News and Events

Montgomery County Is Distributing $10 Million in CARES Act Grants for Mortgage and Rent Relief

Friday, July 31, 2020

In mid-July, Montgomery County launched a new $10 million grant program to aid local homeowners and renters impacted by loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of this funding will benefit homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments. The other half of this funding will help individuals and families who have struggled to pay rent, as well as providing help to both homeowners and renters who are behind on utility bills. “The loss of income from this pandemic has caused a lot of stress for our citizens. Many have lost jobs or had hours cut because of th...

Montgomery County names new Manager of Building Regulations

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Montgomery County’s Community and Economic Development Department has promoted Robert Martin to the position of Manager of Building Regulations. Martin has served with Montgomery County’s Building Regulations Division for over 15 years. Prior to being named the Manager of Building Regulations, he worked as an Inspection Supervisor. His work has been instrumental on major projects in the county, like Caterpillar, Proctor & Gamble, Austin Landing, Trimble Navigation’s expansion, and GM’s recent DMax project in Brookville. He is a consistently strong communicator with contractors and owners as they work their way through the building process. “Robert is a true professional,” said Montgomery County’s Communit...

A Disciplined Road Map for Industrial Site Selection

Friday, June 19, 2020

It’s almost always good news when an industrial manufacturer needs to find a new plant site. It means business is growing, new markets are emerging, and financials are healthy. However, this is the point of time in the business cycle when decisions about next steps need to be made carefully. Unfortunately, this is when many businesses get tripped up. Plant owners and managers may agree on the need for new production lines, more distribution capacity, new automation processes, and more staff. But this is also when additional rigor is most urgently needed to analyze the best-case business scenarios for that nex...

Finding Talent in a Time of Economic Change

Friday, June 19, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has caused more economic disruption than the U.S. has seen since the Great Depression. No one can say for sure what the landscape will look like as the economy recovers, but it’s clear that a lot of puzzle pieces won’t snap back into the same places as before. In a post-pandemic reality, business operations may look dramatically different. Many people will be forced to transition from one job or career to another. Put another way, there will be an incredible need for workforce development as millions of idled workers return to the workforce. The country’s many workforce program...

Risk Management, Enhanced Communication Needed in Post-Pandemic Environment

Friday, June 19, 2020

COVID-19 has significantly altered the landscape for businesses globally that will reverberate well beyond and into the future. Manufacturing and supply chain decisions for corporations have had to make adaptations due to the massive disruption from this pandemic. Understanding and implementing the new norms will be quintessential to success in this environment. Cost-driven decisions have stranded and left companies vulnerable due to a lack of redundancy in manufacturing. Going forward, adapting a strategy that has supply chain alternatives and enhanced protocol for these facilities will be paramount for implementation. Creating a safe environment that allows employees access to counseling, as wel...

The Nature of Incentives Compliance in the Age of the Coronavirus

Friday, June 19, 2020

Economic development compliance is historically a long process, one that is typically managed over a multi-year time frame. Companies have negotiated incentives to help offset costs associated with growth and expansion and count on the economic benefits as part of their strategic growth plan — specifically, their plan for building the future of their business and their teams. What no one counted on was a global pandemic bringing life as we know it to a standstill. The dramatic slowdown of the economy has caused business leaders to take a close look at all aspects of their business, which should absolutely includ...

Montgomery County Has $40 Million in Grants for Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19

Monday, June 15, 2020

The Office of CARES Act knows small businesses drive Montgomery County’s local economy, and it’s distributing $40 million in grants to help those local businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic inflicted swift and massive damage on our local economy, and that’s why we are focusing first on providing assistance to small businesses,” said Judy Dodge, Montgomery County Commission President. “Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy—they anchor our neighborhoods, add vibrancy and culture to our community, and provide employment opportunities for many of our citizens.” The intent of the grants is to help small businesses that hav...

