Business briefs: New Avita providers, patent, minimum wage, Kokosing dedication and more

USA TODAY NETWORK
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Avita grows with surge of new providers

Avita Health System has announced the addition of 10 physicians and advanced practice providers (APP) in Crawford and Richland counties.

In June, Avita welcomed Arthur Papadopol, MD, to their family medicine team. In August, Anna Gantz, CNP, joined pain management and Timothy Tausch, MD, joined urology. September started with the addition of Justin Eagleston, MD, to bariatric weight-loss surgery and general surgery, Jeffrey Wilson, MD, to urology, Timothy Shin, MD, to ENT, and Tabitha Hofer, CNP, to endocrinology. Starting this past week, Gregory Surfield, MD, is offering plastic and reconstructive surgery, Anjuli Eagleston, MD, has joined internal medicine, and Mo Saab, DO, re-joined the interventional cardiology team.

New providers at Avita Health System
New providers at Avita Health System

Jerry Morasko, president/CEO of Avita Health System, added that several more providers will be joining at the start of the year.

“Since day one, we’ve focused on recruiting an exceptional medical staff to provide care locally," said Morasko. "We don’t think patients should have to travel far for specialty care or services."

Mansfield inventor assigned new patent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, Herzogenaurach, Germany, has been assigned a patent developed by John Ramsey of Mansfield for "baffle with integrated cooling for hybrid drive" to provide a more efficient way to cool a hybrid motor.

Ohio minimum wage to increase in 2024

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase on Jan. 1 to $10.45 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.25 per hour for tipped employees. The minimum wage will apply to employees of businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $385,000 per year.

The current 2023 minimum wage is $10.10 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.05 per hour for tipped employees. The 2023 Ohio minimum wage applies to employees of businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $372,000.

The Constitutional Amendment (II-34a) passed by Ohio voters in November 2006 states Ohio’s minimum wage shall increase on Jan. 1 each year by the rate of inflation. The state minimum wage is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) for urban wage earners and clerical workers over the 12-month period prior to September. The CPI-W index increased by 3.7% over the 12-month period from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023.

For employees at smaller companies with annual gross receipts of $385,000 or less per year after Jan. 1, 2024, and for 14- and 15-year-olds, the state’s minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. For these employees, the state wage is tied to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, which requires an act of Congress and the President’s signature to change.

Newly reduced Ohio employer withholding tables published

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Taxation has issued new employer withholding tables to be used for payrolls that end on or after Nov. 1. The new tables include the income tax rate reductions that went into effect when House Bill 33 (135th General Assembly) was signed into law on July 4.

The new employer withholding tables to be used on or after Nov. 1 are posted on the Employer Withholding Tax webpage. Percentage and optional computer methods for calculating withholding as well as daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly and monthly tables are available.

Kokosing facility dedicated at Ohio Northern University

ADA — On Oct. 2, Ohio Northern University dedicated the Kokosing Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the T.J. Smull College of Engineering. Kokosing Inc. is a renowned Ohio-based, family-owned company with strong connections to the university. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering will now include the name Kokosing.

Kokosing’s gift to the University will support the civil and environmental engineering department and provide assistance for faculty professional development, student/faculty research, equipment upgrades and general support.

A ribbon cutting was held Oct. 2 as Ohio Northern University dedicated the Kokosing Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the T.J. Smull College of Engineering.
A ribbon cutting was held Oct. 2 as Ohio Northern University dedicated the Kokosing Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the T.J. Smull College of Engineering.

Multiple generations of Burgetts, the family that owns and operates Kokosing, have earned ONU degrees in engineering, business and other majors, including co-CEO and civil engineer Bryce Burgett.

Bill Burgett and Lester Rinehart started Kokosing in Fredericktown in 1951. Since then, the company has grown to become one of the largest family-owned construction companies in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, with $1.8 billion in annual revenue and 4,000 employees.

Dayton Freight honored by Schneider Logistics

DAYTON — Dayton Freight Lines, Inc., a provider of regional less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation services, was recognized as the 2022 LTL Carrier of the Year by Schneider Logistics.

Out of 26 LTL carriers, Dayton Freight scored the highest on the following key metrics: on-time delivery, on-time pickup, tender acceptance, status updates and customer service support. Schneider provideds truckload, logistics and intermodal services.

Dayton Freight has more than 70 service centers in the Midwest, including one in Mansfield.

Mansfield News Journal

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Avita providers, patent, Ohio minimum wage, Kokosing, Dayton Freight