Business, Industry and College Expo to be held Wednesday April 3rd

Business, Industry and College Expo to be held Wednesday April 3rd

PAULDING, OH – The Paulding County Economic Development office is hosting the Annual Business, Industry & College Expo on Wednesday, April 3rd from 8:00 am- 12:00 pm. The event is located at the Paulding County OSU Extension Building located at 503 Fairground Dr. Paulding, OH 45879.  Public is welcome to attend. High School Students from Antwerp, Paulding, Wayne Trace and Vantage Career Center, will attend to meet and learn more about the businesses, colleges and non-profits in attendance.

“Last year we had a great turnout of 44 businesses! We were impressed with the engaging hands-on activities some of the businesses had and look forward to more creativity this year. The overall goal for this event is to build awareness for the opportunities in our area. As always, we want to make the event better each year. Since last year we’ve met with our school leaders and came up with some tweaks to make the event more impactful for everyone involved.” noted Paulding County Economic Development Office Manager, Kristen Schilt.

You can find out more about Paulding County Economic Development events and programs online at www.pced.net; on Facebook at Paulding County Economic Development or email Kristen Schilt, Office Manager at office@pced.net.

RGP presents JobsOhio Inclusion Grant to Paulding County

RGP presents JobsOhio Inclusion Grant to Paulding County

Paulding County Economic Development Press Release                                   January 18, 2024

RGP presents JobsOhio Inclusion Grant to Paulding County

PAULDING – Jessica Sattler, with the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP), recently came to Paulding County to present to local small business owners and leaders about an available business grant opportunity.  The JobsOhio Inclusion Grant (JOIG) is available to businesses located in the zip codes of Broughton, Cecil, Oakwood and Paulding villages.  In addition, the grant is available to female, veteran, disabled or minority owned businesses throughout the county.  Fifteen businesses were represented at the meeting by 16 individuals.

The RGP team is the NW Ohio arm of JobsOhio.  They help oversee 17 counties in northwest Ohio, including Paulding County, in economic development projects and grant opportunities.  With the JOIG opportunity, businesses that are over a year old and provide business to business services with at least $100,000 in annual revenue (but not over $25 million) are eligible to receive a $25,000 reimbursable grant.  An additional $25,000 is available to female, veteran, disabled or minority owned businesses that are located in the above-mentioned zip codes.  There is a requirement of increasing full time employment, within your business by 10%, over the next three years.  A business that has 10 or less employees would only need to increase by one full-time equivalent.  Last year Paulding County had two qualified businesses that applied and both received this reimbursable $25,000 grant.

The event was hosted at the Paulding Eagles and organized by the Paulding County Economic Development office, in conjunction with RGP and the Paulding & Defiance OhioMeansJobs office.  OMJ Workforce Supervisor Tiffany Rockhold shared several business partnership opportunities with attendees to make sure they were aware of the many options available through the OMJ office.

“The attendance of this event far exceeded what we expected, which shows that our business leaders are engaged and paying attention to opportunities our office is sharing,” stated Economic Development Director Tim Copsey.  “The questions and discussions that evolved out of this meeting to both Jessica and Tiffany were informative.  It’s great to see so many business leaders participating and thinking outside the box.  We are now using the knowledge that we gained from this presentation to reach out and meet with other business owners that weren’t able to attend and share in this opportunity”.

If an Ohio business would like to learn more about this grant opportunity and qualifications, please reach out to your local economic development office for more information.

JobsOhio Inclusion Grant Info Session for Local Businesses

JobsOhio Inclusion Grant Info Session for Local Businesses

Paulding County Economic Development Press Release                              January 5, 2024

JobsOhio Inclusion Grant Info Session for Local Businesses

Paulding County – Local business owners are invited to an informative session on the JobsOhio Inclusion Grant, presented by Jessica Sattler from the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP).

Date: Wednesday January 17, 2024

Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Location: Paulding Eagles, 206 W Perry St, Paulding

This session will highlight grant opportunities for businesses in the specific communities of Paulding, Broughton, Cecil, and Oakwood. Qualifying businesses may access a $25,000 grant. Additionally, minority, female, disabled, or veteran-owned businesses may qualify for further funding opportunities.

To attend, RSVP to Paulding County Economic Development at office@pced.net or call 419-399-8295.

