MakerFest, a two-day event, connected students, employees and employers and promoted the great opportunities in advanced manufacturing in our community. The event was held at the Veteran’s Memorial Civic & Convention Center and featured 75 local companies. This year’s event was expanded to include health care and service industries.
Click here to read the recap report. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
The Allen County Land Bank recently announced that they have received $4.5 million for the Neighborhood Initiative Program. The program is designed to rejuvenate the community. The funds will be used to demolish a number of homes in the community that are property values in neighboring areas.
The land bank has a list of approximately 313 properties in Lima and Allen county for potential demolition. It’s reported that demolition could begin as early as the next few weeks.
According to County Treasurer Rachel, this project will not only improve property value, but also the safety of our community.
“We’ll be tearing down houses with drug activity, that have rodents in them and are bringing down the ,” she said. “It will provide stabilization and beautification in their areas and hopefully pride back in the neighborhoods.”
Click here to read the full article on the Lima News website. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Allen Economic Development Group is searching for volunteers to participate in one of the six focus groups they are conducting to evaluate shifts in population and gather insight to help transform the region in the future. Focus groups will be held daily from Sept. 19 to Sept. 23 in Lima.
Click here to register for a Focus Group. To learn more about AEDG, contact the AEDG staff or drop us a line. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
In a recent study conducted by Area Development, Lima, Ohio was listed as one of the hottest places in America for new and expanding businesses. For the sixth year, Area Development has developed a list of Leading Locations derived from data collected during examination. Their multi-faceted approach collects a wide-variety of data, and generates rankings in four vital areas – Prime Workforce, Economic Strength, Year-Over-Year Growth and Five-Year Growth.
Out of the 394 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reviewed, Lima ranked as 33rd on the list of Leading Locations. Economic growth is a key driver for rankings. You may notice that some of the locations that may have been high on last year’s list have fell a bit. This isn’t necessarily indicative of economic disaster, however it does indicate that economic growth has slowed since last year’s tally.
Click here to read the full article and see the entire list of Leading Locations. To learn more about AEDG, contact the AEDG staff or drop us a line. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Local leaders and stakeholders gathered on Wednesday, August 10 for an Economic Update meeting. The purpose of the gathering was to inform community leaders and the business community on events, primarily related to workforce development.
During the conference, Joe Patton from Ohio Means Jobs – Allen County addressed the crowd regarding workforce status and issues. Patton told the group that approximately 195 people have secured permanent jobs through the Ohio Means Jobs program. OMJ began through the help of grant money for the first two years and is now self-sustaining.
Patton also said that OMJ will be doubling their team of case managers, going from three to six. The case managers act as liaison for job seekers during their search for viable employment. There are currently more than 1,000 jobs available in the Lima area, each ranging from entry level to management. Some with salaries ranging from $50,000 to $80,000.
“There are companies looking to expand and to do so the workforce is a big part of that,” said Jeff Sprague, president and CEO of AEDG. “We have been working with Ohio Means Jobs and Joe Patton to really help companies identify good job candidates and work them through a process to eliminate some of the variables and get good people in the right job at the right time.”
Other topics discussed during the meeting include the upcoming MakerFest event, scheduled for October 20. MakerFest engages community members and showcases the products and services produced by local companies.
Ohio Means Jobs also discussed their latest initiative that focuses on promoting the appeal of local jobs to high school students. Through this program, numerous students from schools across the county have toured local factories and businesses to witness daily operations firsthand. A special focus is placed on high school students not planning to attend college, with the goal of helping those students line up local jobs upon graduation. Employers want to hire local people with deep community roots.
To learn more about AEDG, contact the AEDG staff or drop us a line. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Allen Economic Development Group (AEDG) will participate in the 4th Annual Regional Auto Growth Summit on Friday, Sept. 16. The purpose of the Auto Summit is to foster the growth of the regional auto industry by sharing the expertise and resources of the Center for Automotive Research and by stimulating the interaction of our regional automotive related business and industry.
When: Friday, Sept. 16 • 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Apollo Career Center – Commons (Main Entrance)
3325 Shawnee Rd., Lima, Ohio
Registration: $30 per person, includes lunch
The deadline to register is Monday, Sept. 12, 2016
Guest speakers include Mustafa Mohatarem, Chief Economist for General Motors, Jeff Sprague, President & CEO of AEDG and many more. Click here to see the event flyer and agenda. Register on line via the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce. For additional information, contact Nicole Scott at 419-222-6045.
To learn more about AEDG, contact the AEDG staff or drop us a line. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Allen Economic Development Group (AEDG) was formed in 1993 as a way to spur economic growth throughout Allen County, Ohio. For more than a decade, AEDG has contributed to the success of our local economy and created a strong community foundation.
Economic development is heavily dependent on many factors. In order to attract the attention of businesses, a community needs to emphasize their strengths and demonstrate a quality of life that stands out from their competition.
This is where AEDG comes in …
Collaboration
Community and economic vitality relies heavily on the quality of community leaders and their ability to collaborate and interact with one another. A strong network of community leaders has a significant impact on the success of the community.
Business Retention & Expansion
Businesses take many factors into consideration when selecting a new site for operations, everything from good places to live and conduct business to quality schools and overall infrastructure. AEDG works globally to leverage the quality of life, robust education opportunities, skilled workforce and local resources available in Lima/Allen County to attract new businesses and support existing business operations in the region.
Workforce
When going through the site selection process, one of the first things businesses look at is workforce. Is the region conducive to a trained and skilled workforce? Does the region provide access to education and training opportunities that build a strong workforce? Without a talented pool of employees – businesses can’t operate. AEDG works with area schools and organizations like Ohio Means Jobs, to provide resources and programs to develop a skilled workforce for generations to come.
Those are only a few of the roles that AEDG plays in the community. To learn more about our organization, contact our staff or drop us a line. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Allen County business and community leaders gathered at the City Club on Wednesday, June 15 for an update on Phase II of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment grant. Last month the group was informed about the core focus of Phase II based on data from a litany of surveys conducted over the last 12 – 18 months.
As part of the second phase, a survey of 400 individuals in the public and private sectors was conducted to determine key stakeholders in the county’s economic engine. The survey also provided stakeholders with an interactive map that shows how businesses relate to one another. The idea is to use this data to determine where gaps exist and ultimately come up with a plan to increase collaboration, resolve challenges, identify resources and build partnerships. The survey, which is open through the end of June, has been taken by an estimated 150 individuals. Roughly 400 surveys were distributed, and officials hope at least 200 people take the survey by the end of the month.
There will not be an update meeting in July. The next stakeholder’s meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10 from 4 to 5 p.m. at the City Club.
More information and reports are available on our Strategic Plan page.
Click here to read the full article written by John Bush at the Lima News.
The Allen Economic Development Group was invited to present the Workforce Development Initiative to the Governor’s Executive Workforce Board meeting on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. You can see the presentation from AEDG in the video below:
Advanced manufacturing continues to be a driver of economic growth and success for Allen County. The goal of these organizations is to continue to grow Advanced Manufacturing in Lima/Allen county. One strategy to ensure success in this sector is to cultivate a plentiful workforce composed of qualified workers with the right skills for the advanced manufacturing sector.