Lorain Councilwoman Mary Springowski, a former autoworker, court clerk, and project site secretary during the construction of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport’s Concourse C, does not fit the mold of the expensively shod investment rainmakers found on either coast. But Springowski has proven to be a versatile, fearless, and skilled rainmaker right here on the North Coast.
The results, as outlined recently by cleveland.com’s Hannah Drown, have been truly transformative for the state and region — initially laying the groundwork for Intel’s multibillion-dollar play in central Ohio when Springowski boldly emailed then-Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (via an email address she’d purchased online) with her detailed pitch and a video presentation for why chip plants in water-rich Northeast Ohio made sense.
“It was a moonshot,” Springowski told Drown. “But I had nothing to lose.”
And Gelsinger, Intel’s former CEO, was interested. However, Intel’s local land requirements exceeded Lorain’s capacity — “a 1,000- to 1,500-acre shovel-ready site with a single owner — and they needed it within days,” Drown reported.
“It was just unfortunate,” Springowski told Drown. “Getting that kind of acreage configured properly and ready in three days is a tall order.” I believe we could have met their needs, but not within that timeframe.”
Instead, Springowski ensured that Gelsinger was connected to Team NEO, JobsOhio’s regional economic development partner, and that Team NEO knew who in Columbus might have that land to deliver.
Today, construction work continues on the $28 billion Intel chip plant campus in New Albany, near Columbus, though timetables have been significantly pushed back, with the first plant not expected to open until 2030 or 2031, Intel says.
Despite the fact that Northeast Ohio lost out on the Intel chip play, Springowski rolled up her sleeves, determined not to miss the next development opportunity by addressing the land issue in our region, according to Drown. And she’s now a key member of Team NEO’s concerted local effort to be ready the next time, which includes the creation of a 1,000-acre shovel-ready mega site near the Lorain County Regional Airport.
“Backed by recently announced $67.4 million in support from Ohio’s All Ohio Future Fund, the project can now focus on upgrading critical infrastructure around the site that has limited business development potential,” Drown says. “Plans include an extended runway and industrial-scale water and sewer capacity – potentially with the addition of a new wastewater treatment facility.”
Christine Nelson, Team NEO’s vice president of project management and site strategies, told Drown that the site meets all of the high points of major development. It “offers proximity to the workforce, existing infrastructure, and public transportation.” It is strategically located in the triangle formed by Oberlin, Elyria, and Lorain, with access to major population centers in Cuyahoga and Medina counties within a 45-minute drive.”
That’s all very promising. But at the heart of these efforts is a determined, energetic, and resourceful Lorain city councilwoman whose fearlessness in aiming for the moon continues to pay off, both regionally and for the state.
