ASHLAND — It was a veritable who’s-who of local industry leaders at Grow Ashland’s annual meeting on Thursday, where attendees heard updates about the economy and workforce from company leaders, the mayor, and more.
Mayor Matt Miller, who is also the president of Grow Ashland, recounted how he’s worked with housing developers to add 375 living units in the past two years in an effort to attract more workers.
“Our job is to make this the most livable place around,” Miller said.
Vision Development, the company that recently built The District at Ashland off of U.S. 250, invested $44 million in the local economy; in addition, The Arrow’s Landing community off of Mifflin Avenue invested around $12 million to build 41 homes that have since been sold, he said.
In the future, Huntsinger Builders of Mansfield plans to build 175 upscale condos on Smith Road and Vision Development plans to build upscale apartments, retail space, and restaurants in Ashland’s Pump House District.
Miller also revealed that the developers at CBRE are thinking about using the former Hess & Clark site to build a hotel.
“It has been discovered if you didn’t already know — we already knew this, those of us that lived here — but it has been discovered now by those that do the market studies that Ashland is very much in need of more hotels,” Miller said.
The city and county are also trying to sell hundreds of acres of land on the outskirts of the city for more housing developments. Two previous deals to sell large plots of land to developers fell through, Miller said.
Ashland has also seen a large bump in the amount of retail and home taxes collected in the past year, a sign that the local economy is doing well, Miller said.
Speakers from Park National Bank, Cowen Truck Line, PCA, and SJE Rhombus also had a positive outlook on how their companies have been doing in Ashland.
The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns actually helped trucking company Cowen Truck Line and box manufacturer PCA because so many people were ordering goods.
“The last two years has been a really fantastic year for the trucking industry, probably the best I’ve seen since I’ve been in the business,” Cowen Truck Line President Tim Cowen said.
Business has also been booming for Park National Bank, which is looking to open up another Ashland location.
And SJE Rhombus, a company that makes equipment for water management and infrastructure, has a similarly rosy outlook on the future.
“Keep in mind we are in the infrastructure business. So very positive view on where we’re at economically,” President of the Engineereed Division at SJE Rhombus Bjorn Haldorson said.
The business leaders also spoke fondly about Ashland’s unique advantages.
Cowen Truck Line has hired many local employees with a good work ethic they got from farming, and the area is filled with loyal customers and helpful resources, Cowen said.
“This is a great community and county to do business in,” he said.
