11th Annual Vorys Economic Development Incentives Conference

Learn the tools and strategies needed to turn opposition into support. Our panelists will delve into proven techniques for engaging and persuading area residents and other stakeholders to champion new construction.  Whether you're a developer, project manager, government official or community liaison, this program will provide you with the insights and skills necessary to foster a positive environment for development. 

Project ROI has become a dominant component in the negotiation of economic incentives, the creation of public-private partnerships, taxpayer trust, and corporate responsibility.   This session will provide an insightful discussion on how the ROI of various project types are viewed through an economic impact analyst, state local government leaders, and a private industry professional.   Our panelists will explore both quantitative and qualitative ROI measures, how it varies by types of projects and government level and what the latest trends are in both calculating and presenting ROI.  

The panel of experienced economic development professionals will the potential differences involved when economic development projects are either developer-led or end-user-led.  The panel will cover the potential complexities, challenges and nuances involved with each approach.

This panel examines how large-scale defense infrastructure projects are actually financed, approved, and delivered beneath the surface of headline contracts. Using the BAE Jacksonville shiplift project as a case study, panelists will unpack capital allocation constraints, incentive structuring in low-incentive states, nontraditional asset ownership models, and the intersection of economic development with national security priorities. The discussion highlights what truly drives feasibility, risk allocation, and replicability in the modern defense industrial base. 

This presentation will examine site selection, data analytics and commercial real estate trends for 2026 on a regional and national level. The presentation will offer valuable insights into future market dynamics from leading figures in the commercial real estate and site selection industry.

This session will examine how both public and private financing can be leveraged to support infrastructure projects that drive economic development. We will discuss practical approaches to using economic development incentives to fund and deliver critical infrastructure, and highlight real-world examples of successful projects. Participants will gain insights into structuring deals and partnerships that maximize the impact of infrastructure investment.

Join us for a dynamic lunchtime keynote with Pat Tiberi as he explores the intersection of politics, policy and economic development, offering insights from his distinguished career in public service and business leadership.

A look at how collaborative development between the City of Cleveland and Bedrock will reshape Cleveland’s downtown riverfront (and more).   A panel discussion will examine the perspectives from the private developer and public sector when structuring incentives for transformative and lengthy development and construction.  

The variables to consider when deciding what sites to pursue are numerous and ever evolving.  The availability of power (or lack thereof) and the timelines for receiving power are two variables that have become increasingly more important in recent years with the anticipated proliferation of large load customers and constraints on utilities’ systems.  Attend this panel to learn more about various stakeholders’ perspectives on how the timely availability of power can drive site selection and what can be done to help ensure power gets to a site when its needed.

This panel will review the most prevalent Ohio real property tax incentive tools and consider how and when EZ, CRA and TIF incentives can be utilized separately and at times in combination with one another and with other economic development vehicles, such as new community authorities.  The panel will review the considerations for each incentive (or incentives) for a particular project from the different panelist perspectives (developer, city and county) and discuss examples.  We will review how communities and developers/owners are seeking to balance the incentives and corresponding PILOTs.  We will also discuss how communities can take a more purposeful approach in providing real property incentives.  

State site programs are strategic initiatives designed to promote economic development by identifying, preparing, and marketing locations for business investment and expansion. These programs often involve collaboration between state agencies, local governments, and private sector partners to ensure sites are ready for development and attractive to prospective employers. By streamlining the site selection process and reducing barriers to investment, state site programs play a critical role in attracting new businesses, supporting job creation, and fostering long-term economic growth within the region.

 

This session equips the participants with the knowledge of how state site programs operate and their significance in attracting business investment to support economic growth.  Panelists from Ohio and Pennsylvania will provide strategies, success stories and best practices to establish and streamline a state site program.