Jobs Ready Site to receive mock visit

VW independent/submitted information

The Van Wert City Economic Development group will get some valuable feedback from an upcoming visit by InSite Consultants, site selection professionals who will make a mock site visit to Van Wert on Wednesday, June 17.

The consultant visit is one of the final steps in the Community Economic Development Academy (CEDA), a program initiated and funded by AEP Ohio.

“Helping our region’s economic development professionals understand the type of information needed and the decision-making processes used by site selectors will make us more competitive in attracting new businesses to the area,” said Tim Wells, manager, economic and business development for AEP. “We have some excellent sites and facilities available in northern Ohio, but the competition is fierce and understanding how the decisions are made is critical to success.”

The mock visit will follow the same expectations as a typical visit InSite would make on behalf of a client, according to Tonya Crist, co-owner of InSite. “The feedback we give the local team will be based on the hundreds of site visits we’ve conducted on behalf of clients; plus, we’ll share the kinds of comments we hear from the client when we’re driving away from the meeting.”

Plans for the mock visit have been led by Van Wert City Economic Development Director/OSU Extension Educator Cindy Leis. The visit includes time at the Van Wert Jobs Ready Site being proposed for consideration and a meeting with the economic development team reviewing information related to the related industry needs including cost of power, availability of water and sewer and highway access.

A feedback session will follow that day, with local economic development stakeholders being invited to attend.

“I look forward to the visit which will be a great opportunity to learn about site selection from professionals who do it every day,” Leis said. “The city of Van Wert and our surrounding area will be more competitive because of this experience and be better prepared when a prospect schedules a visit. We appreciate Ohio AEP bringing this opportunity to us.”

Following the mock site visit scheduled on Wednesday is the monthly Economic Development Advisory Group meeting on Friday, June 19, which will include Insite Consultants co-owners Crist and Rob Cornwell as guest speakers.  The meeting will be extended from 8-11 a.m., including a training and feedback session for local economic development stakeholders and the public.

The event is being sponsored by the local Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) and Business Development Corporation (BDC) and will be held in Vantage Career Center’s Community Room. In addition to the event, the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its quarterly coffee during this time as well.

For more information or to register for the event, contact the Van Wert City Economic Development office at 419.238.2999.