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 | 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 | May 15, 2025 | Business Advisory Council, Community, Jobs, PCED Office, Shoutout, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release May 15, 2025
PAULDING – Representatives from the villages of Antwerp, Cecil, Grover Hill, Haviland, Oakwood, and Payne gathered for the Q2 Paulding County Mayors Association meeting this week at the Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office.
Following introductions, the group was introduced to Nikki Reese, the new Economic Development Director from the Maumee Valley Planning Organization (MVPO). Reese is replacing Will Burns at the office, who recently retired. Reese shared that she grew up in the West Unity area of northwest Ohio before attending Wittenberg University. Her studies led her to the Darke County area, where she engaged in watershed studies and grant writing. The opportunity to come back to Northwest Ohio, in a similar role, enticed her to this position. She shared the low-to-moderate income studies with each village and expressed how individual studies can be provided with the help of MVPO for future designated projects.
Hans Rosebrock, with the Mannik & Smith Group, introduced himself and shared information about all the resources they have and can provide for the villages. With the many arms of engineering, environmental studies, surveying, planning, and project implementation, their team can be a full-service provider to small communities.
Village of Payne Mayor Lora Lyons then provided a brief presentation to the group about how the village is using some Chat GPT features in letter writing, project planning, and graphic design. She shared some other features, including the development of new digital file documents from older existing hard copy documents, and they weren’t sure where they originated. This led to an interactive conversation about the possibilities of taking multiple village zoning codes and overlaying them with each other for a county comparison. This could help guide further discussion on getting closer to comparable zoning around the county. This could also be done with township zoning. With the growing use of artificial intelligence, all in attendance agreed this would probably not be the last discussion on this topic.
PCED Director Tim Copsey updated each attending community on their current open land bank projects and where the land bank is in bidding out the new round two projects. Copsey also shared that if there is a list of homes in each community that the Land Bank should be aware of for purchase and rehabilitation that each village should provide a list of those homes to the Land Bank committee.
by Isabella Carwile | May 15, 2025 | Business Advisory Council, Community, Events, Jobs, PCED Office, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release May 15, 2025
PAULDING –The Paulding County Economic Development Office hosted a Business Advisory Council (BAC) Steering Committee Meeting this month. The state mandated committee consists of bringing together a diverse group of local leaders, educators, and business professionals to collaborate on initiatives connecting educators and county students with local businesses and career opportunities.
The committee reflected on the recent Business and Industry Expo event. Participants shared success stories and brainstormed ways to make next year’s event even more impactful for students and employers.
The discussion took some great discussion twists and turns as participants collaborated on new thoughts and shared potential ideas for new ways to connect educators with business leaders and encouraged a deeper commitment to workforce development and community growth.
Recognizing the importance of early career engagement, attendees expressed new strategy thoughts to involve younger students and foster more hands-on learning experiences. A key discussion emphasized that introducing students to career opportunities at an earlier age can broaden their mindset, helping students realize the many diverse career paths available within the county.
Discussions then turned to the implementation and scheduling for the upcoming Teacher Bootcamp, a dynamic program designed to help educators earn their CEU hours while gaining firsthand knowledge about Paulding County businesses and local industries through guided business tours. Spots are still available for anyone in the northwest Ohio region hoping for CEU credit through Ashland University.
Another point of focus was the planning of the STNA Summer Program. Conversations centered on overcoming challenges in securing a certified instructor for the STNA training. Angie Fahy, Adult Education Director at Vantage Career Center, shared thoughts on available funding opportunities that could help cover the costs of STNA classes for students. A key component in this would be finding as much scholarship money as possible to overcome any financial barriers. All information discussed will be explored further to identify the best option to help launch the STNA Summer Program this summer.
The full BAC meeting will be held on June 5 at 1:00 PM at the Mercer Landmark conference room located at 14170 State Route 613 in Paulding, Ohio. For more information, please contact Jessica Stechschulte at 419-399-8295 or Office@pced.net.
by Isabella Carwile | Apr 8, 2025 | Business Expansion, Community, Events, Jobs, Membership, PCED Office, Shoutout, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release April 7, 2025
PAULDING – The Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office recently hosted their annual Business, Industry & College Showcase event at the Paulding County OSU Extension Building. The building buzzed with energy as students explored promising career pathways and learned more about Paulding County business as they connected with industry leaders.
