May 4: National Skilled Trades Day

The first Wednesday in May educates us about National Skilled Trades Day.

Across the nation, many businesses require highly skilled workers to fill a multitude of trades in the healthcare, construction, manufacturing/industry, and service categories. Learn trades in a variety of fields from machinery and construction to medical and beauty. Whether you’re interested in being a chef or mechanic, working as a medical coder or helping others as an Emergency Medical Technician, a nursing aide or a vet tech, choices are available.

Jobs A-Plenty!

There are more jobs than workers, too! And the trend will continue for the next couple of decades. Therefore, National Skilled Trades Day is important today and in the future. Baby boomers retire faster than companies can fill job openings increasing the demand for skilled workers. Pair the drastic costs of a college degree making education unattainable for many and a skilled trade becomes the smart alternative.

Earn Now!

Those in skilled trades often only need a certification to start their career, which means they can begin earning with little to no debt from education. Our society has a hard time accepting the skilled trades route as a valuable career path. National Skilled Trades Day aims to raise awareness and help show America the value of skilled trades. If we are going to create growth in our country, we must celebrate the critical jobs that fall under Skilled Trades.

Rewarding!

It’s rewarding to roll up your sleeves and put in an honest day’s work. In the skilled trades, you can have a career that offers excellent pay, benefits, healthcare, and more. Whether working in the heating and cooling ventilation industry or cutting hair, skilled trades occupations won’t be replaced by machines or outsourced. They are in higher demand than ever before.

The skilled trades community holds the country together. We call these very people to fix our cars, install new toilets, build our homes, take our blood, and make sure our pets are healthy. So, on the first Wednesday of May, celebrate those in the skilled trades – it’s a true labor of love. 

Husted Announces TechCred Results for March; deadline for next round is May 31

Scam alert!

It has been brought to our attention that unauthorized individuals or organizations are falsely providing the Preble County Development Partnership and its website, www.pcdp.net, as their contact information as they attempt to defraud shoppers they contact online and via email. Please be aware: the PCDP is not a retailer and does not operate any e-commerce site or participate in any sales activity. If you have been given this site to make contact with a seller regarding a product you are attempting to purchase, you have been scammed.

Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted Announce Fifth Annual In-Demand Jobs Week, May 2-6
 

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted, who serves as Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, today announced that the fifth annual In-Demand Jobs Week will take place during the first full week of May, from May 2 – 6. 

“In-Demand Jobs Week is a great chance for businesses to open their doors and showcase the many top jobs, industries and skills across Ohio,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “The best way to find out if a job is for you is to try it out, and students will have that opportunity to do just that.”

“During In-Demand Jobs Week, we shine a light on career opportunities that give job seekers a path toward new, high-paying jobs in fields where Ohio businesses are hiring immediately,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “This year, we are specifically bringing awareness to jobs that pay over $50,000 a year and require less than a year of training, giving Ohioans a clear path to their next opportunity.”

Find jobs, employees close to home with PrebleCountyCareers.com

Looking for a job close to home in Preble County because commuting out of county to work is costing more these days? Or are you a Preble County business struggling to find employees and seeking an additional way to promote job openings?

Officials with the Preble County Development Partnership remind Preble County residents and businesses owners the preblecountycareers.com job portal exists solely to help match local workers with their future careers and better opportunities.

 There’s also an app to help users stay on top of their resumes and any new job postings. Just go to www.preblecountycareers.com and download it.

 With hundreds of jobs needing filled across the county, there’s no excuse for not finding job postings, or posting available positions for free, thanks to the Preble County Development Partnership’s job portal, which is available for Preble County employers to post their open positions.

 The goal of Preble County Careers is to ensure individuals in the community and surrounding area are aware of the jobs and careers available to them here in Preble County.

 Marketing the site’s availability to local employers and jobseekers is one key to keeping homegrown talent at home. “All the careers listed on preblecountycareers.com are located in Preble County,” PCDP Economic Development Director Brenda Latanza stresses. “Our mission is to connect job seekers of all ages with local businesses. We are also focusing heavily at steering high school students, college students and adults toward the appropriate training and/or education that can lead to a career that is available right here, right now,” Latanza said.

