Brent Painter considers his role as Strongsville’s economic development director to be similar to that of a matchmaker: He helps pair new businesses and projects with the proper sites and ensures a smooth transition toward success and future growth.
“A big part of the process is first identifying the city as a place where businesses want to relocate,” he says. “You need to have a strong community where people will not only want to live, but want to come and work.”
A large part of making Strongsville a warm and welcoming environment is offering great amenities. The city recently reimagined its Town Center to include walkable areas, nature trails, community pavilions and splash pads. This play-space model is a huge advantage for attracting workers and business owners, as well as retaining current residents.
“Our focus is on an overall comprehensive plan,” Painter shares. “How are we providing the amenities that will make people want to work for our companies and in our community?”
In tandem with the Town Center development is a new luxury townhouse project: Camden Woods. Consisting of over 82 units along with a central clubhouse and plenty of green space, Camden Woods is a crucial development that offers a different housing option from the typical suburban single family homes that make up the majority of Strongsville’s residential areas.
“This is a really needed project that helps with economic development,” Painter says. “There are people out there who want that traditional home, but there are others who want different types of housing stock.”
With these recent projects and more, Strongsville is over 98% occupied in its four industrial parks, leaving very little vacancy and inventory. This is the tightest the city has ever been on industrial space that Painter can recall.
“It’s a good problem to have, but it’s still something to work through,” he says. “It takes a lot of extra creativity to try to help solve.”
One solution is to turn inward and focus on helping the companies that already call Strongsville home. For example, a longer-term project that Painter and his team are working on is rezoning the area of SouthPark Mall to include more entertainment venues, hotels and medical facilities along with significantly less parking. He’s hoping the changes will allow the 30-year-old regional mall to evolve amidst a tumultuous time for indoor shopping plazas.
“SouthPark Mall is doing well, but we don’t want to be complacent and make assumptions,” he says. “We want to make sure we’re taking care of the companies that are already here and help them get in touch with the resources available that will help them grow.”
Just this small sampling of recent, current and upcoming projects in Strongsville exemplifies the city’s diverse economic landscape. Painter is conscious of not prioritizing one sector of business over another, making sure that Strongsville has a mix of retail, manufacturing, automotive and more. This not only helps with ensuring a consistently strong general revenue fund, but also opens the doors for a variety of potential new projects.
“Our best salespeople are the companies that are already here,” Painter says. “We’ve been able to build a strong reputation as a community.”