NOW OPEN: Fino Sur Peruvian Street Food introduces new cuisine to Dayton

Thursday, June 04, 2020

The Restaurant is located in the Cross Pointe Centre in Centerville A new restaurant that brings the flavor-packed street food of Peru to the Miami Valley has opened in the Cross Pointe Centre in Centerville. Fino Sur Peruvian Street Food is located in tenant space that previously housed a chiropractic office near the southwest corner of the retail center. Read full article.

Local business awarded $400,000 to combat PFAS

Wednesday, June 03, 2020

ENGLEWOOD, Ohio (WKEF/WRGT) -- Local Englewood business, Faraday Technology, Inc. received $400,000 in funding as part of the EPA's announced $3 million to support small businesses developing environmental solutions. The funding provided by EPA will allow these small businesses to pursue solutions to environmental challenges, including removing PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) from water and soil and monitoring air quality during wildfires, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said. PFAS is a potentially harmful man-made chemical. Read full article.

Montgomery County Businesses Transform Operations to Combat COVID-19 and Empower Workforce

Wednesday, June 03, 2020

In times of uncertainty, finding innovative solutions to business challenges can be difficult. COVID-19 is no exception, as it has forever altered industry operations around the world. Dayton-area businesses saw these challenges as opportunities to hit the ground running and pivot to new business strategies — allowing them to serve consumers beyond our county lines.

Growing Dayton manufacturer lands Jobs Ohio loan, plans 21 new hires

Monday, June 01, 2020

MIAMISBURG, Ohio (Dayton Business Journal) -- A local manufacturing startup that recently relocated its headquarters to Miamisburg is planning another major investment. Loan funding from Ohio’s private, nonprofit economic development corporation will accelerate the company’s continued growth, enabling the creation of 21 new jobs. Read full article.

How Dayton region small businesses adapted to survive

Monday, June 01, 2020

After seven years in business Joe and Carol Jones saw their Washington Twp. company’s revenue dry up after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in March announced the stay-at-home order for all but essential businesses. “My wife and I had to make a decision: do we die on the vine or do we pivot and do something different to bring in revenue?” said Jones, co-owner of Incenta Rewards.“We came off three extremely banner years and COVID-19 hit and it was like being smacked in the face by a board.” Read full article.

Strengthening Ohio's Energy and Automotive Supply Chain

Thursday, May 28, 2020

As we work to restore what has been lost economically in Ohio during the pandemic, we should be looking for opportunities to leverage the state’s strengths to create jobs in a fast-emerging global industrial sector that has the potential to sustain our economy for the longer-term. There may be no industry where the opportunity is greater than in the battery materials supply chain. The Battery Materials Market Spurred primarily by accelerating global demand for electric vehicle production, the annual Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery market is already estimated at more than $35 billion with projections that it will triple over the next five years...

9 Strategies To Build An Employee-First Culture

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Organizations should recognize that if you take care of culture, then the customer experience and profits will take care of themselves. Putting your people at the center of your thinking and decision-making will never steer you in the wrong direction. Culture is experienced in every employee’s actions, 365 days of the year. It is not about the organizational perks, being perfect or being tied to a rigid set of rules. Culture is when employees feel empowered to work autonomously and make decisions driven by core values. Read full article.

Improving Productivity for Remote and Distributed Work Forces

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

At a time when more people are working from home but business deliverables and deadlines remain the same, managers are seeking tangible ways to make remote work function just as well as the usual methods for employees they support. Below are four tangible steps that managers can take to combat communication or productivity issues that can occur for teams who aren’t used to working remotely. Integrate your communications and management tools Integrations allow distributed, remote-first and remote-friendly teams to connect regularly and with little to no effort. Communications-based SaaS platforms have now transformed into “virtual offices,” where employees, especially those working in differen...

How the Covid-19 Crisis is Affecting the 2020 U.S. Census

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The U.S. Census is conducted in the United States every 10 years. The Census aims to count the entire population of the United States. The Census asks American households certain questions such as sex, age, and race of each person in the household. These demographics help determine congressional representation and how much funding each state, county, and community will receive of the $675 billion per year in federal funding. These funds are spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works, and other essential programs. The U.S. Census data is also very helpful for businesses and developers. Businesses can use Census data to decide th...

