Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 9

5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 O p e n i n g L i n e s HOLMES, MONROE AND PIKE COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST OHIO RECOGNIZED IN TOP TEN NATIONALLY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPME T hree Ohio counties located in Southeast Ohio were recently recognized for successful economic development outcomes in the year 2020 by Site Selection Magazine, a unit of Conway Data, Inc. Holmes, Monroe, and Pike counties were rated in the top ten of all U.S. rural counties that experienced economic development growth based upon private project investments with a capital investment of $1 million or more, job creation of 20 new hires, or 20,000 sq. ft. of new buildout by corporate end-users. “Only 10 rural counties throughout the country registered more than two qualifying investments of $1 million or more and four of those counties are in Ohio,” said Mike Jacoby, President of Ohio Southeast Economic Development (OhioSE). “Southeastern Ohio continues to be on the rise with Holmes County having five qualifying projects, Pike having four, and Monroe County having three,” he said. Ohio was one of only five states with 11 or more qualifying rural projects, 19 states reported none at all. Williams County in Northwest Ohio was the fourth Ohio County recognized as being in the top 10 rural counties by Site Selection Magazine. “To be ranked as one of the top 10 performing rural counties in the nation is truly amazing,” said Jason Hamman, Monroe County’s Economic Development Representative. “It’s a testament to the hard work that’s been put in to develop