The SCEDC Announces Top 10 Micropolitan Award

Andrea Gibson
Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation

Fremont- Sandusky County, Ohio – Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC) is a non-profit organization that focuses on business retention and expansion, business recruitment, and workforce development for Sandusky County.  The SCEDC would like to announce that Sandusky County was ranked among the best nationally based on number of business development projects.

A national economic development publication, Site Selection magazine, recently announced their Annual Governors Cup Rankings and that of the 5,000+ micropolitans in the nation, Fremont-Sandusky County has been recognized as one of the top 10 micropolitan regions in the country for business investment and expansion. Fremont-Sandusky County was the 7th ranking, up 7 spots from last year when Fremont-Sandusky County was the 14^th ranking for this prestigious award.  In 2020, Sandusky County had a total of 47 projects and $186M in Capital Investment, resulting in 5326 retained and 912 new jobs. Out of those projects, 16 of them qualified for the Governor’s Cup. 

The U.S. Census Bureau defines a micropolitan community as a “rural county whose largest city does not exceed a population of 50,000.” Site Selection magazine’s standard for a qualified project is a project that meets one of the following criteria: dollar investment greater than $1 million for building and equipment, square footage of at least 20,000 in new/expanding construction or the addition of 20 new jobs. To be eligible, the project must have occurred in the same year and be in one of the following sectors: Manufacturing, Distribution, Office, Data Center or R&D facility. Fremont-Sandusky County places in the top 10 percent of micropolitan communities nationwide.

“The SCEDC continues to focus on Retention and Expansion efforts in Sandusky County.  Most of our qualifying projects come from companies that continue to expand their facilities, invest in new machinery and equipment, and hire additional employees.  2020 had a number of expansion projects that qualified for the Governor’s Cup as well including projects from Quality Steel, Whirlpool, Crown Battery and Precision Automotive., just to name a few” stated Beth Hannam, Executive Director of the SCEDC. “In 2020, Sandusky County was also happy to welcome International Cushioning Company into Fremont, which included 75 new jobs and $3.6M in Capital Investment”.

Hannam added “the Governor’s Cup Awards are bar none, the most prestigious awards in economic development and it is such an honor to be ranked so highly.  Sandusky County has a lot of momentum right now and the EDC is excited to be a part of it”.

The SCEDC along with the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership (TSEP) held a joint press conference at Terra State Community College on March 1^st to announce their rankings for the micropolitan awards, where Seneca County ranked 4^th nationwide.  Due to social distancing, attendance was invitation only, but the press was invited to cover the event.

Speakers included Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, State Sen. Bill Reineke; State Rep. Gary Click; the Mayors of Bellevue, Clyde, Fostoria, Fremont and Tiffin; Dean Monske, President & CEO of Regional Growth Partnership; Ron Schumacher, President of Terra State Community College and Beth Hannam, Executive Director of SCEDC and David Zak, President and CEO of TSEP.

The entire article about the top micropolitans is available by visiting www.siteselection.com. For more information about locating or expanding in Sandusky County, please contact the office of Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation at 419.332.2882, email director@sanduskycountyedc.org, or visit the SCEDC’s website at www.sanduskycountyedc.org.