Upcoming OEDA Training Opportunities

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Even with the travel limitations imposed by the COVID 19 Pandemic, the Ohio Economic Development Institute continues to offer professional development opportunities. Recognizing that the profession is under the same travel restrictions as others, OEDA has worked to continue its professional development programming on-line. We are changing the course material and agenda to stress dialogue among the instructors and students. Read full article.

Fraud and Scams

Wednesday, May 06, 2020

Here in Montgomery County, we’re doing everything we can to protect our community from the effects of COVID-19. In the wake of the communal and economic upheaval, we’ve been working to keep our citizens up to date on all relief programs, announcements and other changes. Another threat has increased in the wake of COVID-19: Fraud and scams. It’s unfortunate that people have taken advantage of the situation in this way. But the best defense against falling victim to these scams and fraud is to be informed and aware. These scams are designed to obtain personal information – social security numbers, credit/debit card numbers...

Responsible RestartOhio: Key Info for Economic Developers

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Governor DeWine announced the Responsible RestartOhio plan which aims to protect the health of employees and customers while supporting community efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 and responsibly getting back to work. The three-phase plan includes reopen dates for several types of businesses and the resumption of elective surgical procedures. A summary for each phase can be found below. Restaurants, gyms, beauty and barber shops, and camps are among the entities that remain closed. For a full list of continued closed businesses click HERE. Read full article.

Dayton startup ACE Healthy Products adapts product line to combat COVID-19

Friday, April 17, 2020

A Dayton startup is pivoting from production of its eco-friendly pest control spray to produce surface disinfectant solution in response to COVID-19. Minority- and Veteran-owned Ace Healthy Products strives to produce and manufacture products that will help keep the world environmentally safe. Since 2015, Ace Healthy has been selling a unique eco-friendly pest control spray formulation and has a national contract with a global, integrated healthcare services and products company for its bed bug application, Eagle Watch Bed Bug Barrier & Eliminator. Click here to read full article.

How to Apply for the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Assistance

Monday, April 13, 2020

UPDATE: On April 15, 2020, the Small Business Administration announced the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program will no longer be taking applications, as the funds have been exhausted. Montgomery County businesses who have suffered financially due to COVID-19 can seek relief through the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Eligible businesses can apply for the loan and an immediate $10,000 to use while the loan application is pending. Who is Eligible to Apply for the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan? Applicants must meet the SBA requirements of a small business (500 employees or fewer) Businesses directly affected by COVID-19 Businesses that offer services directly related to th...

Montgomery County Businesses Can Now Apply for the Paycheck Protection Program

Monday, April 06, 2020

UPDATE: On April 27, 2020, the Small Business Administration announced additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program. Contact your financial institution for more information and to apply. As of April 3rd, 2020, businesses can apply for emergency funds through the Paycheck Protection Program. Then, on April 10, 2020, independent contractors can also apply through this program. Designed to be a forgivable loan, the federal government has taken steps to make the application and overall process as easy as possible. The objective of the program is to provide small businesses with the capital they need to continue making payroll for an eight-week perio...

Winery at Versailles and Belle of Dayton collaboration will benefit health-care workers, first responders

Friday, April 03, 2020

The owner of a winery in Darke County is joining forces with the owners of a distillery in Dayton to turn a thousand gallons or so of excess wine into hand sanitizer. Mike Williams, co-owner of The Winery at Versailles with his wife Carol, said he had some wines that would have required some additional fine-tuning in the cellars before release. Since his tasting room is closed during the coronavirus pandemic, chances are his bottle sales are going to be lighter than usual in the coming months (the winery still sells wines for carryout and can deliver in Ohio). Click here t...

Central Ohio businesses manufacture, distribute PPE for medical workers

Thursday, April 02, 2020

The state says hundreds of Ohio businesses have signed up to help manufacture personal protective equipment in the wake of the pandemic. "We know we have a shortage and so we're asking the manufacturers step up look at what their capacity is, see what you can do," said Governor Mike DeWine at Thursday afternoon's press conference. Click here to read full article.

