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Dayton
Business Journal...
Dayton
Development Coalition sets plan
for 2012
by Joe Cogliano, Senior Reporter
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Armed
with millions of dollars in new
state grants, the Dayton Development Coalition
is on track to be the leading economic
development player in the region this year.
The
new programs will expand — and
more narrowly define — the coalition’s role in bolstering the defense
industry
and general economic development.
For
example, in its new role with JobsOhio,
all projects in the region that are up for state tax incentives will
now funnel
through the DDC. The coalition will also have a formal business
attraction
program for the first time.
The
Dayton Business Journal recently
sat down with Jeff Hoagland, president and CEO of the coalition, to
discuss how
the added responsibilities will shape the organization during the next
year.
Q:
The aerospace and defense
initiative is a statewide effort, but will be mainly focused on
Wright-Patterson?
A:
“Yes, the state realizes
Wright-Patt is an asset that the region, and big picture, the state,
needs to
focus on. So that was the main reason for the money. UAV’s are just one
piece
of that. We just let a contract to SAIC for $1.4 million to develop the
strategies around UAVs. So that’s just one piece of this big puzzle.
“We
just finished up BRAC and AFMC
just reorganized. They went from 12 centers down to five and we
received two of
them. That’s a great opportunity from the Dayton region. Ever since the
1940s
when the Air Force and Wright-Patt were in place, we’ve had ups and
downs over
time. Right now, we’re at a very good point. With the (AFMC) reorg,
there’s
huge opportunities as we look at the Air Force and efficiencies.
“Looking
throughout the country, what
are those technologies that should be here as the government works to
consolidate. I think that it’s great that the state is saying, very
loudly, the
Dayton Development Coalition has done a very good job with what they’ve
done in
the past. The state cut $8 billion from their budget, but they gave the
Dayton
region, just on this issue alone, $10 million ($7 million to the DDC
and $3
million to the Wright State Research Institute). That speaks volumes of
the
respect they have for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
... and the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Read
this and other articles at the
Dayton Business Journal
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