For Ohio Valley residents, Utica Shale is a natural resource that happens to be right in our backyard. As drilling increases in the area, jobs are also on the rise.

"We're kind of on the cusp of where the Utica formation starts, so we've got both. We've got Marcellus and Utica, and Utica is where the wet gas or oil is, and that is kind of what most of the drillers or the large companies want to get into," said Ed Looman of Progress Alliance.

According to Looman, 11 wells have been created in Ohio so far, but the area has only see about 5 percent of what is to come.

"We knew all along that eventually we were going to see this activity, we just didn't know exactly when. And it's started to pick up now, and it's going to continue to pick up as we go forward," Looman said.

There are 100,000 to 200,000 jobs projected for our region, Looman said. They won't be all due directly to drilling, but from local business growth as well, he said.

According to Cory Jursik of Heavy Duty Industrial, that's how his company grew -- by catering more to the gas drilling industry.

"We estimated 60 employees by the end of the year, and we're actually already up to 130 since April," Jursik said.

Jursik said his company used to focus more on the steel industry, but as it declined, it switched gears. According to Looman, it's the perfect opportunity to do just that.

"This shale industry really represents our chance to try to recover from the very, very difficult loss of so many steel making jobs," Looman said.

Looman said residents of the Ohio Valley should be patient, because Utica Shale-related jobs may be created slowly, as more permits are issued for drillers interested in the area.