As with any regional growth and development, it's imperative to also grow the city hub.

And this region of northwest Ohio is no different.

Joining me now is Paul Toth, the president's of an organization called Connect Toledo that creates environments to attract people and revitalize the city hub.

So, Paul, welcome to Business Life, 360.

It's great to have you here.

Paul: Thanks, Christi.

Great to be here with you.

Kristi: So as we said, Toledo is the hub of northwest Ohio and downtown Toledo is really the epicenter for business in the region.

So as president of Connect Toledo, what would you say is your primary organizational mission and the purpose?

Paul: Yeah.

So the really Connect Toledo was formed out of the business community.

There was a group that got together back in 2016 called the 22nd Century Committee, and it was a group of our CEOs, our corporate leaders that got together and actually hired a planning firm that did a master plan for downtown.

We had seen really about 50 years of of downtown Toledo, typical of Midwestern cities.

We'd seen about 50 years of of loss of jobs and loss of corporate existence and downtown.

So there was a new goal to revitalize Connect Toledo was born out of that effort.

We were really created, along with those business leaders, to help drive revitalization of downtown, find our way back to the great city that we were back in the early 1900s.

Kristi: The downtown Toledo area has truly experienced a surge in new development and revitalization.

How have you been able to do so?

Paul: Yeah, So, you know, one of the I think one of the most important parts of communities like Toledo that are from the Midwest and have seen decades of lost jobs in manufacturing.

Toledo's core was always manufacturing and I think one of the important things really developing that quality of life.

And so that's really what we've been focusing on communities that are willing today are communities that are figuring out how to make an attractive place for people to live.

Kristi: Why should millennials, let's say, be interested in the Midwest and specifically in Northwest Ohio?

Paul: Well, I have my own personal opinion on that.

Part of that has to do with you know, we have to make our community cool for people to want to live.

And so when you think about millennials and Gen Z and and all, you know, all the people coming up and our future, we have to make it an environment people want to be.

And, you know, the one nice thing about Toledo in northwest Ohio, extremely cost effective place to live.

Kristi: Talk to us about some of the things that the Toledo and the northwest Ohio region has that really are bringing people in and that are attractive to those who are considering.

Paul: We have this wonderful park system.

We're in the process right now along our riverfront, the downtown, a $200 million big, bold renovation of our downtown waterfront.

We call it the Glass City River Walk, being led by our natural parks system.

And it's really transforming our parks.

But again, one of those huge investments that it's all about, quality of place.

Kristi: So why is it that some Midwest regions thrive and others maybe fail?

Paul: Yeah, I think, you know, we grew up in Toledo as a manufacturing community.

You know, that was kind of in our DNA where the glass capital of the world, that was the foundation of what we built our industry on.

And those companies are still located.

Libbey Glass That was that was created back in the late 1800s.

And Owens-Illinois, Libyan's Ford, which is now known as G.E.

and Owens Corning, these were really all the foundational businesses in Toledo.

And, you know, through globalization and we've seen a lot of that low skill manufacturing move to other places in the world.

And Toledo has not reacted well enough or fast enough to create the opportunities for creating an environment for tech innovation.

We've got a wonderful history of tech innovation.

We parlayed the glass industry to create the largest solar manufacturing industry in the United States and First Solar, and that was really developed out of the University of Toledo and, you know, emanated from our glass industry.

And so we've got a wonderful history and heritage of innovation.

We just haven't we haven't doubled down on it, and we're starting to do that.

That's really part of our big push now with our business community and randomization, that the communities are focused around innovation and creating, you know, an opportunity for people that want to come to Toledo and give people a reason to be here.

Kristi: And really highlighting those assets that we have of being near the Great Lakes and some of those things that are sort of our natural amenities.

That's really important as well, is it not?

Paul: It is.

You know, we joke, those of us that have lived here forever, we always talk about you can get anywhere in Toledo in 20 minutes.

And it's absolutely true.

You know, it's.

Kristi: A beautiful.

Paul: Thing, 25 miles, 20 minutes, which doesn't.

I just spent the weekend in Washington, D.C. and know what you know, sometimes you're lucky to walk a mile in 20 minutes.

So I really appreciate the fact that we've got a, you know, unbelievable amount of many amenities.

Great Lakes, the just you know, we're in a location where we're 50 minutes from Detroit and we're a couple hours from big cities like Chicago and Columbus.

And it's just it's a great place to call home.

Kristi: I think that, too, is very intentional.

I mean, you've had a committee like yourself and others working in the business community as well, working very hard to bring tech jobs, to bring innovation, to bring more white collar jobs into the region.

How is that looking in that strategy for you thus far?

Paul: It is.

I'm I'm excited about what's happened over the last 12 months.

There is an unprecedented amount of resources available for communities like ours to to raise up innovation.

We've been able to engage with our biggest corporation, our Fortune 500 companies in and around Toledo and with the leadership of our business community.

It's been exciting.

Kristi: Well, Paul, congratulations on the successes.

So far, and we can't wait to continue to watch what happens in the future.

I can't think of a better person to be leading the charge than you.

So thanks for joining us on Business Life 360.

Paul: Thanks, Kristi.

Thanks for having.

Kristi: We thank Paul Troth for joining us to define the critical ingredients necessary to develop a downtown region that a successful, thriving and innovative