Columbus, Ohio’s tech job scene really took off in the early 2010s when the state made investments that made it easier for entrepreneurs to start a business. Fast-forward to today, companies of all sizes attract talent from across the country, thanks in part to Columbus’s low cost of living and young, skilled talent pool.
On this special episode of gotechbusiness.com Live, I spoke with three local leaders about who is hiring, how companies are retaining employees, and what the city’s job market will look like in the future. The panel included Erika Pryor, founder of EPiC Creative + Design, a marketing coaching and marketing curriculum design company, Alex “Fro” Frommeyer is CEO of digital native dental insurance company Beam Dental, and Ryan Landau, founder and CEO of Purpose Jobs, a company based in the Midwest that connects talent to companies.
The panelists emphasize that finding great technical talent is no longer something that can only be found on the coast, but here in Columbus. The ecosystem has also gathered around businesses and people to help them learn technical skills and find new opportunities. And as they mentioned, a unique aspect of the city is that larger, more established companies are creating innovation spaces and investing in helping employees create the next “great tech organization” in their industry.
Looking to the future, the panelists say it will be critical to bring out Columbus’ talent, tech ecosystem and available jobs. As more capital comes into space, the city’s ecosystem tends to redistribute more of it among women and people of color, and to equalize wealth across demographic groups, creating more companies that in turn create more jobs. They are also seeing external validation from companies like Facebook, Amazon and the news of nearby Intel construction facilities, which they believe will inspire other companies to establish headquarters, or perhaps a second headquarters, in the area.