Preble County businesses of all sizes are encouraged to register their company and post all job openings on the site. Local residents and other jobseekers looking to work in Preble County are encouraged to register and upload their resumes to the database as well, allowing them to be matched to careers fitting their backgrounds. Visit www.preblecountycareers.com to register and explore what the future in Preble County holds, post job openings, or download the app.

Celebrating the PCDP: 'It's all about people'

From The Register-Herald, Jan. 20, 2022 -- During its annual investor celebration in December, the Preble County Development Partnership welcomed back a key person in the creation of the public-private economic development entity to share some history of the PCDP, which recently celebrated its first decade in existence. The Preble County Development Partnership Inc. (PCDP) was formed in 2010 to address important growth and development issues and to assist in the creation of jobs and opportunities for everyone in Preble County.

PCDP Chair Justin Sommer introduced Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance Executive Director Matt Appezeller during the Dec. 14 event. 

Appenzeller was executive director of the Preble County Chamber of Commerce when the effort to create the PCDP was launched over a decade ago. Appenzeller spoke briefly of the process and the outcome, emphasizing the economic development agency’s work is “all about people.”

“I’m deeply humbled to be back to just kind of tell people how we got started with this,” Appenzeller said. “I feel like from time to time when I come back, I feel like the like tribal elder that comes back,” he said.

“Brenda (Latanza, PCDP Economic Development Director) is doing a great job. And we can talk about all of these things like business retention, and a long list of stuff. But at the end of the day, what we’re really talking about is improving the lives of people,” he continued.

He credits former Bullen Ultrasonics General Manager Joanne Beineke with the initial push. “She always said, ‘you know, the people in this county deserve better,’ and she just repeatedly was saying it, and was very motivated,” Appenzeller said.

“I wanted to do a good job. I wanted to make sure that I was living up to her standards. She really pushed us to do that. The second reason I bring that up is that when I was out and about visiting business owners and trying to ask for chamber memberships, there was a lot of frustration among business owners about the lack of a plan for economic development within the county.”

Research led to the discovery of Work Ready Community programs being done in states like Oklahoma and Georgia. “This would be a really cool idea if we ever get this off the ground,” Appenzeller said the thought was. “And, you know, it’s one of those things that, ‘okay, this is one of Matt’s crazy ideas’ so we printed it out, we put it in a file somewhere, and we’re going to forget about it. But those discussions with Joanne about Work Ready Communities actually started this whole thing.”

Appenzeller said in 2009, he went to a chamber conference among his peers and one of the breakout groups was a firm which did fundraising for communities for forming an Economic Development Foundation. The group was later brought into some meetings with the Preble County Chamber’s board of directors. 

“After several board meetings and some discussions, the Chamber announced that we were going to start an economic development foundation, so to speak, or a foundation for economic development,” Appenzeller sad. “I have the actual article from The Register-Herald, dated July 2009.”

“At that time, what we need to do was a feasibility study and see if we could do it. So, the feasibility study cost is $35,000.

“We were $35,000 short,” Appenzeller continued.

With the help of several dedicated business people in the community, the $35,000 was raised quickly. And the feasibility study began. “They interviewed 55 business owners and elected leaders throughout the county and there was a consensus that yes, we should do something. What form it should take we don’t know,” he said.

“Some of you guys have already heard my joke, ‘2010 is the longest three years of my life,’” Appenzeller said.

“So we did a campaign and you know, we set a pretty lofty goal for ourselves. I think the goal was only like $900,000,” he quipped.

“Workforce development and economic development go hand in hand, right? Well, if you look at the stats, you look at the census. Preble County is exceeding the state average in high school graduates, we’re doing better. But then when you look at college graduates, we were less than half of both the state and national numbers. Well, that’s a problem in terms of economic development, because for site selectors, one of the primary things they look at when they look at the area’s workforce is ‘what’s the education attainment?’ They look at that. So clearly, it was a problem that we had to address.”

“You have to say to yourself, well, that’s not happening because other people are smarter than me. Right? No. It’s happening because kids are graduating. They’re leaving to go to college, and they’re not coming back. Why are they not coming back? Economic opportunity. That’s a pretty simple answer,” Appenzeller continued.