 

PCED Transition to OhioMeansJobs Job Portal for Job Seekers and Employers

PCED Transition to OhioMeansJobs Job Portal for Job Seekers and Employers

In its ongoing commitment to foster economic growth and connect job seekers with opportunities, the Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office has recently transitioned to recommending the use of OhioMeansJobs’ (OMJ) exceptional job portal, for both job seekers and employers.

For a few years, PCED maintained a job list on its website (www.pced.net), providing a valuable resource for local job seekers. However, with the dynamic nature of the job market, including filled positions, new job opportunities, and high turnover rates, it became challenging to ensure the accuracy of the list.

Seeing the need for a more up-to-date platform, PCED is now encouraging the community to utilize OhioMeansJobs’ (https://ohiomeansjobs.ohio.gov/) job portal that offers a comprehensive and accurate representation of the local job market. Our local OhioMeansJobs office, is located at 252 Dooley Dr. Paulding, OH 45879.

Here are some additional offerings that employers should take advantage of through OMJ:

  1. Pre-hire Testing: OMJ streamlines hiring for employers with cost-saving candidate assessments, ensuring a thorough evaluation before hiring decisions.
  2. Top of Form
  3. Offset Cost for New Hires: Recognizing the financial challenges of hiring new employees, OMJ supports employers by offsetting costs, covering six months of wages for new hires.*
  4. Resume Building: The office offers assistance in resume building, helping job seekers present their skills and experiences effectively to potential employers. *

*Individuals must qualify for service. OhioMeansJobs will conduct an evaluation to determine eligibility.

PCED is committed to supporting the local workforce and enhancing employment in Paulding County. By using the features of OMJ, job seekers and employers can benefit from a more streamlined and accurate job matching process.

For more information or to connect with OMJ workforce supervisor and career coaches, visit the OhioMeansJobs office at 252 Dooley Dr. Or, you can contact Paulding County Economic Development at 419-399-8295 to get connected and take the step towards advancing your career or finding the right talent for your business.

Army Corps of Engineers provides approval to Paulding County Land Bank

Army Corps of Engineers provides approval to Paulding County Land Bank

PAULDING – The December meeting of the Paulding County Land Reutilization Committee (Land Bank) was hosted at the office of the Paulding County Commissioners.

Matt Wagner, with EPA consultant Tetra Tech, shared that the long-awaited letter of approval from the US Army Corps of Engineers has finally been received.  The letter confirms that the bodies of water located on the former Stokely and Grizzley properties were man-made and are not actual designated Ohio wetlands.  With this confirmation the water can be drained and the property leveled for approved future development.  As the committee establishes criteria for a future excavation bidding, the current owner of the former Grizzley brake factory, Arvin Environmental Management, LLC. has committed to some property border foliage remediation and fence repair on the site.

The Paulding theatre building and adjoining Noneman building demolition will begin after the first of the year.  There continues to be research in regard to an adjoining wall on the west side of the theatre with a neighboring building.  Legal pieces are taking place to make sure everything is legally covered should the demolition of the wall hurt the integrity of that building.  The entire project must be complete by June 2024 for the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) funding to be used.  The committee and Wagner are making sure the timeline will be met.

In regard to the residential and commercial blight removal program, completed applications continue to flow in.   Estee Miller, Planner with Maumee Valley Planning Organization, shared the updated list of Paulding County completed applications that have been received.  The committee discussed the list and also noted the several properties that applications have been sent out but not yet received.  The group understands there may be more applications this year than funds to provide remediation for all properties.  The committee will begin prioritizing the list.  The applications will be submitted to the state by April 1, 2024.

Miller also shared that the remaining $50,000 in funding from the first round of ODOD residential funds was approved to be used for existing projects.  This allowed four more projects to be bid for remediation.  These properties should see demolition work starting immediately.

Paulding County Economic Development Director, Tim Copsey updated the committee on the properties located on the Paulding County side of the Village of Scott.  A good meeting with the village council provided the detailed information requested by the county health department in regard to sewer and water connections there.  This should allow future new residential development on the four Paulding County Land Bank owned properties including a potential new Vantage Career Center student-built home.  If all details worked out the home would not begin until the 2025-26 school year.

The committee closed out the meeting going into executive session to discuss additional properties to acquire for potential remediation.  No decisions were made.  The land bank will continue to accept and work with property owners looking to find relief for properties that are behind on taxes or they are struggling to maintain or keep up.