In recent years, the numbers have been daunting: CVS, 900 stores. Walgreens, close to 1,200 stores. From 2010 to 2021, more than 29% of pharmacies across the country closed, according to Ohio State’s College of Pharmacy.
Rite Aid, at one time one of America’s biggest pharmacy chains, just closed its remaining 89 stores.
In this newsletter:
- A plant closure in Madison County will lead to new jobs in Dayton, one company says.
- What you’ll be seeing on the November ballot.
- How tariffs are affecting Ohio farmers.
Rite Aid to close all remaining stores
Credit: NYT
Credit: NYT
What you need to know: Rite Aid has closed all of its locations nationwide after more than 60 years of operation, according to the company’s website.
The site (content.riteaid.com) gives customers a link to a searchable database to find where their prescriptions have been transferred.
Local impact: There were several Rite Aid locations in the region including three in Dayton, two in Springfield and two in Butler County.
Congressman forms group to search for Paru Tower solution
We’ve been talking about this building since a windy Saturday in March. Six months later, here’s the latest.
Committee formed: Dayton’s congressman invited community leaders to serve as an advisory committee to explore options for a downtown Dayton building damaged by strong winds earlier this year.
- “People have been very concerned about the status of this building, the extent of the public investment, and what the risks are to public infrastructure and the surrounding buildings,” U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, told the Dayton Daily News “This is our main thoroughfare, our main image of our downtown.”
The heavy lift this election season: Asking for a tax increase
Headwinds: There are many requests on the November ballot for property, income or sales tax increases in Butler, Warren, Montgomery, Greene, Clark and Miami counties.
- These ballot issues face headwinds as local officials try to convince citizens to greenlight new taxes. Recent property revaluations, subsequent increases in property tax, the overall tax burden, and the cost of living are all top of mind for many voters.
What voters told us: “I do feel like I pay more in taxes now than I ever have,” said Chris Powell, co-owner of Thousand Oaks Tattoos and Cosmetics in Springfield.
Why Ohio farmers are struggling
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
What you need to know: The soybean industry is vital to Ohio’s economic health, generating some $3 billion annually in direct sales and contributing an estimated $8 billion in indirect economic impact.
But ongoing tariffs on China and stalled trade negotiations are putting new pressures on Ohio farmers, including many locally.
What farmers are saying: “They (China) can go to South America and buy the soybeans and pay 30% less, which is a considerable percentage,” said farmer Dale Settlemyre, of Clinton County’s Clarksville.
Mahle to close Ohio plant, company warns state
What will happen: Mahle Behr will close its Mount Sterling, Ohio plant next year, the company has warned the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
- The closure at the Mahle Behr Mount Sterling Inc. facility will begin Dec. 1 and continue through Aug. 31, 2026, Samantha Wilkins, the company’s human resources director, said in an undated letter to the state, filed under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice Act.
Dayton impact? Some on the work from Mount Sterling will move to the company’s Dayton plant, Mahle spokesman Jeff Trent said Friday. He said he couldn’t provide a specific number of jobs that would be moved.
Newsletter numbers:
$10.9 billion: Fifth Third Bancorp is buying financial services company Comerica for $10.9 billion in an all-stock deal.
$1.4 million: The size of a newly approved contract with a concession company to bring several restaurants to Dayton International Airport.
215: The number of pharmacy closures in Ohio last year, according to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio.
Contact me: Thanks for reading. Tell me about your business at tom.gnau@coxinc.com or at X. I’m also on LinkedIn and on our Dayton Business page, with my colleagues. Find me as well on my Facebook page.
Newsletter roundup:
Warped Wing (and others): Coming to DAY.
Bengals-Lions: Ended pretty much the way you thought it would.
The price of mental illness: What a new study says.
COMMUNITY GEM: How a Kettering woman spreads kindness.
Expansion: A Warren County manufacturer’s next moves.
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