“So we said okay, we’re going to form this organization that does these four things: business retention — we got to keep what we’ve got. Recruit new businesses. Really focus on workforce development. And then we’re going to market ourselves really well.

“Brenda mentioned that Preble County is being talked about at both the state and national level,” Appenzeller said “And that is so good for me to hear, because back then we weren’t even talking about ourselves.”

Appenzeller went on to describe other things the committee worked on in creating the PCDP.

“I’m going to wrap this up this way,” he said. “I began this by saying this is about people. We set that goal for $900,000. And, at the end of it, we had $1.4 million in both cash and in-kind contributions. Just the most amazing thing that I’d done at that point. Just unbelievable how everybody came together and did it. But this is about people, like I said. You know, every organization has to ask itself, ‘Why do we exist?’ ‘How do we make people’s lives better?’”

Appenzeller shared a letter from a Preble County resident thanking him for help in resolving an issue, and emphasized the good things done as the PCDP was created.

He closed where he began. “Thanks for having me,” he reiterated. But this is just all about people.”

(Original article and photos by Eddie Mowen Jr.)

 ‘Business Resource & Visitors Center’ now a reality

From The Register-Herald, Dec. 27, 2021 -- A collaborative office space for economic development, business, and visitor resources which was a long time in the making became a reality last month. On Friday, Dec. 17, county, state and local officials celebrated with a ribbon cutting and open house at the newly renovated 122 W. Decatur Street location of the Preble County Chamber of Commerce, PC Development Partnership and PC Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The extensive renovation project on the facility began in July and was part of a plan to bring the Chamber, the PCDP and the PCCVB under one roof for a centralized location to better serve Preble County’s business community, as well as its visitors.

“I just want to thank you all for being here today because this is a long time coming — and longer than just me. I’ve been here almost seven years, and this has been talked about since before I came on board,” PCDP Economic Development Director Latanza said.

“I thank the county for housing us as long as they have, from 2010, and and all the time and money that you guys have put into thePartnership and the in-kind space — and for letting us bring some of the furniture here. It helped us a lot,” Latanza continued. “Craig, (Kinyon, President & CEO of Reid Health and PCDP Treasurer) thank you and Reid so much for the renovations of this space and the type of lease that they’re giving us. Everything about this has just fallen into place perfectly. I appreciate our investors, our Chamber members. The community is going to love this because they won’t have to be sent from this building to another building a mile away. It’s going to be really better community service. Having the CVB presence with us is going to be just an amazing opportunity for this whole county.”

During the office renovation, the PC Chamber’s day-to-day office operations were relocated to the second floor of LCNB’s downtown Eaton location.

“We also want to thank LCNB bank because they gave the Chamber temporary quarters and were so generous with everything,” PC Chamber Executive Director Karen Moss said. “They were so kind to us, gave us anything we needed and even offered to let us bring some furniture with us and everything. So LCNB Bank was a great community partner for that as well.”

Moss also thanked the PCDP. “You won’t brag on yourself, but the Development Partnership put a significant amount of money into this renovation,” she said.

“Many of the investors are in this room, so we really appreciate you,” Latanza said “Because it was an expensive change, but the renovation needed to happen to make it more customer friendly.”

“The CVB really appreciates having a place where we can give our materials out,” PCCVB President Stephanie Garrett said. “You know, that’s part of the quality of life when somebody is moving in or businesses are moving to the area. They want to know what we’ve got, what’s available — and we’re tickled to be here and have a space to do that.”

“I want to say it’s a great turnout,” 2022 PC Chamber Chair-Elect Jason Troutwine said. “Those of you who were here before the transformation of this space, and now see it — it looks terrific. Thanks again to Reid Health. But I also want to talk about the vision to be able to have both of these groups together. The collaboration that I see in Preble County, it’s very impressive. All the groups that come together just for a greater good — that doesn’t happen everywhere. And it happened here, and I think it really speaks volumes about Karen, Leslie (Collins, former Chamber Executive Director and PCCVB Board Treasurer,) Brenda and the Partnership, and the Chamber boards kind of coming together. So thank you all.”

