Development agency woos international community

4/20/2012

The Regional Growth Partnership is reaching out to international business partners and helping local agencies coordinate grant requests as part of the organization's outlook, according to its leader.

Dean Monske, RGP president and chief executive officer, said he and his staff are working to make northwest Ohio's business assets a known quantity within the international business community.

"This isn't all about Ohio," he told a group of about 50 people at the Toledo Area Small Business Association's luncheon Thursday at the Hilton Toledo on Glendale Avenue. "We are doing a lot of things on the international level."

Those things include taking executives from foreign businesses around the area to showcase opportunities for growth, Mr. Monske said. "It's just a complete and constant stream of CEOs and companies," he said.

The RGP is a privately funded economic development company. Its mission is to create job growth and stimulate business development in Northwest Ohio.

In order to maximize the potential for grant funding, the RGP has created a grant coordinator position, Mr. Monske said. The coordinator's job is to ensure there's no overlap among grant applications in the region.

"So many organizations are involved in grants," he said.

The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, parent organization of the small business association, brought Mr. Monske in because he could update its members on the progress the RGP has made, said Christine Bailey, a spokesman for the chamber.

"Our business members are interested in seeing the best for the region," she said.

Contact Kris Turner at: kturner@theblade.com or 419-724-6103.