Champaign County gets visitors, and soon they’ll have a place to stay, too.
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![]() Clark State Community College is enrolling students now in its first applied bachelor’s degree program. The four-year degree in Manufacturing Technology Management will be available to students beginning in the fall semester of this year. Clark State President Jo Alice Blondin said the degree complements Clark State’s existing certificates and associate degrees, and is an opportunity to provide higher education for an industry important to the region’s economic health. “Additionally, incumbent workers can now have access to a bachelor’s degree that brings with it the opportunities for advancement and higher-level skill development,” Blondin said. “It’s a win-win for the employees and employers.” Read the entire article by clicking HERE. ![]() Bundy Baking Solutions, a leading maker of commercial and consumer baking equipment, products and services, with U.S. headquarters in Urbana, has become the Champaign Economic Partnership’s (CEP) newest Champion Level partner investor. The CEP is a public-private partnership of local government, business and education, formed to help businesses get started, expand, create jobs and develop workforce in Champaign County. “As one of the larger employers in our area that’s had roots in the community since 1967, it’s important for us to have a role in moving the partnership and economic development forward,” says Tom Coles, the company’s Vice President of Human Resources. The Champion Level is the highest level of partnership that the CEP offers to businesses. The CEP’s partnership of business, education and local government, he said, “builds a strong foundation for the community to attract new business and maintain existing businesses.” Bundy Baking Solutions has become a global industry leader serving many of the world’s largest and most successful bakeries. Bundy includes six companies, employing 330 in Urbana, 50 in Mansfield, Westerville and Sunbury, and 2,000 in other U.S. and international locations. Coles said that the CEP has helped the company and other local manufacturers meet their workforce needs by partnering with schools, making them and their students aware of local career opportunities. He credits Ashley Cook, the CEP’s Business Liaison, for helping businesses like Bundy partner with local schools to introduce students to local jobs and prepare them for the workforce. “This wouldn’t have happened without Ashley being at the table – we all have businesses to run. She’s helped us get our foot in the door with career counselors to let them know about the jobs that are available. There’s plenty of opportunity here.” Bundy offers opportunities with on-the-job training for high school students wanting to go straight into the workforce, as well as jobs for college graduates. Coles said Urbana University graduates have recently accepted positions in marketing and information technology. Bundy also offers opportunities for high school students to work during non-school hours, leading up to graduation, when they can work full time. Bundy has expanded operations in Urbana in recent years. American Pan added a second shift two years ago and recently added a third, Coles said. And Pan Glo and Dura Shield have each added a second shift. In addition, Bundy Baking Solutions recently opened a new division in Westerville, Synova LLC, which manufactures and distributes baking release agents. Eighteen businesses are currently CEP Investors. To learn how to become an investor, to support CEP’s economic development mission, visit cepohio.com/partnership-investors.html, or call the CEP at 937-653-7200.
“Every Whole Foods in Ohio carries our products,” he said. “It was a little tough to get into Champaign County, but we sell to Gordon’s FoodService and now they’re using us at several local restaurants. I know for sure that Lincoln & Main carries us now. There were some smaller restaurants that weren’t worth bringing a truck to, but when we started selling with Gordon’s that has allowed us to become the pride of the community, which is a little ironic, I guess.”
Snyder is now working with the Bom Group, of Holland, to design the new greenhouse. The previous two were designed by the Rough Brothers of Cincinnati, which supplied drawings and material, but Snyder said his team was able to build most of it. His father has experience as a general contractor, and they have an engineer on staff. The two existing greenhouses are fully automated, with total climate control, an opening and closing roof, grow lights, fans, liquid CO2 for cooling and heat pipes. The second greenhouse is built on a treadmill so that plants start out young on one end, move about five rows forward each day, and are ready to harvest by the time they reach the front row. From there crops go to the packaging room for shipping the next day. Snyder said they originally shipped on the same day, but some food distributors needed the product temperature to cool more slowly for efficient delivery. “This has been something I was always pulled toward,” he said. “I grew up in a suburb of Columbus, which is where I had my first garden, and we found this land available on line. I never went to college for agriculture. We just did a lot of internet research, and none of us were afraid to ask questions. Ohio State has been really helpful, and we went out to Cornell to learn as much as we could before starting the farm.” Snyder said Old Souls has 12 employees and he hopes to have a staff as large as 80 once the expansion is complete. Interested job seekers are invited to stop by the farm and fill out an application. Christopher Selmek can be reached at 937-508-2304. ![]() Caty Shoemaker, seated at center, signs her employment contract as an intern at ORBIS in Urbana. Seated at left is her manager, Laura Reed, materials manager, and seated at right is Shoemaker’s fiancé, Sam McGill. Standing from left are Dan Szklany, ORBIS plant manager; Maegan O’Connor, human resources representative; Tom Walker, scheduler; Sharon Cook, buyer/planner; Shelley Fuller, plant scheduler; Julie McGill, Sam McGill’s mother; Judy and Rodney McGill, McGill’s aunt and uncle; Cindy and Perry Shoemaker, Shoemaker’s parents; Jill O’Neal, Caty Shoemaker’s sister; Dean Ortlieb, Urbana fire chief and a cousin of the Shoemaker family; Karen Chuvalas of Urbana University; Ashley Cook, business liaison of the Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP); and CEP Director Marcia Bailey. The Orbis manufacturing facility in Urbana held a May 10 signing ceremony for an Urbana University senior who has begun a scheduling and purchasing internship at the company, which makes reusable plastic containers, pallets, dunnage and bulk systems for industrial customers.
