Guest Column- Robert Ballinger, CREDA Ohio Board President

After years of focused economic-development policy, strategic investment, and growth in private-sector confidence, Ohio’s position is a place where businesses can grow, communities can prosper, and people can build their futures. That progress earned national recognition when, for the first time, CNBC named Ohio America’s No. 1 state for business. This clearly signals that new investment is reaching communities across the state, population trends have improved, and Ohio is winning projects that once might have gone elsewhere.

For years, NAIOP of Ohio united commercial real estate and economic development leaders to promote sound policy and responsible growth. Now, as the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (CREDA Ohio), our new name better reflects our statewide commitment to the communities where our members invest and create opportunities. Our mission to foster collaboration between public leaders and the private sector has delivered results across Ohio. In 2025, commercial real estate development contributed $53.5 billion to Ohio’s economy, generated $16.1 billion in wages, and supported over 266,000 jobs. These figures represent new workplaces, revitalized neighborhoods, expanded tax bases, and the infrastructure that supports community growth.

Ohio has invested in site readiness, workforce development, and infrastructure, while lawmakers and governmental officials have enhanced the tools communities use to attract investment and redevelop underutilized properties. Support for mixed-use development, brownfield remediation, historic preservation, Opportunity Zones, and regulatory reform has enabled local leaders to unlock private capital, prepare sites, and transform long-planned projects into vibrant places for Ohioans to live, work, and invest. We thank our partners in the General Assembly, administration, JobsOhio, and development leadership for their contributions. However, we cannot become complacent, as other states are also competing for transformative investments. Our state’s recent success is a foundation for future growth, not a finish line.

As CREDA Ohio, we believe the work ahead is both practical and significant. Ohio must continue to improve the predictability and efficiency of permitting review, modernize processes supporting local financing and property redevelopment, and protect the public-private tools that help communities compete. We must continue investing in infrastructure, workforce, and project-ready sites to prevent avoidable delays or uncertainty. Our organization is ready to meet this challenge with experts who guide projects from concept to completion and support investments beyond ribbon cuttings. We will keep sharing this expertise with state and local leaders, offering practical solutions that maintain accountability and enhance Ohio’s competitiveness as a place to invest.

Ohio has earned this momentum, and together we can build on it. By working with state leaders who share our commitment to collaboration, thoughtful policymaking, and long-term growth, we can create even greater opportunities for communities across Ohio. As NAIOP of Ohio becomes CREDA Ohio, we remain a trusted partner dedicated to shaping an even stronger future for our state.

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CREDA Ohio, formerly NAIOP of Ohio, represents developers, owners, investors and other commercial real estate professionals and advances responsible development through advocacy, education and industry collaboration.