Seminar: Effective Use of Economic Development Incentives in Small Ohio Communities

Seminar: Effective Use of Economic Development Incentives in Small Ohio Communities


Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010

Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Location: Stuart’s Opera House, 46 Public Square, Nelsonville, Ohio 45764

Contact: ACEnet at 740-592-3854 (phone), 740-593-5451 (fax), or angiec@acenetworks.org (email)

Register: http://www.acenetworks.org/training/seminar/

Cost: $30 if registered and paying in advance

$35 if registering at the door the morning of the event

Registration (if not done online) and fees should be mailed to: ACEnet, 94 Columbus Road, Athens OH 45701 ACEnet, Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease LLP, and the Ohio Department of Development have teamed up to present a seminar to assist Ohio’s small communities in these tough economic times. Hosted with the help of Nelsonville Main Street and the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau, this seminar brings the expertise of Scott Ziance of the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease LLP to the region.




Mr. Ziance is a partner in the Columbus office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. His practice is focused on the utilization of economic development incentives, tax incentives, economic development financing mechanisms, public-private partnerships and special economic development entities to assist developers, operating businesses and political subdivisions in developing and redeveloping property and creating jobs and economic growth.



Scott has significant experience with tax increment financing, joint economic development districts and zones, enterprise zone and community reinvestment area exemptions, Ohio job creation tax credits, Ohio historic tax credits, Ohio grant and loan programs, federal New Markets Tax Credits and the Ohio Job Ready Sites program. Over the past few years, Scott has served as counsel to developers, operating businesses and political subdivisions in connection with the formation of more than two dozen tax increment financing districts and tax increment financing areas. In addition, he has served as economic development incentives counsel on two of the largest incentives projects in Ohio history, and he serves as incentives counsel to a majority of the largest ten public companies in Central Ohio.



Mr. Ziance, a former Chair of the Ohio State Bar Association Taxation Committee, served as the Chair of the Taxation Committee's Economic Development Incentives Subcommittee from 2000-2006. He also is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), the Council of Development Finance Agencies, the Ohio Economic Development Association, the Board of Directors for Heritage Ohio, the Columbus Region Logistics Council’s Business Environment Committee and the Columbus Chamber's Infrastructure Steering Committee. He speaks several times annually on the subject of economic development incentives through organizations such as the ABA, NAIOP, CREW, the Columbus Bar Association, Lorman and through the annual Ohio Tax Conference.



Scott is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, where he served on the Bowling Green City Council. He also is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he authored “Making Economic Development Incentives More Efficient” ( Urban Lawyer , Winter 1998).



Following Mr. Ziance’s presentation, the Ohio Department of Development staff will discuss state programs and resources for business development. ACEnet and Heritage Ohio’s Main Street staff will discuss other economic development strategies for small communities.



Topics for the day will include: I. The Well-Stocked Economic Development Toolbox
A. Downtown Redevelopment
B. Infrastructure Developmenta
C. Brownfields
D. Small Business Assistance
E. Business Attraction/Retention
F. Public Financing
G. Advanced & Miscellaneous Tools


II. Using the Tools
A. Identify a specific objective or objectives
B. Spend time choosing the most effective tools to achieve the objective
C. Secure help from experts if the benefits outweigh the costs and risks
D. Assemble multi-dimensional team
E. Gain control over communications
F. Collaborate with key stakeholders
III. Case Studies
A. Tax increment financing and CRA exemptions for downtown redevelopment
B. Development of industrial park in an unincorporated area
C. Sample TIF calculation for community with initial increase in value of $1,000,000 and school district compensation agreement
IV. State Programs
V. Business Incubation In Rural Communities
VI. The Main Street National Model


Please contact us with any questions regarding this great opportunity. We look forward to seeing you all there!


ACEnet & ACEnet Ventures

94 Columbus Road

Athens, Ohio 45701

740-592-3854 ext. 111

740-593-5451 (fax)

740-591-9645 (cell)