COMING UP! Operations Meet Up (1/21), WorkAdvance Info Session (1/23), and Workforce/HR Meet Up (1/28)! Be sure to scroll down to the Events section to find out more.

Don’t miss out on all of the benefits of being a member! Renew your DRMA membership today! Have questions? Contact Shay.

DRMA Manufacturer members’ 2025 Top Issues List is here! Join our Government Relations Committee at the Operations Meet Up on 1/21, 8:30 - 10 a.m., at Crown Equipment to share your insights and feedback on this year's issues and how they impact your business. Can’t attend the Meet Up? Click here to see what’s keeping our members awake at night.

Looking to get more engaged with DRMA? Do you want to learn more about all that DRMA does and how your business can benefit? Attend the next DRMA 101 and get an overview on all things DRMA! Contact Shay to learn more and reserve your spot.

Many thanks to the members and companies who have made donations to the DRMA Foundation in 2024!

Don’t miss these upcoming workshops, exclusively for DRMA member companies. Contact Shay for more information and to register.

• NEW for 2025! The HR Leadership Circle - Grow your HR leaders to be indispensable business partners. Presented by Brixey & Meyer. $3,000 for 12 in-person sessions and a talent summit.
• The Emerging Leaders Circle - Nurture visionary leaders of tomorrow. Presented by Brixey & Meyer. $3,000 for 10 in-person sessions and a talent summit.
• Supervisory Excellence - Unlock your employees’ leadership potential with practical insights that are vital for excelling in a supervisory role. Starting in May; details coming soon!
• Lean Manufacturing - Participants learn how to implement lean concepts and techniques to make systematic, lasting improvements within their operations. Presented by the Workforce Division of Sinclair College. $225 per session. More information here.
• NEW for 2025! Problem-Solving Skills - Learn tools and techniques applicable for implementation on the production floor by operating-level personnel. Participants will gain skills and knowledge to effectively solve problems by systematically identifying root causes and applying corrective actions (think “Six Sigma lite”). Presented by the Workforce Division of Sinclair College. Starting in April; details coming soon.
• Blueprint Reading - Learn how to read and interpret basic blueprints. Presented by the Workforce Division of Sinclair College. $175 for one 4-hour session. More information here.
• GD&T - Learn how to read and interpret engineering drawings and better understand the ASME Y14.5 GD&T standard. Presented by the Workforce Division of Sinclair College. $250 for two 3-hour sessions. More information here.

Safety Alert! Check out this month's tips from our workers comp program administrator, Sedgwick:

• Utilize Sedgwick’s workers’ compensation educational series to familiarize yourself with Ohio’s workers’ compensation system. Click here to learn more about this comprehensive, webinar-based education program.
• It’s the beginning of 2025, which means recordkeeping logs, summary, and online reporting for your OSHA and PERRP will be due. Click here to learn the due dates and other requirements.

Looking for a fun and casual way to get in front of the DRMA audience? Host a DRMA Happy Hour! Hosting a Happy Hour at your company is a great way to expose your company and brand to DRMA members. Contact Amy to learn more about this great opportunity!

Have you moved, updated your company name or information, had staffing changes in the last year? If so, please contact Shay with a quick update so we can update our records. 

Manufacturers! Are you looking for sources to get your light assembly work done? DRMA is excited to partner with SOCHE and TAC to bring you a new option for kit building and light assembly! They are working together to educate high school students with developmental disabilities on manufacturing careers. Your company can work with SOCHE/TAC to bring light assembly tasks into local high schools to be executed by these students. Your company can tap into a new workforce while local high school students perform your manufacturing work and learn about occupational options for post-graduation. AND SOCHE will pay for at least 50% of the student’s wages! Send SOCHE an email at soche@soche.org to learn more about participating in the Bridging Abilities program.

Know a retired manufacturer with expertise in PLC-3 Troubleshooting Programs/Allen Bradley and PLC-4 Sequencing & Testing Devices/Allen Bradley who’d be interested in training future manufacturing workers? If so, Upper Valley Career Center is looking for spot coverage Tuesdays or Thursdays from 5 - 9 p.m. for adult PLC classes. The program begins immediately and goes until 2/27. Interested candidates can contact Wendell Meyers.

Don’t miss out on the 2025 Ohio Safety Congress & Expo, a free event for employers interested in occupational safety and health, wellness, rehabilitation, and medical treatment of injured workers, 4/16-18 in Columbus. Learn more and register here today!

THANK YOU Christopher Marshall of Rieck Services! You might recognize Christopher as one of the friendly faces driving the beverage cart at our annual Summer Golf Outing! In addition to keeping you hydrated during the outing, he was an original member of our Trap Shoot planning committee and served as the chair of the Associate Board for 2024. DRMA appreciates and thanks Christopher for his commitment to our organization and to the Dayton Region manufacturing industry as a whole.

Calling all WorkAdvance employers! The Dayton Equity Center is hosting a Meet and Greet on 1/16, 1:30-3:30 p.m. with candidates ready to interview! If you are participating in WorkAdvance contact Susan to attend; you must be hiring to participate. Learn more about WorkAdvance here!

Join us for the Workforce/HR Meet Up on 1/28, 11 - 12 p.m., virtual! At this Meet Up, we will be discussing the key components of an internship program and how SOCHE can help! Register here.

Tired of recruiting and ready to take action?! Don’t miss your opportunity to build a pipeline of future workers by hosting a student tour on any day that works for you and your school partners! Yep, we’re doing MFG Day year-round! Contact Amy to learn more!

Want $$ to offset your training cost? Get funding from Ohio with TechCred, a workforce program that reimburses employers for employee training up to $2,000 per industry-recognized credential, and up to $30,000 total per application round! The application period is OPEN and will close on 1/31! Don’t miss out! Contact Amy with questions or see more details here. 

