It’s also a new job, one with implications for the important weapons development and acquisition work at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — where more than a third of the Air Force budget is controlled.
In this newsletter
- Did the Game keep shoppers from shopping?
- A Dayton microelectronics company wins $23 million in new investors support.
- Local opposition plants its feet against proposed mental health hospital.
New critical weapons chief nomination could be good for Wright-Patt, congressman says
First impressions: The nomination of a three-star Air Force general as the new leader of how the military acquires critical new weapons should be good news for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton’s congressman told me.
- Lt. Gen. Dale White, a three-star general, has been nominated for promotion to a fourth star and assignment as “direct reporting portfolio manager for critical major weapon systems programs.”
What I was told: “I am sure that the people of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are excited about what they are going to be able to achieve with his additional leadership,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, who has long advocated for the base.
RECALL: DOD memo introduces new acquisition post
Dayton-area manufacturers add 6,300 jobs in two years
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
New numbers: Among Southwestern Ohio manufacturers, growth in 2023 and 2024 saw expansions by 57 facilities, the construction of 14 facilities and the creation of 6,340 jobs.
Trending up: “We have seen significant growth in manufacturing in the Dayton region over the past several years, and that trend continued in 2025,” Dayton Region Manufacturers Association President Amy Schrimpf told us. “The industry is trending up in terms of number of manufacturing companies and employees, job openings, and average earnings. Manufacturing remains as strong and vibrant as ever in the Dayton region.”
Holiday shopping was decent, despite ‘the Game’
The situation: Shoppers may be turning out in record numbers for holiday shopping, but it’s taking added incentives and extra work to get them to spend this year.
- According to a new consumer survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics, a record 202.9 million consumers shopped either in person or online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, up from 197 million over the same period last year.
Dayton microelectronics company gets $23M to sharpen data protection
Dayton investment: Dayton’s Niobium Microsystems Inc., a silicon provider and a spinoff of Galois, is announcing $23 million in new investor support.
- The company announced the close of a $23 million-plus oversubscribed follow-on investment to its seed round
What the CEO said: “This financing is a vote of confidence not only in our progress, but in the market readiness for a new compute paradigm,” said Kevin Yoder, CEO of Niobium.
Dayton NAACP opposes mental health hospital at Hara site
The situation: The state remains intent on building a mental health hospital on the former Hara Arena site in Trotwood and Harrison Twp., despite newly voiced opposition from the Dayton Unit NAACP.
The quote: A Nov. 26 letter sent to Gov. Mike DeWine, who has championed state-run behavioral health hospitals, put the chapter’s stance plainly: “As of the date of this letter, the Dayton Branch of the NAACP opposed the proposed construction of a mental health care hospital on the site of the former Hara Arena.”
Newsletter quotes
“Retail businesses didn’t have lines out the door or anything. Those with TVs showing the game had crowds.” Nikki Stargel, general manager of Salar Dayton and president of the Oregon District Business Association. Read the story above.
“It’s vitally important. When we go about our winter training schedule, the pilots who fly in the delta (formation) fly one or two times a day, which is what they’re doing right now. On Jan. 6th through our first air show ... they fly about two to three times a day. That’s 120 sorties between early January through mid-March.” Lt. Ronny Hafeza, a Navy Blue Angels pilot, on the importance of practice. Read the story.
Newsletter numbers
$1.59 million: The price for a Xenia antebellum-style brick farmhouse estate. Read the story.
$44,222: A former Wayne Local Schools treasurer was ordered to repay $44,222 for failing to pay taxes and other bills on time, resulting in late fees and interest, according to a state audit. Read the story.
2.8 inches: The National Weather Service said a record snowfall of 2.8 inches was set in the Dayton area Monday, breaking a record set in 1929.
Contact me: As always, thank you for being here. Tell me about your business at tom.gnau@coxinc.com or at X, where DMs are always on. I’m also on LinkedIn and on our Dayton Business page, with my colleagues. Find me as well on my Facebook page.
Newsletter roundup
About to open: The Dessert Room at the Arcade .
Thunderbird crash: Pilot ejected safely.
Whiskey Rebellion: What Warped Wing has in store.
A ‘safe haven’ will close: The Neighborhood Nest.
Christmas dining out? We have a list for that.
About the Author
