A Chinese journalist recently visited Columbus, and published her experiences in the People's Net daily. Read what she learned and thought about Columbus.

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http://world.people.com.cn/GB/57507/17611221.html
A Regional Economy That Shows a Trend of “Rebirth”–
First Inquiry into the Economic Phenomena of Columbus,
Ohio, USA
● People’s Net journalist to the United Nations Xi Laiwang
April 10, 2012 at 04:56 Source: People’s Net- International Channel Viewing news on cell
phone
According to the United States statistics for February 2012, Ohio, located in the Midwest, has created more jobs
than any other state in the United States. In March, the state added 28,300 new jobs, while Texas added 27,900 and
New York added 24,700. Statistics at the end of the first quarter of this year show that Ohio has the lowest
unemployment rate throughout the United States, and the Columbus area in turn has the lowest unemployment rate
in Ohio. Data from various quarters show that the economy of Ohio is recovering, which is especially salient in
Columbus area, located in the heart of Ohio. Therefore, President Obama, who is at a critical stage in his reelection
campaign, came to visit Columbus area of Ohio on March 22 to cheer up its local economy.
Against the overall background of the lackluster economic recovery in the United States, why is this area able to
make an improvement? With a series of questions, this journalist from the People’s Net came to the Columbus area
of Ohio for a feature story.
During interviews, this journalist learned that the Columbus area is located in the heart of Ohio and covers 11
counties around the City of Columbus. Columbus has a diversified economic structure. Although its economy is
mainly service oriented, with education, insurance, retail, research and development, and government sectors among
the largest industries, there is no single economic and industrial sector that accounts for more than 17% of the
employed population. In Columbus, finance and insurance industries, advanced manufacturing industries,
healthcare, logistics and other industries, along with The Ohio State University and the state capital, are distributed
relatively reasonably. In the past decade, the industries that enjoy the fastest growth of workforce are health and education
sectors (an increase of 28%), transportation and utility sectors (an increase of 21%), and professional and business services
industries (an increase of 11%). The investments in the Columbus Airport to the northeast of Columbus, Richenbacker
[sic] International Airport Global Logistics Park, and other regional logistics sectors continue to grow, contributing to the
continuous growth of the transportation and utility sectors.
Ms. Deborah Scherer, global marketing director of “Columbus 2020”, a regional economic development organization of
Columbus, explained to this journalist that Columbus is a place very suitable for conducting business activities. The
logistics industry is extremely developed locally, with 3,200 logistics companies in the area, including well-known
enterprises such as DHL, and attracts more than 80,000 workers. Due to its well-developed logistics industry, this area has
become an important access to the global market.
During interviews, this journalist learned that educational background of the workforce in this area has risen faster than the
average level of the United States. In addition, it also provides a complete education network from high school to PhD
programs for logistics and supply chain. Workers can receive continued education and training through 54 local
universities. There are more than 100,000 local skilled workers in the logistics industry. Education programs at different
levels support the workforce training in this field. For example, at the high school level, Groveport Madison High School
offers an “Occupational and Technical Logistics Course”, At the vocational and technical schools level, Columbus State
Community College also offers a “Supply Chain Management” certificate training program in addition to a “Logistics
course”. At the associate degree level, Columbus State Community College offers a Bachelor of Science [sic] degree in
“Business Management: Logistics Management Direction”. At the post-graduate level, The Ohio State University offers
master’s degrees in “Business Logistics Engineering” and “Business Operations Management.”

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In addition to the talent advantage, other costs are also conducive to the development of the logistics industry here. For
example, in the Columbus area, rent for each unit area of warehouse used for logistics business is cheaper than places such
as New Jersey, Baltimore, Houston, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Atlanta. Power consumption per unit is at the middle range in
the States, whereas the average labor cost is also lower than places like Chicago, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
The area has established a world-class infrastructure, such as a multifunctional railroad. Bill Harris, vice president of the
Norfolk Southern Railroad Transportation System for government relations, said that Columbus area has a significant
advantage in geographical location. Starting from Columbus, a 10-hour drive covers 47% of the population of the United
States as well as 33% of the population of Canada. This is an excellent geographic location for doing international
business. A transportation network that comprises the Columbus international shipment airport, the Richenbacker [sic]
International Airport, and multiple local railroad transportation lines is well-developed, bringing unlimited business
opportunities for local economic development and the momentum to seek social change. According to the planning, local
transportation and warehousing industries are scheduled to grow by 22.1% between 2006 and 2016.
There are 2,000 major manufacturing companies in the Columbus area. In 2009, the manufacturing industry had more than
80,000 employees there. In 2010, the manufacturing industry contributed as much as US$ 9.1 billion to the local economic
output. Honda USA (automotive manufacturing, engineering, research and development) employed more than 10,000
people. Between 2001 and 2010, the average per capita output of the local manufacturing industry increased by 43%.
There is a large financial institution just across from the hotel where this journalist stayed: the office building of Morgan
Chase Bank [sic]. Morgan Chase Bank [sic]., which provides financial services, has nearly 20,000 employees in the
Columbus area. Major insurance companies in the area hire more than 26,000 employees. The annual economic output by
financial and related institutions in the area has reached US$ 39 billion.
Currently, the economic growth of Columbus brought about by its outstanding business resources is showing a trend of
expansion. After describing policies by the local government to promote economic development, Ms. Laula [sic] Brooks,
Commissioner of Franklin County, where Columbus is located, said proudly to this journalist: “Both numbers and many
facts show that the economy of Ohio, and especially that of the Columbus area, is recovering, and showing fundamentally
positive signs. It may be said that after experiencing a serious economic crisis, the local economy of Columbus is
experiencing a rebirth.”
Development of the local economy has driven progress of the local social cause. Accompanied by Mr. John Angelo,
Executive Director of the Business Association of Short North, this journalist walked on a shopping street that was not too
long, and saw people shopping, tasting food and beverages, and enjoying music with leisure. It is hard to imagine that this
place was once plagued by drugs and crime. After several years of thorough transformation by the authorities of
Columbus, it has now become a well-known area of high culture and art at an international level.