Northwest Ohio Small Businesses Prosper Through Unique Grant Program

Through the support of the JobsOhio Small Business Grant, these businesses moved forward with expansion projects which led to the creation of 50 new jobs across the region. These grant recipients were scattered across Northwest Ohio, representing nine of the 17 counties in the region.

The Small Business Grant was developed to provide additional financial support for qualified projects in designated communities and/or for businesses owned by eligible populations across the state. Eligible businesses must be at least 51% minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned, or owned by an individual with a disability. Or, the company must be located in a distressed community.

This incentive program recognizes that businesses owned by eligible populations may face additional challenges in growing their businesses. The Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) has aggressively marketed the program to communities and businesses across Northwest Ohio.

In the fourth quarter, the grant provided total funding to these projects in the amount of $400,000, which in addition to the new jobs, also helped in retaining 227 jobs. Total investment toward these projects by the 11 companies exceeded $2.4 million.

The strong fourth quarter marked the conclusion of the most successful year ever for the Regional Growth Partnership in administering the Small Business Grant program. In 2024, 36 companies across Northwest Ohio received the grant. These companies created 124 new jobs and brought in grant funding of $1.1 million.

The Northwest Ohio Businesses receiving JobsOhio Small Business Grants in Q4 2024 included:

• Kuns Northcoast Security (Fremont/Sandusky County)
  A leader in the residential, commercial, and industrial security systems, the company will purchase new vehicles with grant dollars to support a growth in business.
• Premier Industrial Machine (Fostoria/Seneca County)
  Multi-trade company offering such services as water jet cutting, CNC milling, tube and pipe bending and welding. The grant will help the company purchase an adjacent building, allowing for continued growth.
• Warren Printing & Office Products (Ottawa/Putnam County)
  A leader in commercial printing, the company will utilize the grant to purchase new digital presses to maintain competitiveness.
• Clark Fixture Technologies (Bowling Green/Wood County)
  Manufacturing leader that builds accurate fixtures and engineers quality control tooling for automotive, aerospace and deep space industries. Company will purchase 3rd party IT services to migrate on-premise infrastructure into a secure computing cloud environment.
• Team Green Recycling (Napoleon/Henry County)
  Company recovers organic materials from packaging to be used in anaerobic digestion for the production of green energy. Grant will support the purchase of an additional conveyor for new M&E in order to meet increased demand.
• Kuzma Industries (Fostoria/Seneca County)
  A leader in machining and fabricating focusing on millwright services and engineering. The grant will support the purchase of a new CNC Milling Center helping to produce products quicker and less costly.
• Team CCI HVAC (Toledo/Lucas County)
  A leader in commercial heating and cooling installation and service. Grant dollars will go toward the purchase of a 28,000 SF building for office, shop and training.
• U.S. Millwright Service (Lima/Allen County)
  Company provides structural steel fabrication, millwright and installation services, custom ASME pressure vessel fabrication. Grant will support the purchase of a 15,000-pound forklift.
• Wellman Services (Lima/Allen County)
  Specializes in commercial heating, cooling, plumbing and mechanical contracts for the industrial and commercial industries. Grant dollars will go toward expanding current facility to meet customer demand for new contracts within their ductwork production space.
• Hurdwell (Arlington/Hancock County)
  Whole animal processing company with a focus on quality and whole animal butchery. These funds will help purchase the necessary equipment to safely and efficiently process beef and hog.
• Pahl Ready Mix Concrete (Bryan/Williams County)
  A concrete manufacturer and delivery company that serves mostly commercial customers, especially large construction companies. Grant will support purchase of new building due to increased demand and new contracts.

Grant decisions for the program are based on several project factors, including but not limited to company location, company ownership, jobs created and/or retained, and project fixed-asset investment. Support is generally intended for small to medium-sized companies with eligible projects.

For more information about the program, visit https://rgp.org/jobsohio-small-business-grant/

The Regional Growth Partnership is the lead economic development organization serving 17 counties in Northwest Ohio. As a private nonprofit development corporation, the RGP is dedicated to fostering regional, national and international business investment opportunities across the region. The RGP serves as Northwest Ohio’s network partner for JobsOhio. Visit www.rgp.org for more information.

JobsOhio, Ohio’s private nonprofit economic development corporation, enhances company growth and personnel development through business attraction, retention, and expansion across ten competitive industry sectors. With a team of seasoned professionals, JobsOhio utilizes a comprehensive network to foster talent production in targeted industries and attract talent through Find Your Ohio. Collaborating with seven regional partners, including Dayton Development Coalition, Lake to River Economic Development, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO, JobsOhio delivers world-class customer service to provide companies with a competitive advantage. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.