Annual Columbus conference invited local leaders to plan for growth

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The annual Economic Development 411 (ED411) conference was held in downtown Columbus today. Community leaders gathered to discuss the impact economic development has on the area.

The goal is to highlight the work that’s been done while also preparing for the region's expected growth. 

“As a mayor of a community, I want to understand what's happening regionally so I can translate that to how that impacts my community,” Laurie Jadwin, mayor of Gahanna, said. 

More than 700 community leaders across 11 counties gathered to talk about the region's constantly evolving economic development. The event focused on the future of infrastructure and talent.

“We want people to understand all the opportunities that are available to us as a region to grow our economy, to diversify it, to become more prosperous, to provide more opportunity for everybody in the region,” Kenny McDonald, president and CEO of One Columbus, said. 

McDonald said a growing region comes with a lot of challenges and responsibilities like housing, transportation and infrastructure. 

“We have the responsibility to continue to build great communities across the 11 counties that not only will they live in and work in, but build that career and tell others so that we can continue to not only grow the economy, but build upon the culture that we've built here in central Ohio,” McDonald said.

The event was about celebrating the successes and seeing what has been accomplished so far in the region. It also looked ahead to the future to how leaders can keep central Ohio a desirable place to live.

“We put ourselves on the map and we compete globally and we are -- the brand of Columbus is known across the globe and really well known across the Midwest, and we capitalize on it every day,” Jeremiah Garcia, the director of economic development for the city of Dublin, said. 

“It's an environment where we want people to be able to succeed on all levels. And I think every community embraces that, and that's what makes us special,” Jadwin said. 

This conference provided leaders with the opportunity to network with one another and share ideas. As local communities continue to grow, a key factor in keeping up with the demand will be keeping an open mindset, leaders said. 

“The world is a fast-paced place. It's incredibly competitive. The companies that are locating here, most of those are highly sought after from every community in the country,” McDonald said. “We want them to stay here and continue to invest. And so we want to be open to that investment. We want to be competitive and collaborative at the same time.”

Leaders said they are excited about what they learned during Friday's conference, and for the future of their communities.