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 9, 2025 | Community, Events, Shoutout
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release February 9, 2025
ANTWERP – Three Antwerp businesses will be hosting the 2nd Annual Black Swamp Bash in what they consider the “ultimate Antwerp triathlon”. The business collaboration includes, The Upper Nine, Pin-A-Rama Bowling Alley and Hops Place. Each business will host one leg of the event for two-person teams to compete on Saturday, March 8.
Pin-A-Rama will host bowling at 207 West Daggett Street. Participants will bowl 20 frames of 9-pin no-tap bowling and use that score to post in the competition. The Upper Nine golf simulators are located at 113 North Main Street. There, competitors will play 9 holes of golf in a scramble format.
Following bowling and golf, contestants will end at Hops Place 518 Erie Street. They will compete in a double elimination washer tournament and post final results for the day to determine the overall winners.
The event started in 2024 as the local businesses tried to find ways to get more customers inside their establishments. 23 teams signed up to compete making a fun day for all and providing a business spark in the community. The Upper Nine owner Matt Moore remarked, “Last year we made an attempt to get some excitement generated for our businesses. The participation was more than we initially thought it would be and the comments after were all positive and everyone said they had fun. Based on that we felt we could have success again this year.”
Tim Copsey, Paulding County Economic Development Director also shared, “During the covid year the Flat Rock Creek Festival wasn’t able to be held. Instead, there was a tour set up with not-for-profit groups that would have provided food at the festival. This allowed several stops all around the county. That event was very successful and well attended. This Black Swamp Bash event could be something that is the beginning of a county-wide sports event that could be fun for many, just as that tour was. It will certainly boost the local economy, and would offer the opportunity for county residents and guests to find out more about each community in the county. We are excited these Antwerp businesses are continuing this event to see how it might grow into something larger and support its future growth potential.”
The entry fee for this Black Swamp Bash event is $100 per two-person team. Early registrants have the opportunity for a free T-shirt. Grab a partner and join in the fun. For more information about the event you can check any of the business Facebook pages or contact them direct.
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 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.
