Economic Recovery in Manufacturing and Insurance: Top Hot Jobs in Ohio's Best Small Towns

The formerly destitute Northeast Sector of the Great State of Ohio has come into the spotlight again,this time for small towns that are great places to live and work. Solon, Highland Heights, and Twinsburg caught the eye of economic analysts at Money Magazine online, who included the three in America's 100 Best Small Towns.

Solon, Ohio is Number Three on the overall list of 100 small towns that are favored for their economic health and job growth, safety, lower crime rates, educational performance K-12, growing arts and culture, and other advantages. Highland Heights is Number 30 and Twinsburg is Number 32 out 100. Also on the list are two towns from the Ohio Space Corridor Region -- Mason (near Cincinnati) at Number 24 and Springboro (near Dayton) at Number 42.

During 2011, Northeast Ohio and the Ohio Space Corridor began to grow in manufacturing and aerospace related industry jobs. The populations are growing as well, despite the number of individuals moving from Ohio to Florida in the 2000s - early 2010s. Ohio will lose Congressional seats in 2011-2012 and Florida will gain.

Solon residents are proud of the fact that parents are involved in their students' education to the extent that Solon schools scores the Number One Best in Ohio on standardized testing in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 schools year and the local middle school and high school students won the overall National Championships in the Science Olympiad, with success also in debate and speech competitions.

Construction has been in high gear in this town since the Stimulus Funding of 2009 was distributed. Some residents complain of the contraction obstacles, but most seem pleased with the growth and improvement of infrastructure and increase commercial and residential dwellings.

Restaurants seem a prime construction focus and residents and commuters state that lots of people work in the city and eat lunch out. It's a healthy daytime economic picture. In fact, there are nearly 2,400 restaurants within 15 miles of the city center. That sounds astronomical. Healthcare is another large sector of the economy, with the Cleveland Clinic Family Care Center right in Solon.

Job listings have increased in Solon all through 2011 with some fluctuation. August saw 850 listings in or nearest the city of population 23,300; with a total of over 40,000 jobs in the market area of Cleveland-Akron-Solon. Leading companies posting jobs are:

1. Nestle USA - R & D, sales, manufacturing
2. Integrity Technical Services - Technicians and IT
3. Swagelok - Mfg of industrial Equipment
4. Erico International - Mfg and design of specialty metal products
5. Kelly Services - Mfg and machining
6. Kelly Engineering Resources - Industrial design, manufacturing
7. CVS Caremark - Group insurance operations; analysts, engineers, others needed.
8. Volt Information Sciences - Technicians and machinists, manufacturing
9. Cintas - Uniform mfg. and sales
10. Cybercoders - IT/Computers - Scientists needed
11. Arrow Electronics - Manufacturing
12. Belcan - Manufacturing
13. Sedgwick Claims Management Services

Top 10 High Demand Job Titles: Medical Assistant, Business & Systems Analysts, Lathe Machinist/Operator,CDL Truck Driver, Manager Trainee, Batch Mixer, Mfg. Engineer, MFG. Planner/Scheduler, Mill Machinist, Practice Managers.

Within 25 miles of Solon: top job titles include a number of licensed Healthcare Professions for Cleveland Clinic, Summa Health, MetroHealth System, Kaiser Permanente, University Hospitals, Southwest General Health Center, and Southwest General Health.

Highland Heights and Twinsburg are within a 25-mile radius of Solon and have easy access to the same jobs listings as does Solon. The town of Bedford, between Solon and Twinsburg to the west, also offers nearly 200 jobs in August at Boehringer Ingelheim pharmaceutical design and manufacturing company, including Managers, Scientists, and Engineers.

In the same town is Ben Venue Laboratories, manufacturer of sterile products with about 150 jobs open. Rockwell Automation in Twinsburg specializes in manufacturing automation devices and software and lists a sizable number of jobs as well.

The major draw to Mason, Ohio is the performance of the school system in academic testing at Number Five in Ohio during the 2009 - 2010 school year. Friends of mine live in Mason and love it for its proximity to Kings Island Amusement Park. They may live north of Cincinnati, but the city center is only about 25-30 minutes away from Mason via either highway I-71 or I-75, which meet in the Queen City. When commuters need to travel from one to the other of the two interstates in the city, the Norwood Lateral is a quick, direct route.

Jobs available in Mason include: JBoss BPRM Developers (IT), Pharmacy Technicians, Java Developers, PC Specialists, Employment Recruiters, Data Specialists, Truck Drivers, Customer Services jobs, Sales Jobs, and Seniors Healthcare jobs.

GE Aviation and GE Energy list nearly 500 job openings that are easily accessible from Mason, in Industrial and IT Design, Engineering, and related positions.

Some residents of Mason also commute to Springboro or on to Dayton for work in the aerospace industry. Stolz Industrial Park in Springboro increases its tenants consistent to include additional local businesses in this spot halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati's Outerbelt highway, next to I-75 just west of town. Springboro is within 5 miles of both air and rail transporation as well as I-75 and offers tax incentives for new businesses.

Springboro job listings offer: Staff Nurses (RNs) in various specialites, Environmental Services jobs, Physical and Occupational Therapists, First Line Supervisors in various industries, Casual Dining and Fast Food Crew positions, Customer Service jobs, and Sales positions. The Kettering Healthcare Network offers the largest numbers of positions.

Job listings total in August 2011 approximately 17,000 for Springboro and 22, 000 for Mason, with 10,000 around and in Dayton and 14,500+ for Cincinnati (all within a 25-mile radius of each town or city). Mason may be the best place to go for work among the four places.

The Ohio Space Corridor is on the move in the 2010s and gearing up for manufacturing related to the Whitehouse's promoted Mission to Mars and privatized space flight. Years 2011 - 2050 are an exciting time!