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Lorain County officials return from Las Vegas trade show, tout airport master plan progress and development leads
Summary
County leaders said their trade-show booth in Las Vegas generated dozens of development leads, highlighted interest in lakefront and non-aviation land, and reported the airport master-plan update is advancing with an expected completion later this year.
Lorain County commissioners and county administrators reported on a business-development trip to Las Vegas and on progress updating the Lorain County airport master plan during the May 23 meeting.
Commissioners and county staff said their 10-by-20 booth at a national trade show drew steady traffic and produced roughly 30–40 promising business leads. Commissioners credited the Lorain County Visitors Bureau and Port Authority for the display, and said the promotional materials—particularly a short county video created for the show—generated interest among developers, investors and Ohio-based companies.
Airport master plan update: County staff reported the master plan, prepared with consultant CMT, is moving forward. The county submitted a forecast to the FAA’s Airport District Office in Detroit and is responding to questions; staff said they expect the administrative steps for the non-aviation land release to be complete later in the year and anticipated resubmitting minor property-descriptive updates by June. The county also plans stakeholder meetings at the airport in June.
Economic-development outreach and next steps: Commissioners said they met developers interested in the county’s lakefront and non-aviation land and that one serious developer could potentially assist with runway-extension financing tied to non-aviation land redevelopment. Commissioners urged nearby municipalities to participate in VIA (public transit) contract discussions and to consider cost-sharing; staff reminded municipalities the county’s Via contract expires in July and that local commitments are needed to sustain the program.
Why it matters: County officials described the trade show as a successful marketing effort that raised Lorain County’s visibility to developers and investors, produced leads for site-development opportunities (including industrial and data-center interest), and advanced the airport planning and non-aviation-land release process that could support runway extensions and future taxable development.
Ending: County leaders said they will continue stakeholder outreach, host airport stakeholder meetings in June, and pursue follow-up with developers and municipalities on VIA funding and participation.
