by Isabella Carwile | Feb 20, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, For Sale, Jobs, PCED Office, Property Development
PAULDING COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PRESS RELEASE February 20, 2025
PAULDING – The Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office recently hosted a regional Realtor Roundtable discussion on Friday, February 14th. The purpose of the roundtable was to hear directly from Megan Foos, the Chief Executive Officer of the Northwest Ohio Realtors Association, and allow time to address the obstacles and concerns faced by realtors.
Many regional realtors were invited to attend. Representatives from Strahley Realty, Gorrell Brothers Realty, Foltz Realty, Realty 5, and Coldwell Banker Classic Properties attended.
In addition, two students from Wayne Trace High School, who have an interest in researching whether realty is a good fit for their future, participated in the round table.
Foos shared data about average home sale prices in the region and county, in addition to a number of home sales. Realtors expressed their concerns about the lack of current viable inventory, although it was noted that this is a nationwide issue, not just in Paulding County.
Another noted significant concern was the language barriers faced by realtors when working with individuals who do not speak English proficiently. This seems to be a growing issue in the county and region. The group shared a variety of options they have been using to overcome the barrier.
The students were asked what questions they had in regard to both this meeting and the industry overall. Lots of interactive discussions followed as the realtors shared best and worst practices in their training and development in the industry. Foos shared various educational opportunities available to new and established realtors. This led to Ohio Tech Cred discussion in regard to training reimbursement funding available.
In what has become a resourceful, requested, and welcome annual meeting in Paulding County, the meeting closed out with open questions and valuable insights shared and addressed by attendees.
by Isabella Carwile | Feb 20, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, PCED Office, Property Development, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release February 19, 2025
PAULDING, OH – The Paulding County Commissioners, Economic Development Director Tim Copsey, and Eric Davis, from Wessler Engineering, Bluffton, met in the commissioner’s office recently to discuss a water feasibility study at the US24-Highway 127 interchange, located north of Paulding near the Crane Township – Emerald Township line.
Davis explained the scope of the project is to determine the most feasible way of making drinking water available at the intersection for potential economic development in the future. The study will also include the feasibility of bringing water to the Village of Cecil. Davis stated, “The intent of the study is to look at every possibility and determine the best potential to bring water to this intersection. Is that bringing it north from the Village of Paulding? Is it bringing water south from Sherwood under the Maumee River? Could it be connecting to a potential water line that would come from Defiance City to the mega-site near the Defiance County line? Is it establishing a well and water treatment plant near Cecil? All of these options need to be reviewed to confirm the most feasible option. The study can then be used to generate federal and state grant funding options to make this project a reality in the future.”
The county commissioners verbally committed $22,500 upon initial discussion. For the last several months Copsey met with Crane, Paulding, Emerald Townships, and Cecil Village to explain the importance of the project and to raise the rest of the funding required to pay for this study. The Townships each invested $5800 and the Village of Cecil invested $350.
Copsey commented, “The investment into this water study is a true commitment of our elected officials to the future growth of the economy in Paulding County. As Ft. Wayne grows further east, the Defiance industry grows further west, and traffic counts increase on both US24 and Highway 127, this intersection is becoming more and more attractive for future growth. We need to understand the cost for the potential development.”
Sewer system infrastructure will not be included in this study. Recent upgrades to the Cecil water treatment plant would be sufficient for initial development as the intersection is less than a mile away from the water treatment plant.
Davis noted that the study should be complete and results presented back to the group in the fourth quarter of 2025.
by Isabella Carwile | Feb 18, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, For Sale, Funding, Jobs, PCED Office, Property Development, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release February 18, 2025
PAULDING COUNTY – This week JobsOhio Food and Agriculture Director Tim Derickson, and Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) representative Jessica Sattler, joined Paulding County Economic Development Director Tim Copsey in conducting five business retention and expansion (BR&E) visits around the county.
The first stop of the day was at Mansfield Welding near the village of Melrose. The family-owned business team was able to display and highlight some agriculture-related fabrication and welding and highlight a new process machine that was purchased with the assistance of a JobsOhio Small Business Grant, awarded in 2024.
