Local officials attend BGSU's state-of-region event

BOWLING GREEN — Many local officials, including those representing Firelands Health and the Ottawa County Improvement Corp., recently attended this year's State of the Region event taking place on Bowling Green State University's main campus. This year's message: shaping Ohio's next generation of talent, which highlighted the power of collaboration. Jeremy Normington-Slay, CEO of Firelands Health, spoke on building trust in health care, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and keeping the bigger picture in focus. "When educators and employers work together, we create stronger connections to real-world opportunities, developing talent through partnerships — not in parallel," according to a corporation statement. The corporation then shared the following trends across northwest Ohio over the past year or so: • Small growth in labor force participation • Strong prime-age employment between those 25 years old and 55 years old • Solid infrastructure, industries and institutions "This momentum highlights Ottawa County's strong quality of life, making it a place where businesses grow, individuals build careers and families flourish," the corporation noted.