Targeted Industries

These industries have been identified as targeted industries to help guide economic development efforts for continued growth and sustainability in the years to come.  For a comprehensive list of West Chester businesses by industry click here.

• Life Sciences
• Information Technology
• Corporate Headquarters/ Class A Office
• Healthcare
• Consumer Marketing
• Manufacturing

Life Sciences

Though relatively new, the life sciences industry is rapidly emerging in West Chester.  Not only is this a rapidly expanding industry, it also incredibly diverse.  The life sciences industry encompasses pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, testing laboratories, medical labs and diagnostic imaging, chemical manufacturing, and flavorings development and manufacturing. 

This industry has been identified as a targeted industry not just because employees earn significantly higher-than-average wages and firms typically make large investments in the community, but also because life sciences companies have a tendency to cluster together.  By locating near one another, firms are able to symbiotically benefit from a shared workforce, advances in technology, and new scientific discoveries.  Clusters also help attract new suppliers and customers that decide to locate nearby for increased efficiency. 

West Chester is currently home to the largest concentration of life sciences companies in a single geographic area outside of the Interstate 275 loop, including:

Information Technology

The information technology industry is one of West Chester’s newest sectors to emerge.  The recent development of this sector in the community is not surprising since this is one of the fastest growing industries in the economy.  Fueling the recent growth in this field is West Chester’s strategic location between the Cincinnati and Dayton Metropolitan Areas.  IT firms are able to not only capitalize on the record business growth occurring in West Chester but can also leverage the Community’s location to effectively reach the Cincinnati and Dayton metros for customers.  The Cincinnati-Dayton Metroplex also provides a customer base of more Fortune 500 company headquarters per capita than all but 5 cities in the United States.  Additional factors driving growth in the IT sector include; a shift in the manufacturing industry from labor intensive operations to automation, an increased reliance on information technology as organizations continue to turn to IT firms for expanding technology needs, and the need to maintain network and system security. 

Currently West Chester is home to many information technology related firms including:

Corporate Headquarters/Class A Office

Corporate headquarters and class A office users are an important part of West Chester’s economy.  Historically, the manufacturing and distribution sectors represented the highest concentrations of businesses but upon completion of the Union Centre Boulevard Interchange in 1997, the local economy began to diversify to include corporate headquarters and class A office users. 

Corporate executives and salaried professionals earn higher-than-average wages and have disposable income that is spent in the community, supporting the restaurant and retail industries.  Another key characteristic of this industry is that they attract professional and business service sector companies.  Professional, business, and financial services establish themselves in close proximity to corporate headquarters. This is important because professional, business, and financial services is one of the fastest growing industries and represents significant job creation opportunities.

West Chester’s prime location in the heart of the Cincinnati Dayton Metroplex and abundant community amenities including a first class public school system, quality affordable housing, restaurants, retail, and hotels will help continue to attract corporate office users. 

Existing corporate headquarters and Class A office users include:

Healthcare     

In recent years, West Chester has experienced significant growth in the healthcare industry.  West Chester’s population density has made the community a prime target for the healthcare field.  The growth of the healthcare industry began when UC Physicians invested $100 million to construct a new medical campus in the community to expand its medical services group to northern Cincinnati and southern Dayton.  More recently, the region’s first new hospital in 25 years opened in West Chester immediately adjacent to the UC Physicians facility creating a full-service medical campus.  These expansive medical developments have significantly contributed to the construction of ancillary healthcare offices further defining West Chester as a regional focal point for medical and healthcare services.

This sector is important for several reasons, such as, access to healthcare improves the quality of life for residents, it is resistant to economic recessions, and one out of every nine jobs in the U.S. is supported by the healthcare industry. 

Key healthcare providers include:

Consumer Marketing

Consumer marketing has been identified as a targeted industry because of West Chester’s proximity to the City of Cincinnati and the emphasis placed on further developing this cluster by the State of Ohio.  According to the Cincinnati USA Regional Partnership for Economic Development, the Cincinnati area has the largest concentration of advanced brand design consultancies in the world.  Driving the establishment of this industry is the significant number of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 company headquarters in the region.  Another key factor motivating growth is that consumer branding/marketing is not truly an industry but rather a business function that crosses all industries.  Every company has a need to market the good or service it is able to provide to capture its share of the market or to reposition itself against competition. 

Currently, West Chester is home to many companies engaged in the consumer branding industry, such as: 

Manufacturing

West Chester’s prime location along Interstate 75 between Cincinnati and Dayton, with immediate access to six full interstate interchanges, makes it a highly desirable location for manufacturing firms.  Other important factors contributing to manufacturing growth are West Chester’s proximity to 54% of the nation’s population and 61% of all U.S. and Canadian manufacturing locations within a 600 mile radius which is equivalent to one day’s drive. 

This industry is important to the long term success of the community because it creates jobs and most jobs, directly or indirectly, are dependent upon the manufacturing sector.  According to the Economic Policy Institute, each manufacturing job supports almost three other jobs in the economy.  Additionally, this sector pays above average wages 

West Chester has a strong manufacturing base that continues to grow and is home to a wide variety of successful companies operating under this broad industry.  Recently, West Chester’s manufacturing base has evolved toward a more advanced manufacturing industry with operations in research and development, engineering, aerospace, and high-tech manufacturing.  

 Notable manufacturing companies include: