Business Outreach & Assistance Program
The primary goal of the Lucas County Improvement Corporation's Business Outreach and Assistance Program is to connect the dots for businesses regarding the opportunities and resources of the region's economic development system to help business prosper. We build on the significant work of others that have identified those industries in the Toledo MSA regional economy where we have a competitive advantage. This work has been cultivated through the efforts of The University of Toledo Urban Affairs Center (UT UAC) and Bowling Green State University, the Toledo Lucas County Port Authority, and the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP), and Ohio Department of Development (ODOD). The LCIC with the assistance of the Lucas County Workforce Development Agency continues this work through the utilization of data from the Occupational Supply and Demand System (OSDS) in conjunction with the Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages (QCEW) which can allow the regional Economic Development System to anticipate skill demand and provide training and other appropriate resources in order to grow competitively, retain and expand business, and ultimately focus and continually improve our effort to deliver the most efficient use of scarce resources. The target industry clusters identified for the Toledo MSA are listed below and also includes the embedded information technology sector.
- Architecture, Engineering and Construction
- Advanced Materials
- Agriculture and Food Processing
- Alternative Energy
- Automotive and Applied Manufacturing
- Biosciences
- Transportation & Logistics
The LCIC is actively reaching out to firms in these industry clusters to establish a network where opportunities may be routinely shared along with appropriate resources to assist in stabilized growth. Through this feedback the LCIC can exchange valuable information that will lead to the retention and expansion of these companies. The information collected may lead to the design of economic development incentives that are relevant to business. As the central facilitator of economic development information we are uniquely suited to connect strengthen the chain of communication among our partners in the region. The LCIC is strategically deploying its resources where it believes the highest return to its shareholders, the taxpayers of Lucas County, can be achieved.
