The Crawford Partnership for Education and Economic Development and Galion Port Authority announced on July 17 that the first U.S. 30 Expansion Expo event will be held on July 26 at the new industrial spec building at 1376 Brandt Road in the Galion Industrial Park. The half-day informational and community event will feature realtor education, development presentations, and an official ribbon cutting and media event at 3:30 p.m. that will be open to the public.
The first portion of the event is open to developers, realtors, and other economic development stakeholders. It features a catered lunch at noon, a realtor education session at 1 p.m., and a series of brief development presentations at 2 p.m. on available buildings, the local and regional real estate market, workforce development, the community, and incentives. Attendees can register for this part of the event at us30expo.com. Realtors must provide their license number when preregistering.
At 3:30 p.m., the second part of the event will commence with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the completion of the new 50,000-square-foot speculative industrial building currently available for lease. This achievement represents the culmination of several years of diligent efforts since the announcement in 2020 regarding the demolition of the previous PECO II/GE facility. JBS Development, a subsidiary of the esteemed local construction firm J&F Construction, successfully carried out the demolition, cleared the site, and meticulously constructed the new building, which now stands proudly as a testament to their hard work. Refreshments will be served afterward.
Galion Mayor Tom O’Leary expressed his satisfaction with the announcement, saying, “New industrial development is key to Galion’s future, and proactively marketing the opportunities here is an important step to securing that future.”
Mark Rantala, the Galion Port Authority director, shared his excitement about the event, stating, “The U.S. 30 Expansion Expo is a valuable opportunity for developers and realtors to explore Galion’s industrial opportunities and showcase its potential. It provides an opportunity to see immediately available speculative buildings in Galion.”
David Zak, the president and CEO of the Crawford Partnership, emphasized the importance of launching the event while managing expectations for the first year. He said, “Launching the U.S. 30 Expansion Expo is a significant milestone for us, and we have modest expectations for its inaugural year. We hope this event becomes an annual tradition, driving economic growth for all of Crawford County and the U.S. 30 corridor. We are grateful for the strong partnership with Galion Port Authority, the City of Galion, Regional Growth Partnership, Frost, Brown, and Todd, J&F Construction, and many other partners whose contributions have been invaluable.”
Submitted by the Crawford Partnership for Education and Economic Development.
