Ohio Business

Hundreds of large businesses and corporations have started or settled their headquarters in Ohio, attracted by its diverse population, industry and economy. The unique and compressed demographics of the state offer a market where business owners can test and compare to provide the best and most desired products available. The diversity of the workforce is also a compelling attraction many companies can’t deny. The following are just a few of the many nationally recognized businesses in Ohio.

Banking	Restaurants
Insurance	Retail
Manufacturing	Utility

Banking
Fifth Third Bank	Fifth Third Bank’s history can be traced back to 1858, when the Bank of Ohio Valley opened in Cincinnati. The Third National Bank was later organized and again changed names in 1908 with the merger of The Fifth National Bank and the Third National Bank before finally settling on its current name in 1969
Huntington National Bank	A $52 billion regional bank holding company, Huntington Bancshares, Inc. is headquartered in Columbus and has served its customers’ financial needs for over 140 years. Huntington’s banking subsidiaries have more than 600 locations throughout six states.
Key Bank	Cleveland-based KeyCorp is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $98 billion. Key Bank employs approximately 17,000 at more than 980 locations spanning 14 states.
Insurance
Grange	Based in Columbus, Grange has grown from its humble beginnings as an auto insurer in 1935 to become a billion-dollar insurance provider offering auto, home, life, business and farm insurance protection through Grange Insurance and Integrity Insurance.
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company	Founded in 1926 as Farm Bureau Mutual, Nationwide has since ballooned to become one of the primary insurance and financial services companies in the world. The Nationwide family encompasses hundreds of different companies throughout the country, but remains headquartered in Columbus.
Progressive	Founded in 1937 and headquartered in Mayfield Village, The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies has issued more than 11 million auto insurance policies.
State Auto	In 1921, State Automobile Insurance Company was founded with three employees and a rented room in downtown Columbus. Offering only auto insurance in its early years, today State Auto Insurance Companies focuses on both personal and business insurance offered throughout 33 states.
Westfield Companies	In 1848, a small group of Ohio farmers joined together to form an insurance company to protect their property. Located in Westfield Center, today Westfield provides commercial and personal insurance and surety services to customers in 28 states.
Manufacturing
AK Steel	Headquartered in West Chester, AK Steel produces flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products, as well as carbon and stainless tubular steel products. A Fortune 500 company with more than $7 billion in sales, AK Steel has more than 6,800 employees at major plants across several states.
Cardinal Health	Founded in 1971 as Cardinal Foods, a small food distributor in Columbus, Cardinal Health has morphed into a global healthcare industry services provider with a vast scope of products and services. In 2007, Fortune magazine ranked Cardinal Health with more than $80 billion in revenue as the 19th largest corporation in the nation, and the largest corporation in Ohio.
GOJO	GOJO was founded in Akron in 1946 when Goldie and Jerry Lippman teamed-up with a Kent State professor to create a heavy-duty hand cleaner so Goldie and her co-workers at a rubber factory could safely remove the graphite, tar, and carbon black from their hands before going home every night. Today, GOJO’s product line includes Purell® hand sanitizer, Provon®, a comprehensive line of healthcare products, and a complete line of soaps and hand cleaners for washrooms, showers, and heavier duty applications.
Goodyear	Founded in Akron in 1898, Goodyear originally manufactured horseshoe pads, bicycle and carriage tires, fire hose, sealing rings for canning, and rubber poker chips. By 1916, Goodyear became known as the world’s largest tire company, and by 1926 became the world’s largest rubber company. Today, Goodyear has more than 70,000 associates worldwide, and sales exceeding $18 billion a year.
Lubrizol	With headquarters in Wickliffe, Lubrizol is an innovative specialty chemical company that specializes in producing a variety of technologies including lubricant additives for engine oils, industrial lubricants, fuel additives for gasoline, and ingredients and additives for personal care products and pharmaceuticals. Founded in 1928, Lubrizol owns and operates manufacturing facilities in 20 countries and has approximately 6,800 employees worldwide.
