March 29, 2024

Brad Marolf

Business & Finance Wonders

Business expands in 2021 despite COVID, but challenges remain for 2022

Mayor Glenn Broska said the city of Streetsboro is poised for continued economic growth in 2022, including hopes the Geis Co. will be able to find a tenant for this 434,000-square-foot building on Route 43.

The past year has been one of many challenges and, in some areas, growth in the Portage County business community. 

There are quite a few signs that the Portage County economy is alive and well at the end of 2021, with property sales, new businesses, new housing starts in different areas and a variety of industrial development around the county. 

But there are also challenges that were either born of the COVID-19 pandemic or exacerbated by it.

Chief among those challenges is the workforce shortage, which many businesses and business leaders cite, including Aurora Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin.

“Companies have had challenges in talent supply, and we have been working with them aggressively to assist them in addressing that issue,” she said. “To that end, in collaboration with OhioMeansJobs, Aurora is hosting a talent recruitment training session on Thursday, Jan. 13 at 9 a.m. at the Aurora Fire Department training room, at 65 W. Pioneer Trail.”