Offering students part-time paid internships provides you with a risk-free way to evaluate potential employees. In fact, 70% of interns convert to permanent employees! DRMA collaborates with SOCHE who will do the heavy lifting and help you get off the starting line. NOW is the time to get started so that you have first dibs on students for summer jobs. 

Help grow your future workforce by purchasing a sponsorship of our student giveaways! We are preparing for our spring career outreach events, and we need your help. Your sponsorship of $500 will help us cover the costs of things like lanyards, stickers, dog tags, and wood gliders (all items that students love to get!) and will include your organization’s name. Contact Kara for more info.

Want to support local students who are learning skills like programming, electronics, and metalworking? Miami University needs volunteers for the First Tech Challenge – a national robotics competition – on 2/15. This is an excellent opportunity to see STEM programming in action and learn more about what your future workers can do. To volunteer, click here.

Supplement your recruiting strategy by attending the following career fairs and events:

• Dayton Public Schools Career Fairs: Belmont High School (1/9), Stivers High School (1/24), Thurgood Marshall High School (2/26), and Dunbar High School (2/28). Contact David Andrews for details.
• Manufacturing and Engineering Job Fair at Clark State, 2/17. Contact careers@clarkstate.edu for details.
• Junior Achievement Inspire to Hire event at Dayton Convention Center, 3/18. Register here.
• Job Fair at Kettering Fairmont High School, 4/3. Register here.

2/12, 4 - 6 p.m., Shoptalk, Gray America, Dayton. Hear a short presentation from members Thompson Hine and Taft Law on the current status of the non-compete agreement regulation, followed by peer-to-peer networking, drinks, and tours of this impressive manufacturing facility! Register here.

3/5, 8 - 9:30 a.m., Breakfast with DRMA: Exploring the 2025 Economy with the Fed, Springboro. Presented by MLA Companies, join us as the Fed pinpoints the facts and provides insights into the dynamics that may affect you, your employees, and your business in 2025! Register here.

WorkAdvance Info Sessions, 1 - 1:30 p.m., virtual. This grant program is designed to bring you quality candidates to fill your entry-level positions. Attend a FREE info session to learn more.

• 1/23 - Register here.
• 2/19 - Register here.

Meet-Ups - FREE and for members only. Join the conversation!

• 1/21, 8:30 - 10 a.m., Manufacturing Operations, Crown Equipment, New Bremen. Register here.
• 1/28, 11 - 12 p.m., Workforce/HR, virtual. Register here.

DRMA 101 - Whether you are a new member or a seasoned member, kickstart your membership ROI and learn what DRMA does to help you strengthen your business. Contact Shay to sign up!

• 1/22, 12 - 1 p.m., at MLA Companies, Springboro (lunch provided).
• 2/27, 4 - 5 p.m., at Back to Business I.T., Beavercreek (drinks/snacks provided).

For more information on any of our events, visit our website.

Save the Date - Upcoming DRMA Events

4/10 Business & Bourbon - Moraine Country Club

5/6 Workforce Shoptalk - United Grinding North America

6/2 Spring Golf Outing - Troy Country Club

8/20 Economic Update - Sinclair Conference Center

9/29 Summer Golf Outing - Miami Valley Country Club

10/16 Trap Shoot - Wright Patt Rod and Golf Club

12/3 Annual Meeting - NCR Country Club

Community Events

• 1/15, 1 - 2:30 p.m., Get Ready for 2025: Power Your Business for Success webinar, presented by Clark Schaefer Hackett. Register here.
• 1/16, 7:30 - 9 a.m., Miami Valley Safety Council Breakfast, Dayton. More information/registration here.

We’re closing out our membership renewals! Volunteers and staff work hard to ensure your membership in DRMA is valuable to you. From growing the workforce pipeline, to advocacy, to business and economic development, to peer-to-peer connectivity, DRMA’s brand promise is to Strengthen, Advocate, and Educate. Be part of the voice in 2025! And if there is something else you would like us to do, please let me know.

The Association is led by a strong group of individuals who care about manufacturing and who care about DRMA. Your 2025 Chairman of the Board is Jon Schmiedebusch (Acuren), and we welcome new board member, Mike Nemeth (Elliot Tool Technologies). See the full list of the 2025 DRMA Board of Trustees here. 

Thank you to our 2025 Premier Sponsors for saying yes to increasing their brand exposure and supporting DRMA on a higher level this year! Scroll down, click their logos, and check them out!

Involvement vs. engagement. DRMA and many other business associations across the country realize there is a major difference between the two. Involvement (yes, we depend on involved volunteers) is not the ONLY way for you to get value from your membership. In fact, across all associations, only about 25% of members attend their associations’ events. It’s really all about ENGAGEMENT. Engagement comes in many forms, from attending events, to participating in our wage and top issues surveys, to reading and responding to business lead emails, to hosting an open house on MFG Day, etc. We now ask you to get ENGAGED . . . which is truly how you get bang for your DRMA dues buck!

Save money with your DRMA membership: Our Legal Services Plan offers members one FREE legal consultation per month with employment law attorney Bob Dunlevey at Taft Law. Simply identify yourself as a DRMA member when you call 937-641-1743.

Attention Manufacturer members: Click here to see manufacturing-pertinent resumes I have received.

Congratulations to DRMA members:

• Tayte French Lutz of French Oil Mill Machinery Co. for being elected to the board of directors of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association
• Angela Phillips of Phillips Tube Group for being honored at the 9th Annual Women of Excellence in Metal Forming & Fabricating, as featured in MetalForming magazine

Welcome new DRMA members:

• All Ohio Welding, Inc.
• First Commonwealth Bank
• QuickPro Staffing
• Stolle Machinery (Dayton)