In May, the county and city of Akron approved legislation to fund the Minority Contractor Capital Access Program (MCCAP), a collaborative initiative to provide financial and technical assistance to Akron and Summit County-based minority,women, LGBTQ, persons with disabilities and veteran-owned contracting businesses. The program is operated through the Western Reserve Community Fund (WRCF), which is […]

Joining the Board is Tracy Dowe, Relationship Manager and Vice President of Commercial Banking at KeyCorp, where he provides financial expertise, counsel, and customized solutions to business clients. He was appointed to the board by Summit County Executive, Ilene Shapiro. Tracy provides DFA with over 18 years of financial services experience and extensive knowledge of […]

The Project, in the Cities of Columbus and Grandview, Ohio, involves public infrastructure in connection with the construction of a mixed-use development including office, residential rental, retail, parking structures and a hotel. The Cities created a 30-year non-school TIF to allow for payments in lieu of property taxes based on increased values of improved properties […]

July 30th, 2020 Akron, OH – Development Finance Authority of Summit County is pleased to announce and welcome Kyle Julien to the new position of Community Development Program Officer.Kyle was selected from a number of very strong candidates based on his extensive experience in real estate, project management, finance, community development, and neighborhood engagement. At […]

S&P Global Ratings has renewed the Development Finance Authority’s A- rating with a stable outlook!  This is quite an accomplishment as they noted “all of S&P Global Ratings’ sector outlooks in U.S. public finance are now negative.”  A few of the reasons stated for the rating and outlook are that they have a strong enterprise […]

SUMMIT COUNTY,OHIO—On Monday, May 11, Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro will introduce legislation authorizing funds for the Development Finance Authority’s (DFA) newly created Minority Contractor Capital Access Program (MCCAP). The County and DFA will combine to contribute $125,000 in general funds, while the County will contribute $125,000 in CDBG funds to the program and will […]

Akron, Ohio (January 2020) At its final Board meeting of 2019, the Development Finance Authority welcomed new member  Mark Lerner, who has been appointed by the County of Summit, effective January 1, 2020. Mark Lerner served as President, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of GOJO Industries since 1996. He joined GOJO in 1986 as Chief […]

Keith Faber, Auditor of State, recently presented the Auditor of State Award to local governments for “excellence in financial reporting and compliance with applicable laws for fiscal year 2018.” Only 41 of the 6,000 audited entities that received the award met the following criteria of a “clean” audit report: The entity files timely financial reports […]

AKRON, Ohio, July 22, 2019 – Amazon, the largest Internet-based retailer in the United States, today announced plans to redevelop the former Rolling Acres Mall in Akron into a distribution center, creating 1,500 new jobs by 2022. City, county and regional officials welcomed the investment to the area. “In Akron we have a proud history […]

On Thursday, June 20, 2019,Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro held a press conference to debut a new residential financing program soon to be available to residents in Summit County. Residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing allows homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements in communities designated as members of the Akron-Summit Energy Special Improvement District […]