Husted to headline WAEDC event
Ohio’s second in command will be the guest speaker during the Wapakoneta Area Economic Development Council’s annual meeting.
Lieutenant Gov. Jon Husted was
invited to address WAEDC
members after Logan O’neill, the organization’s executive
director, met with Husted’s field representative.
“We talked about how he
hasn’t been in this part of
Ohio for a long time, and I thought we have a great
arena for him to communicate what programs he’s been working on,”
O’neill said, adding Husted had the date free and agreed to speak.
Husted, 54, has been serving as the lieutenant governor since 2019. A Republican, Husted was previously
the secretary of state, and prior to that was a member of the Ohio Senate from 2009-2011. He was first elected to the Ohio House of Representatives,
serving from 2001-2009 and was elected Speaker of the House in 2005.
O’neill said Husted has been a friend of local businesses, citing the
Ohio Tech Cred program and Smart Mobility Corridor as recent projects Husted is likely to address in his comments.
Launched by Husted and the Office of Workforce Transformation, the Techcred program’s goal is to enhance Ohio's skilled workforce by reimbursing employers who help their employees earn industry-recognized, technology-focused credentials. Boosting Ohio's manufacturing talent pool is an important goal of the program.
“We have a couple of local companies that have been able to take advantage
of that program,” O’neill said. “It’s a real plus for our employers.”
While the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor — a public-private partnership along a 35-mile stretch of U.S. 33
between Dublin and Marysville that uses fiber, roadside units and connected intersections to test smart mobility technology — doesn’t reach Wapakoneta, there’s no reason it can’t in the future, O’neill believes.
The point of the corridor is to help mitigate collisions, improve traffic flow and increase efficiency for all who use the road. The corridor “opened” in mid-september.
O’neill also anticipates an update on rural broadband projects that the lieutenant governor has been promoting.
The WAEDC annual meeting will also include a year-in-review report. It
is scheduled for Nov. 3 at the Grand Plaza in Wapakoneta.