Business briefs: Chamber award, federal contract, new Haring Realty agents, and more

USA TODAY NETWORK
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Richland Area Chamber receives award for marketing and communications

The Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development recently received the 2023 Excellence in Marketing & Communications Award from the Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) for the Richland Works project. This award recognizes achievements in economic development marketing projects, covering various initiatives such as target market studies, branding, website development, direct mail, public relations and advertising.

The Marketing & Communications category recognition underscores the chamber's commitment to advancing economic development in Richland County, highlighting the power of collaboration and the support of partners like the Area 10 Workforce Board, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, OhioMeans Jobs and many others.

Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development officials were honored to receive the 2023 Excellence in Marketing & Communications Award from the Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) for the Richland Works project.
Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development officials were honored to receive the 2023 Excellence in Marketing & Communications Award from the Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) for the Richland Works project.

The Richland Works project, which kicked off in April 2022, aimed to rejuvenate the local economy and reshape the job market by countering the narrative shaped by the closure of a major employer in 2009. Collaboratively led by Clint Knight, workforce development director, and Sandy Messner, director of marketing and communications, the Richland Works project includes 35 videos, a website and strategic social media campaigns with traditional methods.

The chamber collaborated with DRM Productions for videography and photography and New Day Creative for managing social media campaigns. Together, these efforts yielded 250,000 campaign video views, attracted 25,000+ website visitors, and resulted in six new hires for the participating companies.

The award ceremony took place at the Ohio Economic Development Association's Annual Summit held in Lewis Center on Sept. 14.

Mansfield company awarded federal contract

WASHINGTON, D.C. — MMG Contractors of Mansfield recently won a federal contract award for $222,600 from the Department of Defense Defense Logistics Agency, Columbus, for electromagnetic relays.

Haring Realty welcomes two new agents

Two new agents have recently joined Haring Realty.

Dan Wirebaugh was born and raised in Crawford County and worked at the former Swan Hose for 28 years as a maintenance manager.

Dan Wirebaugh
Dan Wirebaugh

He lives in Bucyrus with his wife, Barbara, owner of Affinity HealthWorks. Wirebaugh studied mechanical engineering at North Central State College and Marion Technical College. He also earned a real estate license from The Ohio State University and Davis College, first in 1998 and again in 2023.

Wirebaugh has served on the board of directors of the Swan Rubber Credit Union, now Firelands Federal Credit Union, Crawford County Health District Board, Joint Central Ambulance District Board, and Crawford Park District Board.

Also joining Haring Realty is Ashland native Melanie Coble. After spending the last 13 years as a stay-at-home mom to four boys, Coble decided to reenter the real estate business.

Melanie Coble
Melanie Coble

Born and raised in Ashland County outside of Mifflin, Coble is a graduate of Hillsdale High School and has a business degree from Kent State University. She and her family lived in California and Tennessee before returning to Ohio in 2018.

Ohio business filings increase for the fourth consecutive month

COLUMBUS — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced 15,917 new business filings were created in August. This is the fourth straight month that business filings have increased year-over-year.

So far in 2023, 128,847 new businesses have been created in Ohio.

Midwest Microelectronics Consortium selected as microelectronics innovation hub

COLUMBUS — The Midwest Microelectronics Consortium (MMEC), a multi-state, regional initiative led by Ohio and dedicated to advancing the research and production of crucial microelectronics for the defense industry, was awarded regional hub designation and $24.3 million for FY 23 through the prestigious Microelectronics Commons (ME Commons) program. This partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD) places Ohio, as a part of the MMEC, among the eight regional "Hubs" nationwide. The MMEC comprises over 65 public, private and nonprofit entities, with leadership from many key Ohio institutions.

This public-private technology hub will connect the Midwest's academic institutions, corporate leaders and government partners. Backed by $2 billion in federal CHIPS Science Act funding, Ohio's leadership within the MMEC will position the state at the epicenter of a national network aiming to revolutionize the "lab-to-fab" microelectronics ecosystem while simultaneously solving national security challenges.

Currently, the United States leads in microelectronics design but accounts for only 12% of global microelectronics production, with the bulk of microelectronics production occurring in Asia. This poses a significant risk to the U.S. microelectronics supply chain. It includes the potential loss of critical intellectual property, diminished market influence, and a heightened dependence on foreign economies.

Mansfield News Journal

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Richland Area Chamber award, MMG Contractors federal contract