagement and commitment to having a thriving city now and in the future. Officials explain that the city’s governing philosophy is "to create an environment for investment" and that "if companies know what to expect and know it’s a safe place [to invest] they will come." Long ago, Findlay committed to making it as easy as possible for their businesses to expand and stay. Findlay's investment areas are predictable, their commitment to respond to corporate needs is established, and leaders in all sectors understand that they depend on one another for long-term success.
I appreciated the opportunity to meet with officials that are valuing the power of their downtowns and recognize the economic and social benefits of thriving business districts and collaborative cross-sector relationships. Hats off to Findlay and Tiffin!