Hockenberry Hired to Grow, Retain Ohio County’s Population

It’s like she’s rehearsed for this job her entire life, and that’s why Stephanie Hockenberry is anxious to begin in her new position with the Ohio County Development Authority. 

Hockenberry, a lifelong resident of the area where she and her husband, Michael, are raising their daughter and son, was officially hired as the Growth and Retention Manager of the OCDA during last evening’s Ohio County Commission meeting. The position will be funded by the Commission, the City of Wheeling, and the OCDA, and it will be supported by several other organizations in the Wheeling area.

The job was advertised over the summer and interviews had been conducted since mid-September. Commissioner Zach Abraham introduced the idea two years ago after researching ways to add population in Ohio County, and Hockenberry will work on a plethora of aspects that define the current status of population, the annual average commerce, and the projections for the future.

“We are excited to have Stephanie join our team, and we’re also excited to see what this position generates as far as information and progress,” Abraham said. “We believe Stephanie is perfect for this position because of her enthusiasm and the fact she knows this area as well as anyone.

“Her primary duties will be to develop, coordinate, and manage the strategies and activities of her position, but Stephanie also will be communicating with a lot of folks from outside the area so we can examine what we need to do here to make our area and our county as attractive as possible,” the Commissioner explained. “We know we love where we live, but now it’s time to tell people why.”

Hockenberry is excited to begin on Monday.

“I’ve lived here my whole life. I was born, raised here, and I’ve never left, and I am raising my family here, as well,” she explained. “The past few years I’ve witnessed so much revitalization all over Ohio County, and that should tell everyone that while this is a great place to live and raise a family, we are always working as a community to make our home a better place for everyone.

“To me, Ohio County is a ‘Hallmark’ kind of place because of all of the amenities we have here,” she said. “The Highlands is a wonderful place for all of the needs of the people in the county, and it’s also proven to be a great place for employment. And the city of Wheeling has so much, and our park systems are better than most communities can imagine. Think about it – how many communities have something as wonderful as Oglebay, and its own symphony orchestra, the interstates, and proximity to larger cities like Pittsburgh and Columbus?”

Since the ‘40s

There were 73,115 people living in Ohio County a little more than 80 years ago, and the majority of the men worked in factories, steel mills, and glass plants during a time when manufacturing was centered in the eastern portion of the United States.

As the west was developed, the population began to move, and so did the bulk of living-wage employment opportunities. The mystery how to add population since has haunted the Wheeling area for several decades, especially since the 1990s when a double-digit percentage of people departed for opportunity elsewhere. Communities throughout the Upper Ohio Valley since have been forced to fund thousands of demolitions because the big decline caused public safety issues.

Hockenberry, however, believes today’s positives outweigh the negatives. Today’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is approximately 42,000 and the rate of decrease has slowed to less than 2 percent.

“We’re going to be sharing the employment opportunities, we’re going to be sharing our housing opportunities, and we’re going to be sharing all of the facts about the growth that is currently taking place that will enable future growth,” she said. “There is so much information that we’ll be sharing with potential developers and potential residents so they will know what it is we have to offer right off of Interstate 70.

“Plus, Ohio County is a terrific place to live if you are someone who has the ability to work remotely because of the low taxes and cost of living,” Hockenberry said. “If you take a look at the states that border us, their property taxes are higher and that’s something that matters to people looking to purchase their new homes.”

She realizes the challenge will be tremendous each day she reports, but Hockenberry knows why she and her family have chosen to remain home, too. 

“We decided to stay here for several reasons,” she said. “One, it’s a very safe place to live and raise a family. Two, just look at everything we have here in the county. And three, we have great schools in this area. Those are aspects about where we live that I can’t wait to share with as many people as possible.

 “The best part about this position is that I’ll be telling people about the place I love to live,” the manager insisted. “That’s a story I could tell all day, every day, and I’m really looking forward to getting started next week.”

Position Description

The Ohio County Development Authority advertised the position with this description:

This role will primarily focus on solutions to sustain the current county population and businesses in addition to fostering new population (remote workers and others) and small business growth throughout Ohio County, WV.  This position will work in collaboration with many partnering organizations throughout the county and with state and federal delegation representatives and agencies to help activate/engage many segments of the local community, such as, but not limited to, housing/real estate development, entrepreneurship/business, healthcare, education, transportation, community non-profits, infrastructure, entertainment/life style, park system, arts/culture, religious, public safety, and many others in the Wheeling/Ohio County area.

