Local municipalities had submitted a total of 14 development proposals, for a combined request of more than $2.3 million in funding, according to county documents.
The challenge for the county’s economic development staff was “trying to figure out how you put funding into as many as possible,” said Joe Tuss, Montgomery County administrator.
ED/GE dollars are funded though shared Montgomery County sales tax revenue.
County commissioners are expected to approve the funding recommendations at their Dec. 11 meeting.
Phoenix Tube Co. was recommended to receive $225,000 in development funds to buy and rehabilitate the former Kmart location at 5300 Salem Ave. for use as a manufacturing facility. The facility will expand the company’s production lines and is projected to create 25 new jobs.
“This is a very nice win for our community. We have a number of vacant retail buildings and we are trying to re-purpose those retail buildings into light industrial facilities,” said Michael Lucking, Trotwood city manager.
Xerion Advanced Battery Corp. would receive $150,000 to relocate to Montgomery County from Champaign, Ill. Three jurisdictions — Kettering, Miamisburg and Miami Twp. — are courting the technology firm, which would bring eight jobs to the region and create 44 more jobs over the next three years.
Accelerant, the Dayton Development Coalition’s entrepreneurial development fund, was recommended to receive $150,000 to assist at least 20 companies in the creation of 267 jobs. This project will receive an additional $250,000 during the spring 2015 funding round, for a total award of $400,000.
The ED/GE investment will be matched by state of Ohio Third Frontier funds.
Dayton Assistant City Manager Shelley Dickstein argued in favor of funding Accelerant, which had requested $600,000. “We’ve lost 70,000 jobs in this region and we need to start looking at ways that we grow jobs, and not retention,” she said.
In Vandalia, an existing, unnamed company code-named “Project Watt” would receive $150,000 to expand its current facility in order to relocate a division from another state. The project would retain 350 current jobs and create 100 new jobs.
Other projects recommended for funding are:
• Another Vandalia project, code-named “Project Horse,” would receive $132,500 toward a $6 million building project on a 12-acre lot at the Stonequarry Crossings business park. The ED/GE funds will allow the company to expand and relocate from Harrison Twp., creating 25 new jobs at the Vandalia site.
• AIDA America Corp. was recommended to receive $125,000 toward a $14 million expansion at its Huber Heights location. The company plans to expand an existing building at 7660 Center Point 70 Blvd. by 27,500 square feet for a warehouse and receiving and quality inspection areas. The expansion will create 26 new jobs.
• Staub Manufacturing Solutions would receive $75,000 in order to purchase property and move to 2501 Thunderhawk Court in Harrison Twp. The relocation is part of a planned $2.8 million expansion that would retain 20 existing jobs and create another 20 jobs by the end of 2016.
• Stanco Precision Manufacturing was recommended to receive $40,000 to make improvements on its complex of buildings on Walbrook Avenue in Harrison Twp. The upgrades will allow the company to increase capacity and create 10 new jobs over the next two years.
• Englewood Truck would receive $30,000 to consolidate at 7510 Jacks Lane in Clay Twp. The project would relocate 10 employees to the consolidated site and create as many as seven new jobs in the next three years.
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