The group then traveled and met with team members at Cooper Farms in Oakwood. There was an in-depth conversation about agriculture and the different sectors of the Cooper Farm business, turkey, pork, and chicken. Cooper Farms continues to be a county leader in employment, Ohio TechCred training reimbursement funds, as well as Workforce Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC).
The team made a trek to Antwerp to visit PNJ Enterprises and learn about a small fabrication business that makes automated parts for the food service industry, before heading to the village of Broughton to learn about Nutri-Plus Fertilizer. This family-owned business is annually providing plant nutrition for thousands of acres of crops in the agriculture industry.
The day closed out at Baughman Tile. Baughman is a fifth-generation family-owned business that is celebrating its 142nd year in business. The company manufactures plastic corrugated and solid-walled tiles for the agriculture and commercial industries. The conversation about workforce, business, and the economy was lively.
JobsOhio exists to empower world-class corporations, entrepreneurs, and talented individuals to build their businesses and careers in Ohio. Their advocacy and investments in partnership with the state enable sustainable economic growth and a better quality of life for all Ohioans through the power and dignity of work.
The Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) is the lead economic development organization and one of seven noted regions in the JobsOhio family and represents 17 counties in northwest Ohio. RGP partners with local county economic development offices to offer grants, incentives, and funding programs where applicable.
by Isabella Carwile | Feb 13, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, Events, PCED Office, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release February 13, 2025
PAULDING – The Paulding County Business Advisory Council (BAC) Steering Committee held their first meeting in 2025 at the Paulding County Economic Development office, with 16 members in attendance.
The meeting opened with Dee Basinger, from Ashland University, sharing that Ashland was the largest recipient of the Ohio Education grant. The grant allows teachers to be credited CEU hours for attending Teacher Boot Camp. The Paulding County Education Service Center (ESC) 2025 Teacher Boot Camp will be held June 2-5 & 9. The event is open for educators, administrators, and school board members to sign up now. The bootcamp is designed to equip attendees with the necessary skills and knowledge to bridge the gap between education, and the workplace, and help them understand what is available right here in Paulding County business that matches what they teach in the school.
Mike Burkholder, representing the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, talked about the High School Tech Internship program and how this program may benefit both students and businesses. He also reiterated that businesses should be using Ohio Tech Cred as cost reimbursement for upskilling their employees. Burkholder shared that many schools are using this program right now to help teachers learn more about and understand artificial intelligence. The Tech Cred sign-up is open again to all Ohio businesses in March.
The meeting continued with Paulding County Economic Development Director Tim Copsey sharing information about the upcoming Career and College Expo on April 2nd. The event will be held at the Paulding County Fairgrounds OSU Extension building. Details of the event are coming together, including the use of the YouScience data. YouScience is an assessment tool that students in all three county schools are taking to identify the best potential career paths. Students will be provided a color code for their top three career paths. The businesses will be identified with the same color codes as to what they can offer. This should help better match students to businesses in their assessed career paths. Collaboration will continue up to the event.
In preparing junior and senior students for this event, the county economic development office will be visiting all three county high schools to pass out #pauldingcountystrong T-shirts to the seniors, and sharing QR code information to the juniors and seniors for access to a Paulding County business contact booklet and collecting emails. The emails will be added for receipt of the weekly county newsletter and future open employment position postings in the county. This should help students understand what employment opportunities are available in the county while they attend college, join the armed forces, or are simply looking for local employment.
The discussion then switched over to open employment positions in the county, both for youth and adults. In the past, the economic development office shared open positions through their weekly newsletter. This became a little cumbersome, so a decision was made to use the established OhioMeansJobs website. Recently, it has been requested that this perhaps be brought back into the PCED office. PCED Office Administrator Jessica Stechschulte shared that she has recently submitted a grant application for the BAC. One of the projects that the grant could fund would be the implementation of a vehicle to share open employment positions in the county. The group suggested that however it was decided to share the information, that perhaps students could help with this detail and possibly even be compensated through the grant. Stechschulte stated she will share information about the grant once she is notified.
The floor was then opened for any discussion. There was great interactive conversation, and ideas exchanged, on how students, educators, and the county businesses can create more opportunities to engage with each other. BAC meetings continue to make significant steps in strengthening the relationship between educational institutions and local businesses, aiming to better prepare students for their future workforce endeavors, either right out of high school, while attending college, or after college.
