JobsOhio’s SiteOhio Program Authenticates Eight Ohio Properties

Kristi Clouse.
Executive Director of Operations at JobsOhio.

JobsOhio, in partnership with various stakeholders, launched the SiteOhio program just over a year ago, and already eight properties have been designated as SiteOhio authenticated sites.

The SiteOhio authentication means these sites have undergone an exhaustive review and analysis and are ready for immediate development. It doesn’t just list what is or isn’t available on the site, but instead validates that:

• Access to utilities is on site and there is excess capacity.
• All due diligence studies have been performed and passed.
• The property’s attributes are accurately detailed.
• Any barriers to development have been identified and mitigated.

Here’s how the process works: A community submits comprehensive information about a site, then InSite, a third-party consultant, reviews that information. If the site meets specific criteria, a team comprised of representatives from JobsOhio, JobsOhio network partners, InSite and the site’s stakeholders makes an in-person visit to examine the property, identify anything that may have been overlooked on paper and confirm that everyone involved has a mutual understanding of the site. The consultant then decides whether or not the site qualifies for authentication.

The authentication process is long and rigorous, and only a few properties ultimately become authenticated. But having authenticated sites in your community is well worth the effort, as they make your community a particularly attractive option for investment.

JobsOhio will work for and with communities to market these sites. We’ll highlight authenticated sites on the site database and in business development materials, educate our sales team on these sites and, when applicable, show authenticated sites first to prospective companies. In addition, each site will be provided with the materials and in-depth information necessary to market them.

By working together, we can have a bigger impact, reducing the time these valuable sites sit empty. And that’s a win-win situation. Companies have confidence knowing they’re investing in ready-to-build sites that pose little risk, have known costs and increase their speed to market. And communities benefit when companies make capital investments that create jobs.

The eight Ohio properties with the SiteOhio authentication are:

• Airport West Industrial Park, a 111-acre site in Richland County
• Eastwood Commerce Center, a 750-acre site in Wood County
• Leesburg Industrial Park, an 80-acre site in Highland County
• Logan-Hocking Commerce Park, a 40-acre site in Hocking County
• Nextedge Applied Research and Technical Park, a 205-acre site in Clark County
• Ohio Crossroads Industrial Center, a 44.8-acre site in Crawford County
• PrimeOhio II Industrial Park, a 185-acre site in Clark County
• Washington Court House Industrial Park, a 287-acre site in Fayette County

For more information on the SiteOhio authentication process, the eight authenticated sites listed above or other available sites in Ohio, click HERE.