by Office Manager | May 1, 2024 | Community, Jobs, PCED Office, Workforce
Paulding, OH – Paulding High School proudly announces the successful completion of its after-school certification program in welding. The program, in its 3rd year of completion, is in collaboration with Northwest State Community College (NSCC) and allows students to gain skills and certifications including Welding, OHSA-10, LEAN Six Sigma, and Blueprint Reading.
Leading this initiative were Staci Miller, Paulding High School’s FFA Advisor, and Thomas Zuber, owner and operator of Zuber Welding and Fabrication. Their dedication and expertise were instrumental in guiding students through the class, preparing them for promising careers in welding or other hands-on skilled trades they would pursue.
“I have truly enjoyed co teaching with Thomas Zuber as we taught these students the basics of welding and blueprint reading and helping them to prepare for their futures by assisting with their resume and interviewing skills. This group of students have amazing potential and any employer would be lucky to have them. It shows true dedication for these students to want to stay after school to learn a skill like welding. We are so proud of each of them.” shared Miller.
Over the course of 13 weeks, students engaged in a mix of hands-on training, book work, interview skills and business tours at North American Stamping and Mansfield Welding. Under the guidance of Miller and Zuber, alongside partners Tiffany Rockhold with OhioMeansJobs and Tim Copsey and Kristen Schilt with Paulding County Economic Development, students gained experience and knowledge, totaling 50 hours of instruction outside of their regular school day and extracurriculars.
Reflecting on the experience, one student shared, “This welding class provided me with the basic skills to weld and read blueprints that could provide me with future employment while doing it in a fun and hands-on setting with our instructors. I gained many new skills and welding techniques as well as different welding methods. I would recommend the class to others in the future.”
The program graduates and their families celebrated their dedication and accomplishments last Thursday. Program graduates were Drake Ankney, Matthew Bail, Jesus Estrada, Giovanni Linares, Jonathan Lipps, and Samuel Reinhard.
Paulding High School remains committed to innovation and excellence in education, empowering students with the skills and certifications necessary to thrive in today’s workforce environment.
For more information about future workforce initiatives, Paulding High School’s welding program, or other opportunities here or around the county, please contact Paulding County Economic Development at 419-399-8282.
by Isabella Carwile | Mar 27, 2024 | Community, Events, Jobs, PCED Office
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release
PAULDING – The Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office will host a Business, Industry, & College Expo Showcase event on April 3 at the Extension Building on the Paulding County Fairgrounds. The event will bring junior and senior students from all three Paulding County high schools in addition to Continental High School to learn about, meet and discuss future opportunities with area colleges and businesses.
“This event continues to evolve each year, last year we saw the addition of hands-on activities which helped lead into more student and employer discussions. We understand our students are at different stages in their future job and education journey, so the goal of the expo is to showcases the different opportunities in our area. We’re excited too that Vantage Career Center has funded access to a career assessment platform called You Science, allowing students to seek out careers and colleges that suit their strengths found from their assessment. It’s our first time trying this, and we’re excited to see how it goes.” stated Economic Development Office Manager Kristen Schilt.
The event will run from 8am-12noon with students arriving at the top of each hour. Paulding County Vantage Career Center students are invited to attend the opening hour on their way to the career center. Each school will then bus their students to the event on the hour for forty-five minutes. Homeschool students and the general public are invited to attend at any time.
Students will be provided a “passport” upon arrival. The passports suggest a variety of questions to ask participating exhibitors to help start conversation. Each student is encouraged to talk to a minimum of 10 businesses and have the business sign their passport. Completed passports will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gas gift card, one winner per school will be drawn. The gift cards are sponsored by C&Y Oil Company and National Gas & Oil.
This event has grown over the years. This year there are a total of 52 entities that have sent an RSVP for the event, with many having interactive and hands-on activities for students to engage with. For questions about the event contact the PCED office at 419-399-8295.
by Office Manager | Mar 20, 2024 | Business Expansion, Membership, New Business, PCED Office
PAULDING, OH – Holistic Wizard Wellness, LLC, a new business started by Joel Fields, a licensed massage therapist with over eight years of experience, officially opened its doors on January 2, 2024. Located at 12705 Road 162 in Paulding, Ohio, Holistic Wizard Wellness offers therapeutic massage services aimed at providing deep relaxation and relief for individuals facing symptoms of job stress, burnout, anxiety, and chronic pain.
