Norwalk Economic Development Corporation
Local
Economic Development
As a public-private partnership, the Norwalk Economic Development Corporation’s mission is to identify and capitalize on opportunities to continuously improve the Norwalk area’s business base.
What we do
Created in 2002 by a dedicated group of concerned private business people and public officials and beginning operations in July 2003, NEDC is a public-private partnership that fosters a strong economic environment in the Norwalk area that supports businesses and nurtures growth while promoting stability in the marketplace.
Resource Connector
Coordinate efforts with resource providers to ensure that Norwalk companies are receiving the best assistance available.
Industry Supporter
Nurture strong relationships with local existing businesses to support their retention and expansion.
Workforce Conduit
Help develop a stronger workforce by providing opportunities to learn skills, which advance and/or fill positions in our area.
Business Advocate
Establish and reinforce Norwalk’s image as a business friendly, pro-growth location.
Regional Partner
Collaborate with partners to improve the business environment, enabling ways to compete for new business.
The Development Center
Serve as an anchor institution in the City of Norwalk housing economic development activities in a state of the art facility.
OUR STAFF

NEDC is led by Executive Director Sarah Ross. Ross has over ten years experience in business development and community partnerships and four years here in our regional economic development system. Her areas of expertise include entrepreneurship programming, collective impact, and business retention and expansion.

NEDC welcomes Kayla Strause as their new Economic Development Assistant. Strause recently graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in Communications and Nonprofit Administration. Her background in marketing, grants, and community engagement will allow her to support NEDC’s mission and the Norwalk area businesses. In Kayla’s role, she will be a critical contributor to important community and business projects through programming, community outreach, and nonprofit management.

Alissa joined NEDC in 2021 as the RISE Coordinator. She will provide support and assistance in job growth and economic development by linking business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to comprehensive assistance and regional service providers with expertise in business start-up, development, and acceleration. Her skills include account management, organization, and communication. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bluffton University. She currently resides in Norwalk, Ohio with her husband, Jack and Husky, Storm.
when to call nedc
Our local economic development office serving Norwalk, Ohio can be of assistance for a variety of companies across many industries and at all stages of business development the best times to call us are when you find yourself at a decision point such as:
DEVELOPABLE SITES FOR YOUR PROJECT
North Central Ohio Industrial Park has been pre-vetted through the SiteOhio Authentication program to guarantee speed, cost, and risk benefits for your company.
Regional Labor Force
Contiguous Developable Acres
halfway between toledo and cleveland
Our INVESTORS
NEDC’s unique public-private partnership model allows us to serve as a conduit between local and state government and Norwalk area business interests in ways taht few others can.
Click here to see our portfolio of public and private investors
American Timber & Steel
Battles Insurance
BGSU Firelands
Bluto’s Hometown Tavern
Borgers Ohio, Inc.
Candace Chapin
Catering by Design, LLC
Christian Roberts Salon, Inc.
City of Norwalk
Civista Bank
Contractors Design Engineering
CrazeWeld LLC
Croghan Colonial Bank
Custom Metal Works
Dave’s Food Mart Inc.
Don Tester Ford Lincoln
Durable Corporation
Eagle Creek Golf Club
Edward Jones- Thomas Schubert
Evans Funeral Home
Firelands Federal Credit Union
First National Bank
Fisher-Titus Medical Center
Fisher’s Transmission
Flickinger Insurance
Great Lakes Electric
Howard Hanna-Norma Schaechterle
Hoty Enterprises
Huber, Jeff
Huron County Chamber of Commerce
Huron County Commissioners
Intelliworks HT
Janotta & Herner, Inc.
Key Bank
Lake Erie Construction
MAGNET
Mark Schaffer Excavating & Trucking
Maple City Ice
Maple City Rubber
New Horizons Baking Company
NISSHA (Olympus)
Nobil’s Sports & Trophies
Northern Ohio Truck Center, Inc.
Norwalk Concrete Industries
Norwalk Custom Order Furniture
Norweco, Inc.
Oglesby Construction Inc.
OHM Advisors
Payne, Nickles & Company, CPA
Phil Leak Company
Ploger Transportation
PNC Foundation
Prime Plastics
R & D Equipment, Inc.
Remax Frank VanDresser
Riley Contracting, Inc
RJ Beck Protective Systems Inc.
Sandy Ridge Winery, LLC
Seitz Design & Construction, Inc
Shaker Village Rental Communities, Ltd.
Sheri’s Coffee House
Stein, Olsen & Stang LLC
Smith Paving & Excavating Inc
Sommers Family Dentistry
The Lonz Law Firm, LLC
The Norwalk Waste Materials
Tucker Escrow & Title Service
Tuffman Equipment
Tusing Builders & Roofing Services
Union Home Mortgage
Vacationland Federal Credit Union
Walker Eastman Heydinger Funeral Home
Wasiniak Construction, Inc.
Westaff
Wheeling & Lake Erie RR
Wm Dauch Concrete Co.
Click here to see our Board of Directors
Board President | Zach Jones | Janotta & Herner
Board President Elect | Pete Lepley | Don Tester Ford
Board Vice-President| Tanya Morrow | Ploger Transportation
Board Treasurer | Denny Camp | Payne, Nickles & Co.
Board Secretary | Zach Bleile | Lake Erie Construction
Board Past President | John Lendrum | Norwalk Concrete Industries
Finance Director | City of Norwalk
Dave Light, Mayor | City of Norwalk
Derek Newell | Croghan Colonial Bank
Becky Fair | Nissha Medical Technologies
Chyllaum Foster | New Horizons Baking Co.
Lisa Whaley | Firelands Federal Credit Union
Dr. Brent Burkey | Fisher Titus Medical Center
Steve Euton | Norwalk City Council
Angel Martin | PNC Bank
Jeff Huber | Civista Bank
Jackie Reed | Key Bank
Jason Schaffer | Mark Schaffer Excavating & Trucking, Inc.
Tom Secor | Durable Corporation
Tony Whitacre | Oglesby Construction Inc.
Harpak Mozzafarri | Borgers Ohio, Inc.
Bruce (Skip) Wilde | Huron County Commissioners
- Public Investment – 22%
- Private Businesses – 60%
contact NEDC today
for business support
Serving Norwalk, Ohio