May 2012 Newsletter

Welcome to new member Custom Cleaning & Maintenance, 37848 Euclid Ave., Willoughby, 44094, mcornachio@ccmohio.com, Marlene Cornachio, President/CEO.

Land Banking

The Cuyahoga County Land Bank has acquired 1500 properties that are distressed and abandoned. The nonprofit is funded by $7 million through delinquent property taxes, interest & late fees. Cuyahoga County has 27,000 vacant homes, 16,000 of those are in Cleveland.

Once acquired, property can be held by the nonprofit, tax free, until it can be put back into productive use.

A board is created- composed of the county treasurer, two commissioners, a member from the largest city, a township member and others chosen by agreement of the treasurer and two commissioners- then the board would create a land utilization plan for adoption by county commissioners and implement programming activities.

Legislation is pending to provide $4 billion in federal funds dedicated for demolition of vacant and abandoned homes. Property values are again expected to drop when the county Auditor finishes property appraisals this year. The county Treasurer would implement the program.

Sources: News Herald & Plain Dealer

Healthy Demand for Health Care Jobs

Nonagricultural wage and salary employment in the United States should rise 15.2% this decade, to 150.2 million by 2020 from 130.4 million in 2010, according to estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The health care and social assistance sector is projected to gain the most jobs, followed by professional and business services. The federal government sector is projected to lose the most jobs. Here are data for the five sectors projected to gain the most jobs and the three that are expected to fare to the worst:

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; www.bls.gov

Cash Crops

Because of foreclosures, Cleveland has plenty of vacant land. The use of that land can be for gardening. It’s a positive local food movement. The city has called 2012 the "Year of Local Food". With 200 community gardens, about 25 urban farms growing for profit, 60 acres of land in Cleveland marked for agricultural production and 20 farmers markets, the city is already an example to the rest of the nation.

Inside Business 4-12

Tri-County businesses win NorthCoast 99 Award

Twelve companies in the tri-county area are among the 2011 winner of Employees Resource Council’s 13th annual NorthCoast 99 Award. These organizations, recognized as great places to work in Northeast Ohio, have demonstrated excellence in attracting, motivating and retaining top performers:

Source: Tri-County Business Journal 11-11

Painesville Pursues Wind Power Project

Painesville has decided to move forward with a groundbreaking municipal-scale wind power project in conjunction with NexGen Energy, a leading owner and operator of distributed renewable energy systems.

NexGen Energy will develop, construct and operate up to 3.2 megawatts of commercial-scale wind turbines on multiple sites across the Painesville Municipal Electric Utility’s service territory. Painesville is the first municipality in the country to partner with a renewable energy developer for a distributed wind generation project size.

Plans call for wind turbines on multiple sites in the Village of North Perry, which is part of the Painesville Municipal Electric District. NexGen Energy will build six to eight turbines which will provide enough electricity to power 439 homes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Source: Works for Business 6-10

Ohio tops in attracting new companies

Ohio led the nation in attracting new companies and expanding existing operations in 2011.
In all, Ohio closed the year with 498 new or expanded operations, ahead of runner-up Texas, which had 464, according to Site Selection magazine.

The magazine credits Gov. John Kasich and JobsOhio, the state development organization, for the state’s strong showing.

Of Ohio’s 498 projects, 83 involved new manufacturing plants, 200 were expansions of existing plants, and 215 involved new or expanded offices, distribution centers, research and development facilities or mixed-use operations, according to Conway Data’s New Plant Database.

Source: Columbus Dispatch 3-2-12

Jobs added in 42 states; Ohio has the biggest gain

Ohio led the nation in job growth in February with a gain of 28,300 workers.

Payrolls increased in 42 states last month, and the jobless rate declined in 29, signs of broad-based improvement in the job market.

Ohio had 5.15 million nonfarm jobs in February, up from 5.12 million in January. Ohio was followed in job growth by Texas with 27,900, the Labor Department reported.

The Labor Department report follows a four-year low last week in claims for unemployment benefits and new strength in consumer confidence, indicating the labor-market recovery is helping sustain demand. Employment increased by more than 200,000 workers in February for a third consecutive month, giving Americans the means to boost spending, which makes up 70 percent of the economy.

The economy created a net 227,000 jobs in February, capping the strongest six-month payroll gain since 2006, according to figures from the Labor Department. The job-less rate held at 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years.

Source: Bloomberg News 3-21-12