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.
by Isabella Carwile | Dec 3, 2024 | Community, Membership, Paulding County Business Weekly Radio Broadcast, PCED Office, Workforce
Listen to our next Paulding County Business Weekly episode as we meet our new Paulding County Recorder Elect, Sarah Shuherk. Sarah shares what takes place in the Recorder’s office and how it is an important piece of the county’s history and future. We can’t thank OhioMeansJobs enough for sponsoring this program and the team at My102.7FM for making it happen. You can tune in on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., or Click Here to Listen Online! Paulding County Business Weekly is also available in podcast form through Apple, Google & Spotify. #pauldingcountystrong
by Isabella Carwile | Jun 12, 2024 | Business Expansion, Community, PCED Office, Property Development
Paulding County Economic Development Press Release – June 12th, 2024
PAULDING – The Paulding County Land Reutilization Committee met in June to share information and receive updates about many completing and some new projects.
Several positive comments have been expressed to the committee in regard to a site recently remediated in the Village of Payne. The property, located just on the south edge of the village along Highway 49 at the Flat Rock Creek bridge, was purchased by the Land Bank committee last winter. The committee was able to contract with Dangler Excavating and had several old semi-trailers, a structure and some other trash removed prior to grading and seeding the lot. The noticeably clean property was then sold to the commercial building owner next door.
Paulding County Treasurer, and Land Bank Committee President Lou Ann Wannemacher, shared that the Land Bank has finalized purchase of the trailer court located at 802 N. Main Street in Paulding. The purchase from S&N Partnership,LLC will allow for some very aged mobile homes to be removed and remediation of the property to make room for future development. This trailer court had a fire last winter in which three residents lost their lives.
Another property purchase that has local attention is the former Faith Alive Church building located at 220 N. Williams Street in Paulding. This building will be removed to make way for the new Paulding Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial. There has been much inquiry about some of the stain glass windows, pews and other memorabilia inside the building. The committee is working with local auctioneer Larry Gorrell to have an online auction in the future for purchase of the items. More information will be shared about the auction dates as this project develops.
Matt Wagner, with EPA consultant Tetra Tech, shared information about the final clean-up procedures at the former Liberty Fuel Station, that was located in front of the former Varner’s Trailer Court on the east side of Antwerp. A final soil test is being procured. A low contamination reading will allow the sale of the property. Wagner also reported the Stokely and Grizzley remediation projects are still on hold awaiting Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) approvals of the remediation application.
Turning to residential and commercial building blight, Estee Blair, local land bank consultant with Maumee Valley Planning Organization, asked the committee for review and approval of a grading template that would provide her office a systematic process to determine awarded demolition contractors for future projects. Following questions and discussion, the committee approved the template as presented. Blair also noted that there still has been no response to the 47 projects submitted to ODOD for Paulding County remediation.
In final discussion of the full agenda meeting, the Land Bank committee had the opportunity to acquire two parcels in the unincorporated Village of Mandale, located in the county’s southeast corner. The parcels were not purchased in a recent foreclosure auction. The committee agreed to accept the parcels to try and remediate them and contribute to a positive change in the area.
by Office Manager | May 21, 2024 | Community, New Business, PCED Office
PAULDING, OH – Hidn Treasures LLC, a unique artisan market, proudly announces its grand opening at 1007 N Williams St, located between Subway and Marathon in Paulding, Ohio. The doors officially opened on February 28, 2024, marking the realization of a long-held dream for the shop owner.
Heather Sherburn, a local entrepreneur with over 20 years of management experience and a background in marketing and direct sales, Hidn Treasures LLC brings a distinctive shopping experience to Paulding. Heather previously served as a marketing director and branch manager at a bank, and discovered a passion for creating custom resin pieces, sparking the idea for this new business idea.
“It has always been a dream of mine to own my own business,” shared owner Heather Sherburn. “About five or six years ago, I started envisioning a storefront instead of constantly setting up at flea markets and vendor shows. After much prayer and guidance, the right opportunity presented itself. With the support of the Paulding County Economic Development team and valuable input from Lisa Becher at Northwest State Community College SBDC, my vision quickly became a reality.”
Hidn Treasures LLC offers a wide variety of handmade, hand-crafted, and hand-baked goods, emphasizing the importance of supporting local artisans. The store also hosts DIY workshops and offers gift certificates, providing the community with both unique products and creative experiences.
“Owning this business means the world to me,” Heather shared. “I am passionate about helping people and supporting local small businesses. I would rather spend a little more to support a single mom or a family trying to make ends meet, rather than a major corporation. Our small business cares deeply about the community and our customers.”
The founder is eager for the community to know that 95% of the products in Hidn Treasures LLC are handmade by local vendors, offering items that can’t be found in big chain stores. This commitment to quality and community sets Hidn Treasures apart as a destination for unique and meaningful shopping.
Find them on Facebook at Hidn Treasures LLC
Hidn Treasures LLC invites everyone to visit the new store and experience the charm and quality of handmade, local products. Join us in celebrating the grand opening and supporting the local community.
by Office Manager | May 16, 2024 | PCED Office, Property Development
PAULDING COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PRESS RELEASE 5 16 2024
PAULDING – The Paulding County Economic Development office recently hosted several development roundtable discussions. Businesses owners, employees and individual members of the Paulding County Economic Development office were invited to attend from three sectors: finance, construction/development and realty. The intent of the roundtables was to organize an internal county team that is interested in developing residential opportunities in Paulding County.
The first roundtable discussion was with the financial group. Banking and credit union leaders, from seven financial institutions around the region, met to hear about project opportunities, potential properties available through private and land bank property options, and learned about different State of Ohio residential grant programs taking place. The group also shared information including: subdivision development, current lending, interest rates, modular home financing and an upcoming Vibrant Communities Grant seminar. The seminar will be held at the Paulding Eagles from 2:30-4:00 pm on Thursday, May 23. The seminar is open to the public but the currently the only eligible communities for the grant are the villages of Antwerp, Broughton, Cecil, Grover Hill, Haviland, Melrose, Oakwood & Payne.
The next roundtable group was the construction/contractors group. This group included 13 businessmen whose expertise ranged anywhere from building inspection to foundation development, framing, drywall work and HVAC installation, to roofing, siding and finishing. This group was the most vocal as new introductions were made, new homebuilding myths were busted and new ideas were shared. The connections made in this meeting were certainly worthwhile and are already enticing new development project discussions.
The final group to meet was the realty teams. Nine realtors, representing six regional realty groups joined Megan Foos with Northwest Ohio REALTORS.
Interestingly enough, these local teams confirmed much of the same that is being discussed in villages and counties throughout Ohio, that there needs to be more housing. There is interest to build, there is equity to be spent on speculative builds, there just isn’t enough road, water, sewer, surface drainage infrastructure in place for building of single family, multi family or senior living complexes to begin. The group provided thoughts on how we might overcome this barrier and how we need to work in conjunction with grants and other funding to make this work.
Tim Copsey, Director for Paulding County Economic Development office summarized, “We have been hearing from so many different business, individuals and entities involved with all of these sectors. We just felt the best way to include our current and potential investment members in the conversation, and get them a seat at the development table, was to pull them all together in these roundtable meetings. Once everyone was introduced in their respective groups the discussion took off just as we hoped. These were definitely worth our organizations time and investment. We are excited to share what came out of these roundtable meetings and discussions.”
To learn more about commercial, retail and residential projects developing in Paulding County please contact Paulding County Economic Development at 419-399-8282.
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.
