News and Events

After an announcement by Amazon that a new distribution center will be developed near Dayton International Airport, Montgomery County officials offered support for the company. “This is proof that our long-term economic development strategy is succeeding at creating a business-friendly region,” said Montgomery County Commission President Judy Dodge. “We have invested...Continue Reading

by Michael Zimmerman   Talent and innovation are everywhere and workforce development has no age requirement. The future of our local economy and business climate rests in the hands of our next generation. Montgomery County’s Youth Career Services 365 (YCS365) is a program that employs youth between the ages 14 to 18 t...Continue Reading

Montgomery County has a new program to provide relief for rental expenses that have become a hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There is still a strong need in our community for help with rent,” said Montgomery County Commission President Judy Dodge. “So many people are still struggling because of thi...Continue Reading

Dayton was named one of the “Top 10 Best Metros for Minority-Owned Businesses'' due to high marks for eight criteria: number of minority-owned businesses, business sales by minority-owned firms, immigrant share of population, racial equity index rank, revenue growth for firms owned by people of color, prosperity score, inclusion score...Continue Reading

Alex Hara, Dayton resident, watched as a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami decimated the Tohoku region of Japan on March 11, 2011. Hara was born in Japan and was immediately compelled to give back. “I started a Japan Earthquake Relief Fund and the Dayton Daily News shared my efforts,” sai...Continue Reading

Eliminating inequity means ensuring that all entrepreneurs and business owners have access to the support, financing, resources, and networking they need to grow. Economic development agencies, government officials, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector are partnering to address disparities and provide more support to the Black community, including efforts t...Continue Reading

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 43 percent of the workforce worked from home at least some of the time according to Gallup data. With the pandemic, that percentage increased, and many people switched completely to remote work. With that switch, workers were no longer anchored to a radius around thei...Continue Reading

by Michael Zimmerman   Despite the challenges and hardships faced by numerous industries throughout COVID-19, Montgomery County’s federal CARES Act grant program was the silver lining for many small businesses, educational institutions, nonprofits and homeowners in the Dayton Region.  "The CARES Act grant allowed us to purchase much-needed technology to facilitate online learnin...Continue Reading

Robust and diverse relationships are a pillar of successful business and the Dayton Ohio region is uniquely positioned on a direct avenue for collaborations with Israel. Dayton Region Israel Trade Alliance (DRITA) is the gateway for access to a local team, representatives in Israel, and matchmaking funding through Israel-U.S. Binationa...Continue Reading

by Dan Bish   As mentioned in the first article of this two-part blog series, I was provided the opportunity to speak with fellow economic development and community leaders at County Focus, a virtual economic development series hosted by Greater Cincinnati SMPS.  My previous post highlighted the numerous projects underway in Montgomery County, Ohi...Continue Reading

by Michael Zimmerman   Hidden behind long-ago shuttered storefronts at the epicenter of Dayton’s downtown, a business giant is reawakening. In October, Montgomery County Business Services staff donned hardhats to take a tour of the soon-to-open Dayton Arcade, as construction workers hung drywall around us. The Arcade includes nine buildings, five of the...Continue Reading

by Dan Bish   The economic development series, County Focus — hosted by Greater Cincinnati SMPS — brought together local influencers to discuss the challenges and opportunities businesses and developers may face when determining to relocate.  Alongside Christine Russell from Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, Michael McNamara of Clermont County and Matthew Schnipke of Warre...Continue Reading

The Mobile Workforce Unit, a 38-foot Freightliner coach outfitted with state-of-the-art technology, will serve as an extension of the services already available to Montgomery County residents at The Job Center on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard in Dayton, Ohio. It will function as one more innovation to help residents develop th...Continue Reading

  by Erik Collins   The year 2020 has featured pivoting projects, reprioritizing business goals and determining your organization’s key values to withstand any natural disaster, global health crisis or economic hardship. As economic developers, this year has only reinforced the importance of relationships — whether with businesses inside our communities or resourc...Continue Reading

Opportunity and prosperity — two characteristics that continuously describe the economic development initiatives in the Dayton Region. As 2020 comes to a close, the month of November marks the beginning of a $14.9 million infrastructure project that will boost future economic growth and introduce a variety of new employment opportunities.  Le...Continue Reading

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 bee...Continue Reading