Central Ohio Business Leaders Gather at Fisher to Discuss Strategies for Growing Jobs in Ohio

A panel of business leaders gathered at OSU’s Fisher College of Business this week, along with US Representative Steve Stivers, to discuss ways of creating the jobs needed to retain students in the area after they graduate.  

Stivers, along with Christine A. Poon, dean of the Fisher College of Business, hosted this panel discussion as part of a job forum held Wednesday. 

Three Central Ohio business leaders, including Dwight Smith, CEO of Sophisticated Systems and member of the TechColumbus board of directors, Mark Swepston, president of Atlas Butler and John Ness, president of ODW Logistics, Inc., offered their insights on what Ohio and Central Ohio need to be competitive in the business world.

Strategies discussed included the simplification of the state’s business tax structure, more efficient strategies to help workers transition to new job categories, and better commercialization of the intellectual property resident within the region.  

“The intellectual property that sits at this university is a tremendous help to this state. We need to scale it up and monetize it," said Smith.  "Ohio State, Battelle and TechColumbus is something we need to take to the next level."

"Ohio State has great academic minds. We just need to harness that power to create jobs," Stivers said.
For a full wrap up of the panel discussion, see the story in The Lantern.