Our Work In Ohio In partnership with the Ohio Governor’s Office of Appalachia, ARC is supporting 30 projects in Ohio totaling over $10.8 million in fiscal year 2020. These investments have been matched by almost $80.7 million and are attracting an additional $77.1 million in leveraged private investments in Ohio.

Governor Mike DeWine was elected as Ohio’s 70th Governor in November 2018. With a background in a small family business, DeWine’s political career has included serving as Greene County Prosecutor, Ohio State Senator, U.S. Congressman, Ohio Lt. Governor, U.S. Senator, and most recently, Ohio’s 50th Attorney General. As Governor, his…

John Carey was appointed Director of the Governor’s Office of Appalachia by GovernorMike DeWine in February 2019.John Carey served as the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education from2013 – 2018. As Chancellor he worked to align higher education programs with Ohio’s jobcreation and workforce needs. Carey also implemented…

This story is one of several "Stories of Change" highlighted in a new evaluation of ARC's POWER Initiative.

For more than 25 years, ARC has partnered with the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) to support entrepreneurs and strengthen economic sectors in 32 counties across Appalachian Ohio. Local food provides a clear path to opportunity, and resilience, in many of those communities. To help them fully harness that potential, ACEnet helps markets…

Though Appalachia has two incredible national parks, the Region is also filled with 16 National Forests. ARC partners are finding ways to connect those assets, which are managed by the U.S. Forest Service, with surrounding communities to sustainably leverage the economic potential. One great example? Rural Action in Ohio, which is using ARC POWER support to strengthen their community through Asset-based Entrepreneurship: Trails,…

The Ironton-Lawrence Community Action Organization (ILCAO) is dedicated to improving the well-being of residents of Lawrence County, Ohio by providing assistance for housing, homelessness, and nutrition, early childhood services, and job training opportunities. Together these services are having a critical impact in a county where economic distress is steadily increasing. Now, with a $500,000 grant from ARC’s INvestments Supporting Partnerships…

“Revolutionary Unique” was one of the many businesses pitched at the Dare to DreamCompetition for high school students in Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Creating a brighter economic future for Appalachia means investing in leadership skills and capacity of young doers, thinkers and leaders today. That’s why ARC…

Behind every thriving community is small business. Behind a lot of successful small businesses are incubators, which provide the support and resources startups need to succeed. For 38 years, Ohio University’s award-winning Innovation Center (IC) has offered much-needed space for Appalachian Ohio’s innovators, helping them bring…

It’s been a full year since the nation’s first confirmed COVID-19 case. With federal plans to amp up vaccinations as soon as possible, it’s important to take a look at how Appalachian states are responding to, and in some cases leading, vaccination…

Since 1985, the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet), based in Athens County Ohio, has held steadfast to its mission of growing the regional economy in 32 Appalachian Ohio counties by supporting entrepreneurs and local sector growth. With ARC support ARCnet operates the Food Venture Center in Athens, and Business…

Founded in 2001 in what was an abandoned furniture store in downtown Youngstown, Ohio, The Youngstown Business Center (YBI) has since grown into a sophisticated multi-building campus offering comprehensive services to Mahoning Valley’s entrepreneurial and added manufacturing business sectors. By 2015, YBI was recognized as the number one high impact…