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Population Declines are Slowing Locally

4/29/2019

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Officials believe efforts to bring jobs to the area are slowing the population drain. “I believe people recognize we are trying to make positive changes,” says Clark County Commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt. BILL LACKEY / SPRINGFIELD NEWS SUN STAFF
By Riley Newton, Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
Clark and Champaign counties have seen steady declines in population since 2010, but the hemorrhaging appears to be slowing, recent population estimates from the United States Census Bureau show.

Released every year, population estimates give local governments a glimpse into population shifts in their communities.

While estimates show that both counties experienced declining populations over the last several years, the worst may be coming to an end, Bill LaFayette, an economist and owner of Regionomics, a Columbus-based economics and workforce consulting firm said.

The estimated population for Clark County in 2018 was 134,585, down slightly from 134,649 in 2017. 

In Champaign County, it was 38,754 in 2018 as compared to 38,824 in 2017.

“When you look at the chart, the big story is this,” LaFayette said. “Although Clark County is losing population, it’s losing population at a slower rate than it once was.”

LaFayette is right — and the same statement rings true for Champaign County as well Between 2015 and 2016 alone, Clark County’s estimated population dropped by more than 1,000 residents.

In Champaign County, between 2010 and 2016, the county lost an estimated 1,358 residents.

However, between 2016 and 2018, Clark County lost just 116 residents. Champaign only lost an estimated 70 residents during that same time period.

Officials in Clark and Champaign counties and LaFayette have pointed to two things they say has slowed population declines over the last three years; jobs and cost of living.

Economic development “I would guess the reason for the decline slowing is the economy,” LaFayette said.

“More jobs are popping up.”

Jobs are the biggest factor when it comes to why a resident moves to, or from, an area, LaFayette said.

So far in 2019, the unemployment rate has continued to fall, according to data by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

The unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent in Clark County in March, down 1.3 percent since the start of the year. In Champaign, it has dropped 1.1 percent for the year, finishing at 3.4 percent in March.

Melanie Flax Wilt, Clark County commissioner, said within the last couple of years, Clark County has turned its attention to workforce development.

“Workforce development is huge for us,” Flax Wilt said. “We’ve been focused on bringing new jobs here.”

The decision to focus more on economic development is bolstered by a 2018 labor market analysis conducted by the University of Cincinnati Economic Center in collaboration with the Chamber of Greater Springfield.

The analysis found about 54 percent of residents in Clark County travel to neighboring counties for work.

About 20 percent of residents surveyed for the study told researchers they travel to other counties because they don’t believe jobs are available in Clark County in their industry. Around 44 percent of those surveyed cited better wages in other counties.

Flax Wilt said people in Clark County have come together over the course of the last couple of years.

“It’s an exciting time in Clark County. I see it everywhere I go. I believe people recognize that we are trying to make positive changes,” Flax Wilt said. “People recognize that this county has a lot to offer.”

Cost of living Bryan Heck, Springfield city manager, said living in Clark County allows people to “see their dollar going further.”

“I think it’s an attractive area to them,” Heck said.

“We’ve worked to bring additional jobs and that helps, of course, but the cost of living is also low compared to other regions.”

Steven Hess, Champaign County Commissioner, agrees.

“Whether it’s a lower cost of living or a job, it doesn’t matter,” Hess said. “Whatever gets people here.”

A low cost of living is what brought Gerard Milewski and his family to Springfield.

Milewski said he, his wife and their two children, ages 3 and 10, moved to Springfield in 2017 from Cincinnati.

“Being able to buy a home for cheap was a huge selling point,” Milewski said.

Because of low cost of living, Milewski said he doesn’t see the population decline as a bad thing.

“The population decline doesn’t bother me,” Milewski said. “I think it encourages people to move to the community, people like me, to move here and put money into a home.”

Homes in Clark and Champaign counties sold quicker in 2018 than in 2017, according to statistics gathered by Western Regional Information Systems & Technology, an Ohio-based company that monitors real estate trends, including in Clark and Champaign.

Data from WRIST shows that 364 homes were sold last year in Clark County, up 23 from 2017, and 380 homes were sold in Champaign, up 15 from 2017.

It was a transition settling into a smaller community, Milewski said, but since then his family has enjoyed living in Springfield.

