The Dispatch wrote
Europeans set up shop in Columbus to foster trade ties
Friday, July 18, 2008
BY BRADEN LAMMERS
The Swedes are leading a charge in technology, and the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce recently established a chapter in Columbus to, among other things, link tech companies in Ohio with those in Sweden.
For the Swedes, Columbus is appealing for several reasons. One is the large number of companies and organizations that can serve as a networking outlet or as business incubators, such as TechColumbus. Another is the availability of educated workers.
In addition, “We are really centrally located, with lots of space, a great economic climate. Columbus is growing so fast, (and) a growing urban downtown is really important to a lot of Europeans,” said Jessika Ferm, a board member of the Columbus chapter of the Swedish chamber.
Probably the most tempting reason for Swedish companies to bring business to Columbus is “we’re cheap,” Ferm said. “Right now, we are cheap labor. It makes us attractive, especially in Ohio where we’re cheaper than Boston, New York or even Chicago,” she said.
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