Hilliard is a small city of 38,500 that borders on Columbus, the Ohio state capital and 2015 Intelligent Community of the Year. It has demographics well-suited to the demands of the Digital Century:
- A population in which Millennials are the largest segment and which is expected to grow by 8% (+3,000 people) by 2026.
- A workforce in which 80% of jobs are white collar and 98% of the civilian population is employed/
- High educational attainment, with 56% of the population holding a Bachelor’s degree or above and 65% holding a two-year Associates degree or higher
The city’s largest sectors by employment today are government (14.6% of jobs), manufacturing (12.4%) and finance and insurance (11.6%). Target sectors for future growth include digital and IT (Verizon, Amazon Web Services and Dish Networks are current employers), automotive technology, healthcare services & technologies and arts & media. Its proximity to Columbus lets residents benefit from that city’s urban attractions and economic energy – but with 1,200 businesses, Hilliard is a model of small-city innovation and growth on a technology foundation.
Hilliard Fiber Optics
In 2018, Hilliard’s City Council recognized that the city was falling behind its neighbors in broadband infrastructure, a critical component for economic competitiveness in the Columbus Region. At a strategic Council retreat that year, then-Council President Nathan Painter and Economic Development Committee Chair Tom Baker charged the economic development director with identifying funding for a municipal fiber network. The city applied for a $1.25 million loan from the Franklin County Infrastructure Bank and committed $3.17 million in its 2019 budget to build the first phase of the network. The result was HiFiO, a carrier-neutral dark fiber network designed to drive economic development, improve city operations, and support smart infrastructure. Despite pushback from incumbent telecommunication providers, Hilliard pushed forward with a model that made capacity available on a revenue-sharing basis to commercial ISPs, giving small and mid-sized businesses affordable access to high-bandwidth services, including the potential for 100 GB connections.
By 2025, using a combination of county loans and city funds, Hilliard had constructed more than 71 miles of fiber, connecting over 5,100 locations that include more than 50 businesses across seven commercial properties, as well as traffic signals, schools and city government facilities. This backbone supports public Wi-Fi with 96 access points serving up to 5,000 monthly users in peak summer months. For city operations, HiFiO has been transformative. A 2017 assessment by iQ Solutions Group revealed gaps in the city’s IT infrastructure, prompting a full rebuild that consolidated services from five facilities into one, increased bandwidth up to 10 GB, and enhanced disaster recovery capabilities. The fiber network now connects 32 traffic signals, allowing for centralized control and AI-driven video analytics to improve emergency response. It also provides direct links to the Northwest Regional Emergency Communications Center (NRECC), supporting emergency dispatch for multiple municipalities and townships.
Hilliard has expanded HiFiO’s reach through regional partnerships. The network is now interconnected with Grove City’s 76.8-mile municipal fiber, Worthington’s system and fellow Intelligent Community Westerville’s 60-mile network. This collaboration grants Hilliard, Grove City and Worthington shared access to Westerville’s WeConnect data center and colocation facility, enhancing data hosting and business services. The recent extension of HiFiO into Worthington connects directly to Cologix, Central Ohio’s primary internet exchange point (Ohio IX), opening Hilliard to more than 30 additional carriers. These connections also position Hilliard within the broader Route 33 Smart Mobility Corridor, a $200 million regional initiative for autonomous and connected vehicle testing, and provide pathways to additional data centers across the state.
Beyond connectivity, Hilliard leverages HiFiO for smart city innovations. The city has implemented a private cellular network for in-need school students, a virtual air traffic control system for drone management adopted statewide by the Ohio Department of Transportation and a sidewalk data collection cart for monitoring public infrastructure conditions. A pilot project with Ohio 811 and the city’s LoRa network is testing vibration sensors to detect underground fiber disruptions during construction activity. Hilliard is also investing in equipment grants for ISPs, revenue-share adjustments to facilitate positive cash flow and partnerships to provide free broadband for families with children on free school lunch programs, typically delivered via trusted institutions like schools.
Future Ready
The state of Ohio was long known for its strengths in traditional manufacturing – and consequently took a major hit to lower-skilled manufacturing jobs as they moved to low-cost nations in the 80s and 90s. The resulting regional recession gave Ohio and other Midwestern states the unwelcome nickname “Rust Belt.” But Central Ohio, where Hilliard is located, is in the lead as the state develops a new industrial base mixing advanced manufacturing with digitally-enabled services. Intel’s decision in 2020 to build a US$2 billion chip fabrication plant in the Columbus metro area was a milestone. That commitment more than quadrupled two years later, when Intel announced a US$20 billion investment in a new chip fabrication campus in New Albany, northeast of Columbus. It was also a call to action for Hilliard and its partners to accelerate development of the skilled workforce needed to meet the labor demands of these next-generation industries, especially as the region contended with pandemic-era labor shortages.
Hilliard has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the creation of 17 Think Big Spaces in its K-12 schools, modeled on the AWS work environment. Educational activities combine Hilliard’s curriculum with AWS cloud-computing technology to promote career awareness and learning in business, engineering, entrepreneurship, technology and design. Thousands of students, families and educators now benefit annually from these resources, and the district hosts special events like Girls’ Tech Day and a STEM Webinar Series to further expand awareness of STEAM fields. The Think Big Spaces have even attracted global attention, with AWS employees from around the world visiting Hilliard’s Innovative Learning Hub during the AWS Global Think Big Summit.