Ohio County and the greater Wheeling area is an ideal place to raise a family in a safe and friendly area with wonderful quality of life activities and opportunities.  We are not only the Friendly City, but we are the Friendly Area.  We recognize our historical background/culture, natural beauty, and many other wonderful amenities and assets and believe Ohio County/Wheeling is the perfect place for individuals and families to Live, Work, and Play. 

This position will report to and accept direction on developed strategies from the Chairperson of the G&R Team Committee, the G&R Committee, and the County Administrator as applicable.

Position Requirements:

• Must have a strong lifelong connection to Ohio County/Wheeling area.
• Must have a bachelors’ degree in business, government/community affairs, or related field.
• Must have at least 7 years of experience with managing or supporting economic growth and development projects.
• Must be able to drive results through effective relationship building and project management
• Must have experiences with data and research procurement and analysis  
• Previous experience in business and economic development experience a plus.
• Must be able network with many different communities and groups effectively.
• Previous experience with government representatives/agencies at local, WV state, and federal levels of government preferred
• Must be able to tell the Ohio County/Wheeling story well and have great verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be politically savvy.
• Must be a high-end user of Microsoft office and other related technologies/systems.

Primary Responsibilities:

•  Develop a plan to achieve the goals/objectives and capture the vision of the Growth and Retention Committee
• Set SMART goals for attracting population to Wheeling-Ohio County areas (and broader areas in the future).
• Monitor population increase or decrease and report to the Committee/Team and set strategies/tactics/programs to support the continuous increase in population, while helping to support the retention of population through other community groups, committee members and their teams.
• Identify gaps in work being done already by members of the Team and encourage collaboration and partnerships towards the growth and retention goals, using in kind resources effectively and efficiently.  
• When appropriate, work with developers/investors to help them navigate processes to be successful in the County and collaborate with the City to direct to the appropriate organizations for further follow up and direction
• Identify strategies to improve real estate opportunities for both businesses and individuals; collaborate with local realtors; identify specific housing needs (for example, the need for homes in the $150,000-$300,000 range; is there a need for high-end rentals, etc.)
• Develop on-going communication with the G&R Committee and identified stakeholder groups (healthcare, education, entertainment, business (by industries), marketing, banking, government, non-profits, hospitality, real-estate, law makers, other state or federal agencies, creative/arts communities, etc.) and meet with them regularly to better inform marketing strategies, collect data, and filling in any gaps with support from other organizations or their designated representatives.  Form new groups as needed or directed.
• Identify and report back on infrastructure and broadband needs for business and population growth
• Identify and execute collaborative marketing strategies to reach established goals and utilize available resources appropriately.
• Research funding for the future of the position and program; write or outsource appropriate grants for any of the above as well as for the growth/retention team itself
• Explore opportunities to attract, build, and grow a community of entrepreneurs with other community and G&R partners.
• Explore opportunities to develop a tech industry community in Wheeling/Ohio County in collaboration with other partners and community groups
• Explore opportunities to grow a cultural district/region utilizing existing resources such as Oglebay Institute, the Capitol Theatre, and other arts organizations and venues.
• Work on a plan and collaborate to help attract major investors with other economic and development organizations
• Identify quality of life issues that need to be addressed, based upon facts and statistics, and report back to the Committee on next steps and develop a plan with community groups to help achieve.
• Work with members of the Committee or their designees to maintain and update data and statistics relevant to the region in regard to housing, cost of living, healthcare, education, infrastructure, etc., that would be measurable and could be shared with potential developers and/or anyone interested in relocating to the area.
• Hep create tools and data dashboards for reporting key details about the progress
• Coordinate an overarching marketing strategy session and follow up with Committee partner representatives and within the marketing industry within Ohio County/Wheeling.  Help to support and coordinate the execution of marketing initiatives.
• Create a plan of networking and other opportunities/events with Committee members or their representatives for new business and investors, and visitor opportunities.
• Must be able to perform any administrative and operational functions as needed. 
• Perform other duties as assigned or directed by the Chair of the Committee and/or the OCDA Administrator.