Brook Park, Ohio- Economic Development

The Economic Development Department seeks to increase our tax and job base, and improve our visual environment by keeping our existing businesses here and healthy; by attracting new businesses; and by assisting with property development. Our efforts pay off in the form of the low tax rates and high quality services that our residents and business constituents have come to expect.

Brook Park Is A Member Community Of The
First Suburbs Consortium

Click the link below for
Available Properties

Click the link below for
Brook Park Traffic Counts

Click the link below for
Brook Park Zoning Map

News

The NASA Glenn Research Center in Brook Park is offering free, one-hour tours of its test facilities on Saturdays from April through October.The schedule is:

� April 4: The Ares I-X Manufacturing Facility, where Glenn engineers and technicians designed and built the upper-stage simulator for the Ares I-X test rocket.
� May 16: The Aero Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, an acoustically engineered dome designed for aircraft noise reduction testing.
� June 6: The Flight Research Building, also called the Hangar. It houses unique aircraft that are used to perform a variety of flight-research testing.
� July 18: Glenn research facilities that contributed to the Apollo missions in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first manned moon landing.
� Aug. 1: The Zero Gravity Research Facility, used by researchers worldwide to study the effects of microgravity on physical phenomena.
� Sept. 5: The Propulsion Systems Laboratory, where research on air-breathing propulsion systems is conducted.
� Oct. 3: The Simulated Lunar Operations Facility, where Glenn researchers are developing methods to improve the mobility of rovers on the moon with the aid of simulated lunar soil.

The guided tours will depart from the Visitor Center auditorium starting at 10:30 a.m. and continuing at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 and 1:30 p.m.
Tour space is limited. Visitors are asked to call 216-433-9653 up to one month in advance to reserve spots.
Participants will travel by tour bus to the facilities. Physically challenged visitors will be permitted to follow the tour bus in their own vehicles. They must state that desire when registering for the tour because some facilities might not be accessible. The use of cameras and cell phones might be limited.
The facility is at 21000 Brookpark Road, just west of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
All adult visitors must present government-issued photo identification at the main gate. Only U.S. citizens may gain access. All vehicles are subject to inspection.
For more information, call 216-433-2000 or go to http://visit.grc.nasa.gov.

From The Newsletter

Brook Park Businesses in the News
The city of Brook Park recently got a big win! GXS, Inc. a global provider of supply chain management solutions that serves over 75% of the Fortune 500 decided to stay and expand operations in Brook Park. GXS will add 75 new employees and retain 50, becoming one of the city�s largest employers. Brook Park was competing with high growth sectors like Gaithersburg, Maryland, Tampa, Florida, Bangalore, India and Estonia for this expansion project, but ultimately we prevailed. What tipped the scale in our favor? GXS owns the building and had room to expand, financial assistance from the State and the city, but most importantly, their ability to tap into a plentiful pool of highly-skilled IT workers really gave us the edge. The project when complete, will create a state-of-the-art, world-class command and control center that will serve as a customer
showplace to demonstrate GXS� ability to support B2B e-commerce. But you won�t even notice the transformation. All the work will be going on inside the building. GXS will spend well over $3 million to renovate the building. Thanks GXS, we�re glad you�re here to stay!
Congratulations to Tanya DiSalvo President of Criterion Tool & Die. Tanya will officially be taking
over the management of the company in 2009 after her dad retires to Florida. Criterion Tool & Die, Inc. located at 5349 West 161st Street is a precision machine shop and manufacturing partner with the medical, aerospace, electronic and commercial industries. Criterion has been operating in Brook Park since 1995 and is planning to expand in 2009.
National Office Products, a manufacturer of Gen2 Hybrid office furniture will merge with North Coast Office Furniture Services. Rick Corl, President of North Coast will be relocating with approximately 20 employees from Lakewood to the Brook Park facility beginning in January. The company will operate under the name National Office and Rick Corl will become president of National Office. Greg Schneider is the Chief Executive Officer and Robert Schneider will remain as Chairman of the Board. The recent completion of the 31,000 SF building addition will allow
for expanded distribution of the Gen2 brand and additional capacity for manufacturing. Welcome
Rick Corl and former North Coast Office employees!
Auto Repair Technology has a new look; Gerry Frank, owner of the automotive repair business, took advantage the First Suburbs Development Council Storefront Rebate program and did some
major renovations to both the exterior and the interior of the building. Exterior renovations include
new lighting, windows, landscaping, bay doors and a fresh coat of paint. Inside, new offices and a waiting room for customers will create an inviting atmosphere. The exterior renovations cost in excess of $20,000. Thanks Gerry, the facility looks great!
The Garden Restaurant�s owner, Angelo Papandropoulos, also took advantage of the First Suburbs Development Council Storefront Rebate program. Angelo took down the old sign and
replaced it with a new, updated monument sign. Thanks Angelo for your investment!