A Future Ready class – required for graduation – helps high-school students develop their post-graduation plans by exploring potential careers and what it takes to pursue them. Classes focus on analyzing opportunities, taking aptitude and interest surveys and learning common business technologies, research and communication skills. Launched in the 2022-2023 school year, the course was co-designed by educators, business professionals and community leaders, drawing inspiration from Stanford University’s “Designing Your Life” framework and consultation with Tulane University’s Taylor Center of Innovation. The first cohort of 1,400 students completed the program in 2023, and the district reports increased applications for apprenticeships, heightened awareness of military career paths and positive feedback from students, parents and employers.
In addition, a partnership with Ohio State University lets Hilliard students take university courses and brings university faculty into high schools. Nearly 6,000 students have connected with regional businesses through the “Career from Here” program, which partners with Columbus State Community College, AWS, the Ohio Contractors Association and Converge Technologies. Started in 2021-2022, the program has rapidly expanded school-to-work apprenticeships, internships and pre-apprenticeships in technology, healthcare, IT and skilled trades. Events like the annual Skilled Trade and Safety Career Expo reach nearly 3,000 students each year, featuring 16 apprenticeship programs, fire and police career exploration and even piloting new programs such as Pharmacy Tech Training with paid clinical experience.
To further bridge education with employment, Hilliard has expanded experiential learning opportunities that immerse students in real-world work environments. Hundreds of students participate annually in internships, co-ops and career mentorships across sectors like technology, healthcare, business and engineering. The district collaborates closely with the City of Hilliard, local employers and institutions like Tolles Career and Technical Center to align training with industry needs, including innovative programs such as fiber-splicing workshops, mobile clean room training and the High School Tech Internship program supported by the State of Ohio. Additionally, Hilliard students engage in statewide events like Ohio Tech Day, where project-based learning deepens their exposure to technology careers and strengthens skills essential for a fast-evolving economy.
Hilliard City Lab
Led by city manager Michelle Crandall – who brings years of experience as assistant city manager in Dublin, a Top7 Community and home to an Intelligent Community Institute – Hilliard has created a living lab for high-tech companies to prototype and implement technologies. The city leverages its human resources to assist local start-ups through the Employee City Lab Ambassador program, where city staff provide expertise, infrastructure access, and operational support to help startups tackle real-world challenges. The program enables innovators to test their solutions using the city’s extensive broadband fiber, connected traffic signal system, over 436 citywide cameras and even basic public infrastructure like bike paths and parks. This support is facilitated through a partnership between Hilliard City Lab and Converge Technologies, a commercialization incubator, and is augmented by a network of Hilliard-based professional service providers, including lawyers, engineers, accountants and marketers, who collaborate with startups on a barter or contract basis. The City also fuels innovation through the Hilliard Development Corporation (HDC), offering innovation grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 to lower the financial barriers to market entry. These initiatives have transformed City Lab into a cornerstone of the local economy and led Fast Company magazine to name Hilliard among its Most Innovative Economic Development Companies in 2025.
A signature project of the Hilliard City Lab is the development of an autonomous drone system designed to aid first responders in police and fire services. This first-in-the-nation initiative is a collaboration between Hilliard, Cal Analytics, Parallax Advanced Research and Lighthouse Avionics, and is funded by NASA, the US Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Ohio state departments. The project’s aim is to create a fully autonomous “point and click” drone dispatch system, with drones capable of reaching any location in the city within two minutes at speeds up to 90 mph. The city has already deployed a virtual air traffic control dome, trained police drone pilots and developed prototype optical detection systems and software to facilitate the coordination of these drones. This effort is part of a broader state initiative led by the Ohio Department of Transportation to develop scalable, cost-effective infrastructure that can support statewide autonomous drone operations. Hilliard is conducting drone flights for right-of-way inspections, code enforcement and public safety tasks, improving efficiency while reducing operational risks to human workers.
Converge Technologies and City Lab are the center of an innovation ecosystem that integrates Hilliard’s IT and economic development strategies with startups, research partners like NASA and the Department of Defense and financial tools provided by HDC. Unlike many municipalities that maintain a passive relationship with local incubators, Hilliard’s government is actively engaged, ensuring that public infrastructure and expertise directly support commercialization efforts. Converge Technologies has experienced such success with this partnership that it has reached full capacity for start-ups, prompting the city to lease adjacent space for a new Lab Annex and to develop pathways to graduate growing companies into larger facilities within Hilliard.
A significant addition to this ecosystem is the Ohio Manufacturing Innovation Corporation (OMIC), a 24,000-square-foot manufacturing innovation center and incubator co-located with City Lab. Founded in 2019 as a non-profit, OMIC bridges industry and education by providing real-world experiential learning opportunities for Ohio’s college STEM students. The center has already provided hands-on experience to 53 students, who work on real industry projects under seasoned technical and business mentors. In 2023, OMIC received $1.5 million in state funding to enhance its capital and operational capacity, ensuring that Ohio’s post-secondary institutions and incumbent workforce are prepared for the surge in demand from microelectronics and aerospace industries. OMIC also supports startups within the City Lab ecosystem by enabling small-batch circuit board production for rapid prototyping, a service typically difficult to source domestically in low quantities.
