The Columbus Region Monthly Economic Update reports on the job growth progress of Columbus 2020 and its local and regional partners. This update also features the successes of: CWI Gifts and Crafts, a wholesale supplier that is adding 10 new jobs; The Krema Group Limited Partnership, the oldest peanut butter company in the U.S., which is adding five new jobs; and Aspen Energy, one of the largest energy consultation firms in the U.S., which is adding 45 new jobs.

1. MONTHLY
ECONOMIC
UPDATE
APRIL 2015
columbusregion.com 614-225-6063

2. Jobs: 10 created
Investment:
Facilities: Distribution
1
$4.6 million
COLUMBUS 2020 MONTHLY UPDATE | APRIL 2015
PROJECTS APRIL 2015 AND YEAR-TO-DATE
FIRST-TIME VISITS (2014 vs. 2015)NUMBER OF PROJECTS STARTED
(2014 vs. 2015)
PERCENT OF PROJECTS STARTED - MANAGED
BY COLUMBUS 2020 (2014 vs. 2015)
CASE STUDY: CWI GIFTS AND CRAFTS
85%
79%
70%
77%
50%
83% 68%
67%
79%
80%
77%
80%
94%
89%89%
88%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 2015
2
5
6
5
4 4
1
7
6
3
5
44
5 5
6
0
4
8
12
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 2015
20
24
20
30
22
24
19
12 14
20
30
10
18 18
27
24
0
10
20
30
40
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 2015
CWI Gifts and Crafts, a wholesale home décor, gift and
craft supplier, is expanding its presence in the Columbus
Region. The company will invest more than $4.6 million
toward building costs, machinery and equipment, and IT.
CWI will purchase an existing building in Groveport that
will more than triple its current logistics and distribution
space. The expansion will add 10 new jobs over the next
three years including IT, sales and administrative positions.
president, CWI Gifts and Crafts.
**Balance of started projects sourced/managed by JobsOhio

3. 2
ATTRACTION PROJECTS:
PROJECTS BY SOURCE
ATTRACTION PROJECTS:
DOMESTIC/INTERNATIONAL
ATTRACTION PROJECTS:
PROJECTS BY SECTOR
ATTRACTION PROJECTS:
SUSPECTS AND PROSPECTS
COLUMBUS 2020 MONTHLY UPDATE | APRIL 2015
ACTIVE PROJECTS AS OF APRIL 30, 2015
TOTAL ACTIVE PROJECTS
(150 PROJECTS)
EXPANSION PROJECTS:
PROJECTS BY SOURCE
EXPANSION PROJECTS:
PROJECTS BY SECTOR
EXPANSION PROJECTS:
DOMESTIC/INTERNATIONAL
64
44
0
20
40
60
80
100
Suspect Prospect
Suspects = Projects identified and
qualified via direct dialogue with the
company or consultant representing the
company.
Prospects = Projects qualified,
parameters defined and the company or
consultant has visited the Region.
72%
28%
New Existing
75%
9%
16%
Columbus 2020
Local ED partners
JobsOhio
57%
36%
7%
Columbus 2020
Local ED partners
JobsOhio
13
2
23
4
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
49
14
30
15
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
43%
57%
Domestic International
95%
5%
Domestic International

4. BUSINESS ATTRACTION | DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
APRIL 2015 COMPLETED ACTIVITIES
MAY 2015 PLANNED ACTIVITIES
Columbus
Orlando
Warehousing Education and Research Council Conference
New York
British-American Business Council Annual Conference
Omaha
Mid-America EDC Annual Conference
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MISSIONS:
Seattle, Portland, Dallas, Phoenix
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES:
China
3
COLUMBUS 2020 MONTHLY UPDATE | APRIL 2015
New York / New Jersey: The Columbus 2020 team traveled to the
New York City market to hold meetings with companies and
consultants.
Europe: The Columbus 2020 team conducted an international
mission to Germany, France, Italy, and Sweden to hold meetings
with companies about U.S. investment opportunites. Canada: The
2020 team held company meetings in the Toronto market.
Detroit: The Columbus 2020 team attended the Global Cities
Detroit Economic Conference hosted by Brookings and also held
company meetings.
Dallas: The Columbus 2020 team traveled to the Dallas area to
hold company meetings.
Los Angeles: The Columbus 2020 team attended the IAMC Spring
Professional Forum to network with real estate executives and
attend business strategy sessions.
San Diego: The Columbus 2020 team traveled to the San Diego
area to hold company meetings.

5. April 2015 Performance:
9 visits in April (57 YTD)
Visits conducted by:
Jobs: 5 created
Investment:
Facilities: Headquarters, distribution
4
COLUMBUS 2020 MONTHLY UPDATE | APRIL 2015
CASE STUDY: THE KREMA GROUP LIMITED
PARTNERSHIP
$2 million
BUSINESS RETENTION & EXPANSION | APRIL 2015
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT VISITS CONDUCTED BY SECTOR
The Krema Group Limited Partnership, the oldest peanut
butter company in the U.S., is expanding in the Columbus
Region. The company will be consolidating its headquarters
and distribution operations into a single location in Jerome
Township, Union County. The Krema Group Limited
Partnership is investing $2 million toward building costs,
expanding its current product line and the creation of five
new jobs.
11%
78%
11%
Columbus 2020
only
Local ED
partner only
Both Columbus
2020 and LEDO
1
5
2
1
0
2
4
6
Columbus Dublin Rest of
Franklin
County
Marion
County
5
2 2
0
3
6
9

6. Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
CASE STUDY: ASPEN ENERGY CORPORATION
Jobs: 45 created
Investment:
Facilities: Headquarters
5
Source: Ohio Secretary of State
*Note: Registrations are only an indicator of business formation and do not represent actual new businesses. For example, a registration may be filed to
reserve a business name or for other reasons in advance of a potential business. Dissolutions, surrenders and withdrawals do not include mergers,
consolidations, reinstatements and other changes that may lead to a loss of a business. In addition, not all businesses that close make a filing.
COLUMBUS 2020 MONTHLY UPDATE | APRIL 2015
BUSINESS CREATION
BUSINESS DISSOLUTIONS,
SURRENDERS, WITHDRAWALS
PATENTS BY REGION INVENTORS
& ASSIGNEES
NEW BUSINESS REGISTRATION*
$1.7 million
Aspen Energy Corporation, one of the oldest and largest energy
consultation firms in the nation, is expanding its Columbus
Region headquarters by investing $1.7 million to purchase a
adding 45 new jobs to doube its workforce over the next three
years. Hiring for the new positions, primarily back-office and
sales positions, is expected to begin mid 2015.
Jonathan Peele, president, Aspen Energy Corporation.
1,205
1,270 1,254
1,609
500
750
1000
1250
1500
1750
Dec Jan Feb Mar
315
296
167
216
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Dec Jan Feb Mar
73
24
41
21
48
13
68
26
Inventor Assignee
December January February March

7. 6
POLICY & ADVOCACYIN THE NEWS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEWS
COLUMBUS 2020 MONTHLY UPDATE | APRIL 2015
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Columbus No. 17 for tech jobs
In a NerdWallet analysis of the 370 top metros in the U.S.
looking at the size of the tech industry and mean salary for
tech jobs, Columbus ranked No. 17 for tech job
opportunities. The most successful cities are home to large
companies or places that encourage startups with
accelerator programs and venture capital investment.
http://nerd.me/1bMfT7U
Columbus No. 7 city for Millennials
Columbus ranked No.7 best U.S. city for Millennial college
students according to a recent study. Economic
opportunity and social trends are two leading factors the
demographic considers when deciding where to live.
Columbus has a low unemployment rate and cost of living
compared to other cities in the study and offers strong job
prospects and high entertainment value.
http://usat.ly/1CzG9HA
Columbus No. 13 for starting a business
WalletHub analyzed startup opportunities in the 150 most
populated U.S. cities and ranked Columbus No. 13 city to
start a business based on metrics including affordability,
educational attainment and labor force.
http://bit.ly/Pohqpo
For all of the latest news, visit:
http://columbusregion.com/news
Ohio could benefit from global trade deals
Two pending global trade deals with Asia and
Europe could increase foreign investment in Ohio
by $6.3 million. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP) are under consideration by U.S.
policy makers and if approved, the deals would
increase foreign investment by removing trade
barriers around labor and intellectual property. Ohio
ranks eighth among states to receive increased
investment and could add 52,000 new jobs if both
deals are approved.
For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/1K4frQi
Emirates SkyCargo adding Rickenbacker to route
International Airport to its U.S. network with weekly
cargo service scheduled to begin May 27th. Flights
departing Dubai will pass through Copenhagen,
Denmark before landing in Columbus and return
flights will go through Chicago and Copenhagen
before returning to Dubai. Initially Columbus is
expected to be an import market - including
deliveries of fashion products, automotive parts,
electronics and machinery with potential to begin
exporting goods to Dubai.
Air cargo passing through Rickenbacker Airport
during the first quarter soared primarily due to labor
dispute at West Coast ports and customers seeking
alternative shipping options. The added service will
give customers more flexibility and enhanced choices
for transporting cargo.
For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/1J9E64z

8. 11-County Columbus Region = 4.1%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, seasonally adjusted
Source: Xceligent Source: Columbus REALTORS
7
$3.41
$10.06
Industrial
Retail
5.1%
9.0%
Source: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
Direct
Asking Rent
(per sf)
Vacancy
Rate
Use
Office 13.5%
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
(AS OF APRIL 30)
HOUSING SALES
$16.24
NUMBER OF WEEKLY UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS
(WEEK ENDING 1/31/15 TO WEEK ENDING 5/2/15)
COLUMBUS 2020 MONTHLY UPDATE | APRIL 2015
REGIONAL ECONOMIC DATA
NUMBER EMPLOYED AND UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
(MARCH 2015)
5.1% (-1.5)
Marion
26,696 (+656)
4.2% (-1.5)
Knox
30,391 (+1,130)
Unemployment
rate
(March 2015)
Number
employed
residents
(March 2015)
Change from
March 2014 to
March 2015
3.2% (-1.0)
Delaware
95,135 (+2,250)
4.3% (-1.2)
Fairfield
72,212 (+1,911)
4.2% (-1.2)
Franklin
625,333 (+15,779)
4.0% (-1.3)
Licking
83,994 (+2,126)
3.9% (-1.0)
Madison
19,984 (+625)
4.6% (-1.8)
Morrow
16,219 (+378)
4.3% (-1.4)
Pickaway
24,957 (+705)
3.7% (-0.9)
Union
26,076 (+748)
4.4% (-0.9)
Logan
22,329 (+434)
-300
100
500
900
1,300
1,700
2,100
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
1/31
2/7
2/14
2/21
2/28
3/7
3/14
3/21
3/28
4/4
4/11
4/18
4/25
5/2
Continuing New
3,420
3,067
1,842
$171K3,461 3,494
2,147
$179K
New
Listings
In
Contracts
Closed
Sales
Average
Sales Price
March 2014 March 2015