Congratulations to Evergreen on the groundbreaking of their expansion today in Clyde, Ohio! Evergreen will be adding an additional 55,000sf to their 230,000sf building. Post expansion they will be doubling their current manufacturing production from 40 million pounds to 80 million pounds!
Looking forward to more exciting news from Greenbridge and Evergreen in the future.
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New BGSU initiative Hopes to Help Rural Communities Move Forward |
Gibsonburg is a village with a population of about 2,600 located east of Bowling Green in Sandusky County — and it’s got something to prove.
At least that’s how village administrator Marc Glotzbecker puts it.
“Despite our smaller size, Gibsonburg is an incredible community that operates with a bit of a chip on its shoulder and feels that we can go toe to toe with the bigger communities in northwest Ohio,” he said. “We feel that we have the same, if not more, assets than the larger communities and can offer a high quality of life.”
One of the biggest obstacles that Gibsonburg faces is getting people to look past its size and realize that it is a vibrant community with quality schools, a downtown area on the comeback, quality local government, industry and “everything else you would want and need in the community that you would choose to live, work and play in,” Glotzbecker said.
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Kern Center Updates and Trainings |
Summer is almost here and the Kern Center is working on a few trainings for summer, as well as, a full fall schedule of trainings and our fall career fairs. We are excited to share some upcoming information:
Currently scheduled trainings for summer:
Monthly free webinar in partnership with SBDC: Tuesday, June 15 th from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Overcoming Negativity in the Workplace presented by Christine Schneider-Smith. A flyer and registration form are attached.
Leadership Trainings:
- June 10th from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Coaching for Performance presented by Christine Schneider-Smith – Cost: $139
Participants will identify the characteristics of effective coaches. Learn what are the roadblocks or barriers to coaching and how we can avoid them or reduce their effect on the coaching process. Guidelines for a successful coaching session will be provided. In this session, participants will prepare to work specifically with one individual employee: 1) Practice by the coach with a particular employee using the Performance Improvement Plan. 2) Practice a follow-up session to regular coaching sessions. 3) Practice a follow-up session after the employee makes a mistake. Practical applications with specific employees are the beneficial “take-aways” from this session that can be put into use immediately.
- June 30th from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Goal Setting presented by Christine Schneider-Smith – Cost: $139
Start by identifying the benefits of setting goals with employees (i.e., Why do it?). Learn some of the obstacles to goal setting in both the supervisor and the employee and discover methods for overcoming these same obstacles. We will look at ways to define areas for improvement and set S.M.A.R.T. (Specific-Measurable-Attainable & Agreed Upon-Relevant-Time-Limited) goals. Identify the conditions when the supervisor can create an opportunity for improvement with the Staff Goal Worksheet. Various role play activities can be included to practice setting goals with a “meets standards” or above employee, and/or a “negative” one using a Plan of Action, which is developed with the employee to stimulate the accomplishment of the goal(s), and includes follow-up activities to reinforce the desired change(s).
- July 14th from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – S.L.A.P. Your Customer presented by Kitty Brandal – Cost: $139
What? Slap your customer? NO, we won’t be engaging in physical violence with those most difficult customers you deal with! We will use the acronym S.L.A.P. as a humorous narrative to discuss what to do when dealing with customers who…well…you just want to slap!J Customers can be overly demanding, cruel, and even ask you to do things that are against policy. You are a professional representative of your company, you cannot allow yourself to treat them how they treat you.
CPR Trainings: June 22 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. or July 14th from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Cost: $55
As many of you know Lyn Sullivan currently handles our apprenticeship program on campus, and we are now excited to have Elizabeth Logsdon, Academic & Career Advisor working with all internships on campus. I am providing their contact information below if you are interested in learning more about apprenticeships or internships, please feel free to contact them:
Phone: 419-559-2391
Phone: 419-559-2157
Save the Date for Fall Career Fairs! We are going to try something a bit different this fall. We would like to host mini career fairs based on our academic programs and they will be held in the main atriums of each building near the classrooms. Our line-up is as follows:
- September 28th 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Manufacturing, HVAC and welding
- October 5th 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Allied Health
- October 12th 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Business, Hospitality, Digital Media, Marketing, and Music
We will be sending out more information and registrations this summer!
We are putting together our fall schedule to include leadership, HR, electrical, manufacturing, and more! If there are any special topics that you are interested in for this fall, please let me know as we put our plans together!
Don’t forget Ohio businesses can apply for TechCredit starting June 1 through June 30 at 3:00 p.m. For more information, please visit https://techcred.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/techcred/about, or contact my office and we will be happy to assist you! Remember, there are always a great deal of funding resources available through your local OhioMeansJobs office and we will be happy to refer you to the appropriate contacts if you need assistance!
Have a great month and let us know if there is anything the Kern Center can do for you!
