Turn on the local TV news, open the local newspaper, tune in to local talk radio and the stories you will find are all the same.  Factories closing, business moving away, rising unemployment, more layoffs on the way . . . all the doom and gloom they can sell to keep their ratings.  Well, I know at least one customer who is not buying – me!

 

Not only am I fortunate to have a job, but I have a job that takes me all across Northwest Ohio, meeting with entrepreneurs and small businesses that are telling a completely different story.  Nearly every day, I meet people with bright, new ideas who are excited by and optimistic about the opportunities they have before them.

 

Throughout the region, hundreds – maybe thousands – of enthusiastic entrepreneurs are inventing new technologies, developing new products, and establishing new businesses.  Highly conductive copper, next generation wireless networking, innovative medical devices, energy harvesting nano-ceramics, alternative and renewable energy generation, photovoltaics, - even hybrid aircraft -  are just a few of the innovative technologies currently being developed here in our region.

 

Innovation, entrepreneurship, and access to capital through programs like Ohio’s Third Frontier Program is enabling new small companies to leverage the strong manufacturing infrastructure and skilled workforce in Northwest Ohio that will become the foundation of tomorrow’s economy.  So join me in turning off and tuning out the local media and get out and see for yourself that there are some good things going on in the region.