Crossroads Industrial Center lot awarded shovel-ready certification

Press release

Crawford County Partnership for Education & Economic Development and AEP Ohio formally designated Outlot 619 in the Crossroads Industrial Center as an Austin Consulting – American Electric Power Certified Site for the Food & Beverage Sector. This designation is a powerful marketing tool to attract new businesses to the area.

The “shovel-ready” designation applies to a 22-acre parcel in the Crossroads Industrial Park that has undergone an exhaustive review of more than 200 variables including zoning, utilities, environment, and transportation. All criteria meet the stringent guidelines required by food and beverage processors seeking sites for new plants.

“This certification means a lot to Crawford County. Not only do we have a site that can suit the needs of food and beverage manufacturers—from ample utilities to convenient logistics—but now interested businesses will know it’s shovel ready,” says Gary Frankhouse, Economic Development Director and Executive Director of the Crawford Partnership for Education and Economic Development. “Food and beverage companies seeking to do business in Crawford County will now be able to save time and money, and avoid risk, because we have a certified site that addresses all of their basic requirements. Instead, they can spend their time discovering why we are the right fit.”

“The demand for project ready industrial sites continues to grow as decision-making timeframes for companies continue to shrink,” Tim Wells, Economic and Business Development Manager for AEP Ohio, said.

“Certification confirms readiness — a huge benefit in the site selection process — and creates a competitive advantage for new businesses because of the ability for quicker start-up and operation.”

American Electric Power Ohio partnered with the Crawford County Partnership for Education & Economic Development for the certification process, which was performed by Austin Consulting. To learn more about the Food & Beverage Certification program, visit http://aeped.com/what-we-do/key-industries/food-and-beverage/.