Celina named a Top Micropolitan Community

CELINA - Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has recognized Celina for being ranked No. 18 in Site Selection Magazine's list of 2017 Top Micropolitan Communities in the United States.

Elaine Herrick, the secretary of state's regional liaison, at Monday night's regular council meeting, presented Husted's certificate of commendation to mayor Jeff Hazel. Husted wrote that it's his privilege and unique distinction to recognize and commend the city "on this great honor" of being ranked No. 18 on the magazine's list.

"This certificate of communication is tendered on behalf of the people of the state of Ohio as a small token of their sincere gratitude and admiration for your exemplary achievement," Husted wrote. "Through your hard work and dedication to developing a favorable business climate in your community, you have earned this coveted recognition."

"Your unwavering adherence to excellence is a testament to your focus and determination and should serve as an inspiration to others for what can be achieved with such ambition and perseverance," Husted continued.

The national magazine publishes information for expansion-planning decision-makers, including CEOs, corporate real estate executives and facility planners. Its annual micropolitan list, released for at least 30 years, is based on the number of corporate facility projects that meet its criteria for inclusion, according to Ron Starner, executive vice president of Conway Inc., the site selection publisher that employs a full-time research team responsible for compiling the data each year.

A micropolitan is defined as having a least one urban core area of at least 10,000 but fewer than 50,000 people, "plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties," according to Site Selection Magazine's article.

The magazine's 2017 list was published in March.

The criteria for inclusion are based on the number of corporate facility projects with at least $1 million or more in capital investment, 50 new jobs or more or 20,000 square feet or more of new space, Starner said. Projects must be corporate facilities, not government, retail, hospital, institutional or other non-corporate space.

Micropolitan communities, Starner said, are ranked on a scale of 1 through 100 based on their total number of qualifying projects in calendar year 2017.

"Celina stands out because it is one of 18 micro areas in Ohio to make the Top 100 Micros in America," Starner told the newspaper. "Ohio, with 18 small towns in the Top 100, leads all states. Also, we use the U.S. Census Bureau and OMB designation of micropolitan to determine which communities qualify for this ranking. There are 550 micros in the country."

Some projects that earned Celina the 18th spot this year included Ferguson Enterprises's new $13.16 million pipe yard operation, which will add 36 jobs; the $3 million, 97,200-square-foot distribution center completed by Celina Tent earlier this year; an upcoming Mercer Landmark facility that will create more than 40 new jobs; and projects by Coldwater Machine Co., ITR Manufacturing and Cheeseman Transport.

Findlay, the home of Cooper Tire, Marathon Petroleum and Whirlpool dishwashers, captured the top spot on the list for the fourth consecutive year, according to the magazine.

Other regional Ohio communities making the list are Sidney, tying for the No. 18 spot, with five corporate projects; Bellefontaine, Greenville and Wapakoneta, tying for the No. 41 spot with three corporate projects; and Van Wert, tying for the No. 64 spot with two corporate projects.