“I would echo everything that’s been said so far,” Kinyon said. “I think the space looks great. You all worked to design this and create the final finishes and so forth. And I think it’s just outstanding. And I think more importantly, that you now have a collaboration with the Partnership and also the Chamber and I think that’s very effective for people who are interested in looking at the county and considering whether or not to make this their new home.”

PC Chamber and PCDP Past Chair Jeff Sewert also thanked Kinyon. “I just want to applaud Craig, for his leadership in the Partnership and to make this come to fruition,” he said.

Eaton City Manager and PCDP and CVB Board member Brad Collins thanked Reid and all the PCDP investors for their efforts.

State Rep. Rodney Creech was also in attendance. Creech worked to push the project forward while serving as a Preble County Commissioner.

“I’m glad to see this finally happen. I think it’s something that we talked about for way too long and there were a lot of roadblocks,” he said. “I’m glad the roadblocks are no longer.”

“We’re seeing our community work together. You know 10 years ago, a Brad Collins probably wouldn’t have been working with a Jeff Sewert,” Creech continued. “And to see what this Partnership has done. It’s brought our community together. We’re working hand in hand. We work with each other, we’re not working against each other. And it’s all because of the dedication and leadership from everybody in this room. I’m amazed, and I think many, many communities would look at us and go ‘How are you guys getting along?’ I think you know, most cities don’t get along with villages and vice versa. It’s amazing what we do here and I can’t thank you all enough.”

“This is amazing compared to what it was. I’m happy to be here and happy to continue to work with Karen and the Chamber,” longtime PC Chamber Administrative Assistant Virginia Lindsey said.

“And we need to thank Leslie (Collins) for all her work prior to make this happen,” Garrett added.

“I’ve got nothing,” Collins, who left the role of Chamber Executive Director in August to become the City of Eaton’s Community Development Specialist, said jokingly before noting. “This is a wonderful addition for the City of Eaton.”

“For over a decade, officials have discussed this sort of combined facility, and now it will become a reality, giving Preble County a ‘Business Resource and Visitor Center’ which is a true one-stop-shop,” Collins said in a press release back in July.

The project was made possible through the support and investments of Reid Health and the PCDP’s Board of Trustees.

(Original article and photo by Eddie Mowen Jr.)

PCDP presented Community Improvement Award

The Preble County Development Partnership was recognized with the 2021 Community Improvement Award during the Preble County Chamber of Commerce’s 39th annual Award Dinner, held at Wilderness Ridge Retreat Center on Thursday, Jan. 17. 

PCDP Past Chair and Chair-elect Jeff Sewert represented the PCDP in accepting the award. 

The nomination read during the presentation noted, “The Preble County Development Partnership generously helped further the office remodeling project which brought the PCDP, the PC Chamber of Commerce, and the PC Convention & Visitors Bureau ‘under one roof’ in a one-stop-shop facility at 122 W. Decatur Street, to better benefit area businesses, residents, and visitors to our county. The investors of the PCDP put forth a $75,000 investment to help make a nearly-decade-old idea a reality in 2021 and should be recognized publicly for their efforts in giving Preble County an inviting, updated Business Resource & Welcome Center.”

PCDP Releases "PrebleCountyCareers" Job Portal - Preble County "HAS YOUR JOB"!

Find talent with an all local resource! Preble County is your local resource for attracting new workforce talent from within your community. This robust online platform was designed to function as a job board and a powerful recruiting tool. For local employers, PrebleCountyCareers is the answer to workforce attraction and retention! Learn more today and post your job openings at www.PrebleCountyCareers.com!

Ready to start your career or make a career move? There are plenty of great jobs available for you today… right here in Preble County!

PrebleCountyCareers is your local resource for amping up your resume and connecting one-on-one with local employers. Sign up online or use our app to make a career move, find seasonal work, school internships, or to launch your long-term career close to home! Connect directly with local employers!

Local companies are in need of and seeking local talent, who all too often do not realize the opportunities available to them in their own backyards.

The goal of Preble County Careers is to ensure individuals in the community and surrounding area are aware of the jobs and careers available to them here in Preble County. Visit www.PrebleCountyCareers.com today!

