Ohio as a gateway for international trade

Bob Cohen, Director of Business AssistanceBraintree Business Development Center

Mansfield, Ohio

Ohio- Easy Market Access

Ohio is recognized nationally and internationally as having one of the world’s strongest global platforms for routing goods and services worldwide.

Ohio- Easy Market AccessOhio is within 950 kilometers of 60 percent of the U.S. population and 50 percent of the Canadian population.

Ohio’s Agriculture•Food and agriculture is Ohio's top industry, at $79 billion.•The top crops are corn and soybeans.•One in every seven Ohioans is employed in some aspect of agriculture. •Strong agricultural and polymer industries make Ohio a prime spot for innovation and new technologies in the biopolymer industry.

Ohio’s Agriculture•Leads the U.S.A. in Swiss cheese (125 million pounds), and is second in eggs.•Poinsettias are Ohio's top floriculture crop.•About 21,350 acres of nursery stock.•Other significant agricultural goods include sheep, chickens, dairy, grapes, apples.•More than 1,000 food processing businesses and manufacturers.

•Ten Foreign Trade Zones and many sub-zones. •Duty-free, quota-free sites where goods can be stored, repackaged, assembled, or manufactured.•Exemption from duty and inventory taxes until they enter the U.S. marketplace. •Duty and taxes are never paid if the products are re-exported. •The zones are supported by a variety of internal distribution service facilities.

Foreign Trade Zones

Foreign Trade Zones in Ohio

International Trade Assistance Regions

Northern Ohio International Trade Assistance CenterEast Central International Trade Assistance Center

Ohio’s Edison Technology Program:

Edison Centers and other research centers

Ohio’s Edison Technology Program:Edison Technology Incubators:

Other significant Incubators in Ohio

• Beachwood• Toledo• Athens• Zanesville• New Philadelphia

Spotlight on Braintree Business Development Center

• Mixed use 75,000 sq. ft. facility in downtown Mansfield• Conference/training rooms, copiers, fax, Internet• Double-bay loading dock & freight elevator• Square foot rates range from $2.00 for large areas to

$9.50 for small office/laboratory units• Twelve current tenant companies• Focus on three clusters:

Advanced manufacturingAgricultureInformation TechnologyInternational