Manufacturing
For Ohio
Ohio Has The Answers
A Great Economy... If We Can Keep It.
Ohio still maintains one of the largest economies in the U.S. but it is without question on the decline as we just witnessed another large manufacturing plant vanish when General Motors close its doors at Lordstown. It is little consolation that another manufacturer is moving in to build electric vehicles at the same plant but with a fraction of the workforce. If we do not innovate in entirely new industries going forward, we will fall farther behind in our efforts to maintain our manufacturing capabilities and produce good paying jobs.
High Speed Rail Opportunities
Long term transportation policy focused on creating a state-wide or even regional-wide mass transit system. A new transit grid, using a mixture of high speed rail and slower light rail routes, could connect small communities with the larger cities across the state and possibly major metropolises farther afield.
Components such as rails, cars, station platforms and power generation could be constructed and distributed right here in Ohio. New manufacturing facilities coming on line could even use converted older facilities now littering Ohio’s landscape.
Energy Opportunity for Ohio
The 2015 Tri-State Shale Agreement has enabled chemical manufacturers to begin building state of the facilities closer to the source rather than transport these same materials by rail, truck or pipeline thousands of miles away to the Gulf.
There is much to be done before Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania becomes like Texas and that’s why pipelines are already crisscrossing Ohio but the Houston hurricane disaster showcased how fragile the industry can become by having so many facilities located in one vulnerable place.
Industrialized Hemp
With legalization now established and new rules in place for farmers to begin cultivating this enormously potential cash crop, there has to be new outlets created quickly where farmers can sell their harvests. Industrial hemp has many uses in the manufacturing world; everything from construction materials like cinder block, fiber board, lumber, paper, and clothing, parts for cars such as door panels, dashboards and fabric for seats.
Ohio’s leaders can create new avenues for financing and investment that would attract entrepreneurs to begin building the facilities to manufacture the new products incorporating industrial hemp resulting in the creation of thousands of new jobs.
