Findlay leads in business growth

For the eighth consecutive year, Findlay-Hancock County ranked first in business growth among 543 small cities nationwide in 2021, according to Site Selection magazine. "Winning eight years in a row validates the strength of our existing office, manufacturing and logistics base," Tim Mayle, director of Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development, wrote in a news release. "Each year, our No. 1 goal is to assist local companies as they seek to expand. The majority of qualifying projects come from companies continuing to hire employees and expand." Site Selection magazine ranked cities of 10,000 to 50,000 population in business growth. Rankings were based on projects meeting one or more of three criteria: $1 million or more invested; 20 or more jobs created; or 10,000 or more square feet constructed. Last year, Findlay businesses invested over $163 million in expansion, machinery and equipment, resulting in 1,600 net new employees hired, the release states. Over the past eight years, qualified projects have totaled $1.65 billion in investment. "The city of Findlay works every day with business and economic development to position Findlay to be as competitive as possible," Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn wrote. "RL Carriers saw first-hand how we work to make permitting and operating in Findlay as smooth as possible." RL Carriers' director of construction, Stan Richards, said he was impressed with the partnership between economic development and city officials in 2021. "I wish every community would embrace development the way Findlay does," he said. "The team was prepared to answer all of our questions to ensure that we were preparing a site plan that would meet the requirements of the City of Findlay." In 2021, the local economic development office focused on residential development. "Residential development goes hand in hand with community growth and talent attraction," wrote Andrew Yates, a single- and multi-family residential developer and board chair of the economic development advisory board. "Thanks to our residential developers, we had single family, senior housing, town home, downtown infill and workforce housing constructed in 2021," added Dan Sheaffer, project specialist, economic development.