The fertile farmlands of northwest Ohio are famous for their yield of high-quality wheat, soybeans and corn. In fact, within a 50-mile radius of the Village of Leipsic in Putnam County there is more grain produced -- over 100 million bushels a year -- than any other 50-mile circle in Ohio.

The village, which is about 50 miles southwest of Toledo, is also one of Ohio's premier areas for rail logistics. And when you mix abundant grain with abundant rail you've got a winning combination for agribusiness.

It was that combination that drew Agmark, a grain and feed distributor based in Nashville, Tenn., to the village. "If you want rail service, this is as good a site as you can get," says company president Duncan Hagemeyer.

Agmark recently announced it will build a shortline railroad on a three-mile stretch to link the CSX and Norfolk Southern together. The company buys grain from Ohio and other areas and transports it to swine and poultry operations in the Southeast and elsewhere.

Agmark will also build a new grain elevator on a 47-acre site, the company's first venture in grain storage. "This is our effort to step up and play at a larger level than our company has ever done before," says Hagemeyer. The company made the decision because of shifting global grain conditions. "We see the world markets for grain changing so fast we thought we'd better get into a position where we could source grain for our own use as well as for other people," says Hagemeyer.

Northwest Ohio grain harvest.

Hagemeyer got a warm reception for his plans.

"I knew there was gold in Leipsic," he says. "I just didn't know how to dig it out. The local and state officials put the whole package together. I've never been treated better by state and local development officers."

The village has rail service by the Detroit-Cincinnati mainline of CSX Transportation, the Buffalo-Chicago mainline of Norfolk Southern and Canadian National's GTW Division.

"Transportation is our plus," says James Russell, Village administrator. "We're within 15 miles of I-75, we have rail service by three Class I lines, and we're just 60 miles from the Port of Toledo where shippers can access world markets."

Crabar Business Systems President Craig Johnson agrees. "Leipsic is wonderfully positioned from a freight standpoint to serve the industrial Midwest and Toronto," he says. "In addition, you don't find the higher costs that go along with operating in a major market area."

Crabar, a business forms manufacturer, services customers in both the Midwest and the Northeast from its Leipsic plant. The company employs 86 in 24-hour-a-day operations.

"I really like the work ethic of this community," says Johnson. "Just about everyone here has a farming background, and they are mechanically inclined."

Another major employer is Pro-Tec Coating, the partnership between two leaders in steel technology, U.S. Steel and Japan's Kobe Steel. The $200 million plant, which galvanizes steel, came on line in 1993.

Though small (pop. 2,203), Leipsic is not lacking for amenities. It has a full public safety team, medical services and religious choices in an attractive tree-lined setting of Victorian homes.

The county has abundant water and excess capacity in its water supply and treatment systems.

Leipsic's sites include an 800-acre "supersite" with dual rail service, as well as sites as small as one acre in the village's industrial park.

	Meigs County		Pike County
	Mid-Ohio / Obetz and Gahanna		Mercer and Auglaize Counties
	Hardin County		Marion County
	Village of Leipsic		West Central Ohio
	Medina County		Fostoria