“The city has potential,” Milewski said. “I’ve seen smaller communities, like Springfield, in Cincinnati turn into big cities, and I think the city and the county do a good job of focusing on local issues.”

Because Clark County is a smaller county, Milewski said, it can allow local governments to focus on more localized issues.

“In Cincinnati, the city government is focused on major league sports teams, stuff like that, which in the long run doesn’t really affect every day people,” Milewski said. “Here, the county — local government — they are focused on small businesses and how to improve life for the average person.”

Marcia Bailey, Director of the Champaign Economic Partnership, said counties across Ohio, like Clark and Champaign counties, should focus on marketing themselves to, “the average person.”

“We need to make certain we are marketing ourselves to attract and increase our population,” Bailey said.

In marketing themselves, counties should play on their strengths, Bailey said.

“The lifestyle, career choices, new schools, growing up here and now retiring, wanting to live in a more relaxed community with a lower cost of living,” Bailey said. “I see a positive indication in our population that we are building on things like that.”

It tells ‘more about your community’ While there are theories as to why the population in Clark and Champaign counties might be leveling off, more concrete answers probably won’t be available until late 2020, when results of the national decennial census will be released.

Although the U.S. Census Bureau carries out hundreds of surveys every year, like population estimates, its most well known duty is still to conduct the decennial census.

According to the Census Bureau’s website, a decennial census: determines the distribution of Congressional seats; makes planning decisions about community services such as where to build new roads and how to distribute more than $675 billion in federal funds to local and state governments; and provides age information for social security and other retirement benefits.

“It controls a lot,” LaFayette said.

It also allows people to better understand their communities, LaFayette said.

“The census can tell you the characteristics of the population, earnings, education level, age distribution, whether or not people have been working, where people have been working,” LaFayette said.

That’s why, he said, it’s important for residents to participate in the count taken every 10 years.

“It tells you more about your community than anything else,” LaFayette said.

Contact this reporter at 937-328-0329 or email Riley.Newton@coxinc.com.

CLARK, CHAMPAIGN POPULATION ESTIMATES COMPARED TO 10 YEARS AGO 

139,404 Clark County estimated population in 2008 
134,585 Clark County estimated population in 2018

40,263 Champaign County estimated population in 2008
38,754 Champaign County estimated population in 2018 

SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
COMMITTED COVERAGE 
The Springfield News- Sun is committed to covering economic growth in Clark and Champaign counties. 
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Q3/JMC Property Ready for Marketing

4/26/2019

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By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen, cselmek@aimmediamidwest.com
Developers are hopeful that the former Q3 JMC Inc. property at 605 Miami St. will be ready to use later this year, with nearly three-quarters of the Johnson Manufacturing building already leased to various companies, according to True Inspection Services Vice President Joe Timm. Urbana-based TIS is just one company looking forward to taking up residence in the 32,000-square-foot building while continuing to direct the remediation of the 20-acre site.

“Right now we have a contractor that’s doing most of the work and finishing up the remediation,” Timm said in February. “That should be done probably in the next 90 days, and then at that point we’ll apply for the covenant not to sue with the (Environmental Protection Agency), which will probably take another 60-90 days. Once we get that, then at that point we can start some of the redevelopment of the actual building itself.”

TIS currently maintains offices at 871 S. Main St., the old Buckles Building, but plans to move to the Johnson Building later this summer. A door manufacturer from Kentucky also plans to establish warehouse space there, which Timm says will create a handful of local jobs.

“We’ve had at least three people go in that building,” said Champaign Economic Partnership Director Marcia Bailey. “Right now you look at it and it looks ugly because it’s got the metal skin on it, but you get in that building and it’s gorgeous. It’s got the big brick in it and the beams, and it’s a gorgeous building.”

Five acres at the rear of the property have never been built on. At the west side, the CEP is looking at a potential opportunity to clean up Ann Street and Beech Street, depending on the end user and if the city wants to maintain them. The entire property is zoned manufacturing, and Bailey said her plan is to market it as such and eventually get every inch possible utilized as manufacturing space.

The east side of the property will belong to TIS, which the company will continue to redevelop and for which lessees will be sought.

“All in total it’s about 20 acres of manufacturing that’s sitting there in the heart of Urbana on a US highway, so it’s prime location,” Bailey said.

