The pandemic, although causing hiring and staffing issues for some Dayton-area businesses, is not stopping the business plans for many companies who announced in the past week they are opening new locations or expanding.
Here is a roundup of business stories published in the Dayton Daily News this week:
Has your company given you goals for 2022?
— Richard Gillette (@RichGillette) January 7, 2022
Dayton Realtors names new president
The Dayton Realtors trade association has welcomed a new president for the new year.
Dayton Realtors swore in its 2022 slate of officers and directors at a recent reception. Billie Duncan-Hart was welcomed as president of the 3,000-member association.
Duncan-Hart, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Heritage, has been a Realtor since 1993. In 2020 she was elected Dayton Realtors treasurer and served as the chairperson of the organization’s finance committee. Last year, she was president-elect and oversaw several committees and projects.
“I am looking forward to a successful year promoting the value that Realtors bring to the community,” Duncan-Hart said in a release from the organization. “We’re here not only to guide clients through the complex home buying-and-selling process, but to also be advocates for consumers by working with local governments to protect home ownership issues through our legislative advocacy.”
Other board officers this year are: Greg Blatt, president-elect, and Kelly McCormick, treasurer. Associated with Keller Williams Advisors Realty, Blatt has been a Realtor since 1981, and McCormick, associated with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Professional Realty, has been a Realtor for 23 years.
Members elected or re-elected to the group’s board of directors are Laurie Johnson, with Coldwell Banker Heritage; Heather Haase, with HER, REALTORS; Tiffany Lobertini, with Home Experts Realty; Maura Schmitt, with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Professional Realty; Christina Gentry, with Luxe Omni; Richard Moody, with Coldwell Banker Heritage, and Bill Roberts with Novus Home Mortgage.
Realtors who are serving unexpired terms on the board are Jennifer Moore, Kunal Patel, Heather Zimmaro and Jeff Spring, with Coldwell Banker Heritage; Joe Willen, with Home Experts Realty; and Jeff Owens and Guy Roth, with Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Big Hill.
Sharon Geier, associated with Irongate, Inc., will continue to serve on the board as immediate past-president.
Film studio paid $1.3M for property
1913 Studios paid $1.3 million for the 721 Springfield St. property it intends to use as a studio production campus in Dayton.
New Montgomery County property records show that the the company also purchased 1.2 acres of industrial-zoned vacant land on Irwin Street nearby as part of that price.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
1913 Studios last month announced its purchase of a 210,000-square-foot former manufacturing facility at 721 Springfield St. in Dayton that it will use to headquarter its film production operations. Construction is set to begin in January this month and is estimated to be completed by mid-2023.
Joey DiFranco, president and co-founder of 1913 Studios, said the planned studio — which he described as a “campus” — will be the largest production studio in the Midwest and is estimated to cost $25 million.
Records identify the seller as ABCM LLC and give a sale date of Tuesday. The buyer is identified as “1913 Studios LLC,” whose state incorporation papers were signed by Seth Hummel, chief executive of 1913 Studios.
With 40-foot-tall ceilings in the building’s warehouse space and 60 office spaces, the facility will allow entire productions — from set creation to sound editing and everything in between — to take place in Dayton.
“(It’s going to have) everything you need to make a movie,” Dayton Film Commissioner Lisa Grigsby said in December. “You’re going to have everything in one place. It’s going to create an incredible amount of jobs for the area.”
County records describe the building as having nearly 249,000 square feet of space, with areas set aside for warehouse uses, multi-use offices, manufacturing space and more.
Gateau named new Peerless Technologies executive
Peerless Technologies Corp. has named James (Jamie) Gateau, a former U.S. Navy pilot and information technology executive, its new chief growth officer (CGO).
“Jamie’s unique skill set, along with his experience in sales, business development and in running largescale IT projects makes him a great fit to position Peerless to win new business and move the company to the next level,” Peerless President Andrea Kunk said in an announcement. “I look forward to the fresh perspective he will bring.”
Gateau replaces Michael Bridges, owner and former president of Peerless, who assumed the CGO role on an interim basis last March.
As CGO, the Fairborn-based company said Gateau will lead a team tasked with developing strategies for Peerless to identify opportunities and win new business. And, as the newest member of the executive team, he will help shape the direction of the defense contractor.
“I’m excited to contribute to Peerless as it moves from a small company to a large one,” Gateau said. “I know together we can achieve great things,” he said.
After graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in aeronautical engineering, Gateau served as a naval aviator, flying the F/A-18 Hornet and H-3 Sea King. In 2003, he transitioned to Navy IT, serving in roles of increasing responsibility, Peerless said.
Peerless, founded in 2000, has a clients roster that includes NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center; the F-22 program office; the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research program, the F-35 Joint Program Office, and other federal agencies.
Tesla to open Moraine service center
Tesla plans to open a new service center in Moraine, the fifth Ohio location for the company and its first in the Dayton area, according to the city of Moraine.
A remodeling effort is transforming the former Staples store at 1927 W. Dorothy Lane into the new service center, according to Moraine City Manager Michael Davis.
Moraine is “enthusiastic” about being the first community in the overall greater Dayton market to welcome a Tesla Service Center to the region, he said.
“Moraine is centrally located, has a strong history of being business friendly and embraces the technology advances that this brings to our community and region,” he said. “With the current construction of the new West Carrollton Schools building and the WinSupply Richard Schwartz Innovation Center, along with a new Chipotle, we continue to see robust investment in the northeastern quadrant of the city and we look forward to welcoming Tesla as part of said investment.”
The building was purchased by KDP Dayton LLC for a little more than $1.2 million$1,225,000 on Sept. 23, 2021, according to Montgomery County Auditor’s Office records.
Davis confirmed the new location will have bays, in which technicians will work on vehicles and that charging stations will be installed in the center’s parking lot.
Construction permit investment value will be more than $800,000, Davis said. No specifics are available regarding the center’s opening data, he said.
Tesla has service centers in Ohio in the Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo areas.
The purchase of the building in September was followed by the purchase of more than three acres of nearby commercial land at 1925 W. Dorothy and a retail structure at 1689 W. Dorothy for $3.45 million, this news outlet previously reported.
Cookie company coming to Beavercreek
A Crumbl Cookies location will soon open in Beavercreek near the Mall at Fairfield Commons.
Kendra and Eric Stringham signed a lease to occupy 1,600 square feet at Fairfield Place located at 2260 N. Fairfield Road for the franchise, according to Oberer Realty Services.
Since opening its doors three years ago, Crumbl has expanded to 225 bakeries in 34 states nationwide, making it the fastest-growing cookie company in the nation, according to the company.
Each week the menu rotates to offer four different specialty cookies as well as regular standbys, milk chocolate chip and chilled sugar cookies.
The Stringham’s, who have recently relocated to the area to develop the Crumbl franchise, are looking forward to being part of the Beavercreek community. The store plans to hire 50 plus positions including managers, shift leads, drivers, bakers, and other full and part-time crew members.
“We did a lot of research and this location was the most ideal for us to start our Crumbl franchise business”, Kendra Stringham said in a release. “We look forward to a strong opening and really solidifying ourselves within this great community.”
The location will open this spring, according to Stringham.
Danielle Kuehnle of Oberer Realty Services represented the landlord in this transaction.
Steak Thyme to open second location
Born and raised in the Dayton area, brothers Jordan and Jake Shteiwi are carrying on their parents’ dreams as restauranteurs with the opening of the second Steak Thyme location.
Steak Thyme has been open and located at 4040 Wilmington Pike in Kettering since October 2005. The brothers’ parents, Musa and Huda Shteiwi, opened the restaurant together, just before their father, Musa, died in 2006. Since then, the brothers have taken over as co-owners to continue what their parents started.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
The brothers, both graduates of Miamisburg High School and Sinclair Community College, have announced plans for a second, larger Steak Thyme location that will open at 103 N Springboro Pike in Miamisburg, near the Dayton Mall. An exact opening date is not known but Jordan said he expects the restaurant to open in early March.
Unlike the Wilmington Pike Steak Thyme location, which is primarily carryout-only, the new location will have “a huge dining room” with a capacity of 243, outdoor seating and a full-service bar. In addition, the new location will have an expanded menu, offering pizza and wings.
“It’s been a while, it’s been a long time coming that we’ve been looking (for the next space),” Jordan said. “This one popped up and everything just felt right, and we decided to move forward with it.”
The space was a former Stacked Pickle, an Indianapolis-based sports-themed restaurant chain that opened in 2019 and closed in 2021. Before Stacked Pickle, the space housed a Roosters Wings restaurant.
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