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.
by Isabella Carwile | Dec 30, 2024 | Business Expansion, Community, New Business, Shoutout
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release December 30, 2024
OAKWOOD – A ribbon cutting was held here recently to introduce a new business in the village. Andrew’s Doggie Oasis is located at 105 North 2nd Street. Local owners Mindy Newsome and Sherri Fitzsimmons will offer full-service grooming for any size dog, dog boarding, and also breeding of miniature Schnauzers and Golden Retrievers. They have been breeding miniature Schnauzers since 2002.
The business is named after Mindy’s son Andrew Newsome, whom they both helped raise until his passing in 2023. Andrew loved animals.
Mindy is engrained in a long family history of grooming in the community. Her great-grandmother owned a poodle parlor for 30 years and her grandfather, Bob Weisenburger was a barber in the village for 69 years! The new business owners are currently learning new techniques and skills through QC Pet Studies.
The business is excited to be available 7 days a week by appointment only. You can contact the business by phone at 419-594-2338, email andrewsdoggieoasisllc@gmail.com, or check out their business page on Facebook.
by Isabella Carwile | Dec 18, 2024 | Business Expansion, Community, PCED Office, Property Development, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release
PAULDING – The quarterly Paulding County zoning inspectors meeting took place on Wednesday at the Paulding County Economic Development Office. This group morphed out of quarterly county mayor’s meetings and has developed as a way to bridge communication gaps and further effort in zoning consistency and collaboration amongst the county.
The main agenda item was to start collecting the list of zoning fees for each municipality and township. These lists will be compiled into a spreadsheet that will allow a comparison of costs and the variation of fees. Those in attendance shared their table of fees which started a comparison discussion. The group determined that if the zoning fee tables were submitted to the courthouse, they could be found on the recorder’s website.
Sarah McCabe, with the county auditor’s office, shared that they will be sharing year end data for building permit summaries. These would be regarding commercial, residential, agriculture, mobile homes, and destroyed mobile home permits issued in 2024.
Brian Harder, with the county engineer’s office, shared that since the county GIS system was implemented visits to the office have diminished greatly. It was questioned about how many zoning maps are on file with the engineering office. Harder reported that less than 50% of the maps are on file. The group will work with the office to increase this amount.
General conversation turned to the county health department and the septic verification program. Recently the county has started to lay out the plan for verifying septic systems around the county are operating correctly and efficiently. More information about this state-required program will be forthcoming from the department.
Tim Copsey, county economic development director offered information about the county land bank funds from the State of Ohio. Earlier this week, the Ohio Department of Development moved forward with committing the $500,000 allocation to the county and asked for final paperwork to be submitted by January 6. Estee Blair, with Maumee Valley Planning Organization, will submit this information for the county. Demolition bids will then be sent out for the 42 submitted properties around the county.
Participants this quarter represented Washington Township, Carryall Township, Crane Township, Paulding Village, Cecil Village, the county auditor office, the county engineer office, and economic development. The group agreed to meet again on March 19th, 2025.
by Isabella Carwile | Dec 17, 2024 | Business Expansion, Community, Events, New Business, Paulding County Business Weekly Radio Broadcast, Property Development, Shoutout
This week, we dive into a new endeavor in Paulding County. We talk with board members Doug Schlatter, Jane Nice, and Dave Nice about the new Reclaimed Living Sober Transitional House and how it will benefit Paulding County. Big thank you to OhioMeansJobs for sponsoring this program. You can tune in on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., or listen online at www.my1027.org/paulding-county-business-weekly/. Paulding County Business Weekly is also available in podcast form through Apple, Google & Spotify. #pauldingcountystrong
by Isabella Carwile | Dec 11, 2024 | Business Expansion, Community, Events, Jobs, PCED Office, Property Development, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release
PAULDING– The Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office hosted the fourth quarter Business Advisory Council (BAC) Committee meeting this week. The meeting was held in the newly remodeled OSU Extension building on the campus of the Paulding County Fairgrounds.
Twenty-one business leaders and educators introduced themselves so participants understood where and how each attendee fits into Paulding County’s growth. The event was moderated by PCED Director Tim Copsey. Copsey shared how the council is stronger with participation and how it can benefit school, student, and business relationships around the county, for the future.
