BEAVERCREEK — Greene County is growing. That was the message at the annual Greene County Report to the Community event Friday.
In his address to local community leaders, Greene County Administrator Brandon Huddleson called 2015 a “tremendous” year for residential and commercial construction. According to county figures, about $785 million worth of construction was invested in the county in 2015, the highest such figure in the last nine years and a jump of about $455 million over 2014 numbers.
“This is led by the huge residential construction boom in Beavercreek Township,” Huddleson said, noting that more than $435 million worth of residential construction was invested in Beavercreek Township in 2015.
Sales tax collections in Greene County were also up in 2015, which Huddleson attributed to the county’s “strong retail segment, namely the Fairfield Commons mall area, The Greene and Cornerstone.” Collections topped $25 million, the highest such figure in the last decade and a jump of about $3 million over 2014, according to provided numbers.
Huddleson also noted the decreasing unemployment rate – which dipped locally to 4.4 percent in 2015, its lowest point in the last decade – as a sign of economic growth.
“We’re consistently better in Greene County than the state,” Huddleson said. “We’re back to pre-recession levels. One thing we do well here: put people to work.”
Huddleson also highlighted several businesses that grew or invested locally in the last year, including Integrity Applications in Beavercreek, which retained 80 jobs, created 20 jobs and invested $175,000 expanding its facility; Azimuth Corporation in Beavercreek, which added 30 new jobs and invested $1 million; Teleperformance in Fairborn, which added 100 new jobs and invested $4 million; Buckeye Research and Manufacturing, which relocated to Xenia, bringing 10 new jobs and $1 million in investments; Twist Inc. in Jamestown, which added 20 new jobs and invested $1 million; Dayton Mailing Services, which relocated to Yellow Springs, bringing 120 new jobs and $2 million in investments; Cedarville University in Cedarville, which added 9 new jobs and invested $4 million; and Riverside Research, which built a new research facility and added 60 new jobs at a cost of $7 million.
“2015 was another great year in Greene County,” Huddleson said. “This success came in large part through partnerships. It’s not a buzz word here. We hear it all the time, but we really mean it here and we show it. … I hope that 2016 will be even a better year. I know we’ll all continue to work together for our collective success.”
