by Isabella Carwile | Sep 17, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, Funding, Property Development, Shoutout, Survey
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release September 17, 2025
PAULDING – The Paulding County Land Reutilization Committee (Land Bank) had a full agenda discussing the utilization of brownfield grant funding, residential and commercial blight grant funding, and Welcome Home Ohio grant program funding, all provided through the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD).
On the brownfield grant side, Environmental Specialist Matt Wagner, with Tetra Tech, opened with the latest information about environmental testing at the former gas station site in Grover Hill. The readings received were very positive, confirming that no contaminants were seeping into the groundwater. There will be some additional geotechnical samples taken at the site next week, but beyond some surface soil removal and replacement, the project should be complete later this fall.
A new project that was awarded ODOD funding is the village-owned, former Winkle Chevrolet building, located on the square in Paulding. Starting on October 6, Tetra Tech will have representatives on site to remove asbestos floor and ceiling tile and pipe insulation. The entire process will only take a few days. This will allow for a clean building in the opportunity of a future sale if needed.
The Stokely ponds property and former Grizzly manufacturing facility continue to be researched, monitored, and reviewed for site clean-up and future remediation.
Abby White, representing Maumee Valley Planning Organization (MVPO), who facilitates the ODOD projects and funding for all NW Ohio Land Banks, updated the team on completed projects all around the county from this round of funding. Projects have already been completed in Antwerp, Grover Hill, Haviland, Latty, Melrose, and Paulding villages, and in Crane and Jackson Townships. Additional projects are now scheduled in Antwerp, Broughton, Oakwood, Paulding, and Payne villages, as well as Brown and Harrison Townships. Demolition will take place based on the bid-winning contractor’s schedule.
Estee Blair, also with MVPO, shared updates on the growing list of projects associated with the $300,000 WHO funding grant. The Land Bank is hoping to rehabilitate 10 homes with grant-qualifying buyers by June 2027. The committee just purchased a home at 108 S. Main Street in Cecil. There is a pre-approved buyer who will purchase the property once the home is remediated. The Land Bank also owns a home at 621 Sugar Street in Paulding. Bids will be going out to rehabilitate that dwelling soon. The team is currently looking for a prospective buyer who may be able to help design the interior and exterior colors.
Now that the projects for this round of funding have been clearly identified, the committee will look at properties that were left over on the 2025 list, but were excluded in this round and consider additional properties that have been brought to the team for potential development in the future. Review by the committee will take place over the next few weeks to determine the best list to submit at the opening application period for 2026 funding.
Other items of note included:
- A speculative new home build, and where the best placement of that may be.
- The basement has started in the new Vantage Career Center in Latty Village
- Noted a current Land Bank account balance of $230,391.89
- Heard from Economic Development Director Tim Copsey on several property discussions taking place around the county for future project consideration.
- The committee agreed to provide stamps and envelopes to the PCED office for inquiry mailings to property owners.
- Changed the date of the next meeting to October 1 at 8:30 am to accommodate member schedule conflicts
Heard that MVPO will be in attendance at the new “No Wrong Door” event in Paulding on October 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., representing NW Ohio Land Banks.
by Isabella Carwile | Sep 12, 2025 | Business Advisory Council, Community, Events, Jobs, PCED Office, Shoutout, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release September 12, 2025
PAULDING — The Paulding County Business Advisory Council (BAC) recently convened to advance a series of initiatives aimed at building business-education partnerships and expanding opportunities for students throughout the county.
One of the key developments was the Council’s decision to support a Junior High business type exposure event hosted at Antwerp Local School. The event will be designed to introduce younger students to local businesses and business concepts, and introduce career pathways. Paulding Exempted Village School and Wayne Trace Local School will look at what they currently do with junior high-age students and determine if this is a potential fit for them in the future as well.
The BAC also agreed to move forward with planning of the High School Business & Career Showcase this spring. This year’s showcase will emphasize soft skills and hiring readiness, with students suggested to arrive “dressed to impress” and prepared with resumes. The event will continue to utilize YouScience data to guide student engagement, helping align individual aptitudes with real-world career opportunities.
Noting additional opportunities for skilled trades training, Economic Development Director Tim Copsey shared ongoing discussions with a regional group offering floor installation training. In collaboration with Paulding High School, the program may be hosted at the Opportunity Center building, allowing students from all county schools to participate.
Students from Antwerp, Paulding, and Wayne Trace High Schools will also attend the Build Your Future event in Van Wert on September 16. This marks the first time Antwerp and Paulding students will participate, following last year’s weather-related cancellation. The event offers hands-on career exploration in construction, manufacturing, healthcare, and related industries.
Additional highlights from the meeting included:
- Wayne Trace High School launched new opportunities in engineering (22 students enrolled) and videography (26 students), expanding hands-on learning in high-demand fields.
