Still, a trio of our reporters found shoppers braving the pre-dawn cold Friday looking for bargains.
In this newsletter
- A new generation discovers career tech paths.
- The next chapter for what was Ghostlight on Wayne Avenue.
- The NEON celebrates a quarter-century downtown.
Deals draw the Black Friday crowds
What our reporters saw: If Black Friday was any indication, a fluctuating economy and tight home budgets aren’t putting a damper on the holiday shopping season.
“Honestly, this is one of the better Black Fridays I’ve seen in years,” said Eric Grewing, store manager of Cabela’s on Cornerstone Boulevard in Centerville.
- A line of more than 200 customers who showed up as early as 3 a.m. formed to make final preparations for the busiest shopping day of the year.
Career tech boom boosts enrollment at tech schools
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Career change: College is no longer seen as the default path after high school.
“Career technical education is no longer a fallback like I think it once was,” said Rena Sebor, senior vice president and provost at Sinclair Community College.
- Instead, it’s a strategic pathway, she told education Reporter Eileen McClory, especially since more employers will pay for a college degree.
ALSO: New $10M Liberty High School to have nine career tech programs.
Ohio lawmakers put $40M on table for first-responders
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
What happened: The Ohio legislature is putting $40 million in cash into a state fund that promises direct financial help for firefighters, police and emergency medical services first responders who suffer from a post traumatic stress injury.
The measure was included in a broad spending bill known as House Bill 184, which awaits a signature from Gov. Mike DeWine.
A milestone for a downtown icon
Credit: Russell Florence
Credit: Russell Florence
I hear it’s your anniversary: Jonathan McNeal and Diana Cordero, general manager and assistant manager of the NEON, respectively, have been the driving forces at the cozy theater on 130 E. Fifth Street for 25 years.
Cultural center: Specializing in independent and foreign films (and documentaries), The NEON, a nonprofit, has always been a magnet for prestige pictures, movies that receive critical acclaim on the festival circuit across the country and around the globe.
Acquisition nearly doubles the size of a Fairborn defense contractor
Credit: AARON
Credit: AARON
What you need to know: Fairborn’s Peerless Technologies Corp., a government services and defense contractor, has acquired QED Systems, LLC, a Maryland-based defense firm.
Peerless will have just under 700 employees total after the move.
Newsletter quote
“For 23 years, Twin Towers has waited for a project such as this.”
- Leslie Sheward, president of the Twin Towers Neighborhood Association, on the new Liberty High School. (See story above.)
Newsletter numbers
$2.1 million: What CFD Research paid for its Beavercreek office building, according to recent Greene County property records. Read the story.
Nearly 13%: How much shoppers spent from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday has fallen between 2019 and 2024, according to the National Retail Foundation.
4.1%: According to preliminary data from Mastercard SpendingPulse, U.S. retail sales (excluding autos) rose 4.1% on Black Friday, compared to the same date last year.
Contact me: 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
Order restored: Ohio State beats Xichigan.
The former Ghostlight: Now Wayne & Clover.
Lalo’s Mexican Restaurant: Plans West Dayton opening.
Esther Price: Celebrates 100 years.
PHOTOS: At The Social.
About the Author
