Economic Strides: The Port Authority
Since 2001, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Authority (Port Authority) has contributed immensely to Greater Cincinnati's economic development through property redevelopment and brownfield remediation. The remediation and development of vacant, abandoned and underutilized properties into good, useable land for private and commercial use is one of the most important contributions of the Port Authority to the Greater Cincinnati community.
Over the last five years, the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County have jointly invested an average of $674,000 a year in the work of the Port Authority. The Economics Center assessed the economic impact of Port Authority's activities on our region, estimating the total impact of all projects facilitated by the Port Authority at $1.3 billion. In their operations, the Port Authority projects generate purchases of local materials and resources and employment of local labor force. The total impact comes from sales, income, and jobs created by the Port Authority's projects plus their direct and indirect impact on the local economy.
In addition, the tax revenue produced by these projects is important to numerous local jurisdictions. Estimates indicate that every dollar invested by local governments in the Port Authority's operation stimulated economic activity that produced 1.4 dollars in additional tax revenues.
Historically, port authorities around the country were created to conduct air and water transportation activities. In Ohio, port authorities also own property and provide financing for local economic development projects. Since it opened its doors in 2001, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Authority has assessed, remediated, and recycled 155 acres of environmentally contaminated properties for new uses, and has financed economic development projects through the issuance of $141 million in revenue bonds. The Port Authority is an excellent example of a non-governmental entity that has made great strides in making our region more attractive for new investment and development.
“The Economics Center has proven to be a great partner and an excellent resource to Cadmus. Their knowledge about the local community and economy—coupled with their analytic capabilities—have been important components of our evaluation and very well received by our client. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the Center.”- 
George’s major focus areas are regional economics and human capital. With his colleagues at the Economics Center, he continues to apply lessons learned in those fields to economic development and workforce development.
“We needed to communicate the value of our institution in the local community and the Economics Center’s economic impact analysis helped us accomplish that goal. They were very easy to work with and met our expectations. We will certainly utilize their services for economic analysis in the future and would recommend them to others.”- 
Jennifer’s work includes analyzing individual and household decision-making, factors that influence as well as the economic and fiscal impacts of those decisions. - 
Jeff has worked with leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, designing and implementing economic development and research projects in response to diverse community issues.
“We're very pleased with the results of this study. Often times, when people think about arts and culture organizations, they do not take into account the economic benefits that come with the educational and entertainment benefits. That was one of our main goals when commissioning this project." 
“The Economics Center brings analytical expertise and valuable insights that helps our clients to develop and, then, communicate key messages. The research team understands we are in a world increasingly dependent on data for decision making. The Center is an important partner in our business and a valuable resource to our community.” - 
“As a research-based organization, Cincinnati Works relies heavily on the type of data and analysis the Economic Center provides. Their ability to analyze economic trends and assess the impact they have on job seekers and workforce development is valuable to the work that we do here at Cincinnati Works.” 
“The TIF Model is intuitive, easy and flexible for report to the Township Trustees to help them understand the resources that Deerfield Township may have available. The Trustees really appreciate having a tool that can inform planning for the future, beyond the upcoming year.” 
“The Center worked to understand our community and our needs. They developed a set of custom economic indicators for Newaygo County, MI. We believe that this information is critical for expressing unique assets of our community and in making important decisions for our economic vitality.” -