by Isabella Carwile | Mar 12, 2025 | Community, Events, Jobs, PCED Office, Shoutout, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release March 17, 2025
PAULDING – The Paulding County Business Advisory Council (BAC) held their 2025 first-quarter meeting at the Paulding County OSU Extension Building, with 16 members in attendance.
Rhonda Hografe, representing NW Ohio Tech Prep, opened the meeting by announcing that the Paulding County BAC received a 3-star rating from the State of Ohio Department of Education (ODE). Last year, Paulding County received a 2-star award. This rise in rating indicates the continued growth and success of the education-business partnership and collaboration in Paulding County. Hografe shared that the Paulding County BAC will be recognized during the SuccessBound Summit Event, which will be held on April 4 at Rhodes State College.
All three county schools, Antwerp, Paulding & Wayne Trace, shared updates and information with attending businesses and each other, about current programming and education taking place in regard to their Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics (STEAM) programs. This education is even more beneficial when it is in collaboration with an area business.
Fahyth Griner, HR Manager at Haviland Drainage & Haviland Plastics, shared a success story in conjunction with a Wayne Trace student highlighting how the student has developed valuable skills, including proficiency in CAD drawing, at the Wayne Trace STEAM center and made meaningful contributions to various engineering projects within the business.
Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) Director Tim Copsey shared information about the upcoming Career and College Expo. The event will be held April 2 at the Paulding County Fairground OSU Extension building. Details of the event are coming together, including the strategic use of the YouScience data. YouScience is an assessment tool that Vantage Career Center provides to students in all three county schools.
The Paulding County 2025 Teacher Boot Camp, held in conjunction with the ODE, the University of Ashland, and the Western Buckeye Education Service Center, will be held June 2-5 & 9. The event is open for educators, administrators and school board members to sign up at this time. The boot camp is designed to equip attendees with the necessary knowledge about all kinds of services and manufacturing provided in the county and to bridge the gap between education, and the workplace. This will help educators understand what is available right here in Paulding County, so they can share accurate information with the students they connect with every day in school.
The floor was then opened for any open discussion. There was great interactive conversation, and ideas exchanged, on how students, educators, and the county businesses can create more opportunities to engage and communicate with each other.
The next BAC Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 5th at the expanded Mercer Landmark facility during the Teacher Boot Camp event. 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 | Mar 11, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, Events, New Business, Shoutout
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release March 11, 2025
ANTWERP – A new childcare-related business will be opening in the village. Co-owners Sierra Halter and Cheyenne Brown are putting their history of childcare experiences and social work to good use by opening the SunnyPatch Playroom.
The SunnyPatch Playroom, LLC is an organized and nurturing space where children can go to learn, play, and grow in a nurturing environment. The business was born from Halter and Brown’s shared dream of creating a space where families from all over the region can connect, play, and celebrate.
Founder Sierra Halter had a lifelong business dream and decided to combine business with her years of hands-on childcare experience. Her childcare background will allow her to balance the new business operations with a deep commitment to fostering student creativity, emotional growth, and cognitive development.
Cheyenne Brown brings a social work background and combines that with a similar passion for creating positive childhood experiences. Having years of experience supporting families, she understands the importance of family-friendly spaces. Her shared creativity and love for children shape SunnyPatch into a joyful, imaginative playroom where families can connect, celebrate, and grow with each other.
Together, the passionate owners are dedicated to offering a safe, community environment where children can thrive. The team will aim to attract children ages 1-6 years old but will offer a baby area for any child 12 months and under. The hope is to grow the business enough to get bigger play equipment to attract kids 7-10 in the future.
Located at 201 South Main Street, they invite you to an open house on Saturday, April 5 from 10 am-3 pm. The Playroom will then be open Monday through Thursday 8 am-3:30 pm; Friday 8 am-12 pm and Saturday from 8 am-10 pm. There will be timeslots available on Fridays to reserve the space for private play sessions and on Saturdays or Sundays to celebrate birthdays or other parties. You can learn more about the business through their Facebook or Instagram page.
by Isabella Carwile | Mar 11, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, Events, New Business, PCED Office, Property Development, Shoutout
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release March 11, 2025
GROVER HILL – Last weekend the community of Grover Hill hosted a ribbon cutting for the newly renovated Hardware House in Grover Hill. The former hardware store building, located at 105 N. Main Street, now provides a 2000 square foot retail/commercial facility downstairs and a Airbnb type rental space upstairs. The rental offers a space to spend nights or weekend for individuals or small groups of up to 8 -10 people comfortably.
The space provides three bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, full stocked kitchen, full laundry room, high speed internet, smart TVs and a salt cave.
The building was purchased by owners Rob & Leslie Moser. They completely gutted the building, built in 1895 before indoor plumbing and electricity, and brought it fully up to state code. The sagging building needed to be squared up before a new roof, complete exterior remodel, new exterior stairs to the living space above, and all the amenities added to the inside.