Joel’s journey of holistic wellness began with his extensive experience in different office settings, including a chiropractic office in Van Wert and a four-year stint at Parkview Health in Fort Wayne. His passion for holistic healing led him to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Holistic Health from Northern Vermont University in 2022. With a specialization in working with individuals experiencing stress-related symptoms, Joel has mastered his skills in therapeutic massage and craniosacral therapy to offer gentle yet effective treatments for his clients.
The inspiration behind
Holistic Wizard Wellness came from Joel’s involvement in the “Holistic Response Team” at Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne, where he witnessed firsthand the toll that stress and burnout can take on healthcare workers. Motivated to provide relief outside of the corporate environment, Joel established Holistic Wizard Wellness to cater not only to healthcare professionals but also to business professionals and locals in and near Paulding County.
Holistic Wizard Wellness offers customized therapeutic massages ranging from 30 to 90 minutes, as well as craniosacral therapy, known for its effectiveness in alleviating migraines, fibromyalgia, and stress. Additionally, the business provides organic CBD products and access to high-quality supplements through Fullscript, an online supplement store.
For Joel Fields, owning Holistic Wizard Wellness is a fulfillment of his passion for holistic healing and serving his community. “Massage has had a positive effect on every medical condition we’ve looked at,” says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., Director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami.
Clients can schedule appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 AM to 7 PM at Field’s home office just north of Stykemain Chevrolet in Paulding. Online scheduling is also available on the Holistic Wizard Wellness website, with questions also welcomed by phone at 260-245-3939 or email at joel@holisticwizardwellness.com.
For more information about Holistic Wizard Wellness, visit www.holisticwizardwellness.com or follow them on social media for updates.
by Isabella Carwile | Mar 19, 2024 | Business Expansion, Community, Funding, PCED Office
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release March 19, 2024
PAULDING – The Paulding County application for the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) residential and commercial blight program was completed and submitted on March 8. Estee Miller, Maumee Valley Planning Organization, shared with the Land Reutilization Committee (Land Bank) that the application for the residential and commercial blight program included 43 properties from throughout the county. Miller shared that the estimated application price tag for remediation is $1,115,316. The county was allocated $500,000 in the program. Because the county exceeded the allocated amount, there will need to be $154,500 of match money provided by the Land Bank committee if the total application is accepted. Purchased properties can also be considered match.
The committee was then updated on the progress of the former Paulding theatre lot by Tim Copsey, Paulding County Economic Development Director. This project is one of several in the county using ODOD Brownfield program funds. The theatre and adjacent building demolition has completed and all debris removed. The replacement sidewalks along West Perry Street were framed, with cement recently poured. The group will next be made aware of the cost of putting metal siding on the now exposed, east wall of the Hawg’s Tavern building.
The county continues to have ongoing remediation work taking place at the former Grizzley Brake property. The current owners, Arvin Environmental Management, LLC have invested in having natural overgrowth and foliage removed about 40 feet inside the fence perimeter. This has provided a much better view of the chain link fence enclosing the property, and revealed some needed repair. Quotes are taking place on that now. A bid application is also being prepared to drain ponds and level the dirt mounds, at both this site, and the former Stokely site across the road.
Final committee discussions were in regard to following up on properties still owned by the committee and understanding the upcoming mowing maintenance that will soon be required on the properties. Thoughts were then shared in how to proceed in future marketing of remediated properties for development.
by Isabella Carwile | Mar 19, 2024 | Business Expansion, Community, Jobs, New Business, PCED Office
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release 3/19/2023
PAULDING – The Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) Board toured the Small Business Innovation Center (SBIC) during their March meeting.
The SBIC is a building located at 103 E. Perry Street in Paulding on the square, that is owned by the Paulding County Commissioners. The building hosts the county Election Board offices on the first floor at 105 E. Perry. The 103 E. Perry side, has offices available for rent on the first floor, and several office and conference room spaces available upstairs (103 ½ E. Perry). These offices are over both first-floor business spaces and offer a spectacular second story view of the courthouse. These offices are managed by the PCED office.
“There are three new members on the PCED Board of Directors this year. We thought it would be fitting to let them see what our office manages, but it also allowed some of our established members the opportunity to see the latest improvements and changes the offices have been through lately,” stated Tim Copsey PCED Director. “Our hope is to get the word out to folks working from home that the county does have a shared working space facility if they needed to host a meeting or just find a remote spot to work from occasionally.”
