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Q: What drives Columbus OH's economy? ( Answered 4 out of 5 stars,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: What drives Columbus OH's economy?
Category: Business and Money > Economics
Asked by: shikibobo-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 08 May 2004 08:06 PDT
Expires: 07 Jun 2004 08:06 PDT
Question ID: 343178
What drives Columbus, Ohio's economy? (Major industries, most
important business segments, huge employers, etc.)
Answer  
Subject: Re: What drives Columbus OH's economy?
Answered By: digsalot-ga on 08 May 2004 12:49 PDT
Rated:4 out of 5 stars
 
Hello there

According to Woods & Poole Economics, 2003, Bureau of Economic
Analysis, 2000 - - The Economy can be broken down as follows:

Total Population: 1,554,700
Median Household Effective Buying Income: $43,727
Source: S&MM Survey of Buying Power and Nielsen Media Research

Columbus is the 15th largest city in the nation. 
There are 16 universities located within the Columbus metro area. 

Jobs

Agriculture and Mining - 20,430
Construction - 59,400
Manufacturing - 93, 930
Transportation and Utilities - 51,400
Trade - 267, 480
F.I.R.E. - 114, 690 - (finance, investment, research, engineering)
Services - 370,500

Major enterprises which began in Columbus includ The Limited, Wendy's
International, Nationwide, Bank One, Worthington Industries,
Longaberger Baskets, Cardinal Health, Intimate Brands, and the Scotts
Company. Greater Columbus is also home to several
internationally-recognized research institutions, including The Ohio
State University, Battelle (where Xerography was invented), and
Chemical Abstracts Service.  Columbus is within a one-day truck drive
of nearly 60 percent of the U.S. consumer market and half the consumer
market of Canada.  Some of the information above is from:
http://www.greatercolumbus.org/ - From city of Columbus

The top 10 employers in greater Columbus are:
1 - The State Of Ohio
2 - Ohio state University
3 - Nationwide Insurance
4 - Federal Government Agencies
5 - Bank 1
6 - City of Columbus 
7 - Columbus Public Schools
8 - Ohio Health
9 - Limited Brands
10 - Franklin County Government
You can find the top 50 emplorers for Columbus and region here:
http://columbusoh.about.com/cs/employment/a/top50co.htm - From About.com

While Columbus does have some manufacturing, the economic base of the
city is diversified and the foundation for the Columbus economy is
warehousing and distribution, banking, education, finance, government,
healthcare, insurance and retail.
http://www.wbns10tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1744607&nav=LUEeLsHL -
Columbus market information, WBNS 10 TV

Of course as the Ohio State Capital, the major single industry of
Columbus is government which is also the city's largest single
employer.

Search Google
Terms - columbus ohio economy, columbus ohio employers, columbus ohio statistics

Weblinks are included in text of the answer.

If I may clarify anything before rating the answer, please ask.

Cheers
Digsalot

Request for Answer Clarification by shikibobo-ga on 14 May 2004 06:26 PDT
The parenthetical part of my question should be treated as
parenthetical. The question is what *drives* Columbus's economy and
there is nothing on that at your links. Something from the local
economic development office and some commentary and analysis from the
local paper's business section would be helpful.

Clarification of Answer by digsalot-ga on 14 May 2004 12:56 PDT
Information technology is a growing force in the Columbus economy.

"Despite concerns over the bursting of the dot-com bubble, information
technology (IT) remains a powerful force in the Greater Columbus
economy. Fueled primarily by IT-related business services, the region
currently employs nearly one quarter of the state's total IT workers
and anticipates continued employment growth in the next ten years."

You will find more on that here, including contact information for
more detailed material.
http://www.columbus-chamber.org/newsroom/newsreleases/2001/pr010503.html
- Columbus chamber of commerce

Warehousing and distribution are a major factor in the Columbus economy.

"Greater Columbus offers unparalleled access to U.S. and Canadian
markets. That's why Greater Columbus has been a focal point of
distribution for well over a century. Today, the area is home to more
than 120 million square feet (11 million square meters) of warehouse
and distribution space."