Junior and senior students from Antwerp, Paulding, Wayne Trace, and county homeschool students were invited to attend. These students engaged with 52 exhibitors representing businesses, colleges, and non-profit organizations from across the region, discovering exciting opportunities to shape their futures.
This year, the event added a “touch-a-truck” type atmosphere. The Paulding County Sheriff’s office showcased a patrol unit SUV, drone demonstration, and tactical gear. The Paulding County Engineer’s office displayed a pick-up truck inside and a county snow plow truck outside for students to get close to and offering hands-on insight into local government operations. These exhibits added to the showcase filled with engaging and interactive presentations at 52 booths this year.
Paulding County students benefitted from YouScience, a self-assessment tool that helps them uncover their unique career potential. Color-coded career paths, based on their assessments, linked students with matching industries at the event. Equipped with passports, students were required to get a minimum of five business signatures as they journeyed booth to booth, exploring opportunities. Those who completed their passports entered a drawing for a $25 Marathon gift card, compliments of Love-Heitmeyer Funeral Home. One winner was drawn for each attending school. The YouScience assessment tool is provided by Vantage Career Center to each of their participating schools.
Jessica Stechschulte, PCED Administrative Assistant, praised the students’ enthusiasm: “Seeing the engagement of the students and fostering partnerships between local businesses and young talent to bridge workforce gaps is what makes this event a great success. We’re already excited to see what next year holds!”
In addition, the PCED office would like to thank Love-Heitmeyer Funeral Home for their generous donation, which contributed to the event’s resounding success.
by Isabella Carwile | Mar 24, 2025 | Community, Events, Jobs, PCED Office, Shoutout, Workforce
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release March 24, 2025
PAULDING – The Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office is hosting the Annual Business, Industry & College Showcase on Wednesday, April 2nd, from 8:00 am- 12:00 pm. The event is located at the Paulding County OSU Extension Building, located at 503 Fairground Drive in Paulding 45879. Junior and senior students from Antwerp, Paulding, Wayne Trace, and Continental schools will attend to meet and learn more about the businesses, colleges, and non-profit businesses in attendance. The Public is also welcome to attend.
In preparing students for this event, the PCED office is visiting with all the county junior and senior students. During the visit, it is explained to students how the showcase flows when they arrive and how this is their opportunity to interact and communicate with colleges, armed forces representatives, social service groups, and regional businesses. It is reiterated that even students that may not be looking to be employed should engage in this event, to learn and understand what businesses and products are available, provided, or manufactured, right here in the county.
PCED Director Tim Copsey explained, “This event is important in that it allows our students to see what Paulding County is and does. It allows our businesses to share what they do and provide to another group of potential customers and employees down the road. We always say you don’t know what you don’t know. Here is the chance to help educate each other about Paulding County and the region.”
In the past students were provided with an educational booklet that included a business description and contact information for most businesses in the area, many of which will be in attendance at the event. This year the PCED office is introducing QR codes to the students. One of the codes will take them to the PCED website where they will find the full booklet, which has grown to 38 pages of information.
A second QR code has been introduced to gather student information for use following graduation. Completing the brief survey, behind the QR code, will allow students access to the weekly PCED Newsletter and also to receive notice of employment opportunities, related to their employment field or college major, while they are in the workforce or attending college.
In addition, thanks to the Vantage Career Center’s investment in all county students, Paulding County students are able to participate in YouScience, a self-assessment module, to identify the best potential career paths, during the school year. Based on their personal assessment results, students are provided a color code for their top three recommended career paths. The businesses will display employment sector opportunities in matching color codes. This should help guide students to their best match-assessed career paths. Collaboration between students, educators, and businesses will continue up to the showcase event date.
“The Paulding County Career Day is a great opportunity for our Junior and Senior students to see what professions are available within our area. This event allows our students to showcase themselves to area businesses and make possible connections for a future job,” noted Shawn Brewer, PFC (Panther for Careers) Coordinator at Paulding Exempted Village School.
“We are excited for our students to explore local businesses and discover potential career opportunities in Paulding County. This event helps students connect their education to real-world pathways for success.” – Elyse Boyer, Director of Curriculum & Technology at Antwerp Local School.
In addition, thanks to the generosity of the Paulding County Area Foundation, all county senior students received a #pauldingcountystrong T-shirt in their school colors with their school mascot included in the logo.
You can find out more about Paulding County Economic Development events and programs online at www.pced.net; on Facebook at Paulding County Economic Development; or email Jessica Stechschulte, Administrator Assistant at office@pced.net.
