EAST LIVERPOOL — Exactly one year to the day after True North owner and CEO Charles Bailey stood in downtown East Liverpool with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, East Liverpool Mayor Bobby Smith and numerous other state officials to announce the True North Headquarters was relocating to East Liverpool and bringing new jobs to the city, the business celebrated the grand opening.

On Wednesday afternoon, Bailey, Smith, Alexa Sweeney Blackann (interim CEO, Lake to River) Penny Traina (retired executive director/CEO of the Columbiana County Port Authority), Mike Hallek (Columbiana County Commissioner) and Kristi Tanner (senior managing director at JobsOhio) gathered in the parking of the new True North Headquarters, formerly the Buckeye Online School for Success Building (BOSS) to celebrate with employees and people who had a part in making the transition successful.

Bailey said that the project shows what is possible when state, county and local government work together with private employers to achieve a common goal and that Ohio and Columbiana County are working to put forgotten towns like East Liverpool back on the map.

True North was described by Bailey as being a high-tech business firm which currently has 55 employees and is poised for growth with plans of adding 25 more high-tech jobs by the end of 2028.

Bailey also noted that True North is working with and developing AI platforms to assist employees in their work.

According to a media release True North LLC was founded in 2012 and provides high-tech business services to clients across 43 states. Specializing in accounting, medical billing, consulting, and revenue cycle management, “True North delivers tailored solutions that drive client growth and innovation.”

The work on the True North Building was completed by local contractors in a year at a cost of $1.8 million which was supported by a $700,000 JobsOhio Vibrant Communities Grant.

Bailey describes the updated building as state of the art with an all wireless network.

“The JobsOhio Vibrant Communities Program offers competitive grants for development projects that help transform areas within a distressed community,” a True North Media release said. “Eligible projects include mixed-use projects, real estate development projects, and operated shared spaces that meet the JobsOhio project criteria.”

“This headquarters is more than an office, it’s a commitment to East Liverpool’s future,” Bailey said, “By building here, with local partners, we’re demontrating what’s possible when businesses and communities invest in one another.”

Bailey noted that True North originated across the river in Hancock County West Virginia, but due to the company’s growth needed to find a new home for the company with larger space. He worked with Hancock County officials but was unable to find space suitable in the area to meet the needs of the growing company.

Tanner explained that it was four years ago when her office was asked to come in and tour downtown and look at the Thompson Building, which True North was originally interested in. Due to the not enough space though, True North worked it out to relocate to the BOSS Building and move BOSS into the Thompson Building when renovations are complete.

“We look at it from a JobsOhio standpoint as what a great opportunity, because now we are getting to support two phenomenal redevelopment projects right in the heart of East Liverpool,” Tanner said of the building switch for BOSS and True North. “When we talk about the program we have to fund this kind of effort, the JobsOhio Vibrant Communities Grant, we have done 40 of them around the state now, this exemplifies the intent of that program beyond any of the others.”

She went on to say the intent of the Vibrant Communities program is to bring vibrancy, people, mixed use, retail and opportunities to bring more people and invest into the heart of downtowns.

Sweeney Blackann said Bailey needed a decision to bring True North to East Liverpool showing his belief in the community and the potential of the building and that his kind of commitment is what sparks transformation. She also said that the transformation is not just a win for East Liverpool but for the entire region.

“True North’s decision to locate its headquarters here is a strategic investment in a downtown corridor with untapped potential,” Sweeney Blackann said. “This building enters a new chapter for East Liverpool’s core bringing professional services and entrepreneurial energy to help reenergize the city’s center. The ripple effect of today’s opening will extend well beyond these walls.”

She also said that this sends a clear signal to others that East Liverpool is a community ready for investment and one that will continue to grow.

Traina described the 100-year-old building as a space where innovation meets legacy and that the project is not just about the brick and mortar that is seen, but about proof of what is possible when vision meets collaboration. Through the collaboration between True North, the city, county and the state, along with strategic funding from county and state, a century old building was turned into a state-of-the-art headquarters for the company and will also house cafe Fresh on Fifth.

“Let this project be a symbol of what’s ahead, a county and a city that doesn’t just survive, it leads,” Traina said. “A region that is not stuck in the past but shaping our future. Let’s keep building, let’s keep believing and let’s keep proving that when we work together there’s no challenge to big and no community too small to do something extraordinary and that’s what we are doing here today.”

Hallek and Bailey recalled their first meeting which was at a table in a tent in front of the building with just a piece of paper and a bottle of water on a very hot day. He went on to say that Bailey told him what he wanted to and that he needed money for the project.

Hallek said he is proud of what Bailey has done.

Smith said he has lived in East Liverpool his whole life and started to notice the decline in the city around the 1980s.

“To see the decline is heartbreaking, but to see this is absolutely amazing,” Smith said. “There is a lot of good people involved, and Chuck Bailey started this and he will be around to see it finished. With all the help that we have had from the governor on down, it’s very overwhelming to be standing here a year later and see what’s going on.”

Smith noted that the quality of life is improving in the city, and the perception of the city is changing.

DeWine who was not present issued the following statement: “Ohio’s future grows stronger when companies choose to call our state home, and this is yet another example of a company that has chosen to move here from out of state. This public-private partnership is an example of how strong collaboration creates opportunities for businesses to invest and thrive in Ohio.”

“True North recognizes what so many other companies already know. Ohio is the place to elevate your business and create new opportunities,” JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef said in a released statement. “True North’s catalytic investment brings vibrancy and a new high-tech business services headquarters to downtown East Liverpool, demonstrating how we can together achieve job growth and a better future for Ohio’s smaller communities.”

According to information provided by True North, JobsOhio Network partner, Team NEO, worked with True North to secure funding for the project, which is located in the seventh and final JobsOhio network partner region, Lake to River.

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com