Voters can save or kill jobs plan, Strickland says

Third Frontier has created thousands of area jobs

Gov. Ted Strickland (center) tours WebCore Technologies, 8821 Washington Church Road, Miami Twp., a company that has benefited from the Third Frontier funding. He is accompanied by Dan Hutcheson, WebCore founder (left) and Rich Bing, the company's chief operating officer. Strickland was in town promoting a

Jan Underwood Gov. Ted Strickland (center) tours WebCore Technologies, 8821 Washington Church Road, Miami Twp., a company that has benefited from the Third Frontier funding. He is accompanied by Dan Hutcheson, WebCore founder (left) and Rich Bing, the company's chief operating officer. Strickland was in town promoting a "yes" vote on May 4 on Issue One to continue funding the Third Frontier program to encourage high-technology innovations that create jobs. Staff photo by Jan Underwood

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By William Hershey, Columbus Bureau Updated 10:22 AM Wednesday, April 7, 2010

MIAMI TWP. — Gov. Ted Strickland likes to find bright spots in Ohio’s economy when touting the Third Frontier, the high-tech economic development program that is up for renewal on the May 4 ballot.

On Tuesday, April 6, he found one of those bright spots at WebCore Technologies, where Chairman Dan Hutcheson joined Strickland in urging voters to approve Issue 1 on the statewide ballot.

“It is one of the most, if not the most, important economic development initiatives in the state of Ohio,” Hutcheson told about 50 people gathered on the factory floor.

Financial support from the Third Frontier has helped WebCore grow from a handful of employees to 30, said Hutcheson. Before the economic downturn, employment had reached 45, but prospects are improving again. The company, which manufactures engineered composite cores and is supplying wind turbine blades for the growing wind energy industry, plans to add 25 to 30 more employees in the near future, Hutcheson said.

Statewide, the program has retained or created 55,000 jobs since 2002, including thousands in the Dayton area, according to state officials. The program provides money for shared research to develop new technologies and products.

The more than $130 million awarded to Dayton area companies and universities has focused on helping the region make the difficult transition from dependence on a few key industries such as automobile and auto parts to new products and technologies.

Strickland marveled at how WebCore products are used in applications ranging from wind energy to bridge decks to ships.

“It is the right thing for Ohio,” said Strickland.

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