Within a one-day truck drive of Greater Columbus are:

58 percent of the U.S. population 
50 percent of the Canadian population 
61 percent of U.S. manufacturing capacity 
80 percent of U.S. corporate headquarters  
http://www.greatercolumbus.org/accesstomarkets.html - Greater
columbus.org - warehousing and distribution of products manufactured
elsewhere is a growing Columbus industry even when other things may
slow.

Business services are a growing part of the economy and contribute to
the diversification of the city.  Columbus is attempting to 'not have'
only one or two industries as the driving force behind its economy and
is one of the reasons Columbus is not as hard hit during economic
downturns as many other American cities.

"According to the Greater Columbus Blue Chip Economic Forecast,
business service employment in Greater Columbus increased 60 percent
during the 1990s with additional growth expected during the coming two
years. Employment growth in information technology services has been
particularly strong."
http://www.greatercolumbus.org/accesstoresources.html - greater columbus .org

Another aspect of Columbus economic diversity is the growth of venture
capital firms.

"Venture capital firms are a growing force in Greater Columbus, along
with investment companies specializing in technology-oriented
companies. These companies offer a wide range of technical assistance
in addition to capital, and specialize in every stage of a company's
development."
http://www.greatercolumbus.org/capital.html

"After a difficult three years, the economic growth that began on the
national level at the end of 2001 should lead at last to a net gain in
jobs in Greater Columbus in 2004. The Blue Chip Economic Panel
predicts an increase in employment in the region of about 1 percent or
9,000 jobs. Not all sectors will benefit: job gains should be
relatively modest in government and possibly in retail. The
manufacturing sector should continue to lose jobs, but at a far slower
rate than during the past three years. And if this prediction and
national forecasts both come to pass, Greater Columbus job growth once
again will lag growth at the national level, which is generally
predicted to be about 1.5 percent. But the long slide in regional
employment that began in March 2001 will finally end."

The above quote is from Blue Chip Economic Forecast 2004.  You will
find the entire report on the Columbus economic climate including
personal services, government sector, business sector, retail trade,
manufacturing, transportation and utilities, construction and
wholesale.
http://www.columbus-chamber.org/bluechip/ - Blue Chip Economic Forcast.

Moderate Job Growth Predicted After Two Years of Decline" - - This
report summarizes some of the information in the Blue Chip forcast and
discusses what aspects of the economy will take the lead in future
growth.
http://www.columbus-chamber.org/newsroom/newsreleases/2004/pr040107.htm

As for what drives the local economy.  The largest engines are those
listed below.  The figures are from FedStats and are the latest
available.

Manufacturers shipments, 1997 ($1000)  8,409,312 
Wholesale trade sales, 1997 ($1000)  13,539,204 
Retail sales, 1997 ($1000)  8,595,454 
Retail sales per capita, 1997  $12,852 
Accommodation and food services, 1997 ($1000)  1,160,046 
Fedstats - www.fedstats.gov/ - federal Goverment website    

You will find that the local economic development office for Columbus
has little more on its page that tools and programs for business
development rather than any broad articles about economic growth.  Its
main concern is business assistance and financial assistance.  If you
would like to take a look:
http://td.ci.columbus.oh.us/Economic%20Development/index.htm

As for commentary and analysis from the Columbus newspapers, the
Dispatch and others have registration and access fees for archived
articles.  If you wish to find such information:
http://www.dispatch.com/ - The Columbus Dispatch - Just a cautionary
note, registration entails filling out a list of personal interests
and being subject to advertising emails.  Discovered that when went
looking for articles for this question and now on everybody's list.

Clarification of Answer by digsalot-ga on 14 May 2004 14:14 PDT
As I was searching I noticed a pattern.  Much of what Columbus is
doing is tied into 'regional' economic growth planning rather than
just for the city.  Many of the articles and statistics which might be
of interest are along these lines and include a multi-county approach.

Would you like that information as well or you interested only in the city proper?

Digs
shikibobo-ga rated this answer:4 out of 5 stars

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