Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro

What Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro does

Summit County, Ohio is a political subdivision of the State of Ohio led by County Executive Ilene Shapiro, providing a comprehensive portfolio of mandated public services to approximately 540,000 residents across 412 square miles, including the City of Akron and surrounding municipalities. Operating continuously since 1840 and reorganized under a chartered form of government in 1979, the county employs nearly 3,000 personnel across departments including the Sheriff's Office, court system, Job and Family Services, sanitary sewer services, building standards, emergency management, and economic development. Service scope spans public safety, social services, infrastructure, permitting, and community programs, with recent activity including $94 million in community investments highlighted in the 2025 State of the County Address and $28.5 million in COVID-era housing assistance.

The county operates a digital infrastructure stack that includes a GIS-based property information portal, a Reverse Alert emergency notification system, a vendor self-service portal, online permitting systems, an Open Finance transparency tool built on the Socrata platform, an employee self-service portal branded SCENE, and the Unite Us coordinated-care network for cross-agency health and human services referrals. These systems support permitting, financial transparency, employee administration, and inter-agency care coordination but are described as standard digital-government tooling rather than AI-driven platforms.

Summit County is funded primarily through property taxes, supplemented by federal and state grants (including SNAP, Medicaid, HUD, and EPA allocations), permit and license fees, sanitary sewer service fees, and targeted community investment allocations. The county's revenue base is structurally diversified across its entire jurisdictional population and a broad set of federal funding streams, with no single customer or tenant concentration. Strategic direction under the current administration has emphasized grant acquisition, infrastructure modernization, expanded social services, and economic development programming.

Name

Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro

Legal name

County of Summit, Ohio

Website

https://co.summitoh.net

Company type

Public

Founded year

1840

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Summit County, Ohio government, led by County Executive Ilene Shapiro, delivers mandated public services to approximately 540,000 residents through nearly 3,000 employees across public safety, social services, infrastructure, and community development functions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

County Government Administration

NAICS

Executive Offices (92111), Administration of Public Health Programs (92312)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL), Emergency Dispatch Center Services (PSAP/911 Support, Private Dispatch) (BPAKAFAJ)

Keywords

• County government services
• Public safety services
• Emergency management services
• Social services administration
• Public works infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron, OH

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Primary funding source through property taxes levied by the county for general operations, public safety, and various county services.
2. Federal and State Grants: Federal grants for programs including SNAP, Medicaid, housing aid, economic development, and public safety. Includes HUD grants, EPA brownfields grants, and various federal funding for workforce development.
3. Federal SNAP Cost-Sharing: Federal reimbursement for SNAP administration costs; Ohio receives 50% federal funding for administration with state/local cost-sharing increasing to 75% effective October 2026.
4. Sanitary Sewer Services Fees: Fees for sanitary sewer services provided to residents and businesses across the county.
5. Permit and License Fees: Fees for building permits, dog licenses, and other county services and permits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Summit County Executive's Office delivers countywide public administration and direct services through its departments: emergency management via the Reverse Alert system, public safety through Sheriff and 9-1-1 dispatch, social services (SNAP, Medicaid, child support) through Job & Family Services, infrastructure via Building Standards and Sanitary Sewer Services, animal control, court administration, and community/economic development. Services are delivered through physical service centers, digital self-service portals, and partnerships with municipalities, nonprofits, and state/federal agencies.

Product overview

Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro's office operates a government services portal offering various public-facing and internal services. The primary offerings include the Reverse Alert emergency notification system, a GIS Parcel Viewer for geographic data access, a Federal SNAP and Medicaid Program Information Portal for benefit-related changes, a Vendor Self-Service Portal for procurement, an Open Finance Tool for budget transparency, and the internal SCENE employee portal. The county also provides access to Job and Family Services, Building Standards permits, Sanitary Sewer billing, and various public safety tools including Text-to-9-1-1 capability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reverse Alert Emergency Notification System
• Vendor Self-Service Portal
• Open Finance Tool
• GIS Parcel Viewer
• SCENE Employee Self-Service Portal
• Federal SNAP and Medicaid Program Information Portal
• Job & Family Services (SNAP, Medicaid, Workforce Development)
• Sanitary Sewer Services
• Building Standards (Permits and Inspections)
• Animal Control and Shelter Services
• Public Safety and 9-1-1 Dispatch Services (SECC)

