Potential Cost Savings Through Economic Development Incentives

Chris is of counsel in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the probate and tax group. He has a decade of experience advising domestic and international companies on economic development incentives, tax incentives and site selection analysis. He has helped his clients, spanning from Fortune 100 corporations to small and middle market enterprises in jurisdictions across the U.S., obtain more than $500 million in incentives.

Chris has experience assisting clients from a variety of industries, including manufacturing, financial services, energy, distribution, transportation, healthcare, education and retail.

His notable experience includes:

Identifying, negotiating, and implementing economic incentives and tax credits for clients relocating, expanding, consolidating, or experiencing significant operational changes.
Assisting clients with financing transactions related to federal and state incentives, such as New Markets Tax Credits, tax increment financing and bond issuances.
Advising clients on various real estate acquisitions, permitting requirements and regulatory matters as well as in general tax and corporate matters.
Chris received his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his B.A. cum laude from Miami University.

As Executive Director of the Governor’s Action Team (GAT), Brent Vernon leads a dynamic team of economic development professionals who work on the front line of Pennsylvania’s business attraction and retention activities. Headquartered in Harrisburg with six regional offices, GAT is the commonwealth’s lead state economic development office. Its primary mission is to advance economic growth throughout Pennsylvania by attracting new businesses and assisting existing businesses expand and become more successful.
Brent has over 30 years of professional experience serving in state and federal economic and workforce development positions. Prior to becoming GAT Executive Director in 2015, he held the positions of Deputy Director for Project Management and Senior Project Manager. In these roles, Brent provided clients with GAT’s concierge level business services including site selection and technical assistance, customized incentives packaging, and coordination of support from state agencies and other Pennsylvania economic development stakeholders.
Brent holds a BA in political science from the Pennsylvania State University and an MPA from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. He also received certification as an Economic Development Finance Professional from the National Development Council and has completed executive education courses at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Brent is a member of the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association and the Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC), earning the IAMC Fellow designation in 2019.
In his community, Brent is a volunteer firefighter and has served for over 35 years holding administrative and line officer positions. He was also a troop leader with Boy Scouts of America, supported youth soccer as a coach, and served on the board of directors of a community credit union. Originally from Mercer County, Brent is a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, and lives in Hampden Township, Cumberland County, with his wife and two children.

Jennifer Rohrig is committed to helping businesses seize the vast opportunities available in wild and wonderful West Virginia. She works for the WV Department of Economic Development in a hybrid role that focuses on business retention and expansion as well as business attraction. Her six-county territory spans the Northern Panhandle where she is a lifelong resident. Previous roles include work in pharmaceutical sales with AstraZeneca and with the U.S. Census Bureau as a partnership specialist. Jennifer earned her B.A. from Bethany College in communication and public relations and minored in creative writing. She graduated with an M.A. in strategic communication from American University. She is a sustaining member and past president of the Junior League of Wheeling, a Rotarian, and co-chair of the American Heart Association’s Ohio Valley Heart Walk. She enjoys traveling, going to concerts, and watching football with her husband, Shawn, and spending time with their six rescue dogs.

Adam is Senior Energy Advisor for the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Office of Energy. Adam works across public, private, and non-profit sectors to bring energy-related economic development opportunities to the commonwealth. Previously, he was a William Penn Fellow with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development where he supported the agency’s goals of developing business investment and recruitment strategies for the commonwealth in the energy sector. Adam earned his Master of Public Administration from Penn State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations.

Scott is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office, where he leads the firm’s national economic development incentives practice, which is one of the largest law firm-based incentives practices in the country. He focuses his practice on the utilization of economic development incentives, tax incentives, economic development financing mechanisms, public-private partnerships and special economic development entities to assist developers, operating businesses and political subdivisions in developing and redeveloping property and creating jobs and economic growth throughout the United States. He also has substantial real property tax valuation litigation experience and significant experience with other aspects of state and local taxation, including oil and gas tax matters.