Locate. Stay. Grow.
We partner with businesses and entrepreneurs who choose Portage County as the home for their enterprises. By providing information on financing, tax incentives, real estate and available properties, we show why Portage County is an ideal place for your business to not just call home, but to grow.
Find Available Properties
See available Portage County properties and buildings that could be the new home for your business.
Financing & Economic Incentives
Learn about financing options and economic incentives available to help you acquire a new property for your business and maximize its profitability.
About Portage Development Board
The Portage Development Board (PDB) is a 501 (C)(3) private non-profit founded in 2011 that provides valuable assistance to local industries, builders, industrial realtors and communities throughout Portage County, working to maintain and improve the economic base in Portage County. Our mission is to help businesses locate their enterprises in Portage County, stay rooted here as part of our thriving business community and successfully grow their company.
Our board of directors and 12-member executive committee work to build consensus between the private and public sectors and help cultivate a high-quality workforce for businesses. Additionally, we provide the local business community with legal and financial resources to help them tackle challenges they face and succeed in their industry.
How we help
- Coordinating economic development activities that encourage business retention, expansion and attraction
- Assisting business and educational institutions in cultivating a qualified workforce
- Sustaining mutually beneficial relationships with private and public sector collaborators to improve the quality of life and business
Shur-Co®️ of Ohio
The Portage Advantage
Portage County is a great place for businesses and entrepreneurs to locate, build and grow their organizations. Centrally located near major cities both within Ohio and outside its borders, the county is thriving, with a population of 162,000 – an increase of nearly 30 percent over the last five decades – and more than 2,500 businesses that call it home.
Our top employers span both the public and private sectors, offering a wealth of employment opportunities and chances for collaboration. A deep, diverse collection of tools and resources are available to help companies and organizations of all sizes thrive in every stage of their journey.
Entreprenurial Resources
Helping you launch your business, reduce your costs, expand your markets, and to transition your business with succession assistance
Capital Resources
Grow your organization with the financial resources you need
Locational Resources
Help with finding the perfect location to build or expand
Workforce Resources
Find new employees, train your team and keep your workforce safe
Our Impact
Portage Development Board continues to have a major impact on the Portage County business scene, creating a climate where companies of all sizes can succeed. We’ve helped companies launch dozens of new projects, create or retain thousands of jobs and create or retain hundreds of millions of dollars in payroll. Our impact goes beyond numbers, but these stats help put our impact in focus.
Total Investment
$963,602,958
New & Retained Payroll
$540,237,648
Expansion Projects
New Locations
Jobs Retained
5,274
New Jobs Created
5,857
Ace Laboratories
ACE Laboratories is a Ravenna-based business that provides rubber and latex testing services for a wide range of clients including Boeing, Newell Rubbermaid and more. This thriving business continues to add new staff and testing methods as demand for its services increases. Its expertise has come to the forefront as global supply chain issues and the resulting difficulty obtaining products and materials from the international market have led companies to reverse engineer those products. ACE helps these companies by identifying their components so they can successfully replicate them. Founder Erick Sharp and his talented team continue to fortify their status as experts and leaders in the testing industry and are a prime example of how a business can succeed in Portage County.
Who calls Portage County home?
News & Updates
PDB Welcomes Renewable Lubricants New Rail Line to Kent!
Hartville business buys rail line, looking to expand and aid Portage County businesses Derek Kreider, Record-Courier The unused rail spur at 341 W. Oak St. in Kent has a new owner: Renewable Lubricants, a 30-year-old family-owned and -operated company. The purchase...
PDB Celebrates a Successful 2022!
On May 24, 2023, the Portage Development Board hosted its annual awards ceremony and recognition event, Locate. Stay. Grow.. This year’s event recognized the 12 successful projects that PDB and its partners worked on in 2022, as well as celebrated the twelfth...