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GAHANNA, Ohio (February 2, 2012) - More than 350 people were in attendance for Gahanna’s 15th Annual Groundhog Day Economic Forecast breakfast held at the Creekside Event & Convention Center.

 

Created by the City of Gahanna’s Department of Planning & Development, this annual celebration of Gahanna’s business community provides a collective forum for business leaders and elected officials to understand the current economic trends and how to strategically plan for the year ahead. Since its inception, more than 3,300 guests have attended the breakfast fueling the city’s entrepreneurial spirit and empowering and connecting the existing business community with area community leaders and development professionals.

 

The 2012 keynote speaker was Dr. Stephen A. Buser, Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business. Dr. Buser has been a member of the OSU faculty since 1975 and served terms as Chair of the Department of Finance and Associate Dean for the Fisher College of Business. Dr. Buser was also one of the co-founders of the Student Investment Management Program at OSU.

 

Three businesses were honored for Excellence in Development. Those award winners were:

 

Brookewood Construction

Doug Maddy, Owner

For: 161-167 Mill Street

This building which formerly housed a restaurant and drive-thru beverage store has been updated and redesigned and is now the home of Studio 187 Photography and the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau. Improvements to the building include new windows, doors, awnings, finish materials and cornices. The new façade and elevations of the building are complimentary to the ongoing redevelopment in the area and embody the design principles of the Olde Gahanna Vision Plan and the recently approved Olde Gahanna Code.

 

Value Recovery Group

Barry Fromm, Chairman & CEO

For: The Golf Village at Central Park, 789 Science Blvd.

The development of The Golf Village at Central Park on the former Bedford I landfill has been many years in the making. The golf course features a driving range, a 9-hole Par-3 course, a 9-hole short course and an 18-hole putting course. Additionally, this project was an adaptive reuse of a former train depot from Prospect, Ohio. The building was relocated and reassembled board by board to maintain its historic integrity. The clubhouse how houses Barry’s restaurant & pub, the course pro-shop and the region’s only Callaway Fitting Center.

 

JP Morgan Chase

Maureen Saygers, Managing Director

For: 800 & 825 Tech Center Drive

Chase occupies 123,000 total square feet of office space at 800 and 825 Tech Center Drive. This project occupied a formerly vacant facility and immediately dropped the class A office vacancy rate in Gahanna from 60% to 3%. The company invested more than $15 million to renovate the two facilities for their offices and created space for 1,000+ employees. To date Chase has already added 670 employees to the Gahanna Center and has become one of Gahanna’s largest employers.

 

About The City Of Gahanna Department of Planning & Development

Led by Director Anthony Jones, the Department of Planning & Development consists of professionals specializing in building regulation, zoning, physical planning, economic development, and code enforcement all working together to serve the growing needs of the Gahanna community.

 

To learn more, please visit www.Gahanna.gov

 

(Photo by Brian Hoyt, City of Gahanna)

 

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