February 3, 201015 yr It's only $5, I don't think that's too bad. However, you could park on Burton or West 3rd and walk to the Linden Rd. entrance.
February 4, 201015 yr ^They're on the same block. In other news... AK Steel recalls 284 employees Labor Dept. to revisit unemployment entitlement claim By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal February 4, 2010 MANSFIELD — About 284 workers laid off from AK Steel Corp.'s Mansfield plant have secured one victory this year -- all are back at work. The last of those employees, who were laid off during the worst of the recession, returned to work late last month, said Brian Speelman, president of United Steelworkers of America Local 169. Hourly union employees are working three shifts, seven days a week. With steel demand improving, workers at the Mansfield plant are halfway through a six-week work cycle. They will be laid off for two weeks in mid-February before returning to the job for another six weeks in early March, Speelman said. ... Read More Here Local leaders pick up where REDeC left off By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal February 4, 2010 MANSFIELD — Local business leaders Wednesday launched a new economic development organization -- the Richland Community Development Group. The group, which includes former members of the Richland Economic Development Corp., unveiled its plans at a news conference in the News Journal's offices. The eight-man steering committee hired David S. Baldwin, of Aquarian Technology Systems in Lexington, as director. Baldwin is charged with improving community development and accenting the quality of life here to create a positive environment necessary to grow employment. ... Read More Here
February 26, 201015 yr Magic runs out for carousel shop Fourth Street business is 'in mothballs' By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • February 26, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Ross Clark and Sherrill Anderson have carved out a little piece of Americana in their West Fourth Street shop that is recognizable across the country. But soon Carousel Magic's co-owners, who have designed and built carousels for 16 years here, will close their doors. "We're putting the building in mothballs on the off chance we get a job, but that looks pretty unlikely at this time," Anderson, 62, said Wednesday. "If we don't get a project in a month or so, we'll have to liquidate all the equipment." ... Read More...
February 27, 201015 yr Good news about AK Steel. Sad to hear about Carousel Magic. Is this the carousel maker that employs Amish craftsmen? If so, I thought their business was holding steady through the recession? Why don't they offer tours, demonstrations of craftsmanship, or something to help get them through the worst? Hell, I'd go to see how they carve those horses! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 27, 201015 yr I don't know if they employ Amish craftsman or not, but I believe that they did offer tours and demonstrations. I would imagine the market for carousels is pretty bad.
March 4, 201015 yr Mansfield home sales down, but prices up By TERRICHA BRADLEY • News Journal • March 4, 2010 MANSFIELD -- The number of Mansfield-area home sales dropped in January, after a surge at the end of 2009, but prices jumped compared to a year ago. The Mansfield Board of Realtors shows 55 January home sales through its Multiple Listing Service, including Galion. That's down about 24 percent from 72 sales in January 2009. "January is not the greatest sales month," board president Jim Walker said. "The average dollar volume is down because of the weather and (economic) circumstances." Read More...
March 17, 201015 yr Crestline glass plant is hiring BY LOU WHITMIRE News Journal • March 17, 2010 CRESTLINE -- Pittsburgh Glass Works is experiencing growing pains, and north central Ohio workers are benefiting. The operation, formerly known as PPG, hired 200 employees between 2008 and the start of this year. Now the company is looking to hire 40 to 60 more to fill a growing demand for automotive glass. "It's a great problem to have," said Jim Phillips, human resources director at the 5066 U.S. 30 plant near the Crawford-Richland county line. "The majority of those have really been (hired) since September of last year, about 110 to 120 since that time, and we're getting ready to bring on another 25. It's a large number." Read More...
March 18, 201015 yr More silos = less waiting for farmers at co-op BY LOU WHITMIRE NEWS JOURNAL • MARCH 18, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Town & Country Co-Op's $5 million expansion will nearly triple its storage capabilities and get trucks off North Main Street faster. The project, which should be completed by August if weather permits, also will shorten the wait for farmers bringing crops to the grain elevator. Al Holdren, CEO of Ashland's Town & Country, said the plan has been in the works for about three years. It will include construction of a second pit to receive grain. That will enable Town & Country to double the receiving speed, getting trucks off the street faster during harvest. Read More...