- Paulding High School has brought back its after-school welding program in partnership with FFA instructor Staci Miller and Northwest State Community College. In addition, they reported 20 students enrolled in the Panthers for Career program and a new opportunity for students to earn drone flying credentials.
- Antwerp High School has four seniors participating in the Archer Career Day Advantage program and continues to emphasize robotics programming for younger students. Mrs. Litzenberg’s 6th-grade class will be participating in a business exploration program in the 4th quarter this year.
Vantage Career Center Superintendent Rick Turner shared the excitement of a partnership that includes Vantage Career Center, Latty Village, Paulding Area Foundation, and Paulding County Economic Development. The collaboration will allow career center students to build a new home in Latty—the first career center constructed home in Paulding County in many years. This hands-on project provides real-world experience and will make a community impact.
Turner also let the group know that in order to better support student education decision-making, Vantage Career Center has moved its Sophomore Student Visit Day to November, giving students and families more time to ask questions and explore options before spring enrollment.
Western Buckeye Educational Service Center Superintendent Missy McClurg presented information about upcoming STEM and YouScience training opportunities for both students and educators in the county. These sessions are designed to enhance business-education collaboration and equip participants with tools and knowledge to better align experiences with workforce needs.
McClurg led a thoughtful discussion on the future of the Teacher Boot Camp, a program that takes educators into local business and industry facilities. Although funding for the initiative was not included in the recent Ohio budget, the BAC is exploring local scholarships and alternative funding sources to ensure its continuation.
As the school year progresses, the BAC will continue to evaluate new programming and partnerships to support student success and workforce development for all local business employment needs.
by Isabella Carwile | Sep 9, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, Funding, Membership, PCED Office, Property Development, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release September 9, 2025
PAULDING – The Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) Board of Directors held their bi-monthly meeting this week. The Board held in-depth discussions on the potential for speculative commercial development at the 52.958-acre Gasser Road industrial park in Paulding. The team recently received a letter from the Army Corps of Engineers confirming the site is free of wetlands and ready for construction.
To date, there has not been any serious interest shown in the property, which has led to further discussion if an existing building would be more enticing to interested parties. Economic Development Director Tim Copsey shared that there have been several recent calls looking for existing buildings that serve 5-10,000 square feet and have a truck dock. Due to the lack of available buildings with truck docks, these opportunities are often lost.
The Paulding Community Improvement Corporation owns a nine-acre parcel on the west end of the Gasser Road property and 19.978 acres on the east end, and has an option to purchase 23.98 acres privately owned in between. The Village of Paulding, Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative, Ohio Gas, and MetaLink Technologies all have utilities to the site. The PCED board will continue the discussion and try to understand speculative development building funding options.
Discussion then turned to residential development. With the new Vantage Career Center built home starting in Latty, the Welcome Home Ohio (WHO) Grant funding appropriated to the county Land Bank for adding ten livable homes to the county, and upcoming Ohio Department of Development grants for residential infrastructure, there is a sense of excitement around residential development.
Many individual projects were discussed in regard to building homes on open lots and types of new housing or rehabilitated homes that could be offered. This could include clustered developments or as fill-in housing on open lots in villages. The hope is that interest rates will slightly drop soon to entice buyers for the affordable grant-funded projects.
Other items discussed in the meeting included:
- Marketing Committee shared information on a new marketing grant opportunity and what that could look like for the office. They also noted they are acquiring quotes to identify the new company vehicle with a PCED wrap, or at least window cling identification when staff are out in the county.
- Shared updates on the completed hotel feasibility study. The interest seems to be in identifying partner businesses that would be built beside a potential hotel at the US24/Highway 49 intersection in Antwerp.
- Updated about the ongoing progress with the Grover Hill Wind Turbine project, with 16.5 of the new 23 windmills completed.
- Shared thoughts about what the potential absence of property taxes would look like in the county and the PCED office.
- Was notified that the OhioMeansJobs/PCED commercial advertising will carry on through the 2025-26 sports season on Mysports.Live
- Went into executive session to talk about personnel and land acquisition, with no decisions on either subject after coming out.
The next PCED board meeting will be held as the annual Member Business and Industry Appreciation banquet on November 18, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at Grant’s Catering in Antwerp, Ohio. For details about the banquet or to explore development opportunities in Paulding County, contact the PCED office.
by Isabella Carwile | Aug 15, 2025 | Business Advisory Council, Business Expansion, Community, Events, Funding, Jobs, PCED Office, Shoutout, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release August 15, 2025
PAULDING — This week, the Paulding County Business Advisory Council (BAC) Steering Committee was hosted at the Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office, bringing together school officials, not-for-profit organizations, and business leaders from across the county to discuss ongoing initiatives and new opportunities for collaboration.
