COMING UP! Workforce/HR Meet Up (9/23), Fall Golf Outing (9/29), and Lunch & Learn webinar (10/7)! Be sure to scroll down to the Events section to find out more.

Manufacturers: Watch for the 2-question Top Issues Survey coming in early October. Public policies can impact your profitability and how you can operate your business. Please participate to tell us your “hot button” issues.

LAST CHANCE! Supplier members: Purchase an ad in the Wage and Benefit Survey Report! It offers a year-long shelf life, and is distributed to 100+ manufacturers, schools, and economic development leaders throughout the Dayton Region. Contact Shay.

Preparing your 2026 budget? Don’t forget to include membership in your local industry association! You can look forward to DRMA upholding our mission to strengthen member companies and to serve as the advocate for manufacturing in the Dayton Region.

Now is the time to join DRMA’s workers comp group! Joining a group rating program is the best way for DRMA members to significantly lower their Ohio workers’ compensation premiums. Please contact Paul Feck to see how our exclusive and endorsed partner, Sedgwick, can save you money.

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

• Are you looking to improve safety in your workplace and reduce injuries and illnesses? The BWC has reopened the Safety Intervention Grant (SIG) on 7/1 and is accepting new applications. Read more on what’s covered and how to apply here.

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

• 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.
• 10/16 - Set-Up Reduction: Learn the fundamentals of SMED and rapid-changeover and how to successfully implement these techniques on the shop floor, gain an understanding of internal vs. external changeover within an operation and how reducing non-value time positively impacts operations. More information here.
• 11/13 - Total Productive Maintenance (TPM): Understand how to effectively “mistake-proof” processes and operations to minimize and eliminate errors. More information here. 
• Blueprint Reading - Learn how to read and interpret basic blueprints. Presented by the Workforce Division of Sinclair College. $175 for one 4-hour session on 10/24. 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 on 11/14 & 11/21. More information here.

Do you need legal help on anything from labor and employment, OSHA, real estate and more? Take advantage of your legal services plan offered by Bob Dunlevey of Taft Law. Members get one FREE consultation per month. Click here for details.

THANK YOU Ryan Van Loo of Metallus! Ryan became a volunteer in all things workforce when he got involved last year volunteering at school career events. This year, while continuing to be a career event volunteer, he has joined both our Speakers Bureau and Career Outreach Committee! DRMA appreciates and thanks Ryan for his commitment to our organization and to the Dayton Region manufacturing industry as a whole. 

Sponsored Content

Join us for the Workforce/HR Meet Up on 9/23, 11 - 12 p.m., virtual! Come to this Meet Up to share with DRMA leadership your current workforce challenges and ideas on how we can work collectively to find solutions and get a quick briefing about JobsOhio's new relocation program. Register here.

Hosting a student tour to grow your future worker pipeline? Click here to let us know and make sure you register your event! Registering your event puts it on the national MFG Day map which will boost your visibility with students, parents, and educators. And, remember to let us know your results here.

We know that finding, hiring, and retaining quality employees is a huge task. Industry-recognized credentials (IRCs) can help employers validate the knowledge and skills of candidates and save time in assessing their competencies. DRMA is playing an integral role to ensure that students are earning credentials that members need. Learn more here.

Offset your training costs for tech credentials! Funding is available thru TechCred, a program that reimburses employers for employee training up to $2,000 per industry-recognized credential and up to $30,000 per company each application round! The next application round is open through 9/30! Contact a DRMA education partner now – they can help you apply! Learn more here.

Member exclusive! WorkAdvance, a proven initiative to supplement your recruitment strategies, will bring you quality candidates to fill your manufacturing entry-level positions. A cohort of candidates will complete training at the end of October and will then be ready to hire! Contact Amy to learn more.

We rely on our volunteers to keep our career events running! Click here to see who helped us out recently!

We have a ton of career events coming up that need volunteers! These events are mission-critical for your company to grow YOUR future workforce AND they are a lot of fun! DRMA staff does all the hard work; your job is to talk one-on-one with students when they come up to our display table. Events are a couple of hours long, no public speaking is required, and talking points will be provided. We’ll send you an email when we have an opportunity, and you will let us know if the location and date work for you. Upcoming events: Springboro High School 9/17, Northridge Middle School (Dayton) 9/23, Dayton Regional STEM 9/24, Ferguson Freshman School (Beavercreek) 9/26, Stebbins High School (Riverside) 10/15, Carroll High School (Dayton) 10/16, Covington High School 10/17 and Kettering Fairmont High School 10/22. Contact Kara for more info.

Interested in presenting your expertise to DRMA members? We offer numerous events that allow you to present relevant information and expose your brand. Fill out this form for consideration.

9/29, 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Fall Golf Outing at Miami Valley Golf Club, Dayton, followed by cocktail hour and dinner. This entire event is SOLD OUT! We are looking forward to another great outing!

10/7, 12 - 12:30 p.m., Lunch & Learn Webinar: CMMC Explained: Your Path to Compliance Success, presented by Clark Schaefer Consulting. Are you on the journey to CMMC compliance or just getting started? Join our experts as they cover the history, timeline, and CMMC applicability. The session will focus on the readiness process, giving you actionable insights to help your organization get compliant with confidence. Register here.

10/16, 2:30 - 4 p.m., Trap Shoot; 4 – 5:30 p.m., Happy Hour, Wright-Patt Rod and Gun Club, Fairborn. Presented by Bruns General Contracting and Back to Business I.T. Have fun with your DRMA peers! Spots are almost sold out, fill out your registration form ASAP if you are interested! Sponsorships are available, contact Susan! Not a trap shooter but want to attend happy hour? Register here.

10/29, 4 - 6 p.m., Shoptalk, Lincoln Electric Automation, Fort Loramie. Registration is open! Hear a short presentation on how to apply current labor market trends to your current attraction and retention strategies. Join for a little “overtime” after work, enjoying the casual atmosphere while learning something new and networking with your DRMA peers! Register here.

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

• 9/23, 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!

• 9/23, 8 – 9 a.m., Miller Valentine Construction, Dayton (breakfast provided).

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

Save the Date - Upcoming DRMA Events

12/3 Annual Meeting - NCR Country Club

Community Events

• 9/18, 8 - 9 a.m., Miami Valley Safety Council Breakfast, Dayton. More information/registration here. 
• 10/2, 7:30 - 10 a.m., Taft Law, 2025 Safety and Workers' Compensation Seminar, Dayton. More information/registration here.
• 10/23, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Thompson Hine, Government Contracting Symposium, Dayton. Contact Ellen Geron for more information.

We still have a few spots available for our Trap Shoot event on 10/16.This fun event benefits the DRMA Foundation, which pays all our expenses related to growing the manufacturing worker pipeline. Contact Susan for more details.

Looking to upgrade your team’s tech skills in 2025? TechCred might be the answer. All Ohio companies are eligible to apply through the end of the month 9/2 thru 9/30. We’re here to help. Our training partners provide the industry-recognized training and can even help you apply. Learn more here.

Looking for a way to engage, connect, and contribute to your and your fellow members’ successes? Join the DRMA private LinkedIn Group, exclusively for people at DRMA member companies. The group provides an on-line venue to ask questions, learn from each other, and collaborate on a private platform dedicated to our members. And we make it easy! Just click here to request to join.



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

Welcome new DRMA members:

• Advantic Building Group
• Business Furniture + Co.
• Crayex
• MTM Molded Products Company
• Restoration Parts Unlimited, Inc.
• Transmet Corporation