5 Reasons Companies Are Investing In Springfield, Ohio

“Companies are investing in Springfield, Ohio,” said Horton Hobbs IV, Economic Development Director for the Greater Springfield Partnership (Partnership). “We have seen an incredible amount of interest from national and international companies looking to expand operations, in part, because our location offers access to the majority of the U.S. population within a day’s drive. Plus, we work hard to offer the best customer service and ensure they have a good experience.”

Those efforts have paid off with major investments being made by companies like Gabes. They chose Clark County for their largest distribution center, announcing a $90 million investment in 2021. 

Here’s the 5 reasons companies like Gabes are investing in Springfield and Clark County.

#1 The geographic location of Springfield cannot be beat.

Springfield is located between Dayton and Columbus, in the heart of one of the nation’s largest combined MSAs. In addition, a Clark County location makes it possible to reach over half of the U.S. population within a day’s drive and get to major Canadian population centers. “From a logistics perspective, Springfield is perfect,” said Hobbs. 

#2 We work for it.

Company investment isn’t taken for granted in Springfield. “We work hard to make companies feel welcome and to show them that we will go the extra mile to help them be successful here,” said Mike McDormand, President & CEO of the Partnership. That level of service was felt by Shalini Sheth, Director of Operations for Surati Sweet Mart, Ltd. The Canadian company chose Springfield for their first U.S. site because, “...It’s simply a community that wants our investment and has worked with our leadership to make it happen.” They purchased an existing building and are investing $16 million, creating 108 jobs in the process. “The City of Springfield has been fantastic. We work in 50 plus markets throughout the country. Working in Springfield, Ohio has been one of the best places we have ever worked for the ease of doing business and the cooperative atmosphere we have encountered here in Springfield.”

#3 Springfield has vision.

Springfield, led by the Greater Springfield Partnership, has a vision for growth and we’re not afraid to tackle big projects to achieve it. Tim McElroy, VP of Acquisitions & Development, for Northpoint Development spoke of how that vision and tenacity contributed to Gabes coming to the community. “Without Horton and the Partnership we wouldn’t be here. They have passion for the community and believed in our vision for the site.”

#4 Clark County has sites for development.

“We are a global real estate firm. We helped Gabes to select a city and Springfield, Ohio truly is the perfect fit for this project,” Lily Smith, Vice President, JLL. One of the reasons Springfield was a perfect fit was our available sites for distribution companies. 

Jason Mazzola, President & CEO of Gabes said, “This distribution center is a vital part of our evolution. It is our largest distribution center yet. It will be bigger than our five other distribution centers combined. This facility will support each of our 120 stores in 15 states, meeting increased consumer demand, and allowing us to open the next 120 stores without interruption.”

We have room for growth and invite others to look at our available manufacturing and distribution sites. 

#5 Springfield has a workforce plan.

Workforce shortages are a challenge throughout the country, but few have a plan for how to solve it. The Partnership does and has won national awards for our Magnify Talent initiatives. We are reaching high school students before they graduate, introducing them to career paths, job opportunities and apprenticeships. We are hosting job fairs, facilitating workforce training through our partners and helping get people to work. The Partnership has an entire team dedicated to workforce recruitment and development, ensuring that industry is not alone in solving their workforce challenges but has a ready partner, willing and able to do some of the heavy lifting. 

As a result, our businesses feel supported. As Jason Mazzola said, “From the start of this process it was important that we work with the right partners. We met with and evaluated many potential partners and am so grateful for our selected team and location.”

“Thank you to the economic development of Greater Springfield for partnering with us and helping us to bring 1,000 jobs to the state of Ohio.”

Bring Your Business to Springfield & Clark County

There are over 35 Springfields in the United States. This is the one you need to know about. Bring your business here to experience the unwavering support of the Partnership and the community. Contact us to schedule a site visit or for more information.