Ford Information
Ford recently re-opened the long-idled Engine Plant #1 and has started production of the new EcoBoost, Turbocharged V-6 engine. The new EcoBoost engine will provide greater fuel efficiency and power through the combination of turbocharging and direct fuel injection. The engine will first be available on the new Lincoln MKS sedan and spread to the rest of Ford�s V-6 fleet. Ford plans to make EcoBoost available on 90% of its models, including trucks, by 2013. EcoBoost engines will reduce CO2 emissions (greenhouse gas) by up to 15%, give the consumer up to 20% better fuel economy and at the same time provide a superior driving experience. Ford invested over $5 million to renovate the plant and will re-call more than 250 employees to manufacture the engine.

NASA Information
In August 2008, NASA Glenn Research Center held their annual Honor Awards Ceremony. NASA
Deputy Administrator Shana Dale joined Center Director, Woodrow Whitlow, Jr. in recognizing the outstanding achievements of over 600 NASA Glenn employees. Awards were given to teams and individuals for exceptional work in science, technology, engineering and administrative service. The black-tie event was held at NASA Glenn Research Facility.

Mortgage Crisis Information
The sub-prime mortgage crisis has affected every community in Northeast Ohio, including the City of Brook Park. Karen Posner from Keller -Williams Realty recently organized a panel of experts to meet with local residents facing foreclosure. The message to residents facing foreclosure is to proactively get help before your home goes to foreclosure. Call your mortgage company to refinance your loan. Don�t take NO for an answer. Make a pest of yourself and keep calling till someone helps you! For additional questions or information, please contact Karen Posner at 440-666-6666.

Need Mortgage Help? 211 �FIRSTCALL" FOR HELP MAY BE THE ANSWER
Need mortgage payment assistance? Loan counseling? Utility assistance? If you need help about any social, health or governmental resources, day or night, dial 211 for a free, confidential referral service operated by United Way of Greater Cleveland. When you call 211, a professional Information Specialist will discuss your needs and connect you to one of the 2,000 agencies that can help you with basic needs such as food, clothing, housing and utility assistance; health and mental health resources such as Medicaid, Medicare, community clinics, support groups and counseling; work support such as job training and education programs; financial management, budgeting, tax assistance and credit counseling programs; support for older adults and persons with disabilities such as adult day care, Meals on Wheels, home health care and transportation; youth and family services such as Head Start, recreation programs, parenting help, child support and custody, mentoring and tutoring; and more. Last year, over 100,000 people were helped through First Call for Help. Dial 211 to get help today.

PROGRAMS

Homestead Exemption Program
The Homestead Exemption Program offers reductions in property taxes for senior citizens and disabled individuals that meet income qualifications. For more information on this program, call the Cuyahoga County Auditor’s office at 216-443-7050.

Taxpayer Liaison
The Taxpayer Liaison Department assists taxpayers in obtaining refunds on property tax overpayments. For more information about property tax overpayments, please call the Taxpayer Liaison Department at 216-443-7422.

Tax Escrow Account Management Program (T.E.A.M.)
The T.E.A.M. program is a free service of the Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s office. T.E.A.M. allows property owners in Cuyahoga County to pay their property taxes in easy monthly installments, avoiding large tax bills twice a year. For more information on the T.E.A.M. program, call 216-443-7420.

Heritage Home Loan Program (H.E.L.P.)
The H.E.L.P. program is a low interest home improvement loan program of the Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s office. The program reduces the lowest rate a bank will offer you by 3%. The H.E.L.P. program is available through participating banks in Cuyahoga County and has no maximum income limit. For more information on the H.E.L.P. program, call 216-443-2149.

Home Energy Assistance Program (H.E.A.P)
The Ohio Department of Development offers several programs to help low income Ohioans pay their utility bills and improve the energy efficiency of their homes. These programs are based on gross income of all adult household members. For more information, call HEAP’s toll free number 1-800-282-0880.

ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES

Businesses locate in Brook Park to benefit from a number of strategic economic advantages:
� Ford Motor Co's Brookpark Rd. Engine Plant
� NASA's Glenn Research Center
� Immediate access to the region's labor market
� Direct access to Interstates 480, 71 and nearby Interstates 90, 80 and 77
� Direct access to numerous rail lines and sidings, with nearby intermodal facilities
� Instant access to the adjacent Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and International Exposition (I-X) Center
� Proximity to the amenities of the central city
� Excellent City services and competitive tax rates
Over 450 businesses with 18,000 employees agree: Why go anywhere else?

BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
The City of Brook Park's businesses drive our local economy, provide quality jobs for our residents and add character to our community. Chief employment sectors include health services, aerospace research & development, primary metal industries, transportation and fabricated metal products. We work hard to keep our 450 businesses "here and healthy" and to attract new businesses.

SITE VISITS
We proactively visit our businesses to build relationships so that problems can be uncovered and addressed in their early stages. Call us at 216-433-7059 to arrange a site visit anytime.

SITE SELECTION ASSISTANCE
Expanding, relocating or even downsizing? We can meet your site selection needs with our list of available properties in Brook Park. We feature a mix of R&D office/laboratory space, small-to-mid-sized industrial buildings, large warehouses, transportation-oriented warehouses and truck dock buildings.
Click here for a current list of available properties or contact us at 216-433-7059

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We collaborate with regional service providers such as Cuyahoga County, the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority and the State of Ohio to provide a full line of fixed asset and working capital financing, environmental remediation support and workforce development and attraction. Let us know how we can help.