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  • Manufacturing Reins in Ohio

    Jan 19
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    Is manufacturing still king in northwest Ohio?

    As the economy improves, many changes are being made. A decline in manufacturing jobs caused by the downturn, may have may wondering if it's still a top employer in the region, if not state. While agriculture remains the top business, who is the top employer?

    The Ohio Department of Development's Policy Research and Strategic Planning Office listed the state's top employers as of 2010. The top five employers throughout the state are comprised of retail and health sector businesses as well as education.

     

    The top five employers in the state were: Wal-Mart, 51,780 employees; Cleveland Clinic, 40,000 employees; Kroger Co., 39,000 employees; Catholic Healthcare Partners, 29,650 employees; and Ohio State University, 27,500 employees.
     
    Local industries such as General Motors ranked 34th, with a total of 8,900 employees in the state.
     
    That represents a shift from previous years, where the top employers primarily dealt with the manufacturing sector rather than retail and health. In 1997, General Motors was the top employer in the state with 60,000 employees. Rounding out the top employers that year were Kroger's, Cleveland Clinic, Ford and General Electric.
     
    However in northwest Ohio, agriculture and manufacturing are still the main industries.
     
    "We're still heavily dependent on manufacturing," said Jerry Hayes, Defiance County Economic Development director.
     
    "We are always trying to diversify. Manufacturing is still the biggest industry, supplying the most multiplier jobs in northwest Ohio."
     
    Hayes added that service industries such as banks and medical service facilities have been gaining ground, but manufacturing remains a stable industry.
     
    "Manufacturing is number one after agriculture," he said. "But we're certainly encouraging service industries."
     
    The top five employers for Defiance County, according to the economic development office, include: General Motors, 1,450 employees; Defiance Metal Products, 705 employees; Johns Mansville, 680 employees; and Defiance Regional Medical Center and Defiance Clinic, approximately 320 employees each.
     
    Tony Langham, director of Paulding County Economic Development, said it's difficult to say if service industries are gaining ground in the county. The office only tracks manufacturers, not retail, private or service industries.
     
    In Paulding County, the top employees in the manufacturing industry are: Cooper Farms, Atwood, Alex Products, Taylor Made Glass and Spartech.
     
    Ralph Lange, director of the Henry County CIC, said that manufacturing is still the top employees there. Campbell Soup, Silgan Holding, Tenneco Inc. and Alex Products are the top ones.
     
    He doesn't however see service industries challenging manufacturing as top employer.
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