Owens Corning	With its world headquarters in Toledo, Owens Corning has continued to grow as a market-leading innovator of glass fiber technology. Founded in 1938, Owens Corning operates in 26 countries and has been a Fortune 500 mainstay for more than 50 years.
Parker Hannifin	The Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer of motion and control technologies, providing solutions for a wide variety of commercial, mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. With 292 plants in 46 countries, Parker Hannifin’s annual revenue exceeds $12 billion.
Procter & Gamble Company	P&G was founded in Cincinnati in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. The company originally manufactured candles and soap, later expanding to produce dozens of household brands and hundreds of items. Known primarily as a soap producer in the 1930s, P&G sponsored a number of radio programs which became known as “soap operas.”
Sherwin Williams Company	Primarily known through its paint line, Sherwin Williams is one of the largest general building materials companies in the industry. Founded by Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams in 1866, their slogans “Ask How, Ask Now” and “Cover the Earth” are among the most recognizable in the world.
Smuckers	The J.M. Smucker’s Company was founded in Orrville in 1897 with the company’s namesake and founder selling apple butter out of a horse-drawn wagon. Today, Smucker’s is one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of fruit spreads, peanut butter, and shortening and oils, to name a few. The Smucker’s Company includes brands such as Smucker’s®, Jif®, Crisco®, Pillsbury®, and Hungry Jack®.
Timken	The Canton-based Timken Company has been designing and manufacturing tapered roller bearings and specialty steels for more than 100 years. With yearly sales of approximately $5 billion, today Timken operates in 27 countries with approximately 25,000 employees.
Restaurants
Bob Evans Farms, Inc.	Founded in Rio Grande, Ohio and settling its headquarters in Columbus, Bob Evans Farms, Inc. is a billion-dollar food service, processing and retail company with almost 600 locations throughout the country. The primary theme for the company remains “country living” and was family-owned until 2000.
Donatos	In 1963, Jim Grote, a sophomore at The Ohio State University, purchased a small pizzeria on the south side of Columbus for $1,300. Since then, Donatos has grown to nearly 200 restaurants in five states, and is one of the most popular and successful pizza chains in the region.
Max and Erma’s	Perhaps best known for their bathtub sundae bars or 18-topping garbage burger, Max & Erma’s started out in 1972 as a local restaurant and bar in the German Village area of Columbus. Now operating more than 100 locations in 11 states, Max & Erma’s continue to redefine the fun, casual dining experience.
Wendy’s International, Inc.	The first fast-food chain to offer a drive-through window, Wendy’s International was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio the first restaurant was opened in Columbus and now has more than 6,700 restaurants in the United States and other countries.
Retail
The Kroger Company	An American supermarket chain, The Kroger Company was founded in 1883 in Cincinnati and has since expanded to several states. Kroger manufactures a variety of general merchandise brands for bread, dairy, deli, drug, grocery and nutritional items.
Limited Brands	One of the largest retail companies in the country, Limited Brands began as a family business started by Leslie Wexner. Wexner opened the business in 1963 with $5,000 he borrowed from his aunt. Since then, this Columbus-based company has grown to be one of the largest employers in Ohio with a system of support companies ranging from logistics to design to real estate. Limited Brands also owns several other popular stores including Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret and White Barn Candle Company.
Macy’s, Inc./Federated Department Stores	Formerly known as Federated Department Stores, Macy’s, Inc. is the largest department store retailer in the country, operating more than 850 Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Macy’s, Inc. is headquartered in Cincinnati, and employs a diverse workforce of nearly 190,000 nationwide.
Utility
American Electric Power	One of the largest electricity generating utilities in the United States, AEP was founded in 1906 and calls Columbus its home. The company serves parts of 11 states.
FirstEnergy	FirstEnergy Corp., headquartered in Akron, Ohio is the nation’s fifth largest investor-owned electric system, based on 4.5 million customers served within a 36,100 square-mile area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

More information: The Ohio Department of Development: www.odod.state.oh.us