The second annual publication of Northeast Ohio Works provides you with an expansive overview of the bursting possibilities that Northeast Ohio has to offer companies that want to expand, relocate, or open a new operation. The area’s economic history, diversity, and potential can be both impressive and overwhelming.

As a journalist who has long insisted that ideas and people are the most compelling parts of any story, I urge you not to forget that the human element has a direct link to any expansion. Behind the statistics, the colorful photos, and the legacy of achievement are real people who go to work every day in Northeast Ohio. Many wouldn’t live anywhere else. And often, it’s NOT just the job that keeps them, it’s the people and the community.

Which is exactly what you must buy into. Because after you have examined the infrastructure, the talent pool, and the costs for a move, you’ll have to deal with the issue of the people who populate the area. Copy my friend, the writer-turned-publisher: Just begin your inquiries, and you’ll find a stunning array of people willing to help.

I live in an English-village-type town in southern New Jersey. And I like it here. But I frequently yearn for my hometown, an area sprinkled with some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. (Fortunately, I return often because Cleveland is the home of Penton Media, and most of my family still lives there.) It is those types of people with whom you’re going to rub shoulders.

And while the entire Midwest shares many of the cultural values we ascribe to Northeast Ohio, we have a secret weapon. And that is a mighty infrastructure equal to some of the larger cities of both coasts without the hurried, pushy, it’s-not-my-job attitude. Because in Northeast Ohio, unlike some parts of the country, we don’t believe that attitude is a substitute for intelligence. And we don’t believe that politeness is a sign of weakness.

But go one step further. Don’t just read this magazine, and don’t just visit the Web sites we’ve included. Call Trade-Zone expert Ron DeBarr at NEOTEC. Or my friend, international trade guru David Yen at the World Trade Center – Cleveland. Give a ring to the Chamber of Commerce in Columbiana County.

Try using that famous sales line of old: “I’ve got a problem, and I need your help.” Let’s see how high they jump to offer real assistance.

For two issues now, we’ve made a convincing case for the business possibilities available in Northeast Ohio. I would suggest that the act of a simple call to those who know how it works in Northeast Ohio will provide you with a solid starting point in resolving your relocation or expansion issues.

And in the process, you’re going to learn a secret that I didn’t really understand until I moved away.

The 17-county area in Northeast Ohio (to steal from an old ad slogan) really is the best location in the nation.

T.S. Peric is editorial director of Northeast Ohio Works.