Voting for Higher Taxes
Hilliard demonstrated its skill in 21st Century community engagement when it persuaded a majority of residents to approve a 20 percent hike in the local income tax. Surrounding communities, where most Hilliard residents work, had a 2.5 percent rate, while Hilliard was charging a 2 percent tax. The disparity had a perverse effect: Hilliard residents working in those communities paid a half percent more in tax, while Hilliard residents who worked locally paid less. Meanwhile, the other communities’ residents working in Hilliard paid a half percent less than if they worked closer to home. In addition to penalizing part of Hilliard’s population, the disparity caused the city to forego an estimated US$7 million each year in revenue.
The city launched a campaign for a 0.5 percent tax increase by committing to dedicate the estimated $7 million to fund its Recreation and Parks department – in particular, the creation of a $105 million Recreation and Wellness Center. The campaign for approval centered on engaging the community in envisioning the Center’s offerings and benefits to residents. Campaign tools including social media, videos, pop-up city Hall events, public forums, door-to-door canvassing in key neighborhoods and an online calculator of the impact on incomes. The city conducted meetings with a broad range of groups, from the school district and youth sports groups to members of the city’s senior center. Consultation with Hilliard’s Muslim community led to inclusion of a prayer and meditation space, and an ablution station for pre-prayer cleansing, in the Center’s design. Input from teens added a tech room for e-sports and video production. Opening in 2025, the Center – dubbed “The Well” – is the largest capital project in Hilliard’s history, and a testament to the power of smart community engagement. The Well will include a gymnasium and indoor running track, fitness and weight room and aerobic dance and spin studios. It also will include an aquatic facility, complete with a lap pool, recreation activity pool, water slide and spa. Other amenities will include classrooms, a 240-person community events room, a senior adult area and both a commercial and a teaching kitchen. There will be an outdoor patio, rooftop activity area/patio, multi-use activity space and a child watch area as well.
Proactive Preservation
One-third of Hilliard lies within the watershed of Big Darby, a state and national scenic river that is one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the American Midwest. In recognition of its ecological value, Hilliard has joined with nine other jurisdictions to create the Big Darby Accord Watershed Master Plan, a regional strategy that balances growth with conservation. This plan mandates conservation-style development in the watershed area, including requirements that homes or buildings be clustered to preserve open land. Hilliard strengthened these standards in 2023 by raising the open space preservation requirement from 50% to 70% of developable land. The city has also invested over $3.5 million to restore degraded stream corridors in the Clover Groff and Hamilton tributaries, improving water quality throughout the watershed. As part of its comprehensive planning process, Hilliard is also forming a greenbelt along the city’s western edge in partnership with Franklin County Metro Parks. This greenbelt will preserve open space, expand parkland and serve as a regional trail link. Additionally, at its upcoming recreation and wellness campus, the city has partnered with Advanced Drainage Systems to create a stormwater demonstration and education site, incorporating over $500,000 in donated infrastructure to showcase best practices and inspire environmental learning.
Hilliard By Design – adopted as a major update to the City’s 2011 Comprehensive Plan – outlines a bold, community-driven vision for sustainable growth over the coming decades. Developed through a collaborative process led by a diverse Community Committee, the plan reflects the values and aspirations of Hilliard’s residents. Eight key strategies shape the plan’s direction: focusing growth inward; creating mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods; becoming a trail-connected “Trail Town”; expanding pedestrian and cycling infrastructure; reimagining Cemetery Road as a vibrant, green gateway; supporting infill development around premium office sites; preserving a western greenbelt; and expanding housing options to meet evolving demographic needs. The plan emphasizes reuse and reinvestment in underutilized land rather than outward expansion, aligning economic growth with environmental stewardship and livability.
In a creative approach to local recycling, Hilliard became the first municipality in Central Ohio to own and operate a Styrofoam densifier. With funding from the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) and city investments, the densifier has processed over 27,000 pounds of Styrofoam since late 2023. Residents can drop off material at several events or use the city’s 24/7 on-site location, and the city has expanded the program to accept collections from surrounding communities. In an innovative next step, the city has partnered with IC3D, a Hilliard City Lab company specializing in 3D printing, to explore whether densified Styrofoam can be converted into printable pellets. If successful, the material could be transformed into new 3D-printed products for use in city parks and facilities or sold commercially. To support this effort, Hilliard Development Corporation and City Lab helped IC3D develop a hopper-based 3D printing platform capable of using recycled pellets, advancing the city’s circular economy goals while reducing reliance on traditional filament manufacturing.
The range and scale of Intelligent Community programs in Hilliard are worthy of a city many times its size. Together they are ensuring against any repetition of the cycle of stagnation and decline that gave the Midwest a nickname that no longer applies.
In the News
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Population: 37,114
Website: hilliardohio.gov
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