The state-of-the-art facility is now up and running and open to the public. For views of the upgrade or more information you can find the facility on their Facebook page.
PICTURE: Left to right: GH Resident Linda Scarborough, Owner Leslie Moser, son Seth Moser; and GH Council members Trudy Wilkin, Candy Minck, Gabby Hook & Nick Myers.
by Isabella Carwile | Mar 11, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, Jobs, Shoutout, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release March 11, 2025
BROUGHTON – In the small community of Broughton, Ohio, a downtown business looms large and continues to grow. Nutri-Plus Fertilizer is a family-owned, local based company, that provides many agriculture services and allows the opportunity for their customers and growers to be good stewards of the land.
Nutri Plus is a trusted provider of high-quality agricultural products and services, dedicated to helping farmers achieve optimal crop health and maximize yields. Their offerings include premium fertilizers, custom application services, and advanced foliar blends tailored to the unique needs of each individual field. The Nutri Plus team services a four hour radius and is committed to servicing sustainable farming practices and empowering growers to thrive with personalized solutions and providing any expert guidance needed.
The list of services the group provides includes, but is not limited to, a full line of chemical and nutritional needs specializing in Agro Liquid from St. John, Michigan and P & L Fertilizer in Middle Point, Ohio, along with Rosen’s quality AG products and many other short line companies. The team can also provide VRT soil sampling and provide maps for variable rate recommendations.
The business started on the Ray Sinn Farm in 1978. Since that time, Kurt & Gary Sinn have expanded the facility. The family bought and grew the current site at 7909 Broughton Pike. With new room to grow, the team added infrastructure and resources to store additional liquid, add new application equipment, and additional capabilities of custom application and tassel corn applications along with added side dress applicators and nurse tanks for growers.
With the facility expansion, the next generation is filling roles within the company to ensure its long-term success. Knowing this, the business utilizes highly motivated employees looking to learn about, and enjoy, the agriculture sector. The positions include applicators, driving a truck to move fertilizer, and general labor.
Other family businesses include Ebel’s Butcher Shop and market, GKS Farm and Sow Farm. The faith-based businesses strive to develop relationships and provide resources to ensure the success of their customers and business partners.
For more information about any of the businesses, their products, or services, please review their Nutri-Plus website, Nutriplusfertilizer.com or call Taylor Reichert at 419-786-9311 or the main office at 419-786-8273.
by Isabella Carwile | Mar 11, 2025 | Community, Paulding County Business Weekly Radio Broadcast
We continue to learn about those taking on new duties in the county. This week we will hear from new Paulding County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Jay Klopfenstein. Jay is new to the role but has over 25 years of dispatcher and fire department service logged with the Scott and Grover Hill departments. Listen in to see how Jay has navigated to this new position and some of the early projects he hopes to work on as he learns more about the position. 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 by clicking here! Paulding County Business Weekly is also available in podcast form through Apple, Google & Spotify. #pauldingcountystrong
by Isabella Carwile | Mar 5, 2025 | Community, Jobs, PCED Office, Workforce
PAULDING – On Monday, March 3, Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) brought together a diverse group of leaders for their inaugural Healthcare Roundtable discussion. The conversation was aimed at addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the county’s healthcare sector. The event saw an impressive turnout, with local colleges, career centers, school officials, and business leaders collaborating to find innovative solutions to pressing healthcare issues.
Introductions of attendees opened key conversation in how each individual healthcare facility in the county is unique, with each one providing slightly different healthcare options that also bring differing requirements for employment.
A key topic of discussion was the critical need for certified nursing instructors to provide certifications essential for new employees entering the healthcare field. This instructor shortage is often salary driven and presents a challenge, but conversation was positive in helping overcome this challenge. If the group can come up with a workable solution this would open the opportunity for high school students to enter the local healthcare workforce.
Further discussion led to a plethora of ideas creating an atmosphere of collaboration and innovation between the participants. Attendees represented Community Health Professionals (CHP), Vancrest of Payne, Country Inn, Antwerp Manor, Paulding County Hospital, Vantage Career Center, Four County Career Center, Antwerp Local School, Wayne Trace Local School, Northwest State Community College, Holistic Wizard Wellness, the Paulding County Health Department and PCED.
For future action, participants agreed to let the PCED office discuss the healthcare option with high school students as they make their presentations to the local school students for the upcoming Career and Industry Expo event April 2. PCED will share the potential healthcare option to establish a number of students that may be interested in training early this summer. This would allow summer or part time employment opportunities at each facility. Based on positive response, a location would be established where new trainees could conveniently complete essential first aid training and receive additional healthcare education.
The event underscored the power of community-driven initiatives in tackling shared challenges. “We were thrilled by the enthusiasm and dedication shown by everyone in attendance,” said Jessica Stechschulte, Administrative Assistant at PCED. “This roundtable marks the first step in developing actionable solutions that will strengthen the healthcare landscape in our county.”
Paulding County Economic Development remains committed to fostering partnerships that drive progress and improve the quality of life for all community members.
