In certain industrial circles, James Griffith turns heads as president and CEO of bearings and steel maker Timken Co., one of the largest companies in Ohio and the world.

However, the farther north Mr. Griffith travels from Timken’s headquarters in Canton, the less he is recognized. He acknowledges that when he was chosen late last month as chairman of the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network of Northeast Ohio (Magnet), introductions within Cleveland’s business community had to be made because “there were some people who didn’t know me.”

Observers say Magnet’s ability to help grow Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing base will depend to a great extent on the spirit and energy Mr. Griffith brings to the chairman position of the new manufacturing support group. Those two qualities are abundant in Timken’s CEO, said Brad Roller, president of Cleveland coil maker Swiger Coil Systems Inc.

Mr. Roller and Mr. Griffith co-chaired the Northeast Ohio Global Roadmap for Manufacturing, a 18-month planning initiative that led to the formation of Magnet, which soon will replace Cleveland-based manufacturing assistance nonprofit Camp Inc. Mr. Roller said Cleveland-area business and political leaders in the past were somewhat slow to respond to regionalism, but the Magnet initiative is well-positioned to advance the concept because it strikes so close to Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing heart.

“Here in Cleveland, we are a bit parochial and think the world revolves around us,” Mr. Roller said. He called Mr. Griffith “action-oriented,” and said Timken’s boss could be the person to bring regionalism — at least as it pertains to the manufacturing sector — to the forefront once and for all.

Proposals that are part of the manufacturing initiative include the creation of a Global Sourcing Center, which would work on strengthening trade relations between local businesses and foreign countries, and the establishment of a regional manufacturing advocacy committee to work on addressing community and regulatory issues.

The region needs whatever help the Magnet initiative and Mr. Griffith might be able to provide. According to a recent study conducted by Cleveland State University, Northeast Ohio between 2000 and 2003 lost nearly 73,000 manufacturing job, or 18.4% of its total manufacturing work force. Most of those jobs have been lost in the Cleveland area.

Mr. Griffith doesn’t view himself as just a corporate cut-man aiding a region that has been battered and bloodied by cheaper foreign competitors. Mr. Griffith, who also is a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of the influential National Association of Manufacturers trade group, said Northeast Ohio still packs a significant punch with its pool of innovative, successful companies that compete well with other industrial regions.

Indeed, he sees Magnet’s main role as growing Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing base by building upon its strengths and enticing additional companies to the region. Mr. Griffith said as the head of a company that had $4.5 billion in sales in 2004 and employs 26,000 worldwide, he has a unique perspective on what it takes to bring manufacturing companies here and to help existing companies grow.

“I bring a passion for manufacturing,” he said. “I bring the passion and commitment of this company.”

Mr. Griffith said regions that are excelling economically are doing so based on their total strengths, not just the strengths of single cities.

“It’s not San Francisco anymore — it’s the Bay Area,” he said. In the past, communities such as Canton served as a “breadbasket” to Cleveland when Cleveland was a world-renowned manufacturing power. Today, Mr. Griffith said, the city of Cleveland must come to grips with its role as part of a larger, regional area.



Timken Co. president and CEO James Griffith


‘A stake in the ground’

Jack Schron Jr., president of Cleveland toolmaker Jergens Inc., agreed, noting that Northeast Ohio competes not just with traditional manufacturing cities such as Pittsburgh and Detroit, but also with areas such as the Research Triangle in North Carolina and Silicon Valley in California that are more associated with the New Economy. Playing on its core manufacturing capabilities, Northeast Ohio needs to market itself the same way.

“We’re putting a stake in the ground that says regional manufacturing,” Mr. Schron said.

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