Wayne County had a lot of good news to share in a year-in-review report issued by the Wayne Economic Development Council.

'It was a very good year,' council President Rod Crider said. 'We thought 2006 was a good year, but 2007 ended up being even better.'

Here are some of the highlights:

• The county was named the Midwest's top performing 'micropolitan' economy and third best in the nation for 2007 by Site Selection magazine, a trade publication for professionals who help companies decide where to move or expand.

• The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) has begun construction of a $5.5 million state-of-the-art Feedstock Processing Research Facility. The goal is to increase the quality of feeds for livestock and poultry research and aid in the development of renewable industrial products.

• More than $146 million was invested by Wayne County companies and organizations in 2007, the Wayne Growth Report announced.

The new expenditures spurred the addition or retention of an estimated 1,331 jobs paying an average wage of

$15.39 per hour. The majority of the new investments came from existing companies in Wayne County.

• In recent years, Wayne County has attracted business investment from Italy, France, Germany and Canada. That trend continued in 2007 with the addition of Speed North America, whose Montreal headquarters relocated to Wooster. Meanwhile, J.M. Smucker Co. in Orrville agreed to acquire Europe's Best Inc., a privately owned provider of frozen fruits based in Montreal, Quebec.

• Individual communities are advancing various economic development plans. Orrville is making plans for a third industrial park. Wooster secured funding to move forward with the BioHio Research Park. The county's first two Joint Economic Development Districts were created — between Apple Creek and East Union Township, and Doylestown and Chippewa Township.

• Rittman Mayor Bill Robertson was named the first recipient of the Chris Schmid Award for Economic Development. The honor recognizes economic development leadership.

• The Wayne Economic Development Council's new Web site has drawn an average of nearly 5,000 visits per month since launching in January — nearly double the traffic of the previous site. See it at www.waynecountyedc.com.

And apparently more news is to come.

The report said Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher will make a 'major announcement' April 8 at TechniGraphics in Wooster.

Crider would only say the computer-aided design and digital map drawing company wants to create 150 new jobs and invest $4.4 million in new facilities and equipment.