Executives Reflect on Working and Living in Ohio in National Ad Campaign

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As children, we have all sorts of dreams. We dream of what we'll become, the families we'll raise and the successes we'll find along the way. As we get older dreams give way to reality---and suddenly we find ourselves making compromises just to stay afloat.

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Rick Griffith, president of McGinnis Inc., Joe Hamrock, president and COO of AEP Ohio, and Jaime Sisto, president and COO of Value Recovery Group, are living their dreams for their career and life in Ohio, with no compromises. They believe Ohio truly is the State of Perfect Balance – where world-class companies and those who aspire to be don't have to sacrifice professional or personal satisfaction in pursuit of their ambitions.

Griffith, Hamrock and Sisto are the latest executives featured in an ongoing national advertising campaign sponsored by AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power and one of Ohio's largest utilities, and the Ohio Business Development Coalition, the nonprofit organization that markets the state for capital investment.

"The State of Perfect Balance" advertising campaign features executive stories that bring to life the Ohio promise of perfect work-life balance for The Wall Street Journal. Online ads featuring the outstanding business success and personal achievements these executives have found in Ohio will appear on WSJ.com through March 15, 2011.

Griffith says Ohio's short commutes allow him to spend more time with family, while its location on the Ohio River provide McGinnis Inc. with everything it needs to thrive. Hamrock has managed to find time for both work and play as he successfully juggles his role as a corporate leader, musician and family man. And, Sisto believes Ohio has allowed his company to grow nationally and internationally by attracting a hard-working and skilled workforce that is necessary to stay competitive in this global economy.

Many believe you can't have a successful career without sacrificing your personal life. Griffith, Hamrock and Sisto have proved this wrong and have found their perfect balance in Ohio.

"Most of the benefits of working here and living locally goes back to the family," Griffith said. "You get to spend more time with them because you have less time out on the road. I get home early enough in the evenings to spend time with family."

Because the population is distributed throughout the state, commutes to work are shorter and less intense than in most major U.S. cities, leaving ample time for achieving personal aspirations.

"Not many of us compartmentalize family into weekends and work into weekdays anymore. We're all trying to fit it into 24 hours, and Ohio is the place to find that balance," said Hamrock. Ohio is the perfect fit for Hamrock and his family, combining excellent schools, limitless opportunities for family time and safe and beautiful neighborhoods to call home.

On the personal side, Griffith added, he sleeps well at night knowing his grandchildren are growing up in communities with small-town values.  

For Sisto, Ohio provides access to life. "I live within a few minutes of where I work, shop and play, and most of my family surrounds me because they've found the right opportunities to keep them happy and successful here," he said. "And, those who live out of state, want to come back to Ohio!"

"One of the great things about living in Ohio is that I can leave work, stop off at one of my favorite markets for fresh local produce and be home cooking with my wife in less than an hour," continued Sisto. "What other metropolis can you do that in? To me, that's the meaning of the State of Perfect Balance."

Ohio's supportive business environment and access to an educated, talented workforce creates an ideal location for business growth and expansion.

"We can compete internationally because life in Ohio attracts very talented people—and keeps them here," added Sisto.

The state is an ideal combination of natural resources, energy infrastructure and a highly educated workforce, carrying forward AEP Ohio into a future of innovation and quality customer service. McGinnis and Value Recovery Group are supported by AEP Ohio, their preferred energy partner. AEP Ohio has a stake in the state's economic vitality, providing competitive and reliable electricity to thousands of businesses committed to Ohio as the prime location to grow and prosper.

"Top-level executives who have a true work-life balance will perform better at their jobs and the company will only achieve greater success," said Ed Burghard, executive director of the Ohio Business Development Coalition. "Ohio offers low-cost, low stress communities in a combination of micropolitan and metropolitan cities. This diversity provides executives the resources and time to make any ambition achievable. Ohio truly is the State of Perfect Balance."

The AEP Ohio campaign, along with the Ohio Business Development Coalition's previous ad campaigns can be viewed at http://www.ohiomeansbusiness.com/news/ads.php.

About the Ohio Business Development Coalition

The Ohio Business Development Coalition is a nonprofit organization that markets the state for capital investment. The OBDC provides marketing strategy and implementation to support Ohio's economic development efforts. For more information on business development or business relocation, visit www.ohiomeansbusiness.com.

For more information about American Electric Power, visit www.aep.com.

SOURCE Ohio Business Development Coalition

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