Even though Jefferson County isn’t the most active county in the Utica Shale, the area is seeing the benefits of nearby wells, reports Pittsburgh Business Times.

Many natural gas companies have moved their businesses into Steubenville because of its proximity to the Ohio River as well as to many Utica wells.

Ed Looman, the Eastern Ohio project manager for the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth, says that the next five years could see a lot of development for the area. The increase in economic activity could bring restaurants and small service businesses. The key to development is keeping up with the growth. Other nearby counties have had a difficult time developing in pace with the shale industry’s growth.

Via: Pittsburgh Business Times > Steubenville, Jefferson County poised for an upswing: panel