DAYTON — Sidney and Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership officials joined Amos Industrial Park and Sidney Ohio Industrial Park representatives for the Dayton Development Coalition’s (DDC) Regional Economic Development Forum at the Business Solutions Center in Dayton recently.
Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Dodge welcomed attendees the newly opened center which was designed to help businesses start, expand and move to Montgomery County.
The Business Solutions Center is a partnership between the Montgomery County, the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Means Jobs, Sinclair Community College, Wright State University, Business First! and the Miami Valley Career Technology Center. It occupies 10,500 square feet on the third floor of the MedWork building, located near the University of Dayton Arena.
“The Dayton Development Coalition is focused solely on growing the region’s 14 county area, ”said President and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition Jeff Hoagland.
In addition to Montgomery County, the region includes surrounding counties, including Shelby County.
“We currently have seven sites that are certified, with an eighth site nearly certified,” said Tom Tatham, Dayton Power & Light Company’s director of strategic accounts.
“Three of those sites will be presented checks in the amount of $5,000 to assist them with marketing their sites,” Tatham said to the audience of more than 100 people. “The checks were promised to those who completed the process first. Two of those three sites are in Shelby County.”
“In today’s world, business moves fast — both literally and figuratively,” said Lindsey Cannon, senior consultant and director of Site Readiness Programs at McCallum Sweeney Consultants. “If a company is looking for a new location, they want sites that are ready with the necessary infrastructure, zoning, and other amenities. They don’t want to invest in a site only to discover that it has wetlands or archaeological features that would prevent development.”
McCallum Sweeney was retained by DP&L for the site readiness process.
“DP&L’s site certification will help communities examine a site’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement, with the best sites ultimately earning certification,” Cannon said. “As a result, when business is ready to move — certification lets them know that the site is ready.”
Georgene Dawson, Dayton Power & Light operations manager, then led the company’s economic development team in presenting checks to representatives of the three sites to complete the process first, beginning with the 237 acre Sidney Industrial Park. Property owner Charles Cole was joined by his daughter, Barbara Cochran, Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership Executive Director Michael Dodds and DP&L Business Customer Manager Ben Vollrath as Dawson presented the check.
Tatham noted the benefits of the 177 acre Amos Industrial Park, which is located near Interstate 75, at exit 93. Bruce Boyd, representing the Amos Family property owners, was joined by Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst, Dodds, Tatham and Dawson for the check presentation.
Other sites that were certified as a result of DP&L’s efforts were 46 acre Dayton Resource Industrial Park, 140 acre OVCH Park in Xenia, 1,500 acre Midwest Mega Commerce Center in Fayetty County, 46 acre Xenia Ohio Industrial Park and 278 acre Washington Court House Industrial Park. Sites certified through the McCallum Sweeney process may also become Ohio Certified Sites.
That process was briefly outlined by Tori Schaefer, “Site Ohio began with expressions of interest from 496 property owners. To date, just 23 of them have met the certification standards — seven in the Dayton region. The process is neither easy, nor inexpensive.”
“I congratulate you,” Schaefer said. “You are helping to make Ohio one of the most competitive states in the nation when it comes to economic development.”
