KENT, Ohio, April 29, 2002
-- Ashtabula County has become the seventh county to join the regional
economic development partnership of the Northeast Ohio Trade and Economic
Consortium (NEOTEC). In a special ceremony on April 29 in Kent, the
Ashtabula County commissioners were welcomed by the commissioners of
Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark and Trumbull counties and the Executive
of Summit County in a formal acknowledgment of the new agreement.
The original six counties formed NEOTEC in 1996 as an economic development
organization working on their behalf in a spirit of regional cooperation.
Operating under a contract with the Northeast Ohio Joint Office of Economic
Development (JOED), NEOTEC is a private, not-for-profit organization that
serves the member counties by improving market access through the Northeast
Ohio Logistics Network and by promoting international commerce through the
administration of Foreign-Trade Zone 181.
“The addition of
Ashtabula County further strengthens NEOTEC to effectively compete with
other regional groups throughout the country,” said Ed Reese, Mahoning
County Commissioner and Chairman of the JOED Board. “We are pleased to have
them as a member county that recognizes the value of regional cooperation.
They, too, will reap the rewards of this partnership through collective
efforts that will improve the economic climate of Northeast Ohio,” Reese
said.
Ashtabula County is a
natural partner for NEOTEC, emphasizes Rusty Albright, President of the
NEOTEC Board of Trustees. Located along Lake Erie and contiguous to
Trumbull County, Ashtabula County adds a vital logistical element to the
NEOTEC initiative. “Via State Route 11, four of the seven counties are now
directly connected from the ports of Lake Erie all the way south to the Ohio
River in Columbiana County,” said Albright. “This natural connection among
the eastern NEOTEC counties will enhance the infrastructure capabilities of
our entire region,” Albright explained.
“NEOTEC now has a
complete intermodal mix,” Reese added. “Ashtabula County’s deep-water ports
combined with the region’s superb rail and highway system and airport
facilities will enable NEOTEC to utilize a dynamic intermodal network to
benefit all of Northeast Ohio.”
Joe Mayernick, President & CEO of the Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County, said that Ashtabula
County is looking forward to “rolling up our sleeves” to contribute to the
new partnership. “We consider Ashtabula County to be a perfect fit in line
with NEOTEC’s foreign-trade zone and logistics objectives,” Mayernick said.
“The Kinder-Morgan/Pinney Dock and Transport facility in Ashtabula has
applied for Foreign-Trade Zone status, which will allow its customer,
Millennium Inorganic Chemical, to compete favorably in the global economy,”
explained Duane Feher, Ashtabula County Commissioner. “In addition,
Ashtabula County offers excellent opportunities in terms of its highway,
rail and port transportation mix,” Feher said.
Ashtabula County, the largest county in Ohio with 703 square miles, is home
to more than 380 manufacturing and industrial firms including 19 Fortune 500
companies. A large portion of land is used for agriculture and recreation,
and there is ample opportunity for expansion and development.
The county features two
deep-water ports on Lake Erie offering both dry bulk and container
capabilities with ocean access through the St. Lawrence Seaway. At the
ports, cargo can be transferred from fresh- and salt-water ships and
transported easily to markets in the Midwest and Northeast via a significant
railroad network and major highway system. This includes Interstate 90
(east/west) and the four-lane State Route 11 (north/south), which connects
Ashtabula County to Youngstown-Warren, the Pittsburgh area, and the Ohio
River.
“We are impressed with
the progress in regional economic development that has been made under
NEOTEC’s guidance,” said Mayernick. “We look for a long and mutually
beneficial relationship that will improve the economic quality of life for
all of Northeast Ohio.”
The Northeast Ohio
Trade and Economic Consortium (NEOTEC) is a regional economic development
partnership including Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark,
Summit and Trumbull counties, built to improve market access through the
development of the Northeast Ohio Logistics Network and to promote
international commerce through the administration of Foreign Trade Zone 181.
For more information
about NEOTEC, contact Ron DeBarr, President & CEO, at 330-672-4080.
E-mail
NEOTEC@kent.edu
Back to NEOTEC News Page
The Northeast Ohio
Trade and Economic Consortium (NEOTEC) is a regional economic development
partnership including Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Summit and
Trumbull counties, built to improve market access through the development of
the Northeast Ohio Logistics Network and to promote international commerce
through the administration of Foreign Trade Zone 181.
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