Economic development coordinator Eric Phillips was recently appointed as a board member of Columbus 2020, a public-private entity focused on vitalizing the economic profile of central Ohio and shaping the region's image at the national level.

Columbus 2020 aims to "leverage Central Ohio's research and academic institutions and diverse industries to position the state capitol to become the fastest growing economy in the country," according to its mission statement. It includes leaders from the Columbus Partnership, Columbus Chamber, CompeteColumbus, TechColumbus, Mid-Ohio Development Exchange (MODE), the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), the city of Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio State University, the Columbus Foundation and Battelle.

Phillips, who is also president of MODE said he is excited to be a part of the team.

"What we have with this is a full-blown regional economic effort like I haven't seen in the 10 years I've worked (in the field)," Phillips said. "This is probably the number one economic development movement in the country, and people are getting excited about it."

Specific goals of Columbus 2020 include adding 180,000 net new jobs by the year 2020; increasing personal income per capita 40 percent (or $15,000) by that year; and making sure central Ohio is recognized as a national leader in economic devlopment by the end of this decade.

Phillips said Columbus 2020 represents a seven-county region, and that the partnership is nearing its fundraising goal of $30-million. In addition to attracting leading companies to the region, Phillips said the partnership's focus is also on promoting and supporting the companies that already exist in the region.

"There are already a lot of great companies in central Ohio - we've been blessed that a lot of our companies have made good decisions over the years and continued to thrive," Phillips said. "We want to be in a position to help the region as it moves into the future."