COLLEGE GRADS LOVE DAYTON AND FORT WAYNE

College Graduates Love Dayton and Fort Wayne

You can add another accomplishment for city economic officials in both Fort Wayne Indiana and Dayton Ohio, and this is a hot list that will provide for the economic good of both cities. ZipRecruit, a top website for hiring and recruitment has places Dayton Ohio number three overall and Fort Wayne Indiana number five for the Top 10 Up-and-Coming cities for College Grads to consider relocating to. Anytime a city makes a list like this, you begin seeing national attention placed on the value this offers to companies and firms looking to relocate offices, industrial manufacturing centers and more. Economic Development groups like Fort Wayne’s Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership sees this as another award on the shelf to help attract and retain major employers such as General Motors and Parkview Health.

The article says while moving to a big metro might be the perfect antidote to college town cabin fever, the large populations can often mean heavier competition for open positions and the high, often skyrocketing costs for basic amenities and living expenses can leave you broke. When graduating from college, the weight of a student loan added to the expense of living in a high cost of living position and aggressive entry level job market may not be the best option.

DAYTON OHIO
Working closely with consultants in the Dayton region, Hoch has had a proud history in the Miami Valley. This article highlights that Dayton’s top positions are in the research and production of aviation and aerospace technology fields which is to no surprise as it’s also the birthplace of aviation. Healthcare research is also an important industry for the city with institutions such as the Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton. Add these to the fact that Dayton boasts the lowest median rent at just $671 a month and a high quality of life with several world renowned leisure based events such as an acclaimed opera and ballet, you can see why our fine city made this list. Another huge factor for Dayton is that safe, scenic biking routes make Dayton a ‘bike friendly’ city.

Dayton’s top positions are in the research and production of aviation and aerospace technology, still the leading industry in the city where human flight was invented. The economy is also bolstered by healthcare research with several prominent institutions such as the Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton. Dayton boasts the lowest median rent of cities on our list at $671/mo, and also ranked highly as a regional cultural hub. Residents spend their leisure time enjoying acclaimed opera and ballet performances, and live music at events like the annual Blues Festival. Safe, scenic biking routes make Dayton a ‘bike friendly’ city, and allow its population to enjoy its natural beauty.

Top 5 Industries and their most available entry level position:

• Sales and Business – Account Executive
• Marketing/PR – Marketing Assistant
• Manufacturing/Operations – Field Service Technician
• Information Technology – QA Analyst
• Healthcare – Physician Wound Care

FORT WAYNE INDIANA
Hoch Associates’ home office is also located in the heart of this growing region. A recently announced 1.3 Billion dollar economic boost was announced this week from two of the cities top employers which will add jobs directly and not directly related to the companies. After a significant economic depression and horrific unemployment numbers in the 80’s, Fort Wayne was once declared another ‘Rust Belt’ city has been relabeled as the ‘city that saved itself.’ Of course this was no small feat, several key people and business decided to not give in and instead challenge the media and bad press by giving their all, staking claim to greatness rather than ‘the good ole days.’

While production and manufacturing is still key for the city, several new industries have agreed to give Fort Wayne a second look. Healthcare with companies such as Lutheran and Parkview have both invested over a billion dollars into the economy with new healthcare facilities including the recently announced $80 Million Cancer Research Institute. Insurance has also become a large employer with companies like Brotherhood Mutual and the exciting new project for Ash with a $99 Million investment only a block west of our home office. Bundle these exciting new projects with the second lowest cost of living in the entire country, top 35 cities for individuals under 35, a vision for a grand riverfront redevelopment and the top ten cities with the best quality of life, you can see why the list included Fort Wayne.

Top 5 Industries and their most available entry level position:

• Marketing/PR – Entry Level Marketing
• Manufacturing/Operations – Operations Supervisor
• Management/Executive – Entry Level Management
• Insurance – Insurance Agent
• Healthcare – Occupational Therapist

Congratulations and kudos to both of our amazing cities on these exciting announcements. We look forward for more to come.

FORT WAYNE RANKED ONE OF BEST CITIES FOR MILLENNIALS

Best Cities for Millennials

Hoch Associates loves to be centered in the heart of Fort Wayne and part of its exciting future. Vocativ, an online Internet blog released the 2014 livability index and Fort Wayne is no stranger to exciting lists regarding the livability for its citizens. The list was designed for the Millennial generation, those under 35. While the entire list is comprised of 35 cities, Fort Wayne was the only one to make the list from the Hoosier State. We are proud that Fort Wayne was singled out for being the real Cinderella story. After years of stagnant growth and even in the 1980’s losing several manufacturing jobs, the city created new programs and focused on diversifying the workforce, transforming neighborhoods and buildings, creating several new acres of beautiful green space, researching and developing its long forgotten riverfront and welcomed exciting new groups such as YLNI (Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana) and Millennial 2020 which work together to create a stronger and more vibrant community for the Millennial citizens.

With the city now being named one of the best for Millennials, this is an opportunity to unleash an exciting new future. Ranking in the top percentile in areas such as cost of living, housing (rent and ownership) and low unemployment, Fort Wayne has quickly ose among the ranks of its piers and now vying for the Regional Cities Initiative which will provide several million dollars in seed funding for future developments if granted. Hoch Associates continues to support the city and is excited to share in its future.