Business

SIDNEY — Ferguson Construction booked and built a strong backlog in 2023, driven by their commitment to teamwork and long-standing partnerships.

SIDNEY — One of the highlights this past year for Area Energy & Electric,Inc. was the purchase of Voelker Electric Inc. located in North Bend, Ohio, near Cincinnati. Area acquired all of Voelker Electric’s trucks, tools, equipment, and employees and has merged the new acquisition into Area’s existing Cincinnati branch location. Area continues to operate out of its current seven locations throughout Ohio.

ANNA — “It seems that 2023 has flown by and that I had just submitted the article for last year’s Progress Edition,” said Andy Haag, Wells Brothers director of sales. “I always go back to the previous year’s predictions. We had projected and hoped for another solid year. Some of the red flags for last year were the continued increasing of interest rates plus higher inflation which can lead to tighter money and fewer projects. Even with those challenges, our year turned out well.”

SIDNEY — Crale Builders Inc. has been in business since 1995, and has been serving Shelby County and the surrounding areas as a general contractor specializing in residential and commercial construction. The owners of the company have been committed over the years to provide quality products and services to the clients that they serve. Crale utilizes a staff of qualified and experienced design and construction professionals and partner with subcontractors and material suppliers who share in their commitment to customer satisfaction.

SIDNEY — The city of Sidney Public Works consists of several divisions with a wide range of responsibilities which affect the daily lives of all of all citizens. The divisions include Underground Utilities, Wastewater and Water Treatment plants, Streets, Traffic, Engineering, Public Transit, Sidney Airport, and Fleet Services, said Jon Crusey, director.

SIDNEY — “2023 has been a year for many businesses to prosper and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as provide opportunities to grow and adjust,” according to Corey Kremer, partner at Monnier & Co., CPA’s. “Whether it was taking advantage of opportunities to claim generous tax credits, or dealing with the challenges of high inflation, high interest rates, and trying to acquire and retain employees, 2023 has been both prosperous and challenging for many businesses across all industries. Our goal is to help our clients become aware and to navigate these opportunities and challenges they face.”

SIDNEY — Behr Design experienced overall growth in 2023 in areas of branding, signage and website development.

SIDNEY — The city of Sidney income tax collections for 2023 were 1.7% below 2022 collections. Tax collections, at the current 1.65% tax rate, supported 71% of the city’s 2023 expenditures in 2023. These dollars were spent or encumbered as follows: 28% police, 26% fire, 9% streets, 10% parks and recreation, 9% administrative services, 7% judicial, 5% community development, and 6% for various other services. These expenditures include both the operating and capital expenditures and encumbrances utilizing income tax collections.

SIDNEY — Longstanding Shelby County residents may recognize a familiar business name atop the former Emerson facilities on Campbell Road – Copeland! That is because 2023 marked a pivotal year where Emerson divested its Commercial & Residential Solutions business, believing it would be stronger as a standalone company. So, with the backing of Blackstone private equity, in June of last year, the former Emerson-business returned to its roots as a pureplay HVACR company, taking on its original Copeland name – a name that had been a fixture in the Sidney community from 1937 until 1986 when it was originally acquired by Emerson.

SIDNEY — The year 2023 continued to be another rewarding one for KLINGER Thermoseal in Sidney, Ohio.