Department to spur economic progress

The Geauga County commissioners recently created a department with the goal of increasing economic development activity within the county.

The new department includes the Geauga County Building Department and the Community and Economic Development Department.

David J. Favorite, who was appointed the department’s executive director, stated that the action was taken “to create a more convenient business- and publicfocused agency that will result in an increase in economic development activity throughout the county where this development is supported at the local level.”

Previously, Favorite served as the executive vice president of property management at DDR

Corp. in Beachwood. The Chester Township resident also worked in a variety of leadership positions at Forest City Commercial Management in Cleveland.

“Immediate priorities for the Department of Development include supporting local businesses with their growth and expansion

plans, business retention, facilitating new building permit requests, and sourcing new business for the county,” Favorite stated in a news release. “A business outreach program is already underway to meet with the leadership of our existing businesses in an effort to solidify the relationships between our existing businesses and the Board of Commissioners, with the assistance of Tracy Jemison and the Geauga Growth

Partnership.”

Jemison is a former Geauga County Auditor and current president of Geauga Growth Partnership, an organization that works to retain and grow jobs, contribute to business growth, strengthen the local economy and develop education initiatives.

“It has been really beneficial for me to meet with Tracy Jemison. He has been very grateful and generous,” Favorite said.

He also stated that one of the keys to positive development in the county is the collaboration between the various resources already working on strategic growth, such as the Geauga County Township Association, GGP, Leadership Geauga County, Geauga County Community Improvement Corporation, Destination Geauga and Geauga NOW!

“I hope to facilitate ongoing communication between

these organizations for the good of the entire county,” Favorite said.

Further steps Favorite proposes for the department include sourcing new businesses, working with local city, township, and village leadership teams to foster the growth that they support for their communities, and, with the direction of the commissioners, ensuring that the public will find the department to be proactive and cooperative

with their building plans and plans for new economic development in general.

“It is important to reiterate the hard-working people in the Department of Development… are committed to meeting the needs of the citizens and business community throughout Geauga County,” Favorite said.

The Department of Development is located at 470 Center St., Building 4, in Chardon.