March 20, 201015 yr GM will occupy metal center through 2010 BY LOU WHITMIRE NEWS JOURNAL • MARCH 19, 2010 ONTARIO -- General Motors Corp. will occupy the Mansfield/Ontario Metal Center until Dec. 31, contrary to earlier announcements the plant will close by June. Mayor Larry Collins told City Council on Thursday he learned the news at a Wednesday meeting with Motors Liquidation officials, owners of the GM plant. Motors Liquidation representatives gave a report to the newly formed Richland Community Development Group. "Even though Motors Liquidation owns the building they really have no say-so with what's going on there right now," Collins said. "Once General Motors is out, they will follow up with their plan, which is to try and find a tenant, which they are currently doing. Secondly, they'll try to sell the building. ... If they can't find a tenant ... thirdly, they will (begin) demolishing the building."
March 27, 201015 yr Unemployment down a smidge in most counties NEWS JOURNAL STAFF REPORT MARCH 27, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Unemployment rates fell across Ohio last month, mirroring the decrease in rates nationally, as new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected as layoffs ease and hiring slowly recovers. Unemployment decreased in 56 of the state's 88 counties for February 2010. Last month's jobless rates ranged from a low of 8.2 percent in Delaware County to a high of 19.1 percent in Ottawa County. ... In Richland County, new claims again fell just a bit, dropping from January's 13.7 percent to 13.6 percent in February 2010. Mansfield's rates went from 13.1 percent to 12.7. Read More...
April 12, 201015 yr Foreclosure growth in Richland County outpaced average BY LOU WHITMIRE • NEWS JOURNAL APRIL 12, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Richland County experienced a 20.1 percent increase in foreclosures since 2006, a figure dwarfing the state average of 12.6 percent, according to data released by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. Richland County saw 903 foreclosures last year, up from 862 in 2008. "Each day our elected officials ignore (the problem), we lose nearly 250 homes in Ohio to foreclosure," said Bill Faith, director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, which compiled and analyzed state Supreme Court records over several years. Read More...
April 21, 201015 yr Richland Co. sees small improvement in March job numbers BY TERRICHA BRADLEY • Telegraph-Forum April 21, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Richland County saw a small dip in its unemployment rate, even while Ohio's figures rose slightly in March. The U.S. Department of Labor reported temporary employment agencies and the 2010 Census have added jobs to the economy. Officials speculate those factors helped the unemployment rate drop from 13.6 percent in February to 13.4 in March. Meanwhile, Ohio's unemployment rate went up to 11 percent, from 10.9 percent in February, according to figures released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. "The labor force is getting larger, so there's more people to pull from that are looking for jobs," said department spokesperson Brian Harter. Read More...
April 28, 201015 yr Therm-O-Disc gets $1M Ohio tech grant BY LOU WHITMIRE • NEWS JOURNAL APRIL 28, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Emerson Therm-O-Disc and its technology partner, NexTech, will receive a $1 million grant Friday through the Ohio Third Frontier initiative. Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents and chairman of Ohio's Third Frontier Program, will be at the 1320 S. Main St. company at noon Friday to announce the grant. Therm-O-Disc was founded in 1947. The company manufactures temperature sensors and controls for the appliance, automotive, power tool and electrical switch markets. Read More...
May 16, 201015 yr 60 jobs cut at School Specialty in Mansfield Reduced education spending a factor NEWS JOURNAL STAFF REPORT • MAY 16, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Reductions in education spending around the country have caught up to School Specialty. Representatives for the provider of educational products and equipment for the pre-kindergarten to 12th grade market in the U.S. and Canada confirmed Friday the company cut about 5 percent of its work force, or about 115 people from throughout its U.S. operations of 2,250 people. The Greenville, Wis.-based company said it will cut 60 full-time workers at its Mansfield site -- the largest cut company-wide, School Specialty spokesman Mark Fleming told the Appleton (Wis.) Post Crescent on Friday. The local operation employs about 330 full-time and seasonal workers, Fleming said. Read More...
June 13, 201015 yr Gorman-Rupp Co. shows off its new $52 million expansion BY LOU WHITMIRE NEWS JOURNAL • JUNE 11, 2010 MANSFIELD -- The lobby of Gorman-Rupp Co.'s new facility at 600 S. Airport Road includes a water wall. It seems only fitting for a company that manufactures more than 2,000 different varieties of pumps sold worldwide. Mansfield Richland Area Chamber of Commerce's June Business After Hours on Thursday concluded the Gorman-Rupp Co.'s $52 million expansion project. Visitors toured the Pump Demonstration Room with its theater-style seating for viewing the four different pumps in action and Training Room/Auditorium with its state-of-the-art audiovisual system. Read More...
