Stark County Economic Benefits: A Roundup of Ongoing Developments

Positive news keeps springing up everywhere, as jobs and dollars continue to flow into Stark County thanks to Ohio's key role in the oil and gas industry.

Jackie Stewart reports in the Energy in Depth Blog that "the unemployment rate in shale counties has fallen at a staggering rate," citing a recent report from Crain's Cleveland Business indicating that there will be more jobs for people in Northeast Ohio over the next decade.

Indeed, the report in Crain's indicates that "the oil and gas fields of the eastern and southern parts of the region will boost the regional economy beyond what can be forecast today."

Positive developments in our region had previously been highlighted in a Crain's article about the growing need for commercial buildings and properties thanks to the rapid growth of the shale industry. The article cited the efforts of Stark County's Bryce Custer, of NAI Spring in Canton, who focuses his efforts as a real estate adviser on servicing clients who come to the region to work in the Utica shale.

The article quotes Custer as estimating that his firm has done "in excess of $45 million in oil and gas business" over the past two years. The really enouraging news? The trend, according to Custer, is "business and industrial, followed by retail, followed by housing." In other words, economic development affecting all aspects of the economy.

And there's no end in site, as a report in Ohio Gas & Oil magazine indicated. The article quotes Mike Chadsey of the Ohio Oil & Gas Association as telling the Cambridge Rotary Club that "petroleum experts predict 1,000 wells per year will be drilled" in the Utica Shale "for the next 20 years."

A thousand wells per year. For 20 years.

Buckle up, because the forecast says we're in for a long ride -- one that promises to transform Stark County and all of Northeast Ohio.

More Progress in 2014, and the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership is Leading the Way

Fracking in Ohio | Stark County Oil & Gas

It was another banner year for shale development in Ohio in 2014, and the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership led the way in promoting its economic benefits for Stark and the surrounding region.

It began in January when we hosted a special “State of the Utica” event at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Speakers emphasized the county’s infrastructure, including the finest schools and hospitals in the region, along with optimum industrial, office and retail opportunities. Rapid development in the housing industry was highlighted, including the construction of six new hotels in the county, along with the remodeling of the Holiday Inn Belden Village.

The Partnership’s Dave Kirven was a panelist at the “Energize Canton” event in June, also at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The event had a specific focus on opportunities for women and minorities in the oil and gas industry, and highlighted its continuing impact on Ohio.

Also in June, we hosted our second annual golf outing at Shady Hollow Country Club in Massillon. The outing provides an excellent opportunity for business and civic leaders to network in a relaxed setting, while also hearing from speakers about the progress of shale drilling and exploration in the state.

Finally, we hosted the “Pipeline 101” event in November at Tozzi’s on 12^th in Canton. Speakers highlighted the many ways that the oil and gas industry, and the pipelines that support it, are helping to drive economic growth in Ohio, Michigan and the surrounding region.

At a time when the governor of New York has issued a ban on fracking in that state—even as its benefits to neighboring Pennsylvania continue to bolster that state’s economy, just as it is doing here in Ohio—we at the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership remain committed to promoting its safety and overall benefits to our community and our state. We look forward to continued growth and progress in 2015!

Pipeline 101 Event Highlights Ongoing Development in Stark County and Ohio

The oil and gas industry, and the pipelines that serve it, represent the backbone for growth in Ohio, Michigan and the surrounding region.

That was the message heard at Pipeline 101, the latest  event sponsored by the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership, which took place on Nov. 19 at Tozzi’s on 12th  in Canton.

Mike Chadsey of the Ohio Oil & Gas Association opened the evening by explaining how existing and proposed pipelines will affect the overall Utica Shale play, 

Peter Lidiak, pipeline director for the American Petroleum Institute, gave an overview of pipelines in the U.S. He explained that 50 percent of pipeline in the ground was installed before the 1950s, and that the rest were installed primarily from 1970 to 2000.

Today, Lidiak said, the industry has responded to safety considerations learned from past technology to use higher strength materials, better welding practices and better construction methods.

Dylan Borchers, and attorney with Bricker & Eckler Attorneys at Law, discussed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s regulation issues, along with the process for siting pipelines for the FERC and the State of Ohio.

Finally, Arthur Diestel of Spectra Energy gave  a positive overview of the Nexus Pipeline that will be running through northern Stark County. He said the primary focus of the project is to deliver natural gas for power generation, industrial growth, and local distribution to consumers, citing the fact that the gas delivered by the pipeline would be enough to heat 8 million homes per year.

Doug Lane, a board member of the Partnership and chair of the Stark County Chamber Association, moderated the event. Refreshments were provided and a networking hour concluded the evening.

