Newsletter: Here’s how UAW strike is helping some Ohio workers put more in their wallet

Happy Tuesday, readers. Let’s talk Dayton business.

Thank you as always for being part of this newsletter. You can reach me at (937) 681-5610 or tom.gnau@coxinc.com. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

The United Auto Workers has made no bones about the fact that it wants to enroll more workers at Tesla, Toyota and beyond.

That prospect has concentrated minds at Honda, with the company giving its U.S. workers an 11% raise. A Honda spokesman said the company gave the workers the news Friday.

With UAW on the prowl, Honda U.S. production workers get a hefty raise.

State officials and guests tour Honda’s new HALO Wind Tunnel in East Liberty, Ohio Monday, March 21, 2022. The new wind tunnel is one of the largest and most sophisticated in the world.

Credit: Springfield News-Sun

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Credit: Springfield News-Sun

Bottom line: A spokesman for Honda wouldn’t comment on the UAW’s plans. “Our focus and commitment is to provide the best employment experience, including competitive wages and benefit packages, for our associates. Honda continuously reviews total rewards packages, including wages, to ensure we remain competitive within the industry,” he said.

A salute to business-owners

Jeffrey Dice, left, president of Moraine-based Winsupply, led a panel of area entrepreneurs Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 with Zachary Kiehl, president and CEO of VigiLife, Errin Siske, owner and creative director of Spark Space Creative and Ayman Salem, president and owner of Xenia’s Material Resources, LLC, at the
Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Briefing and Entrepreneurial Award ceremony in Kettering. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

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If I were wearing a hat at the moment, I would doff it to entrepreneurs and risk-takers everywhere: Here’s to you.

The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and Winsupply awarded two local entrepreneurs the 2023 Winsupply Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence last week at the NCR Country Club: Ken Edge, co-founder and CEO of Dayton defense contractor Infinity Labs, and Danielle Edwards, founder and general manager of Sweet P’s Handcrafted Ice Pops, received the honor.

Why they matter: Jeffrey Dice, president of Moraine-based Winsupply, reflected on those who face the perils and enjoy the rewards of launching a business.

“That amazes me every day that people put their own money, their own skin in the game,” to start a business, Dice said.

Dayton pulls contract after concerns about company’s history

Wolf Creek near Wesleyan MetroPark in northwest Dayton. Dayton is seeking a company to complete a stream restoration project for the creek. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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The city of Dayton recently pulled a proposed contract with Evans Landscaping after city management learned that company officials years ago were convicted of defrauding another municipal government in southwest Ohio, writer Cory Frolik reported.

The Dayton City Commission was expected to vote on a nearly $1.5 million contract with Cincinnati-based Evans Landscaping for a stream restoration project for Wolf Creek.

Why it matters: City Manager Shelley Dickstein said the city was pulling the proposed agreement with the company from the agenda because of concerns about its legal record.

Dickstein said the city’s law department will review the proposed agreement.

Read the whole story here.

Dorothy Lane Market breaks ground for Mason location

This is the latest rendering of the new Dorothy Lane Market planned for Mason-Montgomery and Western Row roads in Mason. Ground was broken on the project on Thursday, Nov. 9. 2023. CONTRIBUTED/DOROTHY LANE MARKET

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After months of site preparation, Dorothy Lane Market broke ground last week for its upcoming fourth location in Mason, writer Ed Richter reported.

The Oakwood-based gourmet grocer held a small, private gathering at the construction site to commemorate the milestone, including officials from the city of Mason, Traditions Building & Development Group, Western Row Land Developers, and Cintech Construction, the general contractor for the Mason location.

A growing family business: Dorothy Lane Market, which has a trio of locations in Oakwood, Washington Twp. and Springboro, was founded in 1948 by the Mayne family and continues to be locally owned and operated by the family.

Three million in ED/GE funds sought to create more than 1,800 new jobs

Joby Aviation Inc., a much-watched player in the emerging field of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft — often called “flying cars” — will invest up to $500 million to build an aircraft production operation near Dayton International Airport. PROVIDED

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The impact of Montgomery County Economic Development/Government Equity grants has been clear for a while now. In 2019, the county said the ED/GE program had funded 138 projects in the previous decade, investing $961.2 million, drawing more than 7,000 new jobs and protecting some 9,300 existing jobs.

In the most recent ED/GE funding round (there are two a year), county reporter Sydney Dawes tells us that cities and townships in Montgomery County are asking for a combined $3.08 million for business expansions or other projects that could create up to 1,830 new jobs and retain 120 more.

Bottom line: “They have a huge impact on our economy, on jobs, retention of employers and attracting new employers to the community,” Montgomery County Administrator Michael Colbert told Dawes.

Recommendations for funding will be discussed by the ED/GE program’s advisory committee Dec. 4.

Quick hits

Breakfast in Dayton? Natalie Jones has a list for early birds.

Rarin’ for Ramen? Check out this new Englewood eatery.

Area city hit by ransomware attack. Jeremy Kelley has the details.

Not gonna lie. This one hurt. Five takeaways from the Texans torching the Bengals.

Developer eyes Fairborn for new apartments. Nick Blizzard with the details.

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