Newsletter: Dayton’s role in the ‘third revolution’ of aviation

Welcome to Friday, Dayton. Before you head off for the weekend, let’s talk business.

From (very) advanced manufacturing to an energetic retail and restaurant scene, local entrepreneurs have been keeping our team of reporters busy. This is where we’ll talk trends, changes and analysis of what’s happening in the region.

Thank you for reading. You can reach me at tom.gnau@coxinc.com and (937) 681-5610. Drop me a line, tell me what’s going on. Here’s me on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

I’m hearing a lot about a “third revolution” in aviation — and how Dayton and Ohio have been (and can be) close to the center of all of it.

Dayton’s Wright Brothers spearheaded the first revolution making controlled, powered, piloted flight possible.

Research at NASA Glenn near Cleveland helped propel the second revolution, the jet age.

Today, we’re on the cusp of what some call a “third revolution” — bringing almost routine flight to the masses in new ways.

Joby Aviation exec: ‘The opportunities over the next decade are huge’

Joby Aviation will operate a large manufacturing center at Dayton International Airport, creating up to 2,000 jobs.

Credit: Contributed

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Credit: Contributed

For anyone interested in new ways to travel and transport goods, the past few days have been heady in the Dayton-Springfield area: The National Advanced Air Mobility Industry Forum brought military and industry leaders together this week to explore the possibilities, a day after Monday’s historic Joby Aviation announcement.

Opportunities: This “third revolution” could offer new ways to rescue downed soldiers in contested environments while offering businesses new ways to serve and connect with customers, reinvigorating more than 5,000 public, regional airports.

“The opportunities over the next decade are huge,” said Greg Bowles, head of government and regulatory affairs for Joby.

But there are lot of challenges to work through: Certifying the aircraft and the pilots, building the infrastructure, making sure we have the power to charge electric aircraft and much, much more.

“We are standing up an entire eco-system,” Sergio Cecutta, founding partner of SMG Consulting, said at the forum in Springfield. “We’re not just rolling out the airplanes. And that is quite complex.”

Ohio legislators attempt to beat the clock on taxpayer relief bill

The Ohio House Ways and Means Committee debates amendments to a measure that will give property taxpayers relief in the face of enormous property value hikes.

Credit: Avery Kreemer/STAFF

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Credit: Avery Kreemer/STAFF

The Ohio Homeowners Relief Act cleared the House Ways and Means Committee this week, with members voting 13 to 2 in favor of moving the measure on for a full House vote, including a new amendment to strengthen local control.

There are tandem bills in the state legislature that would slice the median 37% property value hike to around 24% and cut tax revenues to local governments and schools by $539 million over three years statewide.

Rather than put sole emphasis on the pandemic-induced, sky high sales prices from 2022, it would mandate a three-year, equally weighted average when valuing property.

Flipping the script: On Tuesday, another amendment was approved — by a vote of 10 to 5 — that gives more control to county auditors when they and the state commissioner can’t agree on value increases. Vice Chair Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) introduced the amendment.

“This amendment flips the script so to speak on the sexennial reappraisal and triennial update process,” Lorez said.

New funding awarded for microelectonics work.

The ground breaking site is seen before the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing facility in Licking County, Ohio, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Credit: Paul Vernon

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Credit: Paul Vernon

The Pentagon this week announced the first set of awards under the CHIPS Act totaling $240 million to build eight regional innovation hubs through its Microelectronics Commons initiative.

Of that amount, $24.3 million in federal funds will go toward the establishment of the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium (MMEC) regional innovation hub in Ohio and regional states, Ohio said Wednesday.

“Each hub will receive between $15 million and $40 million dollars, depending on their needs and the existing resources they’ll leverage,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said.

Dayton mayor asks for patience as police investigate downtown shooting

Dayton police officials on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, installed a mobile crime unit trailer on South Jefferson Street by the Levitt Pavilion Dayton that has security cameras. The trailer was placed there one day after two people were shot in the area, along the 100 block of South Jefferson Street. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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If you care about downtown Dayton, then you have to care about this story.

Leaders of Dayton are asking for patience as they investigate the shootings of two people shot Tuesday on South Jefferson Street near the Levitt Pavilion, the second shooting to occur in this part of downtown in the last seven weeks.

Why it matters: Downtown supporters and city and police officials say the urban center is generally safe, but downtown has seen an increase in crime this year, and these two shootings aren’t helping improve perceptions of public safety.

Butt Construction wins Wright-Patterson child development center contract

Beverley Knight-Stukenborg, 88th Medical Group family advocacy outreach manager talks to the children at the Prairies Child Development Center school age program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, April 26, 2018. U.S. Air Force photo by Al Bright

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I’ve been looking for this contract for a while, and the Department of Defense unveiled it yesterday.

A Dayton construction firm has won a contract to build what base advocates have said is a much-needed child development center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Why it matters: Butt Construction Co. Inc. was awarded a $31,356,900 firm-fixed-price contract for design-build construction of a child development center, the Department of Defense said Thursday afternoon.

The base is growing — about 35,000 military and civilian employees work there today. Many of those employees are parents with young children, and this has been a need.

Business news

A new book, "The Father of American Salesmanship” is available now at Carillon Park’s Museum Store. Dayton History image

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Carillon Historical Park/Dayton History is unveiling a unique book 103 years after it was started.

Dayton business pioneer John H. Patterson was writing his autobiography filled with memories, speeches and writings when he died in 1922.

A century later, this never-before published manuscript was found among some 3 million artifacts gifted to Carillon Park by NCR, according to Dayton History.

Patterson was encouraged to write the book more than a century ago, and had a secretary work with him, but he died before it was completed. The secretary, Otto Nelson, finished it using the notes — and then it sat, Brady Kress, Dayton History CEO, told me.

“We had other projects going on, but (the book took) about two years to transcribe, comb the archive for photos, review, and print,” Kress said. “He died in 1922, so a full 100 years since his passing we were in the thick of it.”

“The Father of American Salesmanship” is the first full biography of Patterson in nearly 100 years.

Patterson, of course, saw the potential in the cash register, buying the National Manufacturing Co. and forming National Cash Register Co. in 1884.

Quick hits

Questions about Issue 2?: We have answers.

Gem City Market: Optimistic about the future.

He bought Dayton’s tallest building: Then the world of work turned upside down.

Will Joe Burrow play Monday night? It’s not looking great.

Great food and conversation at The Longest Table.

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