The full first quarter BAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12th at the Paulding County OSU Extension office. For more information about the Business Advisory Council please reach out to Jessica Stechschulte at the economic development office at 419-399-8295 or office@pced.net.
by Isabella Carwile | Feb 11, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, Membership, New Business, Paulding County Business Weekly Radio Broadcast, Property Development, Shoutout
As we share information from around the county on Paulding County Business Weekly, let’s check in with the new Grover Hill Hardware House. Leslie and Rob Moser have purchased and totally renovated the former hardware building and created a beautiful VRBO space upstairs (that sleeps 10 comfortably) and an outstanding commercial/retail space downstairs. Listen to how this whole project came about and how it will benefit the community as several other projects in the community transpire. You can tune in to Paulding County Business Weekly on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Listen to this episode or catch up on past ones online by Clicking the Link Here or on many podcast platforms including Apple, Google & Spotify.
by Isabella Carwile | Jan 2, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, Events, New Business, Shoutout
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release January 2, 2024
ANTWERP—The first Paulding County ribbon cutting of 2025 will be held here to introduce a new quality-of-life business opportunity to the region. Quarters On Us, LLC officially opened to the public on January 2.
Quarters On Us is a free-play arcade. Players pay for a pass to gain entry into the facility. Once inside, customers have free access to an entire collection of old video games, including the most famous games from the 1970s through the early 2000s. Pac-Man, Frogger, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Tron, Iron Horse, pinball machines, and so many more nostalgic games are available.
Players can continually play as long as the facility is open. Current hours with standard pricing for ages 5 and above include: Thursday 4-8p for $10; Friday 4-10p for $15; Saturday 10a-10p for $20 for the day or $15 after 4p and Sunday 4-8p for $10. With each of these options, customers can get a wristband for the day. The wristband allows for re-entry into the arcade throughout the day. If you have little ones that need to be somewhere or you want to step out in town and eat or shop, this option allows you to return and play more.
Special pricing is also available. The “Last Call” special is $5 for the final hour any day the arcade is open. The “Cartoon” special allows a $10 entry to play as long as you wish. There is no re-entry permitted once you leave after purchasing special pricing options.
The arcade is owned by family entrepreneurs Josh & Dana Garmater and their son Titus, who will also operate the facility. The Garmater’s own the “More than Boutique” business, also located in the village.
The arcade project has been a true community project. Located in the former laundry mat at 102 South Cleveland Street, the Garmater family completely renovated the building for the new use. Once the renovation was complete, local businesses were contracted for additional work. West Bend Printing & Publishing was contracted to design and install window prints while Antwerp graduate and artist Shayla Thomas, owner of Art by Shayla, was contracted to design and paint the beautiful new and exciting murals on the building.
Titus Garmater stated, “Our family has always been very involved in the Antwerp community. When we decided to open an arcade, we liked the idea of doing it in Antwerp. We wanted to provide an opportunity for students after school and something the whole family could enjoy. We want the public to know that Quarters On Us is here for the community. We want people of all ages, and all income levels to have access to the fun.”
The arcade was recently opened for a “test” run to the Antwerp first responders. The group got acquainted with the facility and how the system works. The first responders thoroughly enjoyed themselves and based on exciting responses, the business idea seems to be a great addition to the community.
Paulding County Economic Development Director Tim Copsey explained, “Anytime we can have local entrepreneurs invest in the county, you have the opportunity for another new business to succeed. People like to support local. We thank the Garmater’s for choosing Paulding County, and specifically Antwerp, to start this new business. A business like this, which is not available in every community, will import people into town from communities all around the region once the word gets out. We are excited to help them promote and market this new business.”
The arcade will join the MAC Gym and Pin-A-Rama Bowling Alley as Antwerp local outlets for students to enjoy life, while parents and guardians may stop in at the Genesis House for coffee, Oasis Bar & Grill, Puckerbrush Pizza or Hops Place for food and beverage, or just stop at one of the several convenience stores in town. Collectively this will enhance the quality-of-life options offered in the county.
For more information about the arcade visit their Facebook page at Quarters On Us, LLC.