“Then we were trying to find someone who would honestly take the risk and the task on to help us get it cleaned up, and that’s when Joe contacted us to see what’s going on and how he might be able to help.”

History
The Q3 JMC property has not been fully utilized since the company ceased manufacturing operations there in 2008. The city of Urbana officially took ownership of the property in May 2017 through a tax foreclosure process and shortly thereafter obtained a $883,947 grant through a JobsOhio Redevelopment Pilot Program to perform demolition, environmental remediation, asbestos abatement, removal and disposal of waste and site preparation. “Historically it was a manufacturing operation, Q3 Stamp Metal, which had purchased the Johnson Manufacturing Company, so they called it Q3 JMC,” said Community Development Manager Doug Crabill.

“It basically became an abandoned property, the taxes accumulated, and suffered quite a bit of vandalism. Then we had a fire caused by arson that destroyed part of the remaining buildings on Miami. Part of the site was under findings and orders with the Ohio EPA, so we got those findings and orders released, but part of getting those released is to complete the cleanup work that’s being done.”

Honeywell International Inc. recently completed remediation of groundwater contamination in a four-acre section on the west side of the property. Honeywell became liable for the former Grimes Aerospace Plastic Research Products contamination when it acquired the Grimes company.

“Honeywell’s scope was limited to VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) remediation,” said Crabill. “That was what they agreed to participate and assist with as far as that part of the cleanup and that was isolated to a small area in the back of the site. They essentially removed quite a bit of soil and had it hauled away and put back-fill in, and then they’ve installed monitoring wells. What they are trying to demonstrate is that they’ve cleaned up the source of the VOC contamination, so therefore then the groundwater is clean in that area again.”

TIS also removed an 800-gallon diesel storage tank and, according to Crabill, the city received a letter from the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations that no further action is needed in that area of the property.

TIS recently completed asbestos remediation work in the Johnson building.

According to Crabill, the presence of asbestos was a major reason that several of the structures were not kept, along with damage from a 2015 fire ruled an act of arson by the state Fire Marshal’s Office.

“The structures that were not kept were in a state that they just couldn’t be put back,” he said. “A good period had passed since the time they closed until the time we were able to take ownership of the site, and I think all of the roofs were at the end of their useful life even back when they were in business, so by the time we got in a lot of the water damage had already set in on a lot of the structures.”

Partnership
Bailey stated her appreciation for TIS doing their due diligence to oversee the project, adding that they would not hand the property over to a buyer until they were certain there were no longer any hazards involved.

“It is a true partnership because all of the entities had responsibilities,” she said. “The city does, Honeywell had their responsibility, and at the end of the day, then, the responsibility is on True Inspection to be able to get it cleaned up and ready for the city to apply for the VAP agreement - Voluntary Action Plan - and then we start marketing.

We’re already marketing, Joe and I have already had more than one person down there looking at that space.”

“The Ohio EPA has a Voluntary Action Program - VAP - and essentially it’s a program where a volunteer steps up and is willing to bring a property up to a certain environmental standard that Ohio EPA has developed,” said Crabill. “They have a certified professional that oversees that, the city has one of those who oversees this, and he prepares all the documentation of all the remediation that’s been done and certifies that the site is clean under rules of the VAP. As a result of that, there is a covenant not to sue that’s issued by Ohio EPA as a result of all the work that’s been done to clean up the site. It’s a good tool for property redevelopment so that sites like this don’t sit idle because they can’t be cleaned up.”

“We’re excited at the opportunity,” said Timm. “We’ve made good progress, and it’s taken a little longer than we anticipated, but with any time there’s environmental cleanup there’s unforeseen items that come up. But we’re making good progress and we anticipate getting a covenant not to sue this summer, starting renovation in the fall, and having people moved in and have some new jobs created by the end of the year, start of next year.”

The property is currently divided into about 26 parcels which Bailey said will need to be consolidated before they can be sold. Bailey said she hopes to have a buyer within six months; anyone interested may contact the CEP at (937) 653-7200.
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Cobblestone Hotel Planned for South Urbana

4/26/2019

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Urbana Cobblestone Hotel
The new hotel will be located along US-68 across from the Champaign County Community Center. Photos by Christopher Selmek | Urbana Daily Citizen
By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen
cselmek@aimmediamidwest.com
A 54-room hotel is planned for Urbana later this year due to the efforts of an investment committee that recently purchased three acres in south Urbana for a Cobblestone hotel.

