In January, Brooklyn-based American Greetings confirmed that it was investigating whether to move the company's world headquarters to another location.
The company cited the increase of income taxes by its' home city to one of the highest rates in the region as the impetus... a tax which each of its more than 2,000 corporate employees must now pay.
Both Governor Strickland and Governor-elect Kasich have met with company officials to explore ways they might persuade them to stay in Brooklyn, but no decision has been made by the 104 year old firm.
Now - newly elected Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald has met with CEO Zev Weiss and Brooklyn Mayor Richard Balbier.
His aim is also to keep the company from relocating.
ED FITZGERALD:
"We want them to stay in Brooklyn, and if they decide that they cannot stay in Brooklyn - then as a fallback position, we want them in Cuyahoga County, and what I would seek to do is have some kind of tax-sharing agreement so that Brooklyn doesn't all of a sudden find itself with 20% of its income eliminated - because that's the hole it would create in their budget."
Besides employee income taxes, American Greetings pays about $625,000 in annual property taxes, more than half of which goes to the Brooklyn school district's budget.
Fitzgerald says the talks were positive, and that he'll raise the issue tomorrow, when he travels to meet with state leaders in Columbus.
