About Knox County
Located in the heart of central Ohio, Knox County (pop. ~63,000) offers historic downtowns, strong community connections, and access to outdoor recreation while remaining within commuting distance of larger metropolitan areas. The county seat, Mount Vernon (pop. ~17,000), serves as the economic hub and is complemented by the villages of Fredericktown, Danville, Gambier, Centerburg, Martinsburg, and Bladensburg. Manufacturing is Knox County’s largest industry, employing about 24% of the workforce, with healthcare, construction, and education also serving as major employment sectors that support a stable and growing local economy.
Area Development Foundation Seeking Economic Development Coordinator (3/11/26)
The Knox County Area Development Foundation (ADF) is the non-profit economic development organization serving Knox County. ADF works to grow the local economy by supporting business expansion, strengthening the workforce pipeline, and investing in community development initiatives.
ADF operates at a high level for a county of its size and has developed state-recognized programming in workforce development, land reutilization, and collaborative economic development initiatives. Key initiatives include the Knox WorkDev employer workforce network and the Knox County Land Bank.
ADF is hiring for an Economic Development Coordinator to support ADF’s work across community development, workforce development, and organizational operations. This role assists with Land Bank projects, workforce programming, research, and administrative coordination. This position is ideal for a high-initiative individual who is organized, flexible, community-minded, and interested in contributing to projects that strengthen Knox County’s economy and neighborhoods.
Interested candidates can email their resume, cover letter, and references to Shelley Coon at — [email protected].
Applications are due by April 3rd, 2026. Applications received after the deadline may still be considered, but they will have lower priority.
Click the below link for the full job description:
Knox County Comprehensive Plan
Knox County, Mount Vernon, and all the other communities of the county are working together to create a vision and plan for the future. This community-driven process called Together Knox will inform long-term goals, policies, programs, and projects for a range of topics that are important to the community. All community members are invited to be a part of shaping the plan!
Do you want to learn more about the comprehensive plan process or get involved? Visit the website!
Knox ADF in the News
Why Knox County?
Our community offers a rural lifestyle and connects with the Columbus metropolitan area – plus we have some of the finest landscape views in Ohio!
The Area Development Foundation’s understanding of Knox County’s high-quality workforce, shovel-ready commercial & industrial properties, and sophisticated economic development deal-making will impress you.
Real Estate
Since 1957, the Area Development Foundation has helped develop commercial real estate in Knox County. We help market commercial and industrial properties including high-quality “shovel-ready sites” for immediate development by industrial end-users.
In October 2017, the Knox County Land Bank was created, with the Foundation providing operations support and management over its activities.
Our Valued Partners
.png)
