Development plans are taking off at the Wilmington Air Park. Ohio's highest volume airport for cargo has filled all of its available space with tenants like Amazon Air and ATSG and is now looking to attract new businesses with additional site development.
New Executive Director of the Clinton County Port Authority Alex Beres says an additional 256 acres is expected to be certified as site ready by Jobs Ohio this year. He is also optimistic other companies can locate outside the Air Park along I-71.
"Because we're seeing so much attention and focus on sites as a result of the Honda LG development and Intel, we see the growth coming and just want to be ready for it and prepared for it," he says.
RELATED: A decade after DHL's departure, Wilmington Air Park now nearly full
Bares is interested in diversifying business in and around the Air Park. "There's been a lot of history in the area with having a lot of eggs in one basket for employers and that's great when things are going good. But when things hit a rough patch with just one employer, your whole community can be devastated," says Beres, referring to the 2009 shutdown of DHL, taking an estimated 10,000 jobs with it.
Beres is no stranger to the transportation industry. Most recently, he worked on the infrastructure law and specifically programs related to funding the Brent Spence and Western Hills Viaduct.
