Nelson Manufacturing Vice President Finds Perfect Balance in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's rapidly changing world, executives are finding it harder and harder to balance the time required for business success with finding the time to pursue their own dreams. But, some executives are refusing to accept the conventional wisdom that you can't have a successful professional and personal life without sacrificing one for the other. Tony Niese, vice president of Nelson Manufacturing Company, shared how he found his perfect work-life balance in Ohio in a national ad campaign for The Wall Street Journal.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20071107/CLW113LOGO )  

Niese is the latest business leader featured in "The State of Perfect Balance" ad campaign. The executives featured in the campaign are those whose stories bring to life the Ohio promise because they have achieved outstanding business success and are also achieving their personal aspirations. The Ohio Business Development Coalition, the nonprofit organization that markets the state for capital investment, and AEP Ohio sponsor the ongoing campaign.

Niese believes Ohio has provided him with the opportunity to grow his career, while having the time to raise his young family and volunteer in the community.

"I have the gift of time to both raise my kids the way they deserve and give my business what it needs," he said. "In Ohio, there's no delay in getting what I want. It's the perfect balance of work and life."

Creating a successful business is a time consuming job. For executives, the demands are such they often have to choose between business and life. But, for Niese, he's able to have both in Ohio.

Because the population is distributed throughout the state, commutes to work are shorter and less intense than in most major U.S. cities, leaving ample time for achieving personal aspirations. Combined with Ohio's supportive business environment and world-class industries, the state is the ideal location choice for success.

For Nelson Manufacturing, a manufacturer of high-tech hydraulic trailers, Ohio is the ideal location to meet its production needs. They are located within easy distance of suppliers for raw materials in northeast Ohio and hydraulics companies in northern Indiana to make their trailers move. Ohio is within a day's drive of 60 percent of the U.S. population and 50 percent of the Canadian population.

Niese takes pride working with employees with a tough work ethic and built-in manufacturing smarts as he himself grew up in Ohio and worked his way up the Nelson Manufacturing career ladder. His father also used to be the plant manager.

"Our mechanics have two-year degrees for welding and hydraulics, plus the vocational schools for high school students really prepare kids to get things done in the new economy," he said.

Ohio's higher education institutions graduate more potential employees than many states combined, in addition to a pool of skilled workers across nine key industries.

Nelson Manufacturing is supported by AEP Ohio, its preferred energy partner. AEP Ohio has a stake in the state's economic vitality, providing competitive and reliable electricity to thousands of businesses committed to Ohio as the prime location to grow and prosper.

With a young family to watch over, Niese is able to balance his time at work and home. He ran his parish's summer festival last year, a time-honored and cherished family outing for the entire community.

"Ohio is Americana at its finest," he said. "I get the satisfaction of doing work that makes a difference – I get to see my family at night and even make a difference in the community."

Ohio offers a work-life balance for executives, their employees and their families available nowhere else.

The ad campaign can be viewed at http://www.ohiomeansbusiness.com/news/ads.php.

About the Ohio Business Development Coalition

The Ohio Business Development Coalition is a nonprofit organization that provides marketing strategy and implementation to support Ohio's economic development efforts. For more information, visit www.ohiomeansbusiness.com.

For more information about American Electric Power, visit www.aep.com.

SOURCE Ohio Business Development Coalition