A large, in-state manufacturing company planning a $300 million project with a new 300,000 square foot building and 400 jobs decided last week to cross Ohio off its list of possible building sites, including a 30-50-acre plot at Stonequarry Crossings in Vandalia.

Even though the unnamed company has not yet announced where – or if – it will build elsewhere, that Vandalia was a considered location is significant.

“I’d rather be in a game where people are looking at you rather than saying, ‘No,’” said Scott Koorndyk of the Dayton Development Coalition (DDC). “There are so many assets in this community. The needle is moving in the right direction.”

Koorndyk said the decision not to build in Ohio was so early in the process that there was no indication Gov. John Kasich’s recent announcement he would not get into bidding wars with other states over tax credits had anything to do with the decision.

Meanwhile, Rob anderson, Vandalia’s city manager, says Stonequarry’s location is attractive enough without state incentives.

“The short answer is, that (removing some tax incentives) will have no impact on how we do things,” Anderson said.

Kasich established JobsOhio in 2011 to help the state’s economic development and has six regional development agencies to help – including the DDC, which covers 14 counties.

The company that had shown some interest in building in Ohio asked the state and DDC for possible locations. Two were submitted, one in Cincinnati, the other Stonequarry. Ultimately, the company said, “We’re not interested, right now.”

It has happened to Vandalia - and other sites - before. Abbott Labs had nearly 40 sites on its radar before choosing Tipp City, where a building is currently being erected. Vandalia assistant manager Greg Shackelford has toured at least a dozen companies through Stonequarry in the last year and a half, and others have used private brokers.

Two private companies are already up and running at Stonequarry – MAC (Manufactured Assemblies Corp.) and Carter Logistics (a trucking company), while White Castle has broken ground for a food processing plant and another trucking company is planning to build in the spring.

There is also a middle school and fire station.

“One thing some folks may not understand is that effective economic development is always a team approach,” Anderson said. “As a city, we are not out there by ourselves. We rely on the state and Dayton Development Coalition to help us identify potential leads, and then to work with us to put together a deal that makes sense for all involved parties.”