Civil Municipal View Feb2023

62 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 position for 12 years and we’ve seen growth over the last year and a half that we never had seen in the previous 12. Contractors often tell us that it’s a joy to work in our community. We’re a small department and we’re all under one roof, so they don’t have to be kicked around to another part of town or another agency for an answer. They come to me and we walk them through the process. Our building inspectors are on site and we continuously work with the businesses. Sometimes it’s not an easy task, but in the end, we stay compliant. We’re a State of Ohio code- compliant department and that’s what we push.” Local realtor, Jack Kohl of Jack Kohl Realty, agrees: “Everyone has said that this city is the best place to work with. Everybody cooperates. It’s a really good team and every time we’ve brought somebody into town, that’s the feedback I get.” Dennis West, Ravenna’s Economic Development Director, fills in some specifics. “Over the past three years, we’ve worked on several business