Holly L. Hoffman, Coordinator of Workforce & Community Education
Terra State Community College
2830 Napoleon Road
Fremont, Ohio 43420
Direct Line: 419.559.2166
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To better serve their workforce, Sandusky County employers have, for many years, requested an updated wage and benefits survey. Recently, the Sandusky County Department of Job and Family Services/OhioMeansJobs-Sandusky County was able to secure funding through the Greater Ohio Workforce Board and are coordinating efforts with Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation to develop and distribute the survey to employers. Sandusky County was recently ranked as the 7th best micropolitan area for economic development by Site Selection magazine. As a result of recent growth, the SCEDC and the SCDJFS are looking to better understand the wages and benefits of their employers.
This survey is targeted at industrial employers (including manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing) as well as other employers (healthcare and construction). Employers in other sectors, who are interested in completing the survey, are welcome to participate in completing the other category; we welcome all feedback.
The goal is to survey 300-325 employers in Sandusky, Erie, Huron, and Lucas counties. Additionally, the Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services will survey employers in Seneca, Hancock, and Wyandot counties, and that data will be shared with this effort. Priority access to survey results will be given to participating employers.
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Small Business Basics Seminars |
The SBDC’s in-person Small Business Basics Seminars have been on hold since early 2020 due to the pandemic. In the interim, we have been holding them remotely on an individual basis. Although this has been effective, we are looking forward to getting back to the in-person seminars along with continuing to provide them remotely for those who cannot attend in-person.
As a reminder, these seminars are free of charge for anyone wanting to start, buy, or expand a small business. The focus is on business planning and development ( see the attached presentation).
Here is an update on our seminars for the remainder of 2021:
- The seminars will start-up again in July (see the attached schedule).
- The seminars will be held here at Terra State since we have the technology and personnel to conduct them both in-person and remotely and at the same time if necessary.
- The seminars will be presented twice a month, and have been extended from two hours to three. Our attendees frequently asked for them to be longer for Q & A sessions.
Thank you for your patience during these challenging times. If you have any questions, please feel free to let us know.
Best regards,
Bill Auxter
Center Director / Certified Business Advisor
Ohio Small Business Development Center
Terra State Community College
2830 Napoleon Road, Fremont, Ohio 43420
Building B, Suite B-104, Office B
Phone: 419-559-2210
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JobsOhio has approved guidelines for the popular JobsOhio inclusion grant program. They have re-opened the program with an additional $3M in funding available through June 30th.
The project parameters are very similar to last round and here are some highlights:
- Revenue cap of $25M annually to allow us to focus on small and medium-size companies.
- Company must have been in operation for at least one year and also have annual revenues of at least $100k.
- Companies must still meet the previously established criteria: • Must be in a JobsOhio targeted industry sector (Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace and Aviation, Automotive, Autonomous Mobility, Energy and Chemicals, Food and Agribusiness, Healthcare, Logistics and Distribution, Financial Services, Military and Federal, Technology); retail or other population-based businesses are not eligible. • Demonstrated need for support to help the project move forward.
- Employment OR payroll growth of at least 10% as a result of the project.
- New jobs must have a minimum average wage rate of $10.88/hour.
- Eligible companies: Minority owned (African American, Hispanic, Asian-Pacific and Native American), woman-owned, veteran-owned or owned by an individual with a disability. Must either be certified by a recognized state or national organization or otherwise able to verify that at least 51% of the business is owned, managed and controlled by the underrepresented population
OR
- Prospective projects in zip codes that meet eligibility requirement (Fremont 43420 zip codes are eligible).
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The next round of TechCred opens on June 1st and closes on June 30th at 3:00 p.m. Ohio businesses can visit TechCred.Ohio.gov to apply and help their employees earn a short-term, technology-focused credential at no cost. Not only can businesses upskill their current employees, but they can upskill those they plan to hire as long as they are on the payroll at the time of reimbursement.
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Work Opportunity Tax Credit |
Are you currently hiring? Consider a candidate who may qualify you for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. The WOTC is a Federal tax credit available to employers for hiring individuals from certain targeted groups who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment. Click Here to learn more.
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The SCEDC will be starting up a new workforce development taskforce which will be looking at employee attraction. If your company is interested in being part of this taskforce, please reach out to Beth at director@sanduskycountyedc.org.
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Small Businesses Could Receive Tax Credits for Employee Covid-19 Leave |
The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department announced further details of tax credits available under the American Rescue Plan to help small businesses, including providing paid leave for employees receiving COVID-19 vaccinations.
Eligible employers, such as businesses and tax-exempt organizations with fewer than 500 employees and certain governmental employers, can receive a tax credit for providing paid time off for each employee receiving the vaccine and for any time needed to recover from the vaccine. For example, if an eligible employer offers employees a paid day off in order to get vaccinated, the employer can receive a tax credit equal to the wages paid to employees for that day (up to certain limits).
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SCEDC | 419.332.2882 | 2511 Countryside Dr. Suite C Fremont, OH 43420 | www.sanduskycountyedc.org |
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