Since its planned industrial beginning in 1890, the Barberton area has attracted such manufacturers as industrial chemicals, rubber products, metal castings, aluminum products, storm windows and doors, socket wrenches, detergents, woodworking shops, automotive suppliers, furniture manufacturers and medical suppliers. Folks didn’t nickname us the Magic City without just cause!

Thanks to efforts from professionals like the members of the Barberton Community Development Corporation and our chamber, the Barberton-South Summit area continues to offer an attractive lure for manufacturers. Monetary assistance includes financing up to one-third of the total cost of your project, longer term loans to address cash flow difficulties, adjustable interest rates, and loan deferment clauses. Requirement criteria typically resemble Barberton’s standards: companies must create one full-time job for each $15,000 in loan amount.

In the past 16 years, Barberton alone has been responsible for attracting more than $18 million in annual payroll and $30 million in new facilities and equipment to the area.

Additionally, our city leaders provide training programs to prepare skilled and unskilled workers to meet companies’ specialty needs. At the last census, Summit County’s available labor force numbered 285,500 adults.

The result is a strong, cooperative relationship between industry and government that heavyweight companies like these rely on: Babcock & Wilcox, B&C Corporation, PPG Industries, Reiter Dairy Company, Malco Industries.

Current available sites run the gamut of business opportunities, from 500 acres of flat land to 7,000 square feet of historic office space free to an historic restoration developer.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Barberton Community Development Corporation members consist of a business consultant, a banker, several attorneys, a union representative, a journalist, the mayor, an electric company spokesperson, a citizen, a Realtor and an advertising executive.

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