Introduction
Columbus is one of Ohio’s big eight cities that define its economy. Ohio’s economy is ranked 8th among other states in the USA. It had a GDP of $ 484 billion in the year 2011 having presented 3.2% of the total GDP in the USA. This represented a 0.5% decline as compared to the 3.7% figure witnessed 10 years earlier. Ohio’s economy grows at a slower rate as compared to the US average. However, Columbus’s leadership has great plans for the city.
A professional team led by a board of directors is responsible for gearing the city towards its visionary goals. The strategy is supported by an efficient funding model that includes private investors and the local government. Interviews conducted on over 500 companies revealed that Columbus was indeed on the correct path towards sustained economic development. Companies had to give their opinions concerning challenges and opportunities (Columbus 2020 2).
Analysis
The leadership vision makes the city a potential place for investors. In respect to the economic development, the leadership intends to ensure the following:
- the existing companies are retained, and potential investors are encouraged to make further investment, leveraging entrepreneurs and research assets of the region;
- there is a positive business environment due to improved political conditions and the civic infrastructure.
The available economic sectors that have reported tremendous performance in the region encompass manufacturing, logistics, Science and Technology, agribusiness, International Business, and Business Services (Columbus 2020 9). Following the leadership’s support for economic development, many business corporations will be added to its economy. The organizations will ultimately require lawn services. As a result, it is logical to set up a lawn care company that would be responsible for the provision of lawn care services to these corporations.
Demographic Information
Columbus has exhibited a strong growth trend in regard to its population. By 2010, it had a population of 787,033 individuals. It has a strong economic base comprising of approximately 26,503 businesses that have created 547,565 jobs to the residents. Just like any other city, the demographic factors that have influenced the city’s population include births, deaths, immigration, and emigration. In Ohio, Columbus is the only city that has displayed a positive increment in its population. For instance, comparing 711,470 in 2000 to 787,033 people in 2010, the city has reached a 10% population increment.
This is contrary to the negative trends witnessed in the remaining seven cities of the state. Columbus was ranked fifteenth among US cities according to the 2010 census. The influx of workforce in the city exceeds the exit rate. As a result, establishing a lawn care service company in the city would be a benefit due to the readily available human resource (Columbus Education Commission 6).
City schools displayed a 5% increment in students. Suburban districts, on the other hand, grew by 22%. As a result, it is evident that suburban neighborhoods experienced the highest growth rates. Moderate growth rates were noted in the campus, downtown, and Far East and North East regions. Persons aged 24-35 years formed the greatest percentage of the population. Cumulatively, the city has grown by 75,563 citizens (city schools – 33%, suburban districts – 68%). 3,869 children aged between 5-17 years were added to the city population following a decrease of 6,262 and a gain of 10,131 children. 43,790 housing units appeared in the city.
The last includes city schools (48%) and suburban districts (52%). The city also displayed a positive increment in the rate of employment (25%) between 1991 and 2011. There was a 100% increase in the knowledge industry including the educational sector and medical institutions (Columbus Education Commission 16).
Available Educational Facilities
As a result of the numerous educational institutions found in Ohio State, establishing a lawn care service company would be propelled by the available human resource tapped directly from the learning institutions. Some of the university institutions include the University of Akron, Bowling Green State University, Central State University, University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State University, Kent University, Miami University, Ohio State University, Ohio University, Shawnee State University, University of Toledo, Wright State University and Youngstown University. It allows to state that the city has sufficient learning institutions that would be appropriate to provide skilled lawn care labor force.
Why the Choice of Columbus?
The average wage per hour of workers in Columbus was $ 22.00 in 2013. The figure is slightly below the $ 22.33 US average. Lawn care falls under the service industry that is underemployed in the region. This is evidenced by a survey conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2013. The service sector was one of the nine industries with employment shares far below the national average. Being a visionary city, most employees would prefer seeking job opportunities in the region.
Columbus has great opportunities for retrofit homes, business places, and government buildings. The city has recently adopted a campaign aimed at embracing green energy. This has seen organizations being given loans to move into new spaces, thus provided the funds are used for energy retrofitting. This gives a good business opportunity for the establishment of a lawn care service company.
The company would be responsible for the provision of lawn care services to corporations, following the adoption of green energy initiatives. The initiative would see corporations move into new spacious locations that would necessitate lawn services to maintain their surroundings. Based on the move, potential recruits would consider it a viable move to seek for knowledge in lawn care in Ohio State institutions. This would facilitate their employment in the lawn care sector after graduation.
Mayor Colman is also at the forefront of creating a “green Columbus”. This is evidenced by the significant amounts of resources and time that are devoted to this initiative. The leadership encourages the green revolution in the region due to its positive contribution to the environment and the resultant employment opportunities it gives. Columbus is undergoing massive transitions in the development of its structures. The transitions result in the construction of new buildings or renovation of old ones to meet “green building” standards. This offers great opportunities for lawn care service companies since they can be contracted to provide their services (Dinkins, Fawcett, Narayan, and Turek 31).
Conclusion
In essence, the City of Columbus has a great future. Having a developed team of professionals to ensure attainment of the set goals, local businesses, such as the establishment of a lawn care service company, would thrive in this region. The team is devoted to guaranteeing the success of the company alongside other investments to foster Columbus’ economic development. The success of companies in the region would also be attributed to the team’s initiative of educating the companies concerning economic development, possible growth opportunities, and incentives offered by the government and establishment of company links to foster marketing of products and services. Recruits have all the reasons to choose Columbus in their quest for education and further employment.
Works Cited
Columbus 2020: 2011 ANNUAL REPORT. 2011. Web.
Columbus Education Commission. Presentation on Population Growth and Community Facilities. 2011. Web.
Dinkins, Skylar, Fawcett, Nicole, Narayan, Sri and Katie Turek. Creating Green Jobs in Columbus: Improving Our Position and Learning from other Cities. 2010. Web.