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed $28.5 million in COVID-19 housing aid since start of pandemic
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Education Service Center of Northeast OhiominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2024Partnership to fund behavioral health and wellness coordinators in four school districts to support student mental health.
• OhioMeansJobs Summit CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal workforce resource center providing comprehensive employment services, job training, and career resources to county residents. Offers free services to job seekers including orientation, training, and job placement assistance.
• Akron-Canton Regional FoodbankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to address food insecurity through food distribution programs, pet food assistance, and emergency food support services for county residents in need.
• Adult Protective ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative to combat elder abuse through law enforcement partnerships, community awareness programs, and enhanced response to substance use affecting vulnerable adults.
• United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Family Resource Centers, community investment initiatives, and coordinated social service delivery across Summit County.
• Direction HomecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Aging in Place Program providing services to help older adults remain independent in their homes. County has provided $4 million grant for this program.
• Ohio Department of Job and Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partnership for administering SNAP, Medicaid, workforce development, and child welfare programs at the county level.
• Local MunicipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with cities, villages, and townships including shared services for dispatch consolidation, GIS portal access, emergency management, and economic development.
• Summit County Sheriff's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on public safety including dispatch consolidation, emergency management, and law enforcement support programs.
• Greater Akron ChambercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development partnership supporting business growth, workforce development, and regional economic initiatives.
• Unite UscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform for coordinated care referral network connecting residents to social services across Summit County.
• Ohio Emergency Management AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partnership for emergency preparedness, hazard mitigation, and emergency response coordination.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• National Association of Counties (NACo): NACo is the national industry association representing U.S. county governments, administering the Achievement Awards that Summit County has repeatedly won. They serve as a peer ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA): GFOA is the national professional association for governmental finance that administers the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award Summit County has earned for 24 consecutive years. Industry ecosystem peer rather than operational competitor.

Direct peers

• Butler County Government: Butler County operates an Ohio charter government with executive administration of social services, public safety, and development functions. Comparable in scale and geographic context to Summit County.
• Hamilton County Government: Hamilton County (Cincinnati) is another Ohio charter county delivering the same suite of executive branch services — social services, public safety, economic development, and infrastructure. Similar population scale and historical governance structure.
• Lucas County Government: Lucas County (Toledo) is an Ohio charter county operating a similar executive-led governance model with comparable human services, public safety, and economic development functions. A natural benchmark peer for Summit County's service delivery model.
• Lake County Government: Lake County is an Ohio county delivering comparable social services, public safety, and economic development through an executive-led administration. Similar population scale and service mix to Summit County.
• Montgomery County Government: Montgomery County (Dayton) is an Ohio charter county with comparable executive-led governance and similar service portfolio. Operates at a similar scale with shared service consolidation patterns.
• Franklin County Government: Franklin County (Columbus) operates as an Ohio charter county with comparable executive, council, and administrative structure, providing similar human services, public safety, and economic development functions. Comparable scale and service mix to Summit County.
• Cuyahoga County Government: Cuyahoga County is Ohio's most populous county, operating under a charter form of government and delivering the same broad portfolio of executive, social, public safety, and human services functions. It is the most directly comparable large urban-suburban Ohio charter county.
• Stark County Government: Stark County is an adjacent Ohio county with a long historical relationship with Summit County (Summit was formed from portions of Stark in 1840). Provides the same general executive county government services and is a natural regional benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SummitExecutive
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCobf0hfESSWZIWlK3rfOx3A
• Facebookfacebook.com/SummitCountyExecutive
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/locations/285485030/summit-county-executive-ilene-shapiro/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/summit-county-executive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro