Photo by RossGallabrese Taylor Abbott, director of the Ohio River Commission, left, and Sarah Wickham and Ben LaGrasso of the Ohio Department of Development listen to a presentation during Wednesday's meeting of the commission at Historic Fort Steuben.

STEUBENVILLE — Bringing communities along the Ohio River together to tap into the development potential of the waterway is a key objective of the Ohio River Commission.

“It’s about collaboration and getting everyone together to understand that the Ohio River Commission is here, and we’re focused on economic and workforce development,” Executive Director Taylor Abbott said after the commission met Wednesday afternoon at Historic Fort Steuben. “The only way we are going to do that is if we collaborate and start talking about what it is that the communities need.”

The commission, which operates under the Ohio Department of Development, was formed in January 2025. Abbott has served in the post for a little more than three months after being appointed Jan. 8.

The commission is designed to showcase the importance of the Ohio River to the state’s economy and to advance economic development, workforce development, tourism and recreation along the 451 miles the river touches in Ohio.

“As a state, we have more than 70 ports along the Ohio River, and we want to develop them even further,” Abbott said. “With the energy we have along the Ohio River, we are here. We’ve got all of the ingredients — now we just need to start putting it together. That’s what this commission is all about.”

The meeting covered a wide range of topics, from discussion about Ohio Opportunity Zones 2.0 to U.S. foreign trade zones and the commission’s grant program. The discussions are important because the Ohio River moves more commerce and goods than the Great Lakes region, Robert Naylor, executive director of the Jefferson County Port Authority and a commission member, said.

The commission, Abbott said during the meeting, will look to educate regional partners and local governments about opportunity zones and assist them with surveys that must be submitted to the state.

“We are here to help every community along the Ohio River, whether they are small or large,” Abbott said afterward. “It goes back to opportunity zones. Steubenville has a lot of capacity here when you look at the number of professionals and the local government here. But when you get to some of those smaller villages along the river, there might be a mayor who’s wearing 15 hats. We need to help get those surveys completed because they need that opportunity zone as much as anyone else.”

Naylor discussed foreign trade zones, which he explained are designated sites near a point of entry in a secure area. The zones, he said, are intended for tariff elimination or to reduce customs duties on imported items.

Abbott explained the commission has about $300,000 available for grants. The money could help with unfunded projects, serve as part of a required local match or support workforce development projects.

Later this spring, Abbott said, the commission plans to hold an Ohio River summit that will bring together representatives from the 14 Ohio River counties. He said that type of collaboration is critical for the region’s continued growth.

“What I have seen, having lived along the Ohio River and having grown up along it and knowing the inner workings of it, is that a lot of times we don’t have a unified voice,” Abbott said.

“In our view, if we can bring together these 14 counties and our industrial partners, our tow boat industry, our local governments and our elected officials, we can highlight what we have going for us and start planning and looking ahead to the future and showcase what it is that we want as a commission and as a state and what we can offer in our counties and in our communities along the river.”

Scheduled for June 10-11 in Cincinnati, the summit will include a commission meeting and networking cruise June 10 and a day of roundtable discussions June 11.

“We’re looking forward to showcasing and bringing together a unified voice along the Ohio River, because with 14 counties, if you have each individual county fighting for one thing, it’s hard to get, but when you take 14 counties that add up to about 1 million to 1.2 million people, it’s hard to ignore that,” Abbott said.

The federal government, Abbott said, is shifting from viewing the Ohio River as a regional asset to viewing it as a strategic asset.

“That means a great deal to this state — we have more mileage along the river than just about any other state,” Abbott added.

Mike Paprocki, executive director of the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission, said working together will be key.

“I think the commission has a good deal of momentum,” he said. “They hired a great executive director — he’s young, he’s energetic and he knows what the river is about. There are a lot of issues, but when we go and speak, we have to speak in one voice. We have to let the commission speak for us, the river communities. That’s what the intent is, and the state Legislature needs to understand that.”

Ralph Petrella and City Manager Mike Johnson said they were encouraged by Wednesday’s meeting.

“Jefferson County and Steubenville are being noticed by the state, and that’s a good thing,” Petrella said. “It’s a really big deal for us to host this. We’re really excited to have key players in the state here to show off our city. It shows the state’s commitment to developing the river. I think riverfront development is really vital for us, and it’s really exciting to hear the state put so much emphasis on the river.”

Johnson agreed.

“The river offers great opportunities, and we have to take advantage of them. Not only for tourism, but for economic development,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with the commission to bring all of that to fruition.”

For Naylor, collaboration and planning for the future are critical for the region.

“You can now see some of that momentum building,” he said after the meeting. “As Abbott said, it’s shifting from a regional approach to a strategic approach, and we need to take advantage of some of the funding opportunities to build up the Ohio River, not only in the short term and the midterm, but in the long term — to make it a long-range vision so that from Cincinnati, with Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana, all the way up the Ohio River, bringing in West Virginia and all the way to port of Pittsburgh, we are making it the powerhouse it can be.”