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Steubenville & Jefferson County |
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Steubenville & Jefferson County |
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Though the steel mills still pound out their products, employment in the valley's mills is about half of what it was 25 years ago. Most of the coal mines are closed.
But, as the adage goes, what goes around comes around. The legacy of the coal mining era is an enormous asset for Jefferson County -- a 4,000-acre piece of property reclaimed from a strip mine that closed 35 years ago. The first 100 acres of the site are currently being dressed with water and sewer lines, good road access and a spec industrial building. This is probably the largest flat piece of land available in eastern Ohio under one ownership. The land is coming on the market at just the right time. Steubenville is in the fast-moving line of growth of Pittsburgh, Pa., just 30 miles to the east. Many executives, who like the fact that Jefferson County's property taxes are a fraction of those in Pittsburgh, are opting for the relaxed lifestyle and affordable housing choices that Steubenville and its surrounding towns allow. "Businessmen commute from Steubenville to Pittsburgh via the four-laned U.S. 22 in less time than from other suburban areas of Pittsburgh. There is not one stop light from the Ohio River to the tunnels of Pittsburgh," says Jefferson County Commissioner Mike Walkosky. Commuters found they could snooze an extra 15 minutes when a four-lane bypass cut travel time from Steubenville to Pittsburgh. Lower costs and fast access has implications for regional office and distribution operations, as well as for companies seeking a large labor pool. Lower costs are one reason Jefferson County is the new find for back office operations. Banc One Services Corp. chose the Jefferson County town of Toronto. The telemarketing firm Telespectrum Worldwide employs 300 at its new facility. "Those things can be done here because of fiber optic technology and reasonable costs," says Bill Chesson, president of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. "For example, sites in Pittsburgh might sell for $85,000 per acre, but sites in Jefferson County's new industrial parks will go for just $12,000-$14,000 an acre." Jefferson County is a very pleasant place to site a business. Its population is a melange of multiple ethnic groups (Italian, Greek, Irish and German), lending an air of cultural sophistication to the county. It has all the amenities of a metro area, but to the manageable scale of a small town. Steubenville is a blue-collar town, whose shirt-sleeves economic base is softened by access to such cultural advantages as the Center for Music and Arts and a laudable library system. There are two hospitals in the county, two colleges, and a variety of close-in living choices -- rural or urban. Despite its multicultural make-up, Steubenville is a close-knit community that unites in seemingly little things. One is high school football. "It's as exciting as pro football to us," says Steubenville Mayor Domenick Mucci. |
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But there is unity in big things as well. The territorial dog fights of yesteryear have been quelled by a new organization called Alliance 2000, a joint economic development effort of the city, Jefferson County and the chamber of commerce. "We've got the right chemistry to make things happen," says Mayor Mucci. The new organization is a one-stop shop for site and available building information, as well as assembly of incentives packages.
The area's quality of life caught the eye of the likes of Reader's Digest when it named the Steubenville, Ohio-Weirton, W. Va., metro area a "best place to raise a family" in 1997. The city ranked 13th out of 100 cities studied and was the only Ohio city in the top 25. The family-friendly rating was based on absence of crime, low rates of drug and alcohol abuse, good public schools, first-rate health care and a clean environment. Then came affordable housing and strong economic growth.
Because of its high quality of life, tourism is another obvious investment opportunity in Jefferson County. The 200-year-old city of Steubenville has significant tourism potential but it needs investment in facilities to encourage extended stays.
Stop by the rebuilt Fort Steuben, and you'll see the place where Ohio was born. The fort was built to protect engineers who came to the area to map the Northwest Territory.
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Another attraction is Creegan Co.'s "Animation Factory," the nation's largest manufacturer of animated and costume characters. Creegan designs characters for such companies as Sea World, Hershey's Chocolate World and Disney World. There is also the Welsh Jaguar Classic Car Museum, as well as more than 20 gigantic historical murals painted on downtown Steubenville walls.
Jefferson County was, and still is, macho when it comes to manufacturing. Early on, the river was recognized as a major transportation resource. Today, steel and tin coils are shipped to customers along the Ohio/Mississippi River system, and raw materials are barged in. |
A major employer is Weirton Steel, a totally integrated steel mill and the largest employee-owned company in America.
Another major employer and one of the fastest growing companies in the region is Timet, which forges 10,000-pound titanium ingots into parts for aircraft engines and tubing for power plant heat exchangers, among many products. The company is investigating new uses for titanium, which is lighter and stronger than steel and non-corrosive. Interesting applications include such auto parts as valves, golf clubs and titanium memory disks for computer hard drives.
Timet came to the town of Toronto in the 1950s, drawn by Ohio River access, a good rail system and availability of an existing mill.
"The company liked the quality of the labor force and their work ethic," says Charles Busby of Timet. "This was, and is, a heavy forging area."
Timet's growth is explosive. Aggressively acquiring other companies, sales have increased from $160 million to $750 million in the last couple of years. The largest acquisition was IMI, a UK titanium company. The company has grown globally, now operating service centers in Germany, France and the UK.
Timet's employment in Jefferson County has more than doubled in the last two years, reaching 500 this year.
"We had an abundance of good qualified people to choose from that have had mill experience," says Busby. "We needed people who know how to work with heavy equipment and we found people in this area we could train very quickly. This is one reason the company elected to invest in an expansion here."
As a long-time resident of the Ohio Valley, Busby has seen a change in the region's work force.
"The industrial worker here is a hard worker," he says. "He has learned over the past few years what a company goes through to survive. The workers realize there has to be a lot of give and take. In the long haul, they see the bigger picture and realize that jobs mean automobiles and houses and a college education for the kids."
Busby is also watching the business newcomers to the county with interest. "What I saw 10 to 15 years ago was a migration from the area as companies looked for fewer unions and cheaper costs elsewhere," he recalls. "But many companies have found out the grass isn't greener on the other side, and they've been coming back."
Assisting Timet's $6.5 million expansion last year was the 13.5 percent Ohio machinery and equipment tax credit, as well as training funds. Alliance 2000 helps companies get through the process of obtaining Enterprise Zone incentives and know hows to tap Ohio's wealth of incentives for job-generating companies.
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Companies frustrated by labor shortages closer to Pittsburgh will find Jefferson County has a substantial pool of skilled and trainable labor. A recent labor force report shows over 900 light assembly workers currently available. |
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