Why is Columbus becoming a 'tech hub' for major companies?
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — Columbus is not just Ohio's capital anymore; it's also becoming a capital in the tech industry.
Company CEO's and development experts say Central Ohio has the right mix of talented people, groundwork, and infrastructure that's attracting big names from Silicon Valley and across the world.
"We came here because we wanted a place where we could manufacture, where we had the right manufacturing talent," Mike Holt, an investor of NODIS, a smart glass manufacturing firm, said. Holt is also a founder of Get2Volume, an investment firm.
NODIS comes from Singapore, and is investing heavily in Central Ohio, moving their administrative, sales, marketing, other office functions as well their manufacturing. It's not a decision the company made lightly, Holt says. However, among options like San Francisco, Chicago, and other usual tech hubs, Columbus won out.
Kenny McDonald, CEO of One Columbus, has an idea why.
"It starts with a culture and an attitude, I think," McDonald said. One Columbus is working with several companies which were either born in Central Ohio or are planning moves here.
"Our openness to the best companies and businesses and people and talent from around the world is a big deal," McDonald added.
Commercial real estate firm CBRE ranks Columbus #1 for our amount of engineers and tech workers among same-size cities. The City has been ranked in the top three markets for entrepreneurs across the country; and Forbes has called Columbus the top city for start-ups.
That, plus The Ohio State University’s influence and medical innovation at the Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospitals is what McDonald says makes us so attractive.
"This is not fluff. This is real stuff. These are real investments that have been made," he said.
Investments like the electric car charging network led by Smart Columbus; not to mention Amazon, Google, and Facebook all moving in with offices and data centers.
"The opportunities are now growing here for tech talent," Holt said. "There are more opportunities. There are more startup companies. There’s more growth that’s happening. Companies aren’t necessarily leaving."