Sale of the land formerly owned by Kay Slesinger at 170 state Route 55 was finalized on Feb. 21 for $225,000, and according to investment committee cochair Mike Major that land will soon be turned over to BriMark Builders, LLC, a division of Cobblestone Hotels, to begin the building process.

Urbana Cobblestone Hotel
From left are investment committee co-chairs Mike Major and Terry Howell, Champaign Economic Partnership Executive Director Marcia Bailey and Kim Slesinger-Fraley standing by plans for Urbana’s Cobblestone Hotel. Photos by Christopher Selmek | Urbana Daily Citizen
Major thanked the 10 members of the investment committee, including cochair Terry Howell, who he said brought a great deal of construction and site preparation experience, as well as connections with the Slesinger family, and who will be essential in determining which contractors to use locally. He also thanked Champaign Economic Partnership Executive Director Marcia Bailey, who he credited with getting the group together, presenting and doing research.


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CEP Enters 5th Year Advancing Local Economic Development

4/26/2019

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Marcia Bailey
Marcia Bailey
By Marcia Bailey, Director Champaign Economic Partnership
There’s power in working together for a shared purpose of business expansion and job creation. The Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP) has proven that, since becoming Champaign County’s economic development agency, nearly five years ago.
​
The CEP couldn’t do this without the financial support, talent and leadership of our partners, the City of Urbana, the Champaign County Commissioners, Mechanicsburg, North Lewisburg and St. Paris, more than 20 local businesses and our 19-member board.
Key development projects
Thanks to economic development investments by private businesses working with the CEP, Urbana – for the first time ever – ranked 41st in the Site Selection magazine’s 2017 list of top U.S. micropolitan communities.
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Recent successes include the new Navistar distribution center, Memorial Health’s medical building, expansion of Weidmann Electrical Technology, opening of Nutrien Ag Solutions, Sutphen Corporation’s new Service, Parts and Refurbishment Center, expansion of Old Souls Farms hydroponic operations, expansion of Advanced Technology Products and purchase of the former Robert Rothschild Farm property.

Champaign County manufacturing jobs have grown from under 3,000 jobs in 2013 to nearly 4,000 in 2018.

Major projects for 2019 include:
  • Construction of a 54-room Cobblestone Hotel in Urbana, owned by local investors
  • Completion of cleanup of the former Q3/Johnson Manufacturing site 
  • Development of the proposed Legacy Place project to transform the former Urbana North and South Elementary schools and the Douglas Hotel into 51 affordable senior living apartments.
Preparing the workforce
The CEP is partnering with schools and businesses in numerous ways to help make sure Champaign County has the skilled workforce required by new and expanding businesses.

Results of these partnerships include:
  • The CEP's new business liaison, Ashley Cook, who helps coordinate workforce development initiatives with schools and businesses 
  • Internships and job shadowing opportunities
  • Job fairs and in-school presentations by businesses 
  • The online Community Job Connect job board, where local employers post job openings 
  • 11 TV monitors placed around Champaign County broadcasting news about local training programs, job openings, and economic development 
  • Ohio Hi-Point Career Center’s Advanced Manufacturing program at Triad Local Schools
  • YouTube videos of our local manufacturers
  • The Champaign County Business Advisory Council, partnering with schools and businesses preparing students for the local workforce.

Future development
  • Also in the works for economic development:
  • The City of Urbana will be reviewing results on development ideas for the South Main Street Corridor as well as the South High Street Corridor for potential improvement of pedestrian and bicycle traffic, drainage and parking
  • The Sowles Hotel building will be redeveloped for office and retail space.
  • The CEP will help St. Paris market its enterprise zone.
  • The CEP will be establishing a Community Reinvestment Area in Mechanicsburg 
  • The CEP will continue promoting Urbana’s Certified Opportunity Zone (COZ) which offers incentives for development in economically distressed areas.
  • Downtown property owners are moving ahead with redevelopment projects, following the Moving Downtown Forward initiative launched by the CEP in 2018.

