Portsmouth Featured on OhioX Virtual Tech Tour

OhioX, a new non-profit organization dedicated to technology and innovation in Ohio, is in the midst of hosting a statewide virtual "Tech Tour" to examine and promote vibrant technology and innovation systems in eleven cities across the Buckeye State. These include Cleveland, Youngstown, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Akron/Canton, Toledo, Ashland, Dublin, and Portsmouth.

Just last week, OhioX featured the City of Portsmouth and sat down with three local individuals who are working to bring innovation to Southern Ohio, including Paul Yost (Yost Labs), Jason Vititoe (Purecycle Technologies), and KIH Director David Kilroy.

A number of important topics were covered in the virtual event, such as the impact of COVID-19, remote work, workforce development, rural innovation, and Shawnee State University's top-ranked game design program.

"I started my first business in Portsmouth in 1999," said Paul Yost, who has also worked as an adjunct faculty member at SSU. "It has been a great benefit to have so many connections to the University and to have them so close by. SSU's degree programs draw good talent... I know the curriculum. I know the students are getting really good foundations in computer science, but they are also getting real world tools. A lot of my full time employees have come through Shawnee State University, and that's really helped Yost Labs."

Yost envisions more tech startups in the area and more remote work opportunities for students in the coming years.

"Having high tech businesses gives students the option to stay here in Southern Ohio," said Yost. "It's really a win-win situation. I would love to see more of that and I think it's something the Kricker Innovation Hub can help facilitate. We could grow into our own little silicone river valley and avoid students having to move out of the area."

"There are students who graduate from Shawnee State that really want to stay in Southern Ohio," echoed David Kilroy. "All of a sudden, that's much easier to do thanks to remote work. Looking forward, it's our job to take this talented group of students, especially those interested in gaming and entrepreneurship, and show them you can do all sorts of innovative things locally."

Shawnee State University also has a cutting edge plastics engineering program. Jason Vititoe, Director of the plastics recycling startup Purecycle Technologies, said Southeast Ohio could be rebranded for a new future in industry.

"Shawnee is a great partner. With their help, we can start to bring industry back into this area. Southern Ohio used to be called the steel belt. Then, we became known as the rust belt. Well, let's change that again and become the 'Plastic Belt'."

All three speakers agreed that the future looks bright in Southern Ohio. To watch the virtual event, click here.