Newsletter: GE Aerospace celebrates a decade of Dayton electrical power research

If it’s Friday, it’s business newsletter time. Luckily, I have one right here.

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GE Aerospace has been important to the nation, the state and the Dayton area for a long time. Our first story explores one reason for that.

GE Aerospace marks 10th anniversary of its Dayton EPISCenter

General Electric Aerospace plans to invest millions in Dayton Aerospace EPIS Center or the Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center on River Park Drive. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: Jim Noelker

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Credit: Jim Noelker

Wednesday was the 10th anniversary of the opening of the GE Aerospace EPISCenter (Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center) on the University of Dayton campus.

Outpacing expectations: “The growth at the EPISCenter has outpaced our original expectations,” said Joe Krisciunas, president and general manager of electrical power systems for GE Aerospace. “Since opening the facility, our team has continued to expand our electrical power systems development and testing capabilities to help solve our military and civil customers’ challenges.”

More to come: Earlier this year, plans were announced to make an additional investment of up to $20 million for a seventh test cell for hybrid electric aircraft engine component testing.

Plan reorganizes Wright State’s Raj Soin College of Business into two schools

Wright State’s Raj Soin College of Business has launched a new program to help nontraditional students complete a bachelor’s degree, school officials announced Wednesday, according to our news partner Dayton Daily News. (Source: Wright.edu)

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Wright State University leaders are planning a reorganization of the university’s Raj Soin College of Business into two interdisciplinary schools, aiming to respond to student and workforce needs.

A new document the university shared with this news outlet shows a reorganization splitting the college into a School of Finance, Accountancy, Management Information Systems and Economics and a School of Supply Chain Management, Management and Marketing.

Six chairs to two: University department chairs do not teach the same course load as teachers. With this plan, four of six current chairs will return to teaching roles. There will be no reduction in force.

“We’ll have less overhead,” the college’s interim dean, Donald Hopkins, told me. ”We’ll have just two people in that chair position, one for each school.”

Vote coming: University trustees are scheduled to vote on the plan today.

New defense bills offer $24.5 million for Wright-Patterson construction

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Bombers Directorate graphic. Contributed

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With the passage of the House of Representatives defense policy bill Thursday, legislation offering more than $24 million for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base projects is headed to President Biden’s desk for his signature.

The legislation also offers a 5.2% increase in basic pay for members of the military, the largest pay raise in more than 20 years.

Acquisition: Both House and Senate bills direct the $19.5 million toward the “planning and design of Phase V of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Acquisition Management complex that will allow several organizations to streamline operations,” Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office said.

The final version of the bill authorizes $886 billion in defense spending, an increase of $28 billion over fiscal year 2023.

Please read the story.

Downtown Dayton opens doors to defense problem-solvers in new home

The Hub Powered by PNC at the Dayton Arcade. GREG LYNCH / STAFF

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State and local leaders will cut the ribbon today on a new downtown Dayton haven for national defense-focused problem-solvers.

The Great Lakes Mission Acceleration Center, or “GLMAC,” will celebrate the ribbon-cutting at the Dayton Arcade.

A test case: “It’s a little bit of a test case, I guess you could call it,” said Mark Bartman, an executive with Beavercreek’s Parallax Advanced Research and a retired Ohio National Guard major general. “We’re pretty confident that because of the depth and the breadth of the innovation that goes on here in Ohio, and the large manufacturing base that we have, the large academic research, as well as of course the military ... this is something that will continue.”

Changes to marijuana law go up in smoke in the House — for now


                        FILE -- The Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, April 21, 2023. Backers of a proposal to establish a right to abortion in the Ohio Constitution submitted enough valid signatures to put the question on the November ballot. (Maddie McGarvey/The New York Times)

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The Ohio legislature’s effort to reform Issue 2 has hit a temporary standstill as the House, our Avery Kreemer reported.

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, told reporters this week that the House won’t vote on any marijuana legislation before lawmakers take a monthlong holiday break.

Need for deliberation: “From the day that it was passed, the urgency was not a part of the House’s considerations,” Stephens said. “We can’t let the urgent get in the way of the important. It’s just such a big change in Ohio’s law, culture, all of these things, that we need to be deliberative about it and we want to be respectful.”

Since Ohio voters approved Issue 2, some legislators have been anxious to put their imprint on the law.

Project begins in Urbana

Ground was broken recently in Urbana for the Willman Building and WillWork Coworking space, the Dayton Development Coalition noted. “This is a great, collaborative project to renovate an iconic Urbana building into coworking space and residential lofts,” a spokeswoman for the coalition said. “This could make a lovely feature for the holiday season. Think about it — the Hallmark Christmas movie pretty much writes itself.”

Quick hits

Springboro’s China Cottage to relocate: Not, we hope, to China.

The ‘Blues’ are a Dayton-area favorite. These photos help explain why.

Hooning: The Ohio House has something to say about this.

Miamisburg park revamp: Details and photos here.

Opening New Year’s Day: A new Vietnamese-fare restaurant in Huber Heights.

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