Central Ohio’s Image as a Good Place to do Business Increasing Dramatically
February 27, 2009
ShareThisResults of Recent Survey Shows Awareness of Region Nationally Increased 20 Points Over Last Three Years
Results of a recent survey showed that nearly 60 percent of business executives surveyed nationally have some clear image of Columbus. That number is up from nearly 40 percent in 2005 when the survey was last conducted. Results of the survey were presented at the annual meeting of the Columbus Chamber by Andrew Levine, president of Development Counsellors International, an economic development and travel marketing company that has been working with the Chamber.
The progress the region has made in the last three years has been dramatic. In 2005 none of the executives surveyed rated Central Ohio as an excellent place to do business. But in 2008, five percent rated the region as excellent. The number of executives who rated the area as good increased from 21 percent in 2005 to 29 percent in 2008. In addition, 34 percent of the executives said they would consider Columbus for a business relocation or expansion, as compared to 23 percent in 2005.
When asked about the leading sources of information that influenced participants in forming their opinions, the number one source was dialog with an industry peer. “Even in the Internet age there is still nothing more powerful than a face-to-face meeting with the right decision maker,” says Levine.
Other influencers included articles in newspapers and magazines (53 percent), business travel (43 percent), meetings with economic development groups (32 percent) and online sources (28 percent).
Levine encouraged the Central Ohio business community to continue relaying messages through the news media and national rankings, citing one prime example of this being Columbus’ rating as the #1 Up and Coming Tech City last year by Forbes magazine.
The survey was conducted by Opinion Consultants of Columbus.
For more details, see the story in Business First