Ohio Task Force Begins Mission of Creating a New 21st Centur...(Council; WayneEarley executive director ...)

The task force was created through H.B. 233, signed by Gov. Ted Strickland in November of 2007.

Its mission is to evaluate the current status of Ohio's agriculture and advanced materials industries and expand opportunities by increasing alignment between the two industries.

Ohio has historical strengths in transforming its agriculture products such as corn into state-of-the-art resins and plastics often used in medical and manufacturing applications.

Ohio's unique strength in this cross-collaboration among industries is described by the color model established by European bioscience leaders. Capitalizing on the state's strength in the Red (health), Green (agriculture) and White (industrial) industry sectors stimulates innovation, promotes cross- collaboration and provides unexpected, cost-effective solutions to scientific challenges. It is a business climate benefit many Ohio based companies are capitalizing on to become even more competitive in the global economy.

"The Task Force can only strengthen existing synergies in polymer industry uses of agricultural products, and will help define a path to streamline future collaboration converting crops from Ohio fields into brand-new commodities produced in Ohio factories," said Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who also serves as the director of the Ohio Department of Development.

Innovation in the polymer industry is driven by the state's Third Frontier program, a $1.6 billion initiative to help catalyze connections between companies and academia to support the development process. This sharing of knowledge often results in unexpected solutions with commercial application.

"Business leaders are realizing how, in Ohio, they're able to find a perfect balance between successfully growing a
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