Fresh off his State of the State Address, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland made a stop in the Valley Wednesday to discuss his agenda for 2010.
At the top of that agenda is creating jobs in the Buckeye State.
Strickland toured Youngstown's M7 Technologies, a machine shop that has used state money from the Ohio Department of Development to expand and train its growing workforce.
Strickland said clean energy and green technologies have created a lot of opportunities for Ohio to focus more on economic development, and he applauded the work being done at M7 Technologies.
"Smaller companies that are willing to take risks and make investments ought to be encouraged, and they ought to be acknowledged, and the state of Ohio should do everything within our power to show appreciation for these kind of efforts," Strickland said.
Strickland said he'd like to see state leaders expand the Third Frontier Grant program to $1 billion, and pointed out the state will soon have $200 million in casino licensing fees to put toward economic development and job training programs.