For more information, call the CEP at 937-653-7200 or browse CEPOhio.com.
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Legacy Place Planned for Unused Structures

4/26/2019

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Urbana Douglas Inn
The Douglas Inn | Photos by Christopher Selmek | Urbana Daily Citizen
By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen
cselmek@aimmediamidwest.com
Representatives of Flaherty & Collins Properties have been working with the city of Urbana and the Champaign Economic Partnership to develop Legacy Place, a proposed 51 units of senior housing that would occupy the former North and South elementary schools as well as the Douglas Inn on Monument Square. Local officials have been working with architect McCall Sharp Architecture, Springfield, and hope to close on the property sale this summer after they have secured all of their funding sources.


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Sutphen Opens Local Facility

4/26/2019

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Makes good use of vacant building

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The Sutphen Corporation has opened a service, parts and refurbishment center in Champaign County. After the departure of DuPont Pioneer, the property at 49 N. Ludlow Road remained vacant for four years. As part of Sutphen’s move, the facility will have 20 to 25 full-time employees.
By Nick Walton, Urbana Daily Citizen, 
​
nwalton@aimmediamidwest.com
The Sutphen Corporation, based in Dublin, has opened a service, parts and refurbishment center at a Champaign County property that had been vacant for four years.

Todd Winnenberg, Sutphen general manager of the service and chassis divisions, said the company is a family-owned fire apparatus manufacturer in business since 1890. The company sells a full line of fire apparatus products ranging from smaller commercial vehicles to normal pumpers used for house fires and heavy rescue vehicles.


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Local Unemployment Continues to Decline

4/24/2019

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Employers in Clark & Champaign counties have jobs to fill now

Now Hiring Champaign County
The unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent in Clark County in March, down from 4.6 percent in February. In Champaign County, the unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in March, down from 3.8 percent in February. BILL LACKEY / SPRINGFIELD NEWS-SUN STAFF
By Riley Newton, Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
DIGGING DEEPER
Unemployment rates have fallen for the third straight month in Clark and Champaign counties, according to data released by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Service.

The unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent in Clark County in March, down from 4.6 percent in February.

Amy Donahoe, director of Workforce Development with the Chamber of Greater Springfield, said the falling unemployment rate is an example of Clark County continuing to see businesses hire and grow.

“We are seeing individuals becoming employed right away when businesses are hiring,”

Donahoe said. “There is no reason for people not be working right now.”

Donahoe said the Chamber is focusing to tap into the workforce within Clark County to keep residents working close to home.

“We have a lot of people living here but working outside of the area,” Donahoe said. “We are working on keeping people here and helping people find work closer to home.”

Bill LaFayette, an economist and owner of Regionomics, a Columbus-based economics and workforce consulting firm, said the unemployment rate for Clark County is good.

LaFayette said that Ohio DJFS does not seasonally adjust, or account for seasonal patterns that include summer hiring, major holiday hiring and school schedules.

State and national figures are adjusted for those factors.

Statewide, Ohio’s unemployment rate dipped slightly to 4.4 percent, down 0.2 percent from February, according to the OJFS. The nationwide unemployment rate remained steady at 3.8 percent, continuing its downward trend.

“If we are looking at seasonally adjusted numbers, unemployment still went down from 4.2 in February, to 4 in March,” LaFayette said about Clark County’s unemployment numbers.

In Champaign County, the unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in March, down from 3.8 percent in February.

Marcia Bailey, director of the Champaign Economic Partnership, said the county’s unemployment numbers are, “great news.”

“These numbers are great, but there is a flip side to this story,” Bailey said. “The other side is that there are still jobs that need to be filled and companies that are hiring right now.”

Companies across Champaign County are looking to fill positions right now, Bailey said.

“We want people to understand that there are jobs available and we encourage them to come and see us,” Bailey said. “We want to help everyone find their career.”

Contact this reporter at 937- 328-0329 or email Riley. Newton@coxinc.com.

MORE DETAILS 
CLARK COUNTY
March: 4.1 percent
February: 4.6 percent
January: 5.4 percent 

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
March: 3.4 percent
February: 3.8 percent
January: 4.5 percent

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Local Honda Suppliers Expect Minor Impact

4/24/2019

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By Kathy Fox, Urbana Daily Citizen, kfox@aimmediamidwest.com
Representatives of Parker Trutec, on Upper Valley Pike, and Rosewood Machine & Tool Co., on Kiser Lake Road, said Honda’s plan to idle a second-shift production line at the Marysville assembly plant, as it slows production of Accords, may have little impact on their businesses.

