The Paulding County Business Advisory Council (BAC) recently held their second quarter meeting at the new Mercer Landmark Headquarter complex, located just east of Latty. This (BAC) event was held in conjunction with the Paulding County Teacher Boot Camp.
The meeting was attended by 31 individuals, representing 24 businesses from around the area, and the ten teachers participating in the week-long boot camp. The teachers listened as the businesses and school leaders interacted and shared updates on local employment opportunities. The goal of the BAC is to make sure businesses are aware of new programs that schools continue to try and better prepare students for employment, and in turn businesses share new trends or opportunities with the schools.
The Economic Development office updated the group on the new low unemployment number in the county; shared the progress of the county transportation committee in conjunction with Maumee Valley Planning; and touched again on available childcare openings at Ann’s Bright Beginnings in Paulding. Affordable childcare continues to be a hot discussion.
The State Bank, who used their traveling food truck to provide lunch for the teacher bootcamp attendees and Mercer Landmark employees, shared a presentation on the Wealth Management sector of their business.
The schools each provided updates to the local businesses. Angie Stokes, representing Wayne Trace Local Schools, shared with the group about their robotics team and the national robotics competition that they competed in last school year. She also pointed out that one of their team sponsors was the same group that built the large GIS driven application sprayer that was on site at Mercer Landmark. Their competition robot was a small replica of that machine.
Antwerp Local School Superintendent Dr. Marty Miller provided the businesses with an update on the new Innovation and Aquaponics Laboratory that will be open this school year. There will be an open house announced soon for a date in August.
Paulding County Economic Development Director Tim Copsey shared a couple updates for the Paulding Exempted Village Schools. Program development in welding continues but there is also a new opportunity with carpentry, plumbing, electric and HVAC opening up for the upcoming school year. The collaboration with Ohio Means Jobs and Northwest State Community College (NSCC) has been stellar in developing and refining these opportunities. Copsey also shared some recent county success numbers and information in regard to student attendance and success at Vantage Career Center and NSCC.
On the business opportunity side, Copsey went on to share results from the county Business and Industry Career Day Showcase event. Forty-four businesses displayed at the event. Many businesses shared of success with attaining summer help employees while Roberts Manufacturing mentioned they hired a full time employee from the contact made at this event.
Copsey also noted the popularity of the business buildings at the fair (34 businesses displayed); announced that business tours could again be arranged at Vantage, and pointed out upcoming job fairs at the Defiance Mall and Indiana Tech.
The event closed out with discussion about the upcoming open enrollment period in July for State of Ohio Tech Cred business reimbursement funding for employee training, and Lippert Components announcing a new training facility now available for any business to use for their offsite employee training.
The next PC BAC event will be held in September at a site to be determined. For more information about the Paulding County Business Advisory Council please reach out to the economic development office at 419-399-8295 or office@pced.net
