Startup public-private Lorain County partnership to drive economic development
By Terry Troy
It’s always great to see business and community entities partner for economic and business growth. Ohio’s latest is an organization called ONE Lorain County, a 501(c)(3) countywide economic development organization, which is receiving financial support from local governments, private businesses, educational entities, organizations and the philanthropic community.
Like many other economic development agencies across our state, ONE Lorain County’s mission is to encourage economic growth and prosperity in Lorain County in coordination with other economic development organizations, public sector leaders and philanthropic organizations.
“The importance of having ONE Lorain County move forward with an integrated economic development strategy cannot be overemphasized, especially now given the transformative economic development occurring in Ohio as it positions itself as the Silicon Heartland,” says Philip Amos, vice chair of the organization. “The timing couldn’t be any better for us to be at the table for what Lorain County can offer to strengthen this goal for our county, our region and our state.”
This fall, ONE Lorain hired Lisa Hutson as its new director. In her new position, which just started last month, Hutson will help with executing an integrated economic development strategy focused on driving traded sector industry growth by engaging companies about their plans for business investment and growth opportunities in Lorain County.
ONE Lorain County also will seek opportunities to leverage existing resources and the expertise of civic leaders in order to best position Lorain County as a prime location for corporations, businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive.
In her career spanning over 25 years, Hutson has demonstrated an innate ability to help business owners grow their customer base, expand their entrepreneurial ventures, invest in their employees and become vital community partners. Hutson most recently served as the director of the Small Business Development Center at Lorain County Community College (SBDC at LCCC) since 2015. Previous to her SBDC position, Hutson worked for a variety of banks in the “business banking” realm of financial services.
“The Board and Hiring Committee of ONE Lorain County has been deliberate and patient in the search for the director of this new public private partnership,” says Amos. “Lisa stood out amongst the many candidates that we interviewed because she knows and has worked with Lorain County businesses. Her experience and connections with the business community will help us achieve the goals and objectives for economic development and ultimately make ONE Lorain County succeed in our efforts.”
“Lisa’s proven ability to develop relationships, initiate partnerships, communicate progress and work together toward common goals will be extremely helpful in this new economic development role,” adds Kevin Knight, chairman of ONE Lorain County.
Hutson has ample experience with the Lorain County business community. She currently sits on the board of the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce, she is vice chair for the Lorain County Workforce Development Board, current president of Elyria Sunrise Rotary and board member for the Elyria Community Partnership and Oberlin Community Land Trust.
She was entrusted as the project manager for the Department of Defense funding MITSTO09 – Regional Fabrication and Certification Labs with a budget of over $4 million. While at the SBDC, Hutson also was Huntington Bank’s choice for 1:1 counseling for their Entrepreneur in Residence program, part of their $40 billion 2021 Strategic Community Plan.