STEUBENVILLE — Concerned with the slow pace of progress, the Jefferson County Commissioners hired a consultant Thursday to assist in development of a spec building at the industrial park.

The consultant, Mike Jacoby, is currently with Bricker Graydon, but at one time was head of Progress Alliance. He also previously led Ohio Southeast Economic Development.

“(He’s) a seasoned professional in this field and he helped with our first spec building that we struggled to get filled,” Commissioner Dave Maple said. “… We have a really good port authority, but when it comes to these sorts of projects, not a lot of depth and experience and that sort of thing. So I think Mike will help both the commissioners and the port authority kind of walk through that process a little smoother. Could we do it without him? Of course. But it might be slower, there might be more bumps or more cost at the end of the day. So I really am excited this board agreed to put him on in a consulting capacity.”

As consultant, Jacoby said Bricker Graydon’s consulting arm, Argus Growth Consultants, will provide guidance on considerations and appropriate steps when designing and constructing a spec building and assist in structuring a project to access Ohio’s Rural Industrial Park Loan program as well as JobsOhio’s Ohio Site Inventory Program.

Maple said it’s no secret he’s been “a little concerned about the speed we’ve been moving on the spec building, I want it to move a little faster.”

Commissioners Tony Morelli and Eric Timmons were equally enthusiastic about moving forward, with Timmons saying he’s anxious to see walls going up.

“I’m always one that wants to see (things) done today,” he said. “We want to make sure it’s done correctly and thoroughly, but we also want to get it done. The people of Jefferson County deserve it and this is our blueprint to what we want to do to spur economic activity.”

Prior to their vote, Jacoby told commissioners a spec building “is one of the most effective things you can do to build new business.”

“Right now … you can get more help than ever before to build one,” he said. “And when I say ‘help,’ I mean grants and loans so you are reducing what you have to put into it and your risk.”

Jacoby said they’ll need buy-in from both entities, prompting port authority Executive Director Robert Naylor to say, “I think there’s room for everybody on that ship.”

Commissioners also were updated on Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District’s Heart of Appalachia application for Appalachian Community Grant funds.

Project director Aaron Dodds said they’re seeking $112 million for 41 projects in 17 Ohio counties aimed at “connecting people to the region and be able to broadcast the greatness of Appalachian Ohio.”

“We have a lot of distressed counties in our project, so we’re topping out on our points there,” he said, adding they’ve been able to forge relationships with public officials in other counties.

“We’ve been able to bridge a lot of issues,” he said. “ODOT even partnered with us, some of the same individuals we worked with on the Hellbender project. Everybody was able to put all their differences aside.”

Timmons said it was “great to see the plan come to fruition.”

“Win, lose or draw, you put a lot of effort into it,” Morelli said. “It’s a win no matter what. Hopefully we get the grant, but it was good to see it.”