Findlay: Big-City Advantages in a Small-Town Setting
A s the fastest growing city in northwest Ohio and with a population of nearly 40,000, the City of Findlay embodies the concept of a micropolitan community—offering nearly all of the advantages of a true metropolitan area, and a superior quality of life, without the disadvantages of a big city. It also has one of the most affordable and respected health care systems in Ohio and a low tax burden due to managed growth.
Findlay is located along I-75, about 47 miles south of Toledo, 108 miles north of Dayton, 98 miles northwest of Columbus and 137 miles west of Akron on US 224. Elementary, primary and secondary school test scores are above both state and national averages and there are several institutions of higher education in the Findlay area. Owens Community College, Ohio’s fastest growing community college, has a newly completed campus and education center and courses designed to meet the specific needs of local companies, many of which are located in the adjacent industrial parks.
With access to more than 300,000 potential workers and shoppers within a 30-mile radius, Findlay’s positive business climate has attracted a diverse blend of retail, office, manufacturing plant and distribution centers. Tall Timbers International Business Community houses 13 manufacturing plants and four distribution centers for companies such as Dyson Material, Nissin Brake Ohio and Bridgestone. Marathon Petroleum Company LLC (pictured right) and Cooper Tire and Rubber Company are headquartered there, and more than 13 other high-profile Fortune 500 companies have chosen Findlay/ Hancock County for the dynamic city’s many benefits.
Findlay is truly an international business center. In addition to the many U.S. based companies, seven Japanese companies, two Canadian firms and three German enterprises are located in its business and industrial parks. Foreign Trade Zone 151 offers advantages to companies operating throughout the world and creates a diverse business culture that enhances this historic community.
Resource Connection
Findlay offers all of the incentive programs that companies are familiar with throughout Ohio and additional incentives such as the Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) and the Downtown Façade Loan Program.
Land and water are available resources in Findlay for development of commercial, industrial, office and retail space. Many existing sites are fully developed and reasonably priced for immediate occupancy.
One of the best-wired cities in Ohio, Findlay also has low-cost sources for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and telecommunications readily on hand. SBC, Buckeye, TeleSystem, Benton Ridge Telephone and Time Warner Cable provide cutting-edge technology for metro Ethernet connectivity and a citywide fiber optic network that services all major industrial, commercial and residential areas.
Findlay and Hancock County also boast excellent transportation access for quick and cost-effective distribution of goods and services. I-75 intersects the west side of the city in close proximity to the downtown and feeds outlying industrial areas from several exits. Located within 35 miles of the strategic intersection of I-75 and the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/90), Findlay provides easy access to 60% of U.S. markets within a 600-mile radius. The automotive markets in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Canada all are reachable from highways that intersect I-75, and it provides a direct route to Florida and the South.
Air travel is convenient via the 6,500-foot main runway at the Findlay Airport and commercial airline service is available 45 minutes away through Toledo. Other flight options include Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland and the international hub at Detroit Metro, all within 90 miles.
Freight rail service on Norfolk/Southern and CSX rail lines traverse Hancock County, while cargo services are accessible through dozens of inter- and out-of-state trucking firms, with three major overnight package delivery services situated locally.
University of Findlay on the Presidential Honor Roll For Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service selected The University of Findlay for a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts to America’s communities.
“The entire UF community should feel proud to have its service recognized with this distinction,” said Crystal Weitz, coordinator of Campus Compact.
Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.
During the 2007-2008 academic year, UF students engaged in 11,910 hours of service. At UF, faculty members work both independently and with Campus Compact to develop academic service-learning opportunities for students. Sweet Service Saturdays, Bring a Senior Friend to Thanksgiving Dinner, the UK-Kake Ambassadors service initiative, a Therapeutic Relationships academic service-learning course and an international student orientation service project are a handful of the many opportunities for civic engagement that are coordinated through Campus Compact.
The Campus Compact Center for Service and Learning is coordinated by students, faculty, staff and community partner representatives who seek to nurture service activities of many types with a belief that learning through service will benefit the individual as well as the community in lasting ways. The University of Findlay is a member of the Ohio Campus Compact and the National Campus Compact, an organization of more than 930 colleges and universities which promotes volunteer service that develops students’ citizenship skills and values, encourages collaborative partnerships between campuses and communities, and assists faculty who seek to integrate public and community engagement into their teaching and research.
“In this time of economic distress, we need volunteers more than ever. College students represent an enormous pool of idealism and energy to help tackle some of our toughest challenges,” said Stephen Goldsmith, vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the Honor Roll. “We salute The University of Findlay for making community service a campus priority, and thank the millions of college students who are helping to renew America through service to others.”
Overall, the corporation honored six schools with Presidential Awards. In addition, 83 were named as Honor Roll with Distinction members and 546 schools as Honor Roll members. In total, 635 schools were recognized. A full list is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.
The Honor Roll is a program of the corporation, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is presented during the annual conference of the American Council on Education. “I offer heartfelt congratulations to those institutions named to the 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. College and university students across the country are making a difference in the lives of others every day—as are the institutions that encourage their students to serve others,” said American Council on Education President Molly Corbett Broad.
In 2006, 2.8 million college students gave more than 297 million hours of volunteer service, according to the Corporation’s Volunteering in America 2007 study. Expanding campus incentives for service is part of a larger initiative to spur higher levels of volunteering by America’s college students. The Corporation is working with a coalition of federal agencies, higher education and student associations, and nonprofit organizations to achieve this goal.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that strengthens communities and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering.
Wages (2008 Annual Average)
Manufacturing
Hancock County $952/week $23.80 hr
Ohio $1,009/week $25.22 hr
United States $1,079/week $26.97 hr
Services
Hancock County $571/week $14.27 hr
Ohio $741/week $18.52 hr
United States $887/week $22.17 hr
All rates include management personnel
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
