Harry C. Blanton blanton@hcdc.com Harry Blanton is the Manager of the Hamilton County Economic Development Office (EDO). In his role as Manager, Mr. Blanton supervises the staff and directs the programs of the Office. EDO was created by the Hamilton County Commissioners to provide economic development services to the communities and businesses of Hamilton County. Under the umbrella of its parent organization, Hamilton County Development Co., Inc., the Office contracts with the County to provide these economic development services. Services include the administration of tax incentives and financing, business retention and expansion efforts, site location assistance, and support for land assembly and development. Mr. Blanton has been involved with a number of community development projects: He was Hamilton County's representative on the committee that established the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Port Authority. He has represented Hamilton County on the Downtown Special Improvement District Committee in the City of Cincinnati. Mr. Blanton implemented the Urban Land Assistance Program in Hamilton County. The Urban Land Assistance Program is an effort to catalyze the redevelopment of vacant and underutilized sites in targeted inner-ring communities. These sites include brownfields and abandoned buildings that detract from the quality of life and often drain economic opportunity out of distressed areas. The ULAP program is on going and has generated great interest and support behind a number of projects that are under way in communities like Fairfax, Lincoln Heights, Lockland, Norwood & St. Bernard. Under Blanton's direction, the Economic Development Office has assisted communities with Economic Development and Business District revitalization efforts. Past and current projects include Springfield Pike in Woodlawn; Delhi Pike in Delhi Twp.; Vine Street in St. Bernard; Chester Road and Main Street in Sharonville; Wooster Pike in Fairfax; Winton Road in Springfield Twp.; Mangham Drive in Lincoln Heights and Reading Road in Cincinnati, the City of Reading, and Sycamore Twp. He served as the Project Coordinator for the expansion of the Hamilton County Business Center. This project included oversight of environmental remediation, partial demolition, and renovation of the business incubator complex. Blanton administered a $775,000 grant from the Economic Development Administration as part of his duties. Mr. Blanton has been with the Economic Development Office for 11 years. He received a Master of Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati, holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and is a graduate of St. Xavier High School. He is certified by the National Development Council as an Economic Development Finance Professional and is a member of the International Economic Development Council. Mr. Blanton volunteers as a mentor through the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and ia a member of the Mentor Board. He has been a volunteer on the Cincinnati Hispanic Festival Committee and has been a member of the Business Advisory Council for Princeton Schools.

Daniel J. Ferguson dferguson@hcdc.com Daniel J. Ferguson is an Economic Development Specialist with HCDC, Economic Development Office (HCEDO). Mr. Ferguson provides demographic and mapping assistance to the community contracts throughout Hamilton County. He utilizes the Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System (CAGIS), Claritas and Census data, to enhance understanding of the physical, social, and economic environment. Previous studies include: Urban Blight Study (Golf Manor) Office Marketing Study (Sharonville) Restaurant Marketing Study (Sharonville) Property Research (Numerous businesses) Community Center Demographics Study (Woodlawn) Labor Force Study (Lockland, I-71 Corridor) Rail Feasibility Study (Cleves) To aid in the attraction, retention, and expansion of businesses in Hamilton County, Mr. Ferguson administers Sitetracker. This database tracks available office and industrial buildings and sites by working with area realtors, local governments, and HCEDO staff. The database continues to evolve to provide comprehensive and accurate information. In an effort to redevelop the urban core of Hamilton County, Mr. Ferguson spends a significant portion of his time working on the Urban Land Assembly Program (ULAP). His responsibilities include grant writing, presentations, and program planning. Currently he is working with the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission, and 14 local municipalities to identify redevelopment sites. This will result in two reports, which will assist municipalities in revitalization. Within the office, Mr. Ferguson serves as technology troubleshooter. This involves things such as network administration, software support, and desktop publishing and graphics. He strives to find better, smarter, and easier solutions to allow everyday operations of the office to run smoother. Mr. Ferguson has 5+ years experience in the public and private planning sector in dealing with community planning, campus planning, environmental planning and GIS. He holds a Bachelor of Planning degree from the University of Cincinnati.

Drew Barnhorst abarnhorst@hcdc.com Drew Barnhorst is a Tax Incentive Processor with HCDC. Drew works in the Economic Development Office, focusing on tax incentives related to Enterprise Zones and Community Reinvestment Areas that are utilized not only to attract and retain businesses in Hamilton County, but also to encourage them to invest more in their current facilities. Before joining HCDC, Drew most recently served as an Account Representative for Fifth Third Processing Solutions, where he received extensive accolades for his work managing national sales campaigns. He also brings a number of years experience in Accounting/Bookkeeping experience from Aero-Blast of Sharonville, a manufacturer of industrial abrasives. Drew received his BA from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, and his MBA from Xavier University.

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