Ohio was among the leaders in the nation — and even the world — when it came to ingenuity and manufacturing.

Unfortunately that has changed in recent years, in part because of challenges on a state level but also because national policies that do little to persuade going oversees for manufacturing needs.

Speaking at the Statehouse earlier this week to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, AK Steel CEO James L. Wainscott reiterated what many have been saying for years: Our nation must have a level playing field.

The AK Steel CEO is on target that better regulation and enforcement of existing trade laws would go a long way toward addressing the problem.

Even after years of job loss and the sluggish economy, manufacturing remains vital to Ohio, accounting for more than 600,000 jobs and making the sector the state’s top supplier of non-government jobs.

For Lawrence County and Southern Ohio, manufacturing and industry have always been vital to the region.

If the state and nation can again become competitive, our region is perfectly poised to take advantage of that growth with The Point industrial park, the Hanging Rock industrial corridor and a variety of potential sites in Ironton.

Talking about the problem is the first step. Now we urge our state and national legislators to get on board and give us the tools to craft the future.