Why would anyone do business in Columbus? Well, if you ask the panel of experts who kicked off this year’s Columbus Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, there’s a lot of reasons. Industry leaders Dr. Linda Lehmkuhl of MedVet, Aaron Weir of CollisionRight, Kim Zavislak of KPMG, Katie Bishop of J.P. Morgan Private Bank and moderator Leslie Johnson of Ice Miller discuss the opportunities they see in Central Ohio and how they are attacking the challenges of expanding in a city on the rise. Here’s an excerpt:

“I do travel around the country a lot, and what I continuously hear is that the business environment in Central Ohio is different than other cities. And when companies are looking to expand or move here, the feeling that they get is that the leaders — and that includes legislature, the community, just the entire ecosystem — works together to understand their needs. So, it's not just about the incentives that they get for expanding or relocating here, but it's really understanding what the company needs to be successful and then providing them access to all of those resources to make sure that it is successful. What I hear over and over from companies that are moving here or meeting with Central Ohio for the first time, is that they feel like the culture is different, and that is, again, the entire ecosystem that wraps around understanding their needs.” - Kim Zavislak, Office Managing Partner at KPMG LLP

You can catch the full panel discussion on the podcast.