Ohio takes steps to increase access to high-speed internet

Thursday, April 02, 2020

Ohio officials are moving forward with a plan aimed at improving access to high-speed internet across the state, a push that could see renewed interest in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The new BroadbandOhio office will implement the Ohio Broadband Strategy, which the state released in 2019. The plan, in part, calls for the Ohio Department of Transportation to allow more access to state-owned rights of way to construct internet infrastructure. Click here to read full article.

SBA announces Paycheck Protection Program

Wednesday, April 01, 2020

UPDATE: On April 27, 2020, the Small Business Administration announced additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program. Contact your financial institution for more information and to apply. Following President Trump’s signing of the historic Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin today announced that the SBA and Treasury Department have initiated a robust mobilization effort of banks and other lending institutions to provide small businesses with the capital they need. The CARES Act establishes a new $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program. The Program will provide much-needed relief to millions of small businesses so they ca...

Montgomery County Cancels Spring ED/GE Grant Program

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Montgomery County has made the decision to cancel the Spring 2020 Funding Cycle of the Economic Development and Government Equity (ED/GE) Grant Program. The ED/GE program is funded through sales tax revenue that will be significantly impacted as a result of COVID-19. Montgomery County is taking a proactive approach to identify budget alternatives that will ensure that residents receive the critical human services they need to recover from this pandemic.

OEDA Launches COVID-19 Resource Center

Monday, March 30, 2020

OEDA has launched a COVID-19 Resource Center on its website. The Resource Center provides Ohio’s economic development community with resources to help practitioners best serve their business community during the COVID-19 outbreak. OEDA will do all that we can to provide factual information and helpful resources you need as leaders in those efforts. There is both an overwhelming number of questions AND an overwhelming amount of information. OEDA will use its COVID-19 Resource Center as the clearinghouse for that information to avoid flooding your inbox with multiple communications each day. We believe one of the most helpful roles OEDA can play is curator...

Thank You for Making Ohio No. 1!

Monday, March 30, 2020

Ohio has an outstanding economic development network that goes above and beyond for communities, companies and people. By working together toward a common goal, you make a difference. Site Selection Magazine’s Governor’s Cup results are a testament to this unwavering work ethic. You helped make Ohio No. 1! As the No. 1 state for projects per capita and No. 2 for total projects overall, Ohio is the only state in the nation to place in the top three in both Governor’s Cup categories. Click here to read full article.

Riffle Machine Works’ Multiphase Expansion is Finally Complete

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Founded in 1980, Riffle Machine Works — a provider of machine, fabrication, warehousing and assembly of truck parts for the automotive industry — began with only three employees. However, the company grew significantly in 2001 when they received their first assembly line project from Kenworth. This resulted in a few expansions over the years, from an initial 50,000-square-foot facility to the current 300,000 square feet between 2007 and 2016. Click here to read full article.

Coronavirus: Dayton startup gives back to community

Monday, March 23, 2020

While the region’s industries have shifted business models following coronavirus (COVID-19) orders, local startups have done the same, and then some. Picnk, a Dayton meal prep startup, has become a key community player and donated more than 1,700 meals locally. Founder William Foster said the initiative started simply, then grew within hours. Click here to read full article.

JobsOhio Commits to Working Closely with State and Partners Through COVID-19 Pandemic

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as Governor Mike DeWine, the JobsOhio board of directors held its quarterly public board of directors meeting via live webinar on March 17, 2020. While JobsOhio reported its results of ongoing initiatives, it also addressed the current COVID-19 pandemic and how it plans to work with the state to support Ohio businesses during this time. JobsOhio President and Chief Investment Officer J.P. Nauseef thanked Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted and Health Director Dr. Amy Acton for their clarity and leadership for Ohio and the nation during this unprecedente...

Dayton Metro wins first place in Site Selection Magazine's Governor's Cup

Monday, March 02, 2020

DAYTON, Ohio – Site Selection magazine announced Monday the Dayton Metro ranked first among cities of its size for economic development projects in its annual Governor’s Cup rankings, marking the 14th consecutive year the region has ranked in the top 10 and its fourth win.

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