Central Ohio
Ohio's central region is anchored by the state capitol of Columbus, with the largest Ohio city population and a rapidly expanding metropolitan area. Central Ohio offers strategic resources in logistics and research as well as a state hub for professional services and motor vehicle production and industry support.
At the crossroads of the major Interstate 70/71 junction, Central Ohio is also home to four general aviation airports. These airfields include one cargo operation and four railroad operations - two are fully intermodal transport yards. The region is a logistics powerhouse, hosting many major third-party logistics firms such as ODW Logistics, and fulfillment operations for retail leaders such as Gap Inc. and Eddie Bauer.
Central Ohio boasts the main campus and internationally recognized research facilities of The Ohio State University in Columbus, leader of The Wright Center of Innovation in Biomedical Imaging, plus worldwide private R&D leader Battelle and notable chemical research clearinghouse Chemical Abstracts Service. The region's R&D dominance provides a highly supportive atmosphere for innovation in all of Ohio's primary market sectors.
Central Ohio is also headquarters to insurance industry leader Nationwide and financial institution Huntington Bancshares Inc., and home to Honda of America's Marysville plant and an associated infrastructure of motor vehicle-related production companies.
"Success comes with teamwork, and Honda's partnership with Ohio has been a winning combination," says Akio Hamada, president and CEO of Honda of America Manufacturing, celebrating the Marysville operation's 25th anniversary. Following Honda's inception in Ohio in 1979 with the Marysville Motorcycle Plant, the Marysville Auto Plant has grown to 16,000 employees since its launch in 1982 and a Center for Automotive Research Center study found Honda generates 3.5 supplier jobs for each position at the company. "We're already looking forward to the next 25 years," Hamada says.
