Special to 1812Blockhouse
With the holidays quickly approaching, the Ohio Department of Development is encouraging Ohioans to shop local, shop Ohio, and support the thousands of small businesses that are the backbone of our state’s economy.
“Small businesses deserve our support, and by shopping local, you are helping fellow Ohioans, their families, and communities,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “Our small business owners are passionate, dedicated, and proud to represent the best of Ohio.”
To help in your search, Development and TourismOhio are promoting a new webpage on Ohio.org to highlight products made in Ohio. The Made in Ohio page lists nearly 800 companies in categories such as apparel, snack foods, coffee, décor, and furniture.
“Here in Ohio we are fortunate to have so many wonderful small businesses that offer great locally- made products,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of Development. “We hope Ohioans will take time over the coming weeks to support our small business community.”
Development and TourismOhio cultivated the listings and included businesses that make or manufacture products in the state of Ohio and have a storefront and/or website where their products are sold. Listings link directly to the company website so customers can purchase the products directly from the company. To start shopping or for more information on how to have a company listed on the site, visit Ohio.org/MadeinOhio.
The state of Ohio has more than 980,000 small businesses that employ 2.2 million people. Development supports Ohio small business owners and entrepreneurs through various business assistance centers that provide services at no cost to the business owner. Over the past year, Ohio Small Business Development Centers served more than 15,000 clients, more than half of whom were women. The Minority Business Assistance Centers across the state provided nearly 10,000 hours of business counseling to clients. More information on resources to support small businesses can be found at development.ohio.gov.
