Economic development community pulls together to overcome COVID-related challenges
Numerous economic development organizations – including local, regional and state entities – have come together to support businesses and communities in impactful ways during the COVID-19 crisis, reports Team NEO in its “Navigating the Next Normal — Together” report, released today.
Engaging with business leaders has been key to the success of these collaborations. Team NEO connected with Northeast Ohio companies – approximately 250 since March 1 – to provide tangible support by serving as a voice on behalf of the business community at the state level. The organization also offers ongoing accessibility to JobsOhio tools, as well as connections with other organizations and resources to help businesses overcome challenges of today and develop strategies for tomorrow.
Further, the economic development community pulled together to support a critical need for personal protection equipment (PPE). These efforts resulted in the production and distribution of hundreds of thousands of face shields to front-line health care workers, as well as expediting the approval process for manufacturers to produce PPE.
“It has been inspiring to see businesses and the economic development community make such great strides toward stabilizing and strengthening our region and state,” says Team NEO CEO Bill Koehler. “Team NEO is delighted to support these efforts in any way we can. We believe in Northeast Ohio and every organization that helps us prevail through these challenging times.”
About Team NEO
Team NEO is a private, nonprofit economic development organization accelerating business growth and job creation throughout the 18 counties of Northeast Ohio. As the designated JobsOhio Network Partner, we align and amplify local economic development efforts in Northeast Ohio’s 18-county region; we conduct research and data analysis to inform local conversations and influence solutions; we market Northeast Ohio as a region; and we work to increase access to jobs, education and training for the region’s 4.3 million people. For more information, visit teamneo.org.
About JobsOhio
JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio through Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.