Kettering Business Park efforts pay dividends
Dear Neighbors,
The City of Kettering took on ownership of the former Gentile Air Force Station in 1996. The focus for more than two decades has been to reinvest in the area, now known as the Kettering Business Park, to offset the loss of more than 2,500 jobs that left the City when the Air Force consolidated operations.
By any measure, the City’s efforts have paid off, ensuring quality re-use of the commercial properties and growth of well-paying jobs. Today, the Kettering Business Park is once again home to nearly 2,500 employees. Companies like Synchrony Financial and Alternate Solutions Health Network, after investing tens of millions of dollars in their facilities, are thriving.
At the Kettering Business Park, as with all areas of Kettering, we consider the leaders of our businesses critical constituents. We work closely with them to provide the business environment that meets their needs and expectations.
When the City of Kettering created the Kettering Business Park in the mid-90s, we designed and installed landscaping and signage, but 20 years later no further significant improvements had been made. Imagine if you bought a house and didn’t make any updates, even curb appeal improvements, for more than two decades!
With our businesses in the Kettering Business Park rapidly expanding and individual businesses reinvesting considerably in their own facilities, the City determined in 2017 that the entry to the campus was long overdue for a facelift. We engaged representatives from Kettering Business Park businesses to complete a master plan which included a new signature entry, improvements to the public roadway, and landscaping on the city owned portion of the campus.
The truth is that these businesses can locate anywhere and there are highly competitive new commercial areas emerging on the outskirts of our region almost daily. The City of Kettering is committed to reinvesting in our commercial centers citywide to ensure that we keep our businesses happy and the jobs here in our community.
Did you know that Kettering has the 9th lowest unemployment rate in the state? Did you know that Kettering has had a year-over-year net increase in jobs and income tax revenues for five straight years?
This doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because we work every day to maintain a reputation that Kettering is business friendly.
Since we launched the upgrade project at the Kettering Business Park in early 2018, interest in the available space on the campus has grown. We are actively working on numerous potential projects which will bring even more jobs to our city. We are confident that we will continue to see job growth at the Kettering Business Park.
Our investment to spruce up the front door of one of the largest and most vital commercial centers in Kettering will, in the long run, be a drop in the bucket compared to the millions of dollars business tenants will invest and the revenue generated by companies who call the park home.