Record Number of New Jobs Created in Butler County |
Friday, February 24, 2006 9:32:12 AM - Middletown Ohio |
HAMILTON, Ohio, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Butler County Board of Commissioners announced today that Butler County experienced record growth in job creation, development investment, and leased and sold square footage in 2005. The 63 new construction and expansion projects in Butler County created 3,849 new jobs in 2005, a 23.6% increase over the 3,115 new jobs created in 2004; saw new investment in real estate and personal property increase 65.7% to $605,018,800 from $365,122,309 in 2004; and manufacturing, office, and commercial space leased or sold in Butler County doubled from 3,723,387 sq. ft. last year to 7,228,758 sq. ft. in 2005. (These figures do not include new retail development which is not traditionally included in economic development reporting.) "While some communities still struggle with layoffs, plant closings, and job outsourcing, Butler County has been blessed with a strong economy and significant business expansion even during difficult times," said Butler County Board of Commissioners president Greg Jolivette. "The creation of almost 4,000 new jobs is very gratifying and is a testament to the health of the County's economy." Healthcare growth continued to thrive in Butler County with the announcements in 2005 of the construction of new facilities for the Health Alliance in West Chester and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Liberty Township that combined will create approximately 1,225 new jobs with an investment of $280 million. A total of 36% of the new jobs created in 2005 were in healthcare or biomedicine. Equally exciting, was the announcement in late December that Amylin Pharmaceuticals of San Diego will establish a $150 million biomedical manufacturing facility in West Chester to manufacture a long-acting release treatment for type 2 diabetes. "Amylin will create more than 200 new jobs during Phase I and II of the project with an average, annual salary of over $52,000 per employee," said Commissioner Mike Fox. "This puts Butler County on the biomedical map and will provide the kind of well paying, high tech jobs that are important for Butler County's continued growth toward a truly knowledge-based economy." Proving that there is life after a plant closing, the former Fisher Body plant in Fairfield, closed by General Motors in 1988, will be redeveloped by the First Highland Company of Boston. "The redevelopment of the 1.2 million sq. ft. former Fisher Body building into a multi-tenant manufacturing and distribution facility and the construction new outbuildings on the adjacent vacant land represents a potential investment of $32 million," said Butler County Commissioner Chuck Furmon. "What has been an eyesore will now be redeveloped and re-skinned to become the model and standard for brownfield development in southwest Ohio." Manufacturing in Butler County continues to be strong. High tech manufacturer Pole/Zero will add 130 new jobs at their West Chester facility with a $5.4 million plant expansion while Monroe's Precision Packaging is going forward with a $10 million plant expansion that will add 158 new jobs to its workforce. And, warehouse distribution and supply chain logistics received an unexpected boost from Dell in West Chester where the computer and peripherals maker increased its workforce by 400 new jobs in 2005 bringing total employment at its logistics facility to 1,000. In addition, athletic apparel manufacturer SanMar invested $25 million for a new distribution facility in West Chester that will create 150 new jobs and retain 200 existing jobs in the region. Butler County, Ohio, located between the Cincinnati and Dayton metro areas in southwest Ohio, is at the center of a population and market of 2.8 million people. Butler County has business-oriented government officials; an excellent availability of reasonably priced office, commercial, and industrial space; a productive, knowledge-based workforce; close proximity to interstates I-75, I-71, I-74, and I-70; affordable Midwest housing; and world-class air service from two international airports making it an unsurpassed community in which to conduct business.
Contact: Brian Coughlin, Director (513) 785-5850
SOURCE Butler County, Ohio Department of Economic Development Web Site: http://www.butlercounty.biz
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