Nearly two years ago, the world as we knew it ended. We had to find our way through a new world, with obstacles at every turn. Our region could have easily retreated into self-preservation mode. But Northeast Ohio’s economic development network did the opposite. We lived up to our Midwest work ethic. We helped companies find ways to
restart responsibly, pivot operations and work with each other and public sector partners to solve new challenges. We worked to position this region for the future.

Team NEO continued to do what it does best – advance strategies for business development, provide research insights and collaborate with our NEO economic development partners. We doubled down on efforts to provide thought leadership through new research like Lost Opportunities and Misaligned Opportunities, which highlighted the pandemic’s impact on working women and minority communities, respectively. We grew our pipeline of competitive sites and strengthened our industry base with leadership and technology initiatives to help manufacturing businesses thrive.

And the outside world took notice. As an owner of a small Northeast Ohio business, I saw it first-hand as Team NEO acted as a voice for NEO manufacturers, helped my company with supply chain issues and brought insight on operating as an “essential business.”

Ohio received multiple national accolades for its business climate. Northeast Ohio – which makes up 40% of the state’s economy – was highly influential in these rankings. Team NEO’s project pipeline became more robust than ever and, as you’ll see in this report, we’ve seen great success.

As a leader of a company that builds its future through technology innovation, I’ve learned to think about what an organization can do to stay competitive today, next year, and over the next 10-20 years. Team NEO is thinking this way. And the initiatives you will see throughout this report – and in the coming year – demonstrate that. I am grateful for the progress made by my predecessor, Jodi Berg, Ph.D., President and CEO of Vitamix, and Bill Koehler, Team NEO’s CEO, as their leadership brought us through unprecedented challenge.

I look forward to working with Team NEO to build future opportunity. To me, Team NEO represents a network of economic development partners throughout NEO – together this network advances economic growth and prosperity throughout the region. We are a community of private sector, public sector, economic development, and philanthropic leaders rowing in the same direction to drive our economy forward. That is how we leverage the power of our region’s vast economic assets, deep supply chains, talented workforce, and quality of life – to get traction and grow.

Your attention to this report shows that you, too, are invested in the future of the Northeast Ohio Region. We welcome your response to this report, our initiatives, and the effort to move the region forward – together!

Thank you.