Pipeline 101: Separate Fact from Fiction at Partnership Event on Nov. 11

As U.S. oil imports rise and gasoline prices drop, there's an increasing amount of information in the news and on the Web about oil and gas in Ohio and the country, as well as horizontal drilling, and, of course, pipelines.

So what are we supposed to believe? Find out for yourself on Wednesday, Nov. 11, when the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership presents "Pipeline 101," a seminar featuring several representatives from the oil and gas industry.

Speakers will include Mike Chadsey of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, Peter Lidiak of the American Petroleum Institute, Dylan Borchers of Bricker & Eckler, Attorneys at Law, and Arthur Diestel of Spectra Energy. Doug Lane, chair of the Stark County Chamber Association and president of the North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce, will emcee.

The event will take place Nov. 11 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Tozzi's on 12th. Admission is free and hors d'oeuvres, beer and wine will be available. Registration is requested for planning purposes.

Sponsorships are $200 and include a display table at the event.

For more information or to register, visit www.choosestark.com.

Education Attainment Rates, Local Training Initiatives Point to Promising Economic Future for Stark County

Recent data cited by the Stark Education Partnership indicates that education attainment levels among Canton adults ages 18 to 24 exceed both the state and national averages.

According to the data, released by the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 60 percent of Canton residents in that age group have taken post-secondary classes or gone on to earn a degree, a figure higher than the state (55.3%) and national (54.7%) averages.

A recent report by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington D.C. think tank, emphasized the importance of education to a local economy: "Overwhelmingly, high-wage states are states with a well-educated workforce. There is a clear and strong correlation between the educational attainment of a state's workforce and median wages in the state."

This news comes on the heels of the announcement in August by Stark State College to establish a natural gas and oil drilling training center as part of a satellite academic center in Downtown Canton. This direct partnership between a local college and the energy industry will better prepare skilled laborers for workforce.

The Stark Education Partnership collaborates with educators, businesses, and civic and community leaders to foster sustainable improvement in schools throughout the county. Furthermore, Stark County is well-positioned to remain competitive in the years ahead, with four-year universities such as Kent State Stark, Malone, Mount Union and Walsh, as well as the education available in technology and the trades at Stark State, one of Ohio's premier community and technical colleges.

Pro Football Hall of Fame's 'Village' Concept An Exciting Development for Stark County

The Stark Oil & Gas Partnership has a great working relationship with the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton and is grateful for their support of the Partnership's programs and initiatives.

It was exciting to learn of the Hall of Fame's idea to create a village around the shrine that would change the face of not only that area but all of Canton and Stark County. The prospect of including a convention center and a four-star hotel turned heads in this area and at the national level, with leadership of the National Football League and its 32 team owners.

"For starters we have the Hall of Fame here, and we have this incredible metaphor for excellence," Hall of Fame president David Baker told The Repository. "No one thought Kissimmee, Florida, would be what it is today...Most people don't know Disney World is located in Kissimmee. Look at what they did."

Whatever shape the Hall of Fame's plans ultimately take, the ongoing growth of the internationally known museum will only serve to strengthen Stark County's economy, provide more jobs, and improve the region's quality of life—all things to which the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership is dedicated.

Ohio at the Center of USA's Surge to World Energy Dominance

“The volume just keeps going up and up.”

That sentence highlighted a report on the Crain’s ClevelandBusiness website that outlined how oil and gas producing states outside of Texas and Oklahoma are driving the surge in U.S. production.

“The Marcellus and Utica shale plays continue to become a larger slice of the nation’s energy pie,” said the report, which points out that the progress in the region is beginning to dwarf that of other oil-producing regions in the country.

A separate report at CantonRep.com indicated that the Utica Shale had surpassed the 1,000-well mark for wells listed as drilled, drilling or producing.

Those encouraging reports were followed by data from theEnergy Information Administration  indicating that in April the U.S. produced 2 million more barrels per day of oil and natural gas liquids than Saudi Arabia, “the largest difference ever recorded between the two nations.” The report went on to state that such an “energy miracle has been made possible by the shale oil and gas booms” in states around the country.

As the article on the Motley Fool website points out: “People who think America’s oil boom will prove to be short lived fail to realize that the United States has some of the largest shale formations in the world.”

The article points out that the shift in energy dominance from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East to the U.S. continues, offering “more stable energy prices, scores of new high-quality jobs, and increased world stability.”

Stark County and the surrounding region are playing an important role in that shift, and stand to benefit for years to come from the oil and gas exploration and drilling taking place in the Utica and Marcellus shale plays.