|
|
| Story
placed by Walker Sands Communications
for client SurePayroll Looking for a payroll processing firm? Try SurePayroll. Need a Chicago PR agency? Try Walker Sands. |
||
 |
||
|
Small-business Outlook for Ohio Good |
||
|
Tracy Turner The Columbus Dispatch February 7, 2006 State ranks 5th in forecast of work-force size, compensation. Small-business owners statewide can expect continued growth and an overall good business climate this year. That's according to SurePayroll's Small Business Scorecard, which named Ohio one of 10 states in which small business has the best chance of doing well this year. Ohio was ranked No. 5 on the list because of growth in employment and employee salaries at small businesses last year, said Michael Alter, president of SurePayroll. The Illinois firm provides payroll services for 15,000 small businesses nationwide. (article continues below useful links)
The rankings were based on an analysis of the company's clients' payroll data. Ohio was found to be one of eight states to have growth both in employee numbers and in average salaries during the past 12 months, he said. "The good news for small-business owners in Ohio is that the conditions are such that they are hiring more, and growth is expected to continue," he said. One big reason is because manufacturing-job losses throughout Ohio have contributed to a glut of available employees, Alter said. Ohio has lost 218,000 jobs statewide since 2000, said Bill LaFayette, vice president of economic analysis for the Columbus Chamber. If some of those individuals opened businesses of their own, it would benefit Ohio's sluggish economy, he said. "Nearly 60 percent of Ohio's workers were employed by small business owners in 2001," LaFayette said, adding that the report suggests that "maybe the state economy will turn the corner." Business owners are feeling "cautious but optimistic" about the next year, said Brenda Stier, chairwoman of the Small Business Council for the Columbus Chamber. Stier, who owns Marketing Works Inc., said she agrees with the small-business outlook, saying her business is on a growth path consistent with many other small businesses in central Ohio. "We've recently purchased a new building, business has increased, and our projections are as strong as they've ever been," she said. "Most small-business owners are saying that the fourth quarter (of 2005) was great and the first quarter of 2006 is looking good." James Mugrage, owner of Green Man Tree and Landscape Service, agrees. He's projecting his small landscaping company to grow by at least 20 percent this year. He's planning to hire five employees beginning in March. "More people are buying homes and looking to add landscaping," Mugrage said, noting that 400 people signed up for estimates during a home show at the Columbus Convention Center last month. "That's just one more thing that's made me more optimistic." Copyright © 2006. The Columbus Dispatch.
|
||
