4 County Group (4CG) Initiative

Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca Counties partnered together as the 4CG initiative. 4CG stands for 4 County Group 4 Collaborative Growth.  The group began working together in 2013 to collectively address the region’s workforce challenges. The 4CG originally focused its efforts on National Manufacturing Month with manufacturing bus tours for educators and career showcases. In 2020, the 4CG put out with a comprehensive workforce analysis, with wage and benefit information and strategic priorities. This analysis originally came out of the Rapid Response Plan to address the potential closure of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant. The 4CG also participated in the promotion of JobsOhio/Regional Growth Partnership’s OH•Zone Virtual Career Fair that was held on November 5, 2020. The goal of the virtual career fair was to help Ohioans, especially those who have been impacted by COVID-19, find employment while helping regional employers build a qualified and motivated workforce. Ottawa, Sandusky, and Seneca Counties hosted another OH•Zone Virtual Career Fair on April 13, 2021. The focus was on high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, as well as the public. The 4CG meets on a quarterly basis to discuss new ideas to help grow our local workforce.

Firelands Forward

Firelands Forward was first developed by a group of private and public leaders in 2019 as a three-year strategic plan focusing primarily on improving job skills, fulfillment, and retention of labor in all three counties. Firelands Forward is a workforce collaborative initiative focused on Talent Attraction, Retention & Development for Erie, Huron & Ottawa Counties. Firelands was commissioned by The Firelands Partnership – a business driven engine dedicated to advancing economic competitiveness and quality of life in the Firelands region. The Firelands Partnership hosted a kick-off event for their workforce development initiative back in June 2019. From that event, a strategic plan was put in place. The three-year strategic plan of Firelands is hyper focused on improving job skills, fulfillment, and retention of labor in the Erie, Huron and Ottawa counties, becoming one of the most strategic workforce initiatives in North Central Ohio. Ottawa County joined Firelands in June 2021. Firelands hosts monthly Frontline Worker Retention and High School Career Connections Work Groups, and is a sponsor of the North Coast Young Professionals which hosts Young Professionals Week. The Firelands initiative is unique in that they not only have an entire staff dedicated to driving workforce growth, they have access to funding that’s used directly to pilot innovative programs, positioning their workforce and talent acquisition goals for each county to be extraordinarily successful.

Ottawa County Chambers of Commerce

Our Ottawa County Chambers of Commerce are organizations of member businesses that promote economic development and business activity in Ottawa County, Ohio. Our chambers work to attract investment, visitors, and residents to the Ottawa County community. Our chambers encourage the creation of an environment where Ottawa County businesses can flourish.

The Genoa Area Chamber is dedicated to advancing and developing commercial, agricultural, industrial, civic and general interests of the Village of Genoa and all adjacent communities.  The chamber is a diverse organization of small and large business owners, professionals who promote our town as well as many activities. The chamber is an all-volunteer organization that encourages its members to get involved in all activities such as membership, special events and communications. The chamber hosts Business After Hours, Genoa Cruise-In Car Shows, and the annual Harvest Festival.

The mission of the Marblehead Peninsula Chamber of Commerce is to promote and market the Peninsula for the purpose of economic growth and good will among the businesses of our area; to provide a structured organization to assist the business community with economic and community concerns; to assist established businesses and to encourage and promote new businesses by supporting selected programs to benefit the short and long term interest of the Peninsula. The chamber hosts the Marblehead Purse Bingo, monthly Business Open House, and the annual Lighthouse Festival.

The Oak Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce is a membership of businesses and individuals organized to promote economic growth, development, and quality of life. The Chamber, located in Oak Harbor – Ohio, provides services to our members through group rate plans, networking opportunities, seminars, continuing education, and community events. The Oak Harbor Chamber hosts quarterly Business Over Breakfast events, Fireworks Fund Reverse Raffle, Village Wide Garage Sales and the annual Apple Festival.

The mission of the Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce is to plan, develop, implement, and support programs and policies designed to improve the economic and business climate of the Greater Port Clinton area. The PCACC hosts monthly Business After Hours and Lunch-N-Learn events for businesses, as well as community events including the Sunset Cruise, Meals on Madison and the annual Walleye Festival.

The Put-in-Bay Chamber represent the Put-in-Bay business community in promoting Put in Bay and the Bass Islands as a vacation destination to tour groups, school groups, couples, families, and friends. The chamber sponsors events such as the Put-in Bay Music Festival, Pyrate Fest, Art in the Park, Island Wine Festival, and Oktoberfest.

Shores & Islands Ohio

One of the Midwest’s hottest vacation spots, the region between Toledo and Cleveland provides an eclectic mix of historically-significant sites, family-fun amusements, gorgeous scenery, and outdoor recreation. The mission of Shores & Islands Ohio is to facilitate the destination’s economic vitality through collaborative promotion and the creation of memorable experiences that engage valuable consumers as a way to enhance the region’s quality of life. Shores & Islands Ohio includes communities of Berlin Heights, Castalia, Elmore, Genoa, Huron, Kelleys Island, Marblehead, Middle Bass, Milan, Oak Harbor, Port Clinton/Catawba, Put-in-Bay, Sandusky & Vermilion. Shores & Islands Ohio has two Welcome Centers, located in Port Clinton and Sandusky.

Regional Growth Partnership

The Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) focuses on meeting the site location needs of corporate clients in a confidential, innovative and time-sensitive manner. The RGP offers a full range of traditional business development services, working in conjunction with our partners at the regional and state levels, to most effectively manage the site selection process. To support these business development efforts, the RGP serves as Northwest Ohio’s regional network partner for JobsOhio, a private, state-created corporation leading Ohio’s job-creation efforts. The RGP partners with JobsOhio to provide project management and administration resources throughout the 17 Northwest Ohio counties. The RGP began working with Toledo MSA stakeholders to strategize and begin implementation of a collaborative workforce development strategy for our region. The RGP brought together Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa and Wood county workforce authorities, economic development practitioners and the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce to address head-on the No. 1 priority for businesses.

Toledo Region CEDS