Posted: 5:37 p.m.Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016

Could Middletownwin a new corporate headquarters?

By Chelsey Levingston

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — 

Afterbeating other sites to win construction of AK Steel’s new$36 million Research and Innovation Center, as well as securinginvestment of an approximately $645 millionnatural gas-fired power plant under construction now by NTE Energy,city and business leaders are saying why not?

Whycan’t Middletowntry to win back the business that got away — AK Steel’s headquarters?

It’sa hard-to-forget turn-of-events in the city’s over 100-year relationship withthe Fortune 500 steelmaker and its predecessor company American Rolling MillCo., founded in Middletownmore than a century ago.

“Peopleare still upset about the fact that they left town,” said Steve Bohannon, anewly-elected city councilman, owner of Bohannon Roofing Co. Inc., and chairmanof Middletown Real Estate Investors Group.

Onthe campaign trail last fall, Bohannon vowed to do what he could to bring AKSteel’s headquarters back to Middletown.The new politician can share his ideas with city staff and show the city caresabout business by being responsive to requests, he said.

In2007, AK Steel announced plans to move its headquarters from the historic site on Curtis Street to a newly-built facility severalexits south in growing West Chester Twp. About 300 employees made the move, according to the company’srelease at the time.

Sincethen, AK Steel has not quite reached, but is approaching 10 years since itleased the West Chester space.

Thecompany has not made any announcements regarding a headquarters relocation normade any related discussions publicly.

“Wecontinue progress on construction of our AK Steel Research and Innovation Centerin Middletown, however there are no plans tomove our headquarters to Middletown,”said AK Steel spokeswoman Lisa Jester in an email.

Middletown is still home to AKSteel’s largest steel plant, and AK Steel is still the city’s largest employerof about 2,100 hourly and salary workers at the steel plant and the existingresearch center. However, Bohannon wants to see the high-paying office jobscome back.

“Idon’t know if AK would even want to be interested in coming back to Middletown,” Bohannon saidthis week, acknowledging that during his campaign he didn’t know all thereasons the headquarters left in the first place.

Thepoint of bringing it up now, Bohannon says, is Middletown needs to attract more corporateoffice jobs from either AK Steel or another company or companies.

“Weneed a corporation of a large magnitude with large salaries to come to thistown to put us back on the map in an economic standpoint,” he said.

Here are the reasons AK Steelgave for moving in 2007 in a release: state-of-the-art technology, moreconvenient face-to-face interaction with customers, suppliers and otherconstituents; and attraction and retention of top professionals “who desireproximity to the abundant amenities and services available in the West Chesterand northern Cincinnatiarea.”

Thecity would like to win back AK Steel’s headquarters, but there’s not anycontemplation of it that Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. said he’s aware of. But heagrees with Bohannon that winning any headquarters or major corporateback-office or support-office would be a boost to the city.

“AKwas a wake-up call… to make sure we’re paying attention to all companies largeand small,” Mulligan said.

SinceAK Steel announced intentions to move its headquarters, Middletown has stepped up its game to be morecompetitive, Mulligan said. For example, the city is now conductingretention visits of existing businesses with The Chamber of Commerce ServingMiddletown, Monroe and Trenton. Also,the city acquired about 18 acres of land east of the interchange with Ohio 122 to help attractmore development, he said.

“Wejust need to make sure we’re staying close to the business community on allfronts,” Mulligan said. “When AK was ready to consider doing the researchfacility, we were ready to move on it.”

TheAK Steel headquarters office building located on Centre Pointe Drive is owned by theMassachusetts-based real estate investment trust Franklin Street PropertiesCorp., according to property records, and the trust’s website, ir.franklinstreetproperties.com.

“West Chester is a partner in the region’s economicdevelopment ventures,” said township Administrator Judi Boyko in a writtenstatement. “West Chester openly competes formarket projects, but does not poach projects or companies. Rather, West Chester focuses on enhancing those amenities andattributes which attracted quality residents and corporate citizens in thefirst place; and focuses attraction efforts on ‘new to market’ investors andcompanies actively seeking alternatives to their current locations.”

“AKSteel is a valued stakeholder and the premier Fortune 500 corporate citizen in West Chester,” Boyko said. “AK Steel identified WestChester’s amenities and accessibility as valuable to their operations and West Chester continues to invest in these attributes not justfor the benefit of AK Steel, but for all our corporate neighbors andresidents.”

THREE WAYS THIS MATTERS TO YOU

1. TOP EMPLOYER. AK Steel is still Middletown’slargest employer with about 2,100 workers in the city, according to thecompany. That’s followed by Atrium Medical Center,which has approximately 1,500 workers, according to the hospital. AK Steelannounced in 2015 plans to build a new $36 million Research and InnovationCenter in Middletown and started construction on the project that has been seenas a positive development in the city’s and steelmaker’s relationship.

2. MORE JOBS WANTED. The whole city has seen employment grow to an estimated19,800 working residents in November, which grew 7.6 percent from a low of18,400 employed residents at the beginning of 2013, according to OhioDepartment of Job and Family Services.

However,employment is still 18.5 percent shy of the 24,300 working residents on averagein 2005 before the national recession — and the lockout of union workers atMiddletown Works — started, according to the state estimates.

3. NEW FACES. The new year brings new faces on Middletown City Councilsuch as Steve Bohannon and Talbott Moon. Meanwhile, Middletown is interviewing candidates for anew economic development director. New council members and a new developmentdirector could lead to new strategies for business recruitment.

Also, AK Steel is under newleadership of Chief Executive Officer Roger Newport.