The economic prospects for the Dayton region are strong, Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said.
Husted visited the Dayton area Wednesday as the keynote speaker to the Dayton Development Coalition’s annual meeting.
He also talked with WYSO’s Mike Frazier about the region's economic accomplishments in 2023 and the outlook for this year and beyond. Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted: It's from across the Miami Valley, from the Honda battery plant that’s in the process of being built in Fayette County to Joby Aviation, which is going to be at the Dayton airport, which is going to make the first electric aircraft. And Dayton won that project over 40 or so other states that were competing for it at the beginning. Sierra Nevada Corporation that is building a new hangar and continuing to do aircraft construction and maintenance out there, to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the contractors surrounding the base. They've gone over the course of years, from 19,000 employees to over 35,000 employees on the base. So we just see growth happening throughout the Miami Valley.
Mike Frazier: Why is the economy improving? Is it just a cyclical thing, or is it due to policies from the state or federal level?
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted: The community rallied about 20 years ago when we started to lose the NCRs and the companies like that and really leaned in hard on the innovation going on at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. And that's why you see some of the innovation coming out of there and some of the talent coming out of there, leading to companies like Joby Aviation and Sierra Nevada deciding that the Dayton area is the place that they want to build their new operations. And the Miami Valley has a good culture. It's got a good workforce, people have a good work ethic. And we see some of the companies have been around for a while, like the Hondas, decide, 'Hey, as the electric transition goes on, we need to adjust to it. We need to reinvest.' And then we've been able to secure those investments. So it comes from a variety of places.
Mike Frazier: What are the near term projections for the area's economic outlook?
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted: Well, the near-term projections, I think, are good, because — think about this: Honda was announced, and Joby was announced, and Sierra Nevada expansion was announced. Those are announcements in 2023. Now they're starting to build them, and they haven't even done the hiring yet. So you're going to see a lot of jobs that will need to be filled in 2024 to meet this new demand. And so I think that, for the foreseeable future, the prospects for the Miami Valley look very strong. But again, I'll emphasize it will be up to whether or not we can build the workforce with the tech skills, the engineering skills that will be necessary to support these industries. And I want to emphasize this: It doesn't need to be a four-year degree. Our career centers in Greene County and Montgomery County and Miami County and places like that are doing a great job of producing talent right out of high school, with in-demand industry credentials that can go right in and work in these facilities. Our community college is another place where maybe if you didn't get the educational background you want, this is a way for you to earn a new degree or credential that will help maybe transition in from one industry to another.
Mike Frazier: So if I hear you correctly, it sounds like the key to keep this momentum going is the workforce.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted: Yes, the key to keep it going is continue to be a great place to do business. Land these economic development opportunities, most of those have already occurred, but the future will depend on talent. Talent, talent, talent is the key to growth in these tech-oriented industries. And if the region can produce that talent, more businesses will come.
I just would emphasize to moms and dads and students that there are some great career opportunities through your local career centers. You don't necessarily need to go to college to get the skills that it takes to be successful in the marketplace. Right now, local career centers in high schools have many pathways for you to earn in-demand credentials, to earn early college credits and go right to work right out of high school. So take advantage of the many new opportunities that we're creating in Ohio. We just invested another $200 million in our career centers to help them have the most modern equipment, whether it's robots, artificial intelligence technology, all of those kinds of tech learning opportunities are available right in your local high schools and career centers. So don't miss the opportunity to take advantage of that.
