Minority business owners find Ohio ideal location for business development and expansion

Ohio’s supportive business environment and variety of development programs create an ideal location for the growthof minority-owned businesses, according to the Ohio BusinessDevelopment Coalition, the nonprofit organization that markets the state for capital investment.

Ohio’s Minority Business Enterprise Division, a division of the Ohio Department of Development, aids in the creationof an environment sensitive to the particular needs of minorityenterprises. The division manages programs and initiatives that assist minority-owned businesses in growing and finding success in Ohio.

“Ohio’s programs and resources have been critical to our business over the years,” said Warren Anderson, president of Anderson-Dubose, a Solon, Ohio-based fast food distributor.

According to the division, Ohio will provide $150,000 in grant funding in 2008 and 2009 to both the Akron Urban League and the Greater Cincinnati African-American Chamber of Commerce to facilitate training, strategic management,networking and mentoring opportunities with major corporations.

Ohio’s recent tax reform has also made the state a more business-friendly location for all businesses. The reform eliminates tax on machinery and equipment, on products sold to customersoutside of Ohio and on the first $1 million in gross receipts. The reform also reduces personal income tax by 21 percent.

“Minority business owners are realizing how, in Ohio, they’re able to find the perfect balance between growing a business and still enjoying life,” said Ed Burghard, executive Anderson, president of Anderson-Dubose, a director of the Ohio Business Development Coalition.

For more information about minorityprovide $150,000 in grant funding in 2008 and business opportunities in Ohio, visit www.2009 to both the Akron Urban League and the ohiomeansbusiness.com/minority/index.php.