Guests heard a summary of recent BAC Steering Committee activity. The committee meets quarterly for months just prior to full council meetings. This committee digs deeper into the details of how to develop collaboration between businesses and educators and helps guide future development within the BAC. For the 2024-25 school year BAC template submission to the Ohio Education Association, 28 programs were identified and reported that were taking place between businesses and educators in the county. This committee is now reviewing each of these programs individually to see if they remain viable, are relevant to business today, and if we can emulate them at other schools or businesses within the county. The review will continue throughout the year.
As they started out in the past, this group was mentored by other high-performing BAC groups around the state. The Ottawa County BAC has offered an invite for the Paulding County members to join in one of their upcoming meetings to see how they run their BAC and if anything could be learned for the future. The group will look at the date and see if there might be an opportunity to participate in a collaborative meeting soon.
Discussion also took place regarding connecting with last year’s high school graduates. It would be of interest to the BAC to be able to share open employment opportunities, from around the county, with graduates and with current college students. This would allow students to see employment opportunities, within their field of study, as they determine their employment future.
One highlighted area, for possible improvement from the committee, is with the OhioMeansJobs employment portal. It was noted that this seems cumbersome for students. A meeting has been scheduled to see if there may be an opportunity to walk through this portal with students and OMJ state leadership to see how training may help, or if there needs to be some tweaking to the portal itself. Results will be shared with the committee at a future meeting.
All three county high schools addressed the group sharing new and exciting things taking place with each of them. Superintendent Rick Turner shared updates from Vantage Career Center and Northwest State Community College Van Wert campus Dean of Students Jon Tomlinson shared information in regard to the college.
Copsey closed out the meeting sharing information about potential opportunities that have taken place in other nearby counties that the BAC should consider. This included a business breakfast at Patrick Henry High School and an elementary business expo at Holgate Elementary. Also shared were dates of April 2 for the Paulding County Business, College, and Career Showcase and June 2-5 & 9 for the 2025 Paulding County Teacher Bootcamp. The boot camp is provided by the State of Ohio to offer local high school administrators and educators the opportunity go out to tour and meet local business professionals while receiving continuing college credit.
The PC BAC will convene again in February with a Steering Committee meeting and a full membership meeting in March
by Isabella Carwile | Dec 10, 2024 | Business Expansion, Community, Events, Membership, PCED Office
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release
PAULDING, OH – The Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) Board of Directors gathered for their final lunch meeting of 2024 to establish final details for a 2025 operating budget. Lively discussion took place as the group listened to recommendations from the Financial Committee and analyzed both income and expense line items to try and establish a final budget for next year.
Economic Development Director Tim Copsey updated the board on current project updates including the potential 80-acre development project near the US24/Highway 49 intersection in Antwerp; a water/sewer feasibility study at the US24/Highway 127 interchange; the Grizzley and Stokely brownfield projects and the 53-acre industrial park all located in Paulding Village.
Old business discussions included marketing updates on the PCED website and a business vehicle purchase. The Marketing Committee is looking at updates on the company website to modernize a section explaining the history of the county. The hope is that the summary will be more about recent economic development and less about the actual history of the county. A future committee meeting is scheduled.
Discussion also continued regarding the purchase of a company vehicle for the office. Paying out mileage for monthly company-driven miles is getting more expensive and often fluctuates depending on inside and outside-of-county business travel. The hope is that a purchased vehicle will allow more standard control of monthly costs. The project will continue to be studied and evaluated by the financial committee before a final decision is voted on.
Regarding new business, the financial committee proposed a thought to the board in a potential future conversion of office accounting, from a traditional Quickbooks program to a not-for-profit accounting system. There is a full understanding the accounting would be quite different, but it may be more accurate accounting for the larger amount of earmarked funds the office is handling. This will also be a continued board discussion.
The board also started the opening process of putting together a slate of 2025 officers. This slate will be presented to be voted on in the January 2025 board meeting.
The meeting closed out with the board members each sharing business updates with each other. This sharing of information often entices collaboration and powerful business discussions for future economic development throughout the county.
