Economy of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio has a generally strong[citation needed] and diverse economy based on education, insurance, banking, fashion, defense, aviation, food, logistics, steel, energy, medical research, health care, hospitality, retail, and technology.
Prominent employers in the Columbus area include numerous schools (e.g., The Ohio State University) and hospitals, hi-tech research and development and information/library companies such as Battelle Memorial Institute, OCLC, and Chemical Abstracts, and retail clothing and restaurant companies (such as Limited Brands and Wendy's).
Other large employers include Alliance Data, Nationwide Insurance, JP Morgan Chase, American Electric Power, Huntington Bancshares, Worthington Industries and Cardinal Health, not to mention both state and local government.
The former administration of mayor Michael B. Coleman had continued this work, although the city faced financial turmoil and had to increase taxes, due in part to alleged fiscal mismanagement.
in 2010, Overall, it was ranked as one of the top 10 best big cities in the country according to Relocate America, a real estate research firm.
Aircraft built in Columbus include the North American F-86 Sabre, A-5 Vigilante, OV-10 Bronco, T-2 Buckeye, and components for the B-1 bomber, as well as numerous missiles and guidance systems.
Vaisala is a Finnish global aviation company with operations in Columbus, originally started by pioneering innovator Vilho Väisälä.
The corporation recently signed a long-term contract with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to supply next-generation GPS dropsondes for hurricane reconnaissance.
Private aircraft-leasing giant NetJets is now based in Columbus, on a campus which recently saw a $220 million expansion.
[citation needed] One of the larger processing centers of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) is located in Columbus.
Mission Essential Personnel, the government's leading source of linguists in Afghanistan, is based in the Easton Town Center.
[20] Fortune 500 company Big Lots is located in the city, as well as Schottenstein Stores Corp. DSW Shoes are headquartered in Columbus, as well.
Wendy's, a Fortune 500 company, operated its first store downtown as both a museum and a restaurant until March 2007 when the establishment was closed due to low revenue.
Grant Medical Center, located downtown, is part of Ohio Health, a faith-based, non-profit organization that has been serving Columbus since 1891.
Air cargo services companies operating at Rickenbacker International Airport include Federal Express, DHL/Airborne Logistics, Kuehne + Nagel, Scanwell, Walter J. Engel Co., Freight Expeditors, H A Logistics, Evergreen Airlines, Worldwide Flight Services, Nippon Express USA, Inc., and Panalpina, Inc.[35] Worthington Industries, a large steel-processing company and Fortune 500 company, is primarily located on the north side near Worthington.
Momentive Specialty Chemicals (formerly part of Borden, Inc.) is located downtown, and Ashland Inc. has a large facility in the Columbus area.
The Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories, makers of Ensure nutritional drink and Similac infant formula, is headquartered in Columbus, with over 7,000 employees.
1,850 miles of network infrastructure is utilized by the center through OARNet, providing internet access to over two million Ohioans as well as colleges and universities.
The first major commercial Internet service provider in the United States, CompuServe, still has its roots in Columbus, although it has been owned by AOL since 1998.
Mettler Toledo, a manufacturer of precision scales and scientific equipment is headquartered in the area known as Polaris on the north side of the city.
The Battelle Memorial Institute has played a key global role in the technological community over the last century, launching many products based on their discoveries.
Alliance Data, Also a Fortune 500 company has recently arranged to move its headquarters to Columbus Ohio from its prior location in Plano, Texas.
