As the bioeconomy develops to complement fossil-based sources of energy and materials, it will be imperative that efforts focus on areas where there is a strong value proposition for consumers. Likewise, an integrated refinery approach inherent to the petroleum industry is highly relevant to biobased energy and materials. Similarly, economic sustainability of biorefineries will likely be enhanced with an integrated approach where biomass feedstocks are converted to a range of goods and services including food, energy and materials. With the appropriate balance of public/private effort, Ohio has the potential to achieve a leadership role in the emerging bioeconomy, particularly in respect to materials.