Civil Municipal View Feb2023

61 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 The 20th century saw the incorporation of the A.C. Williams Co., once recognized as the largest cast-iron toy manufacturer in the world; the Oak Rubber Company, the world’s largest maker of toy balloons in the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s; and in 1940, the Ravenna Arsenal was founded, which produced more weapons for America’s World War II effort than any other plant in the United States. By the time production commenced in 1942, more than 14,000 Ohioans had found employment there. The Ravenna Arsenal began production of arms again during the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War and shut down permanently in 1992. Today, the site is home to the James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, an Ohio Army National Guard military base. In the current century, Ravenna is working on attracting new businesses to the area, touting both the city’s geographic advantages – its proximity to rail, excellent access to highways and interstates, public transportation to provide bus service to local businesses and fresh water ports– as well as its business-friendly government. City Engineer, Bob Finney, explains: “I’ve been in this RAVENNA , OHIO Mayor Seman