COMING UP! Happy Hour (6/26), Breakfast with DRMA (7/15), and Government Relations Meet Up (7/16)! Be sure to scroll down to the Events section to find out more.

Early bird registration is open! Take advantage and grab a discounted ticket to see Connor Lokar, one of the nation’s most informed economists on 8/20 at Sinclair College. In this year’s topic, Economic Update: What the Leading Indicators Are Saying about 2026, sponsored by KeyBank, Connor will provide business leaders with economic information, insight, analysis, and strategy. Interested in getting your name in front of the 200+ attendees? Contact Susan for sponsorship information.

Manufacturers: The 2025 Wage and Benefit Survey is now open! Use the data to attract and retain employees. Those who complete the survey get the report for free (a savings of $500 for members). Deadline is 6/30. Contact Shay to get the link.

Our program on family business succession planning continues with two new updates:

• A webinar featuring an expert panel will be held on 7/23 (viewers will be anonymous). Register today! Panelists include: Doug Meyer from Brixey & Meyer, Gary Wilkins of MLA Companies, Kate Vriner of Sunbelt Business Advisors of Southwest Ohio, and Matthew DiCicco of Eubel Brady & Suttman Wealth Management. The discussion will be moderated by Carol Butler from the Goering Center. If you would like to submit questions to the panel in advance, email Amy. 
• An article on Is a Family Transition the Right Fit for Your Business? written by Kate Vriner of Sunbelt Business Advisors of Southwest Ohio has been added to our website – you can find it and previous articles posted on this topic.

Join our workers’ comp premium savings program administered by Sedgwick! We know business costs can be expensive, let us help you save on workers’ comp premiums. Receiving a quote is easy. Contact Paul Feck with your BWC policy number.

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.

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

• 8/21 - Value Stream Mapping: Understand how to effectively apply and implement tools to map and improve the flow of materials and information within an operation and develop a value stream plan for successful implementation. More information here.
• 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.

THANK YOU to our Golf Outing Committee for planning another amazing event on 6/2! Consisting of Brian Ault (Bruns General Contracting), JD Claffey (Non-Ferrous Casting Co., Inc.), Adam Gehret (Knox Manufacturing Solutions), Bruce Hackett (Honorary member), Mitch Heaton (Hartzell Propeller), Trenton Laws (USI Midwest Insurance), Jordan Lightner (Bruns General Contracting), Mike Nemeth (Elliott Tool Technologies), Curtis Schmiedebusch (US Chrome Corp. of Ohio), Austin Sipe (McGohan Brabender), & Josh West (RUSH Transportation/Logistics Inc.). This group has worked hard to make this outing a success and helped raise funds for the DRMA Foundation! DRMA appreciates and thanks the entire Golf Outing Committee for their commitment to our organization and to the Dayton Region manufacturing industry as a whole.

Sponsored Content

Join our Workforce/HR Meet Up on 8/26, 11 – 12 p.m., virtual! For anyone responsible for or interested in human resources or skilling up your manufacturing workforce. Free and for members only. Register here.

Want $$ to offset your training cost 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 opens 7/1! 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. Two cohorts of candidates will complete training at the end of June and end of July and will then be ready to hire! Contact Susan to learn more.

Started thinking about planning for MFG Month but have yet to make headway? MakingOhio has a ready-to-use resource to help get you started! The MakingOhio Manufacturing Month Planning Guide walks you through key steps for planning outreach events – whether it’s a plant tour, classroom visit, or hands-on demo. If you already have a tour scheduled, let us know your plans! Contact Amy or complete this form.

Want to improve your company’s productivity while reducing turnover? Or make sure your workers are competent BEFORE you hire them? Consider workers who’ve earned an industry recognized credential. Learn more here.  

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

Help grow your future workforce by purchasing a sponsorship for student giveaways! We are preparing for our Fall 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.

DRMA Government Relations Meet Ups provide members with the unique opportunity to talk with elected officials in a small, focused setting. Make sure you are registered for our next Meet Up with State Senator Willis Blackshear on 7/16 at 4 p.m. at Tark Thermal Solutions. Senator Blackshear represents Ohio Senate District 6, which includes Centerville, Dayton, Jefferson Township, Kettering, Miami Township, Moraine, Oakwood, Riverside, Trotwood, Washington Township, West Carrollton, and parts of Carlisle and Springboro. Register here. Free and for members only! 

6/26, 4 - 6 p.m., DRMA Happy Hour, Dayton. LAST CHANCE! Come have a drink and meet with other DRMA members at the DRMA Happy Hour hosted by PNC Bank. Register here.

7/15, 8 - 9:30 a.m., Breakfast with DRMA: Insurance Recovery, Dayton. Registration is open! Presented by Thompson Hine, learn best practices on commercial insurance coverage when faced with a casualty event as well as key insurance considerations important to mitigating supply chain risks. Register here.

7/23, 12 – 1 p.m., Family Business Succession Planning Webinar, Virtual. Members can privately register and view this webinar featuring the following experts on family business succession planning: Doug Meyer from Brixey & Meyer, Gary Wilkins of MLA Companies, Kate Vriner of Sunbelt Business Advisors of Southwest Ohio, and Matthew DiCicco of Eubel Brady & Suttman Wealth Management. Conversation will be moderated by Carol Butler from the Goering Center. Register here! 



8/20, 2:15 - 6 p.m., Economic Update, Sinclair College, Dayton. Registration is open – Register now to take advantage of the early bird discount! Don’t miss our largest event of the year! Presented by KeyBank, listen to an engaging update from one of the country's premier economists, Connor Lokar of ITR Economics. His presentation will provide the information you need to guide your business moving forward in 2026. Register here. Contact Susan for sponsorship opportunities.

9/29, 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Fall Golf Outing at Miami Valley Golf Club, Dayton. Registration is open! Complete your form ASAP to reserve your spot to play at our new location! Registration forms can be downloaded from the event page here. We also have sponsorship opportunities to get your company name in front of our 200+ attendees! Contact Susan.

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

• 7/16, 4 - 4:45 p.m., Government Relations, Miamisburg. Register here. 
• 8/26, 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!

• 7/23, 4 - 5 p.m., Bruns General Contracting, Tipp City (snack provided).

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

Save the Date - Upcoming DRMA Events

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

12/3 Annual Meeting - NCR Country Club

Community Events

• 10/23 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Thompson Hine, Government Contracting Symposium, Dayton. Contact Ellen Geron for more information.

Manufacturers: Now, more than ever, you need to be competitive in the workforce market! The information contained in DRMA’s Wage and Benefit Survey Report will help you adjust your compensation program in order to attract and retain employees. PLEASE complete the survey... we need a lot of member companies to participate to make the results statistically reliable. You will get the results for FREE if you participate. If you need the link re-sent or if you have questions, contact Shay.

Registration is open for The Fall Golf Outing on Monday, 9/29. There are only a handful of spots left for the afternoon tee time. Fill out your registration form ASAP to reserve your spot! Registration forms can be downloaded from the event page here. We also have sponsorship opportunities to get your company name in front of our 200+ attendees! Contact Susan.

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

Congratulations to DRMA members:

• IDC Spring on their 50^th Anniversary! In honor of the occasion, the company held a Grand Re-Opening and Open House last week at their Piqua location.   
• Modula for their recent ground-breaking for their expansion in Franklin. The $36+ million-dollar investment will double their production capacity and is expected to create 60 new jobs. 

Welcome new DRMA members:

• 11th Hour Staffing
• Collins Aerospace