This space was developed back in 2018 to allow new businesses, researching the village or county, an option to test foot traffic before buying a brick-and-mortar facility. It has allowed many businesses to start and grow, or falter, before a lot of investment is made. One of the recent successes was Ag Credit. They started in this space before moving into their facility at 839 N. Williams Street in Paulding. Another success was having a place for Union Bank to open their Paulding branch, immediately upon deciding to come to Paulding, while the building they purchased for rehabilitation was remodeled.
Other businesses tested the water and weren’t as successful. Brown & Brown, a Toledo attorney group, rented space for a while before deciding they could do their services from Toledo. More recently, Family First Jail Bondsman rented office to see if a Paulding address would be beneficial for more business, but ultimately decided it was not. Currently there is one ground level floor office available for rent open and three upstairs offices available ($250/month upstairs).
Both upstairs and downstairs offices offer a kitchenette, restrooms, and have conference room available. The tours were to show, and remind, board members of the opportunities available for shared office space. The spaces can also be rented by the hour.
The regular business agenda followed including:
- Received updates from the Director for projects taking place around the county
- Accepting PCED By-law changes presented at January meeting for review
- Accepting Financial reports presented by Treasurer Jeff Mumma and Financial Committee
- Heard committee reports as presented
- Heard from each member in regard to the business sector they represent per PCED by-laws
The board will meet again in a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 14, 2024
by Office Manager | Mar 19, 2024 | Community, Community Improvement Corporation (CIC), PCED Office, Property Development
PAULDING – The first quarter Paulding County Zoning Inspector meeting was recently held at the OSU Extension Building. Tim Copsey, Paulding County Economic Development Director, provided a brief overview of previous meetings for new attendees and shared how this meeting has developed and grown out of the quarterly county mayor meetings. This group developed in 2023 and has continued to meet as a way to bridge communication gaps and provide idea sharing and collaboration around the county. Copsey then introduced the guest speaker, the Honorable Suzanne Rister, Municipal Court Judge, to the group of township trustees, mayors, village council officials and other local officials that attended.
Judge Rister shared the legal process involved in addressing junk or trash ordinances within villages and townships. She presented stats regarding the number of cases handled by the municipal court and shared that there is a low occurrence of zoning cases across the county. Most issues are resolved through correspondence from governing agencies. The number of zoning cases presented to the court annually were: eight in 2020, two in 2021, nineteen in 2022, eight in 2023, and none so far in 2024. Only a small fraction of cases gets to the point of jailable offenses. The cases that do mainly involve repeated violations of the same code.
Judge Rister highlighted the importance of clear communication between townships and village officials and residents, stressing the need of providing detailed documentation and current evidence in zoning violation cases.
Fines collected from convictions are returned to the charging entity. Judge Rister also addressed reimbursement policies, including attorney fees, indicating her efforts to alleviate financial burden on localities in these cases.
Incite was provided for how to increase the likelihood of favorable rulings for concerned localities. Judge Rister advised that representatives from villages or townships stand alongside prosecutors during court proceedings to be a witness to the case.
Participants asked about various procedure and process aspects, such as submitting evidence and how to handle repeat offenders. Judge Rister provided clarifications on landlord responsibilities and the criteria for jailable offenses.
Prosecutor Joe Burkard followed and elaborated on strategies for addressing property cleanup, expressing the importance of thorough information and gathering photos and time stamped evidence.
Copsey followed providing updates on community cleanup efforts, highlighting recent accomplishments, and shared ongoing projects where the Paulding County Land Bank and Community Improvement Corporations are involved.
Copsey then shared a prospective new project that may aid in cutting down zoning violations. A recent investment at Kohart’s Surplus and Salvage, now provides a way to efficiently shred and recycle vehicles. A request was made to all townships and villages to have conversations with property owners that have vehicles that do not have current plates on them. If the owners are willing to sell the vehicle there is a possibility of designing a county program to purchase these cars and remove them at no cost to the owners. In order for this program to develop we need to understand the demand and interest from residents.
Attendees discussed potential ways, including local recycling events, to facilitate resident cleanup efforts and how to identify blighted properties or open lots for future redevelopment.
Sarah McCabe, with the Paulding County Auditors office, shared that the County GIS system is updated now with zoning layers for Oakwood, Antwerp, Paulding and Crane Township. This was thanks to collaboration with the Paulding County Engineers office.
The importance of continuing to improve the county GIS system was noted. It is extremely helpful when inquires for site development come into the PCED office, especially for water and sewer infrastructure mapping. All localities were encouraged to work on mapping their utilities to better streamline planning down the road.
All in attendance agreed to meet again next quarter for continued collaboration between zoning inspectors and to discuss community revitalization efforts.
