ASHLAND — The Ashland Area Economic Development Office had undergone staffing changes in 2019, which are continuing into 2020 in a more permanent way.
Since the resignation of AAED executive director Kathy Goon last August, the organization’s board of directors has appointed former project coordinator Cameo Bahr to serve as interim director in a relatively long-term capacity, according to board president and Ashland Mayor Matt Miller.
“After Kathy left, we decided to step back and look at how many people we should have in our economic development office,” Miller said. “We’ve decided for the time being, Cameo Bahr will be the interim director of our office. Cameo has done an outstanding job of getting our finances in order, and she’s also done an outstanding job of learning how to navigate the state bureaucracies that are involved in so many of our economic development activities.
“A lot of people think an economic development position is about hitting the road and making the sale, but I’d suggest to you that the majority of an economic development director’s time is spent servicing the needs of existing companies and helping them navigate the government incentives.”
Consciously dedicating resources to retaining existing businesses, Miller suggests, is also the key to driving new development, as their shared positive experiences may spark further interest in Ashland County.
The AAED entered 2020 with two employees, Cameo and an office manager, but in January, the latter stepped down, leaving only Cameo to run the office at 605 Westlake Drive.
“We’re taking a look at what we need in a second person in the office, and details about that position are still unfolding,” Miller said.
The AAED currently operates as a “connector,” Bahr explained. When a call comes in about potential new development, she is quick to connect the interested business with city mayors, who take initiative from there.
Bahr joined the AAED as project coordinator in May 2019. Previously, she had managed and leased properties for Coldwell Banker, Ward Real Estate for almost six years.
“In that job, I helped a lot of people relocate to the Ashland area… And the best part about this job is that some of the people I’m communicating with, I have already established a relationship with from my previous job,” Bahr said.
Former executive director, Goon had started with the economic development office in December 2012, when the entity was a partnership between the city and county governments and Mohican Area Growth Foundation.
Under her leadership, the entity rebranded as a non-profit organization in 2017. The shift from a public to a private entity was designed to protect the confidentiality of the office’s interactions with businesses and to allow for tax-deductible donations.
