CVGGA – Cuyahoga Valley Greenhouse Growers Association

NE Ohio

Northeast Ohio consists of Ashland, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties. Additional counties often (but not always) considered to be in Northeast Ohio include Carroll, Holmes, Huron, Richland and Tuscarawas counties, thus making the total population of the entire Northeastern section of Ohio well over 5 million people.

Northeast Ohio includes the cities of Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Kent, Ravenna, Lorain, Elyria, Medina, Ashtabula, Youngstown and Warren. Northeast Ohio is home to Greater Cleveland, the largest metropolitan area in Ohio. Northeast Ohio has a labor force of almost two million persons, and a gross regional product of more than US$134 billion.

The 51-square-mile Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) in Northern Summit County and Southern Cuyahoga County lies at the heart of the Cuyahoga Valley and was created to preserve and reclaim the rural landscape along the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland. The Cuyahoga Valley itself lies at the heart of Northeast Ohio.

As Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing economy of the early to mid-20th century gradually gave way to the ever evolving technological and digital economy of the 21st century, the region has continued to demonstrate its adaptability to change and its capacity to lead. Now a major global innovator in such areas as nanotechnology, liquid crystals and polymers, the region is well positioned to help companies grow and succeed now and in the future.

Historically a global leader in manufacturing, Northeast Ohio is transitioning to the 21st century knowledge economy. From a logistics perspective, access to markets is a key advantage of the area. The region is within a 500-mile radius of 41 percent of all U.S. households, 55 percent of all U.S. manufacturing facilities, 58 percent of the top 500 U.S. industrial headquarters, and 56 percent of the top 500 U.S. service corporate headquarters. Five major U.S. interstate highways intersect the area, providing continuous roadways for the region’s numerous over-the-road freight companies. The region also has a number of airports with Cleveland Hopkins (international) and Akron-Canton (regional) serving as the major hubs for air freight and passengers. The area is also served by three Class 1 carrier railroads and an additional 20 short line railroad companies. Finally, major ports are found on Lake Erie (Cleveland, Lorain) and on the Ohio River (Columbiana County) that handle the movement of raw materials and finished products throughout the United States and the world.

The region provides numerous benefits to foreign companies doing business in the area. Key to this is the U.S. Department of Commerce’s foreign-trade zones. These foreign-trade zones allow foreign and domestic merchandise to move through the zone without a formal customs entry declaration or customs duties. Merchandise moving through the foreign-trade zone is also exempt from federal and state excise/use taxes and personal property taxes. Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) 181 is located in the region and is currently ranked 8th out of 260 general purpose zones in the United States in the total amount of merchandise shipped and received. Since 2000, FTZ 181 has helped the region attract more than $261 million in capital investment and the creation and retention of over 4,200 jobs.