Taft Promotes Pro-Jobs Agenda in Northeast Ohio
COLUMBUS, OHIO (February 12, 2004) - Governor Bob Taft today promoted his pro-jobs agenda during visits to two successful, growing companies in Akron and Youngstown. His first stop was Coltene/Whaledent in Akron, a dental products manufacturer that recently moved its headquarters from New Jersey to Ohio. He then toured Turning Technologies in Youngstown, which produces interactive response systems for use in education and business, and just announced a major new contract with Thompson Higher Education.
"Coltene/Whaledent and Turning Technologies are businesses prospering in a difficult economy and great examples of the kind of companies we want to grow more of in Ohio," Taft said. "Ohio is competing in a brutally competitive world economy and that's why I am focused on spending every day doing all I can to help create jobs for Ohioans."
Taft's 2004 State of the State address, delivered last month, outlines his pro-jobs agenda, which he reiterated during today's visits. Major points of this agenda include:
? Creating a new Jobs Cabinet, chaired by Development Director Bruce Johnson, which will work to help those who have lost jobs, enable companies to find the skilled workers they need to succeed, and cut red tape through regulatory reform.
? Asking the legislature to pass comprehensive tort reform legislation and workers' compensation reform.
? Enacting tax reform to lower rates, broaden the tax base and ensure taxpayers are treated fairly.
? Sustaining the Third Frontier Project through the tobacco budget and capital bill, and redirect additional dollars to protect investments already made.
? Investing in training Ohio's workforce by redirecting funding to double our commitment to job-training programs that match company training initiatives, and create the Worker Guarantee Program to recruit, train and screen workers for companies that create at least 100 new jobs.
? Extending the Ohio Enterprise Zone Program and expanding the Job Creation Tax Credit to provide new economic development tools to keep Ohio competitive with other states.
? Protecting Ohio's defense jobs by providing an additional $1 million to fully fund local community efforts to fight the federal base closure process.
Coltene/Whaledent moved its world headquarters to a new $13 million facility in Akron in July 2003, and also manufactures a wide range of its products at the facility. The move increased its Ohio workforce from 50 to more than 260. During his visit, Taft was given a demonstration of several Ohio-produced Coltene/Whaledent products by CEO Jerry Sullivan.
Turning Technologies last week announced a major contract with Thompson Higher Education that will place their interactive response software in the classrooms of most major U.S. universities. Turning Technologies, based at the Youngstown Business Incubator, began two years ago as a start-up with three employees and now has 12 employees with plans to hire significantly more this year. Taft has previously used Turning Technologies' software to help run an Akron Third Frontier Summit.
