Ohio officials celebrate growth in Mahoning Valley with new local JobsOhio region
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and JobsOhio officials were in the Mahoning Valley on Wednesday to announce the creation of a new JobsOhio network region, called Lake to River Economic Development.
The new four-county region includes Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties in the far east corner of Ohio.
“This region of Ohio is experiencing new growth and is ready for even more prosperity,” DeWine said Wednesday during a presentation at Eastwood Event Centre in Niles. “Today we are pleased to celebrate this progress by completing the JobsOhio network with the addition of the Lake to River Economic Development region.”
The region is connected from Lake Erie in Ashtabula to the Ohio River in East Liverpool by State Route 11.
Lake to River joins the six JobsOhio Network Partners, Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership, and Team NEO. The four-county region, anchored by Youngstown, was the only major-metro media market in the state without its own JobsOhio region. The addition of the Lake to River region completes the JobsOhio network.
“Today, we welcome the Lake to River team to join Team Ohio as our seventh and final JobsOhio network partner,” said President and CEO of JobsOhio, J.P. Nauseef. “Since 2011, JobsOhio and Team NEO have been building momentum for the region, which has led to more than $6 billion in capital investment; we are eager to get to work with our new partners to continue building a bright future for the valley.”
The Lake to River region is led by interim CEO Alexa Sweeney Blackann, who said, “We thank the Governor and JobsOhio for recognizing what’s been accomplished and for entrusting us with additional resources and accountability to continue our momentum,” interim CEO Alexa Sweeney Blackann said.
“The opportunity to be part of the JobsOhio network is welcome news for our region,” said Lake to River Board President Chuck George. “We’re confident we have the team, the infrastructure, and the support from local business and community leaders to support Lake to River and take our regional economy to unprecedented success.”