Tim Copsey, Director of Paulding County Economic Development, opened the meeting, congratulating the group for being honored this year as a 3-Star (out of 4) award-winning Educational Service Center (ESC) BAC. The award follows last year’s 2-Star award. “Receiving an improved rating like this means the Ohio Education Association sees exactly what we already believe in Paulding County. Our businesses and schools have always worked together, but now that we document exactly how, and can show data for improved collaboration, it makes us all better, and they see it,” Copsey shared.
One of the best collaborative tools available in the past was Teacher Boot Camp. There was a weeklong schedule developed where educators could visit, tour, and meet local businesses and leaders, and understand how school curriculum could relate to real-world practice. The Teacher Boot Camp funding did not make it into the new Ohio Biennium budget this year. The BAC brainstormed ideas as to how they might be able to provide a smaller tour package, or a different version of boot camp next summer, if the legislature does not find another pocket for funding. The team will continue to explore options, as everyone believes this is a valid piece to align education instruction with real-world workforce needs.
The discussion then turned to businesses going into the educational facilities. One innovative idea discussed was the use of developing a QR code that would invite and allow working parents to promote their business when the curriculum matched up with their employment. If math turned to fractions, perhaps an engineer may come in, or if government class turned to state history, perhaps a local politician. This may open up a whole new opportunity for community engagement and career exploration.
The committee also revisited strategies for strengthening internship programs. Discussion took place in regard to determining if this could be a tool to build deeper connections between education and local businesses. This led to additional conversation about the new definition of apprenticeships and internships and how there may be a disconnect in understanding how they could be a benefit to all. There will be more research and discussion in this realm.
Other key pieces of discussion included:
- Is there an opportunity to rejuvenate the Paulding County Business Weekly podcast with the help of media class students?
- Antwerp Local School (ALS) brought up the desire to have a Junior High “career exploration” type day hosted at the school. The idea was met with good enthusiasm, especially with Wayne Trace Local School representatives, who also expressed interest in collaborating on dates and logistics to make the event a reality.
- ALS also shared their excitement about working on a community art gallery by putting student artwork out into the community, and shared insight on how they will be doing a fundraising project in the community with students maintaining a small business.
The next BAC meeting will take place in mid-September at the OSU Extension Building in Paulding. Anyone with an interest in participating in future meetings, please contact the PCED office at 419-399-8295.
by Isabella Carwile | Aug 15, 2025 | Business Advisory Council, Business Expansion, Community, Events, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release August 15, 2025
PAULDING – Representatives from the villages of Cecil, Grover Hill, Latty, and Melrose gathered for the third quarter Paulding County Mayors Association meeting this week at the Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office.
PCED Director Tim Copsey provided the representatives with a recap summary of the Business Advisory Meeting (BAC) held the day prior. Copsey stressed the importance of having mayors and government officials attend student-focused events and participate in the BAC meetings if we expect youth to backfill county, township, and local village positions. It would also be good to help our local youth better understand civic roles and foster meaningful connections going forward. In an in-depth discussion that followed, each village noted shortages in current village council participants submitting applications for the upcoming November election.
Guest speakers Holly Rupp and Shannon Ruschel, volunteers with the newly formed Kitty Hope Foundation, shared the nonprofit’s mission to support villages in Paulding County by spaying and neutering as many cats as funding will allow. Founded by registered veterinary technician Jenna Benzing, the Kitty Hope Foundation has been making remarkable strides in feline welfare since its launch in January. In just a few months, the organization has facilitated the spaying and neutering of over 200 cats across Paulding County—reducing stray populations and promoting healthier communities. The Village of Haviland invested $1000 into the program to cover as many as 20 neutering procedures in their village. Mayor Ed Ruger then mentioned the group should attend a mayor’s meeting to make additional contact around the county.
Community members who are interested in volunteering, donating, adopting, or fostering are warmly encouraged to reach out via email at kittyhopefoundation@gmail.com. Their presentation was well-received and opened the door to future collaboration with local leaders.
Copsey then shared updates on current Land Bank projects and their status. As this round of funding and projects completes and winds down, he encouraged each village to submit lists of homes, or open lots, that may be suitable for future purchase and rehabilitation through the Land Bank, emphasizing the importance of proactive identification to stay ahead of outside buyers. The earlier the contact can be made, the better the chance of acquiring properties.
Great discussion followed about completed projects, projects in progress, and how, especially, some of the smaller villages are seeing a transformative change from these projects. Mayors inquired if demo team contacts could be shared with village representatives so there could be better communication in the future during demolition. Contacts were shared to assist. Anyone wanting to work with the Land Bank can reach out to Lou Ann Wannemacher, Paulding County Treasurer, or the PCED office directly.
The Paulding County Mayors Association will meet again in November. Presenters for the upcoming agenda will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