Caty Shoemaker, a West Liberty-Salem High School graduate who will graduate in December from Urbana University, was joined for the signing ceremony by ORBIS leaders, representatives of the university and Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP), and family members, including her sister Jill O’Neal, a former member of the ORBIS team and now human resources operations manager at Weidmann Electrical Technology in Urbana and a member of the CEP Board. The ceremony, patterned after signing ceremonies that colleges conduct for new student athletes, was coordinated with ORBIS by Ashley Cook, business liaison of the CEP. Shoemaker is majoring in strategic management and minoring in accounting and marketing at Urbana University, a branch campus of Franklin University. Karen Chuvalas, business development manager of the university’s UrbanaWORKS program, said that Christopher Washington, executive vice president and CEO of the university, is developing relationships with local companies to establish internships and co-ops. He wants all students to complete an internship or co-op before graduating. Bundy Baking Solutions held a signing ceremony a week before for three local students who have joined their workforce.
Urbana joins the neighboring cities of Springfield, Bellefontaine, Marysville, London, Sidney, Piqua and Troy in being named a Tree City USA for 2018. As part of this nationwide program, Ohioans last year planted more than 24,000 trees, pruned more than 77,000 trees, volunteered more than 42,000 hours in their urban forestry programs and invested a combined total of more than $40 million toward urban forestry efforts.
Trees provide multiple benefits to a community when properly planted and maintained. They help to improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits. Urbana’s Shade Tree Commission is comprised of the following members who serve in an advisory and supporting role to city staff in the city’s urban forest management efforts: Jim Lemon, Ward Lutz, Earl Cottrill, John Kussman, Colin Stein and Doug Crabill. In 2018, members of the commission volunteered in excess of 115 hours. Currently, the seat representing the 1st ward on the commission is vacant. Residents interested in being appointed can contact Mayor Bill Bean or their city council representative. The Arbor Day observance and celebration for 2019 will be held this month at the new Urbana Elementary School campus. Insurance premiums may be lowered in Urbana for local businesses
Going into January, the fire division’s classification was a four within the city and a nine for areas covered by the division and outside the city limits. The PPC rating system grades fire departments from 1 to 10. Class 1 represents an exemplary fire suppression program and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire suppression program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria. The four main components of the PCC rating system are fire flows, emergency communications, water supply and fire department capabilities. Prior to this year, it was difficult for areas without hydrants to receive below a nine since water supply accounts for 40% of the overall grade.
On April 22, ISO released the results from the survey completed by the division in January. The fire division received a Class 3 rating within the city and a Class 3X rating outside the city. The “X” after the three is a new classification that ISO believes has a better predictive value for insurers in evaluating both commercial and residential property. Urbana Fire Chief Dean Ortlieb said he believes that since both classifications are lower there is a likelihood that commercial and residential properties will have lower insurance premiums in the coming years. Ortlieb credited Mayor Bill Bean, Director of Administration Kerry Brugger and city council for supporting the fire division and creating a road map to success. He said former Fire Chief Mark Keller and his staff deserve all the credit for putting systems in place and recording the data based off the previous PPC report. He also credited Water Superintendent Joe Sampson and his staff in working with ISO personnel. “When I came to Urbana, I was impressed with the working relationship with the fire division and water department,” Ortlieb said. “This relationship has directly helped our community in fighting fires and saving lives. It now might also have the benefit of having lower insurance premiums for our community. “When we started this process in January we broke down each part of the scoring system and made sure we had the data to support it,” he said. “I was pleased when we received the results, but not completely satisfied. I think we can do better. Although the fire division received high scores in five of the nine rating categories, we lost several points in the other categories by not having enough personnel for proper deployment and manning of equipment. If we can increase these numbers it is possible to even go lower in the classification ranking. We are still digesting all the numbers and developing processes within our control to improve on our next score. It is my hope that in time that we might even be able to make some changes to improve on the deployment and manning of equipment.”
Brock Bennett recently graduated from Ohio-Hi Point and will become a TIG welder at Shaffer Manufacturing, a division of Bundy Baking Solutions. Brock said he did a three-month internship with Shaffer over his summer break. He learned about the opportunity when his class took a field trip there and performed some welding practice. He will become a full-time welder, which aligns with his career ambitions. He said that after a year he may attend the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology to increase his fabrication skills.
His sister, Lexis, found out about the internship opportunity as a graphic designer in Bundy’s marketing department through her faculty advisor at Clark State University. She has been working for Bundy’s almost a year and said she enjoys it and anticipated being offered a job. She graduated May 4. “The environment is very relaxed,” she said. “They offer great benefits. Everyone is very nice, very polite. It’s unlike anywhere I’ve worked. Everybody is just amazing here.” Whitt will soon graduate from Graham High School, after which she will become a press operator for American Pan. She said she discovered the opportunity when Bundy’s human resources representative, Nancee Starkey, visited her career connections class. Whitt was impressed by the opportunities for advancement and said she is planning to stay with the company while completing a degree part time at Sinclair Community College. Business Liaison Ashley Cook said that the Champaign Economic Partnership’s Manufacturing Council worked closely with Bundy Baking Solutions to build a partnership that markets job opportunities to area students.
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 [email protected]. 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. By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen, [email protected]
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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