COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio's location has been the key to business and personal success for Rick Griffith, president of McGinnis, Inc. (www.mcginnisinc.com). Griffith is the latest business leader featured in the "State of Perfect Balance" Wall Street Journal ad campaign. The Ohio Business Development Coalition, the nonprofit organization that markets the state for capital investment, and AEP Ohio sponsor the ongoing ad campaign.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071107/CLW113LOGO )

Griffith says Ohio's short commutes allow him to spend more time with family, while its location on the Ohio river provides McGinnis, Inc., one of the country's leading providers of marine transportation, equipment and repair, with everything it needs to thrive.

McGinnis, located in South Point, Ohio, benefits from its direct access to the largest inland river port in the country, along the Ohio River.

"If you're not in the right location you won't have a lot of business," Griffith said. "That's why Ohio works for us."

On the personal side, Griffith says he sleeps well at night knowing his grandchildren are growing up in small communities, with small-town values. These same values provide Griffith with a work-life balance that allows him to spend quality time with them, too, growing his business and keeping his family grounded in Ohio.

"Most of the benefits of working here and living locally goes back to the family," Griffith continued. "You get to spend more time with them because you have less time out on the road. I get home early enough in the evenings to spend time with family."

McGinnis is supported by AEP Ohio, its preferred energy partner. AEP Ohio has a stake in the state's economic vitality, providing competitive and reliable electricity to thousands of businesses committed to Ohio as the prime location to grow and prosper.

Ohio provides McGinnis, Inc. the resources it's needed to grow since 1913. Resources like economic development grants, access to river transportation and some of the lowest utility rates in the country. These benefits have also helped Rick advance at McGinnis, where he's spent his entire career.

"Top-level executives who have a true work-life balance will perform better at their jobs and the company will only achieve greater success," said Ed Burghard, executive director of the Ohio Business Development Coalition. "Ohio offers low-cost, low stress communities in a combination of micropolitan and metropolitan cities. This diversity provides executives with the resources and time to make any ambition achievable. Ohio truly is the state of perfect balance."

The campaign can be viewed at www.ohiomeansbusiness.com/news/ads.php.

About the Ohio Business Development Coalition

The Ohio Business Development Coalition is a nonprofit organization that markets the state for capital investment. The OBDC provides marketing strategy and implementation to support Ohio's economic development efforts. For more information on business development or business relocation, visit www.ohiomeansbusiness.com or the OBDC blog at http://blog.ohiomeansbusiness.com.

SOURCE Ohio Business Development Coalition