Four small businesses in Portage County have committed to grow through the JobsOhio Small Business program, supporting projects in eligible Ohio communities, including businesses in distressed areas and to companies owned by underrepresented populations, including minorities, women, veterans, and people with disabilities across the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The JobsOhio small business program is important to the region, enabling businesses to grow and impact the communities in which they operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While these projects are not large in employment hires, they are important because they contribute to the economic and social fabric of a community, enhancing its overall quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince the start of the JobsOhio Small Business Grant program in 2020, the Portage Development Board and its local partners have worked on 22 successful projects for 21 companies using this program,\u201d said Brad Ehrhart, President of the Portage Development Board. \u201cIt is a great program that is geared to help small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs Northeast Ohio aligns to build a vibrant economy that is talented, resilient, and innovative, these companies offer opportunities,\u201d said Erika Roitblat, Manager, Project Management and Site Strategies for Team NEO. \u201cSupporting small businesses enhances Northeast Ohio\u2019s competitiveness and boosts overall prosperity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four Portage County local companies recently able to grow their businesses with a JobsOhio Small Business Grant in the Northeast Ohio Region are outlined below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ace Laboratories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ace Laboratories, offering comprehensive, industry-leading testing, consulting and product development services for rubber, silicone, and polymer products for companies around the globe, continues to grow, due in part from the federal infrastructure investment projects coming online. Having received a JobsOhio grant in 2020, the company turned to JobsOhio again to support this growth that will increase its footprint and increase its monitoring and evaluation capacity. The project will add five new positions and retain 19 jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beemer Machine Company<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beemer Machine Company, an ISO9001: 2015 machine shop, produces parts for coal fired power plants such as crankshafts and parts for steel mills. They also serve the miliary, automotive, and oil & gas industries. Looking to expand into new markets with additional technology, the JobsOhio Small Business Grant will help support the addition of a new staff member to operate recently purchased equipment. The project will also retain four positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parsons Concrete Contractors, Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This full-service commercia\/industrial concrete construction company specializing in all types of concrete construction projects, received support for its growing business. Locating to a new building in Kent will allow the company to grow and add new equipment as it continues to win projects. In addition to retaining 30 positions, the company plans to hire ten new jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wohlwend Engineering Group<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wohlwend Engineering, a civil engineering firm serving commercial, residential, and industrial development, received a JobsOhio Small Business Grant to accommodate their growth that includes building a new office space. The company plans to hire three new positions while retaining five jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About Portage Development Board<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Portage Development Board (PDB) is a 501 (c)(3) private non-profit organization that serves as the economic development agency for Portage County. Its goal is to help companies locate, stay, and grow in Portage County. More information can be found on their website at www.PortageDevBd.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About Team NEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Team NEO is a private, nonprofit economic development organization that ignites economic vibrancy, fosters sustainable growth, and champions equitable prosperity. As a designated JobsOhio Network Partner, we collaborate across all 14 counties in the Northeast Ohio Region to create strategies to attract and retain companies, drive innovation, cultivate a skilled workforce, advance market-ready sites, and promote and engage the region. To learn how Team NEO helps make Northeast Ohio more competitive, visit northeastohioregion.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n About JobsOhio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 Ohi. Collaborating with seven regional partners, including Dayton Development Coalition<\/a>, Lake to River Economic Development<\/a>, Ohio Southeast Economic Development<\/a>, One Columbus<\/a>, REDI Cincinnati<\/a>, Regional Growth Partnership<\/a>, and Team NEO<\/a>. JobsOhio delivers world-class customer service to provide companies with a competitive advantage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":22189,"template":"","categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25215","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/northeastohioregion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/25215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/northeastohioregion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/northeastohioregion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/northeastohioregion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/25215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25216,"href":"https:\/\/northeastohioregion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/25215\/revisions\/25216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northeastohioregion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/northeastohioregion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northeastohioregion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northeastohioregion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}