Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Owners of businesses located in Northwood have an opportunity to help city officials better understand the issues they face.
Dave Gallaher, the president of Northwood’s Community Improvement Corporation (CIC), is spearheading a survey through the Business Retention and Expansion Program (BRE) to evaluate the local business climate and assist local businesses with retention and expansion within the community.
The organization has contacted over 300 area businesses in an effort to gather thoughts and concerns. However, Gallaher estimates that just 10 percent of that number has responded.
“Through the survey, we’re already finding out there’s some issues with truck traffic on Wales and Tracy,” he said. “Trying to get around in that intersection, it’s a little tight. Those are the types of things that if there are a couple businesses suffering that same problem, we can present that to council. It’s not going to get fixed overnight, but that can get incorporated into the plans in the future.”
The survey, which takes approximately 10 minutes to fill out according to Gallaher, can be found by visiting go.osu.edu/NorthwoodBREsurvey.
“Our goal is to increase and open up the lines of communication between businesses, city government staff, and our local community improvement corporation officials,” Northwood Mayor Edward Schimmel said. “Existing businesses create up to 80 percent of all new jobs in a community, so it’s important to examine the needs of those companies already committed to Northwood.
“The role of government should be one that helps businesses to be innovative, profitable, and to create employment opportunities. It’s not our job to be in the job creation business, but it is our job to make sure the environment they do business in is conducive for business.”
Gallaher said another example they’ve already discovered is that there is a business in town that is having trouble finding forklift operators.
“They’ve got jobs,” he said. “They cannot find people who are qualified. With Owens being so close, and Penta County, it wouldn’t take much for us to go to Owens and say, ‘Would you put on a class for fork truck operators?’ And anyone taking that class would be certified and able to go apply for a job.
“It’s identifying a problem, but in order to do that, we need some feedback to help us.”
The first phase of the project will involve surveying businesses of all sizes within the city’s borders. After the survey data is tabulated, city, CIC, and local development officials will examine the results and methods to refine community services to assist businesses in Northwood.
Businesses are encouraged to complete and/or return the survey ASAP. Gallaher said he has sent postcards, emails, and followed up with personal phone calls already in an attempt to get numbers up.
“We’re having a heck of a time getting information back from businesses because when people think survey, they think it’s going to take a little while,” Gallaher said. “This is the information we need to help (businesses) succeed. We’re giving these businesses the chance to explain to us what they deal with, and hopefully at some point we can address that and try to make it better.”
The CIC, which also has a board of trustees in addition to Gallaher, has several key functions: support local businesses, facilitate development projects, leverage funding, encourage public-private partnerships, and address blight and redevelopment.
“The important people we need to see (responses from) are the businesses along Woodville Road,” Gallaher said. “They’re smaller businesses, but they have a great impact on the economy and the way the city functions. Also important are some of the larger businesses out on Oregon Road, as well as Tracy and Wales. If I could get around 30 percent for the first year, I’d really be happy with that.”
The Northwood Business Retention and Expansion program is sponsored by Northwood Community Improvement Corporation, Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber of Commerce, Wood County Economic Development Commission, and the City of Northwood, in association with The Ohio BR&E Initiative.
The Ohio BR&E Initiative, located on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, is sponsored jointly by Ohio State University Extension and the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics.
For more information concerning the city’s economic development initiatives, visit the city’s website at www.GrowInNorthwood.com.
“This is really a chance for people to kind of vent a little bit and critique what we’re doing,” Gallaher said. “If what we’re doing isn’t working, then we have to adjust things. The only way we can do that is through education. We need to know what we can do better to take that next step.”
