By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County continues to enjoy low unemployment rates – at 3.8 percent in September.
“It’s almost historically low,” Wood County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Wade Gottschalk told the county commissioners during an update on Thursday.
“We’ll never get back to where we were at in the 50s. But that was a different economy,” he said.
But the jobless rate is so much lower than a decade ago – when Ohio’s unemployment peaked around 12 percent.
Now the issue is reversed from finding jobs for people – to finding people to fill jobs.
The economic development commission is partnering with entities to try to retain young people to fill positions.
Gottschalk talked about efforts underway to work with Bowling Green State University on labor force issues – specifically to inform students about local jobs available.
And Owens Community College recently broke ground for a new training facility. “That’s going to be a big boon for us,” he said. “Having that in our backyard is going to be very helpful for us.”
Efforts are also targeting younger ages – with the economic development commission hosting a manufacturing camp program for local junior high students.
Wood County has many jobs to be filled. Many large projects announced in the last year and a half are well underway, Gottschalk said.
The steel frame for the Amazon fulfillment center in Rossford, off U.S. 20, is nearing completion.
“I keep thinking it’s done, but it keeps getting bigger every time I go past,” he said.
First Solar’s new plant in Lake Township is testing products and should be ready by early next year. The Walgreens expansion in Perrysburg Township is moving along, as is the NSG plant in Troy Township. And the Northpoint project neighboring the CSX intermodal hub near North Baltimore hopes to have a tenant soon, Gottschalk said.
“That’s still hopefully going to be a big project for us down there,” he said.
Wood County Commissioner Ted Bowlus asked about the potential for more development in the Crossroads area, where Amazon is currently building.
Gottschalk said there is still plenty of property there for more growth.
“We’re always working with potential prospects,” he said. But nothing is close enough to announce. “We’re not far enough down the road to talk about it.”
Gottschalk estimated there are more than 1,000 acres left for development in the Crossroads area, which is bounded by Route 20, Ohio 795 and almost to Lime City Road.
Bass Pro occupies about 25 acres, retail space along Route 20 takes up a lot of space. The Amazon center, while massive, will only cover about 100 acres since it is building upward, he said.
“I think it’s been very successful out there,” Gottschalk said.