Honda has said buyers’ interest in SUVs and small trucks is rising and interest in small cars is declining, hence the slowdown of the production line, which is to begin in August and may last a few years.

“The impact depends on the duration,” said Jeff Helman, a vice president of the Rosewood business.

Both local businesses manufacture products for Honda, but not only for its Accord line, and both businesses manufacture products for customers besides Honda.

“We do a lot of service parts for Honda not tied in with production lines,” said Brian Beatty, Parker Trutec plant manager. “We are unclear at this point,” he said of potential impact to his plant. “We need to research to see about the impact.”
He added, “Business is good otherwise.”

Beatty said he expects any impact to be minor for the plant, which has about 180 workers.

About 95% of Parker Trutec’s business is automotive, with orders coming from Honda as well as other vehicle manufacturers. “It can have an impact, but it’s not unprecedented,” Helman said. “They make these kinds of adjustments from time to time … “It’s no secret Accord sales are down … the public wants these little crossover SUVs.

“Honda’s been adept at changing tooling,” he added. “Their lines are designed to change to other models.”

He said the Rosewood business is a Honda supplier for tooling and equipment. “We make parts to make the cars.

“Honda’s been a very good customer, a good partner for us,” Helman said, adding that the local business manufactures products for Honda facilities besides its Marysville plant, as well as for businesses other than the automotive industry.

“Our objective has always been to be diversified,” he said, adding the company, which employs about 40 people, manufactures products for various types of customers, including those in the HVAC and food-processing industries.

“Honda has a huge impact on this area of the state,” Helman said. Noting that companies across the state manufacture products for Honda, he said it could take time for any impact to materialize.

“It’s not time to panic. It’s time to adjust to changes in the market,” he said, adding he thinks Honda has such a plan.

Honda has said there will be no layoffs, although voluntary buyouts will be offered.

Helman said if jobs are affected, people will find a “positive job market.”

“We’re all dealing with people shortages,” he said. “There are jobs out there. If we could find the right people, we could use a couple people.”

Although messages left at Honda supplier KTH Parts Industries Inc. were not returned, a June 2016 article in the Daily Citizen quotes a KTH spokesperson as noting consumers’ growing interest in SUVs over smaller vehicles and saying KTH, located on state Route 235, was making changes to adjust to this shift in interest.
​

Kathy Fox can be reached at 937-652-1331, ext. 1773.

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CEP, Businesses, Schools Developing Local Workforce

4/19/2019

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Mike Yauger
Mike Yauger, apprenticeship and training coordinator of Iron Workers Local 290, Tipp City, talks with a student and his father at the Workforce Extravaganza job fair held in March at West Liberty-Salem High School. The event, for all Champaign County high school students, featured 21 employers and job training programs.
The Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP) and Champaign County schools and businesses are working together in several ways to help local employers meet their workforce needs and prepare students for rewarding careers.

“To succeed in the marketplace, local employers need more qualified candidates for job openings and to replace retiring employees,” said CEP Director Marcia Bailey. “To accomplish this, we’re working to better prepare students for these opportunities.”

She added, “By developing a strong workforce, we set up our community for growth and economic success, attracting new businesses and enabling existing businesses to grow and create jobs.”

Workforce development is a major focus of the CEP, she said. Following are examples of how the CEP and its partners are strengthening the local workforce:
  • CEP business liaison: The CEP and Ohio Hi-Point Career Center created this part-time position with the financial support of the Champaign County Human Resources Manufacturers Council, DP&L, Clark State Community College and FASTLANE.

Business Liaison Ashley Cook, who teaches Ohio Hi-Point Career Center’s Supply Chain Management program at Urbana High School, coordinates activities that bring schools, students and businesses together throughout Champaign County. This includes job fairs, in-school presentations by businesses and spreading the word about internships, job shadowing opportunities and job openings.

