Small Business Grant Supports Growth for Companies in Northwest Ohio

The companies, spread across the 17-county region, all received assistance through the grant which provides support for companies planning an eligible investment and are able to demonstrate how the program is instrumental in moving the project forward. The Regional Growth Partnership, as the lead economic development organization serving 17 counties of Northwest Ohio, has aggressively marketed the program and helped facilitate grant assistance through JobsOhio to communities and small businesses across the region.

Eligible businesses are defined as having annual revenues between $100,000 and $25 million, having at least one year of operating history, and operating within one of JobsOhio’s 10 targeted industries with revenues primarily from B2B sales.

The Northwest Ohio businesses that received JobsOhio Small Business Grants in the second quarter included:

• Creadio (Toledo)
  This full-service marketing and production agency helps companies engage with multicultural and diverse audiences. Creadio will utilize grand funding to expand in-house media production capabilities to meet rising demand. This project supports scaling operations, increasing market share, and creating new creative and technical roles in Ohio.
• Universal Lettering (Van Wert)
  The company specializes in creating chenille patches and varsity lettering. Located in Van Wert, the company will purchase additional equipment to meet increased demand for custom jackets. Main drivers include ongoing growth with current clients plus new 3PL customers seeking a central midwestern shipping location.
• Frankart Power Line Services (Tiffin)
  The Seneca County company installs poles, transformers and cables for electric distribution throughout Northern Ohio. The company has taken on significant contracts to provide upgrades to the electric distribution for electric co-ops and large electric utility companies and will build a new facility to accommodate that growth.
• Formscorp Print & Promotional (Toledo)
  Company is a leader in printing solutions and promotional items for commercial and industrial clients. The Lucas County company is expanding to streamline and optimize systems and processes for print, apparel, and promotional products. Grant will help secure space, software and AI integration to meet increased demand and help launch a new product offering.
• Ben Kauser Excavating (Antwerp)
  This demolition excavation company serves commercial and industrial businesses for expansion and new builds. Located in Paulding County, the company will build a new shop/storage facility to house and repair equipment. Grant assistance will help move forward the construction process of the new building.
• Sign Source U.S.A. (Lima)
  Company is a leader in wholesale letter manufacturing with global customers. The Allen County business is adding a new flat-bed printer to increase speed of vinyl operations. Company will also increase square footage for new 3D-technology. This will allow the addition of new product lines and building expansion.

Since JobsOhio introduced the program in 2020, the RGP has helped facilitate 120 Small Business Grants across Northwest Ohio, leading to the creation of 479 new jobs, 2,506 retained jobs, and $3.8 million in grant funding.

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.