With the struggling economy weighing down on Ohioans the past few years, I think it has become common knowledge that it will take a lot to pull us out of this mess. The current General Assembly has strived to do what we can in this process as the year has progressed and we still have much more to do. But in truth, government can only assist in bringing jobs and economic recovery to our state.

What is often best for the growth of government is not best for the growth of business, which is why it is so necessary for government to often stand aside and let business leaders do what they do best - lead. What those of us in government can do, however, is ensure that Ohio is a great atmosphere for businesses to thrive. This effort has been shown in recent weeks, with companies deciding that our state is a great place to do business in this country.

For instance, Rep. Cliff Rosenberger, whose district was hard-hit when DHL decided to leave Wilmington a few years ago, has been fighting hard for job growth in his area of the state. The recent result of his efforts, along with the cooperation between public and private entities, is a new 100,000-square-foot airplane hangar at the Wilmington Air Park.

The company that will operate the hangar, Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, is expecting to create more than 250 jobs in the areas of maintenance and painting, including administrative and support positions. The annual payroll will be nearly $11.3 million. This is sure to help out a struggling region of the state. It is my hope that this company and others will also consider expansion in Ohio.

The construction in Wilmington will start sometime in the first quarter of 2012, but, by that time, another company will have also started its move into Ohio. It was recently announced that Omnicare, Inc., a pharmacy services provider, is moving its corporate headquarters to downtown Cincinnati from Kentucky.

Part of the reason Omnicare is able to come to Ohio is because we have offered more incentives to attract them. When it's all said and done, our state is a better place for them to do business than Kentucky, and this is something we should be proud of. As the company continues its work of dispensing pharmaceuticals to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, it is expected to create 340 new full-time jobs over the next three years.

Not only am I pleased that Omnicare will be in Ohio, but JobsOhio - our new job-creating entity fashioned in legislation earlier this year - was able to assist in the process. This shows the importance of what a state can do when it adapts to the needs of businesses and responds to them in a timely manner. It is through efforts like these that we are going to gradually bring Ohio back to the economic powerhouse that it once was.

Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, along with Omnicare Inc., are two of the most recent successes Ohio has seen, but there have been many others in just the last few months. More importantly, there are more businesses and jobs to come if we continue to think outside the box and shake up the status quo here in Ohio.