Royal Canin Plans to Build New Manufacturing Facility

Royal Canin announced a $390 million investment to build a new 176,636 square foot manufacturing facility in Lewisburg to meet the ever-increasing demand for premium pet nutrition. Royal Canin manufactures and supplies cat and dog food and is committed to science-based research and innovation that provides formulas with individualized nutritional solutions for cats and dogs. This competitive project will create 224 new jobs and will have a huge impact on our overall economy. The Preble County Development Partnership, the Village of Lewisburg, Harrison Township, and Preble County look forward to continuing to assist Royal Canin with economic development and workforce development needs as they grow and prosper. 

PCDP Promoting County Careers

Looking for a job close to home in Preble County?

There’s an app for that. Just go to www.preblecountycareers.com and download it.

With hundreds of jobs needing filled across the county, there’s no excuse for not finding job postings, thanks to the Preble County Development Partnership’s job portal, which is available for Preble County employers to post their open positions.

Preblecountycareers.com is one of several job portals in the state created on Small Nation’s Hometown Opportunity platform. According to officials, Hometown Opportunity is “an online workforce development platform created for counties, municipalities and regional areas to help tackle their workforce shortage issues head-on.”

The goal of Preble County Careers is to ensure individuals in the community and surrounding area are aware of the jobs and careers available to them here in Preble County.

PCDP Economic Development Director Brenda Latanza and Preble County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leslie Collins attended the Hometown Opportunities User Conference on Friday, June 25. The full-day conference brought together the organizations and communities using the Hometown Opportunities platform, and was designed to help the communities utilize the platform “to its greatest potential.”

Marketing the site’s availability to local employers and jobseekers is one key to keeping homegrown talent at home. “All the careers listed on preblecountycareers.com are located in Preble County,” Latanza stressed at its launch in late 2019. “Our mission is to connect job seekers of all ages with local businesses. We are also focusing heavily at steering high school students, college students and adults toward the appropriate training and/or education that can lead to a career that is available right here, right now,” Latanza said.

Visit www.preblecountycareers.com to register and explore what the future in Preble County holds, post job openings, or download the app. Eddie Mowen Jr. - cmowen@aimmediamidwest.com

Cargill to Build Non-Medicated Animal Feed Facility in Lewisburg

The plant will cost $49.6 million to construct and will result in Cargill adding 12 new jobs. When the company opens in 2019, it will be their only “fully non-medicated” animal feed plant in the U.S.

Dean Barker, Director of Operations for Cargill’s premix and nutrition business stated, “As consumers prefer higher transparency in their food purchases and more antibiotic-free choices, it will be critical that we are proactive in manufacturing our premixes and nutritional products efficiently, safely and with integrity. There is an increase in food companies requiring medicated-free production facilities to assure a risk-free supply chain.

The 220,000 sf facility will also be able to produce custom blends requested by customers.”

The new plant will complement their other Lewisburg facility which manufactures fully medicated animal feed.

Neaton Announces Expansion

Neaton Auto Products announced expansion plans during Ohio Governor DeWine’s business development mission to Japan.

“The Dayton region is in the heart of the I-75 corridor, making it the ideal location for auto suppliers like Neaton to manufacture and ship its products to major auto manufacturers,” DeWine said. “Neaton has been established in the region since 1984 and has chosen to expand several times in Eaton, showing the confidence the company has in Ohio’s talent to drive its global growth.”

Neaton will add 70 new jobs and invest approximately $15 million in the Eaton facility.

Henny Penny Expanding World Headquarters

Henny Penny, Preble County’s manufacturer of foodservice equipment for restaurant operations, held a groundbreaking celebration on October 7th. This expansion project will add 150,000 square feet to its world headquarters here in Eaton. The project also includes a 25,000 square-foot renovation of a second building, for a total of 585,000 square feet on the company's 60-acre campus while creating approximately 70 new jobs. "We're on an accelerated growth pace as we continue powering the world’s most demanding kitchens," Rob Connelly, CEO of Henny Penny, said in the media release. "The expansion of our Eaton-based world headquarters with additional space for production, innovation and employee well-being sets us up for another 62 years of success."