Nancee Starkey, human resources generalist at Bundy Baking Solutions, said that Cook helped her set up presentations at Graham, Urbana and Triad high schools. She added that a few Graham seniors are working second shift at Bundy while they finish their studies.
  • Manufacturing videos: Cook is overseeing creation of videos that feature local manufacturers and their employees to show students and others the skilled, high-tech jobs available locally. So far, videos have been produced for Bundy Baking Solutions, the Hall Company, Orbis Corporation, Rittal, Ultra-met and Weidmann Electrical Technology. The videos can be viewed on the Champaign Economic Partnership YouTube channel.
  • Business Advisory Council: The CEP participates in the Champaign County Business Advisory Council, which brings schools and businesses together to develop curriculum to help students gain skills needed for in-demand careers.
  • Ohio Hi-Point Career Center Programs at Local Schools: This includes the Advanced Manufacturing Program in its third year at Triad Local Schools. This program will be added at Urbana and Graham high schools in the next school year to help prepare students for manufacturing careers and advanced training.
  • Ohio Hi-Point has offered its Biomedical program at Graham High School since 2005 and will be working more closely with Mercy Health – Urbana Hospital, said Debbie Wortman, Ohio Hi-Point satellite director. Ohio Hi-Point also offers Informational Technology at Graham, covering interactive media, coding and programming, and Supply Chain Management at Urbana High School.
  • Internships: More local manufacturers are offering students internships. Janet Ruhe, human resources representative at Orbis Corporation in Urbana, said that an Urbana University student has begun a materials internship at the company. Another Urbana University student who interned there last year was hired after graduation to work as a marketing and sales representative in Orbis’s corporate office.

Ruhe added that Triad High School graduate Zack Zizzo, who was in the Ohio Hi-Point Advanced Manufacturing program, is now working at Orbis as a paid intern while he completes the two-year mechanical engineering technology program at Clark State Community College – with tuition assistance from Orbis. He will continue working at Orbis after he graduates in June.

Ruhe said that Orbis met Zizzo at a local Manufacturing Day event where he presented a 3D printing project he worked on at Triad.
  • Job Signing Ceremonies: To celebrate interns joining local companies, the CEP is partnering with the companies to hold signing ceremonies, similar to those that colleges have for student athletes who join their programs. Ceremonies will soon be held for two interns at Bundy Baking Solutions and one at Orbis Corporation, while more will be planned.
  • Urbana University UrbanaWORKS Program: Urbana University, a branch campus of Franklin University, partners with area employers and chambers of commerce through the UrbanaWORKS program, which is designed to help strengthen the local workforce. Karen Chuvalas, UrbanaWORKS business development manager, said the partnership program offers businesses:
  • A tuition discount for employees to continue their education, online at Franklin University
  • Renewable scholarships for children of employees to attend Urbana University full time

Also, Urbana University is working with employers to:
  • Create internships and co-op programs to give students practical work experience and to help businesses find good employees
  • Develop curriculum to prepare students for manufacturing technologies
  • Provide on-site and online education programs customized to meet their workforce training needs
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Now Shipping from Urbana: Terrapin Ridge Farms Products

4/17/2019

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Terrapin Ridge Farms sauces
Terrapin Ridge Farms’ product line consists of dips, sauces, dressings, mustards, garnishing squeezes and jams found in specialty food, olive oil, wine and gift stores across the United States and Canada.
Terrapin Ridge Farms Urbana
Alan Dixon (left) and Elizabeth Hutt (right) are two warehouse employees working for Terrapin Ridge Farms who formerly worked for Robert Rothschild Farm.
By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen
cselmek@aimmediamidwest.com
A familiar face in the gourmet food industry has returned economically to Urbana to grow her business.

Mary O’Donnell, now a CEO, helped lead the former Rothschild Farm product line during her time in Urbana. Her new venture, Terrapin Ridge Farms, is leasing 8,500 square feet inside the Damewood Enterprises warehouse at 700 W. Court St., from which they ship a variety of gourmet food products all over the United States. O’Donnell said that Terrapin Ridge Farms has reached a sales volume level that economically makes sense for the company to take over the operation versus working with a third party logistics company. She said she selected Urbana because she wanted to employ current warehouse manager Jackie Barr, with whom she had worked over seven years at Robert Rothschild Farm.

“This is tremendously exciting for us, as we know we will be able to improve our customer service, order turnaround time and accuracy,” said O’Donnell.

“When I discovered Jackie Barr was available, the location naturally became Urbana, Ohio, where Jackie resides. I knew Jackie would do a great job and the transition would be smooth with her on board. We have already seen great improvements in customer service and cost reductions.”
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