June 17, 201014 yr Mansfield halfway house to expand Closure of another local facility bolsters VOA BY ERIK SHILLING News Journal • June 17, 2010 MANSFIELD -- A downtown halfway house will be expanded by roughly 50 percent of its current capacity this fall, adding 30 beds, state officials said Wednesday. Mansfield Volunteers of America director Carrie Benham-Daniel said she learned in May the North Main Street agency would receive an additional $700,000 from the state for corrections -- money freed up by the closure of Crossroads, another local halfway house, which shut its doors this month. "The bottom line is that there will be 18 fewer halfway house beds in the county," Benham-Daniel said. Read More... 30 losing jobs at Peco II BY TERRICHA BRADLEY News Journal • June 17, 2010 GALION -- Lineage Power on Tuesday notified 30 manufacturing employees at its Peco II facility their jobs will be relocated to Mexico by the end of the year. Lineage Power marketing vice president Trent Waterhouse confirmed the move, asserting the Galion plant will not close. "Galion is becoming the center of service operations for all of Lineage Power," he said. Read More...
June 24, 201014 yr Cross-posted in the Mansfield Random Developments Thread Mechanics bank will renovate downtown buildings Restoration will include contemporary touches BY LOU WHITMIRE News Journal • June 24, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Five storefronts adjacent to the main office of Mechanics Savings Bank on South Main Street will be returned to their original look in coming months. Deborah Schenk, president and CEO of Mechanics Savings Bank, said the properties, all owned by the bank, will serve a dual role: They will allow Mechanics to expand as needed, while helping to revitalize the south end of the downtown square. "We are excited to begin the renovation work," Schenk said. "The restored space will offer our customers a unique and pleasant environment." Read More...
July 20, 201014 yr Richland Co. jobless rate edges up NEWS JOURNAL STAFF REPORT JULY 20, 2010 MANSFIELD — After several months of decreases, unemployment edged up in most central Ohio counties last month, according to figures released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The jobless rate for Richland County edged up two-tenths of a percent from 11.6 in May to 11.8 in June. Ohio’s jobless rate was 10.5 percent last month, down from 10.7 percent in May. The U.S. unemployment rate for June also ticked down a bit from May’s 9.7 percent to 9.5 percent. Read More...
September 1, 201014 yr Gorman-Rupp expecting to buy Arizona pump maker NEWS JOURNAL STAFF REPORT • AUGUST 31, 2010 MANSFIELD — The Gorman-Rupp Company has reached a preliminary agreement to purchase Arizona-based National Pump Company, the Mansfield manufacturer announced today. “National comfortably fits our operational philosophy with its profitability based on its long-established quality products, expertise, and brand reputation for its deep-well vertical turbine pumps and other products in markets that are complementary to our established markets,” Gorman-Rupp CEO Jeffrey Gorman said in a statement. National CEO Roger Jeschke and COO Allen Hobratschk will remain with National Pump after the acquisition. Read More...
September 18, 201014 yr Development group combats job losses RCDG encourages more public participation BY SHERYL POTTS • NEWS JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT • SEPTEMBER 18, 2010 MANSFIELD -- North central Ohio is a region reeling from plant closures and job losses. The Richland Community Development Group is trying to combat that scenario. The organization aims to foster home-based economic development. Director David Baldwin said during its first six months, the group is compiling assets, incubating ideas and building connections. Now it is looking to take the next step. Read More...
September 21, 201014 yr Richland, Ashland counties jobless numbers drop in August MNJ.COM • SEPTEMBER 21, 2010 Unemployment fell 0.9 percent in Richland County and by 0.8 percent in Ashland County in August, according to figures released today. Read More...
October 4, 201014 yr Richland County hit hard by Great Recession BY BRYAN BULLOCK • NEWS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 4, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Richland County residents have been battered by the economic recession the past two years. Household incomes are down significantly, unemployment has been at record highs and more people are living in poverty, according to data released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. The county's median household income dropped 7.6 percent from $42,578 in 2008 to $39,350 in 2009 -- more than twice the decline of the national rate during the same period. Household incomes in Richland County dipped an additional 2 percent from 2007, the year economists say the Great Recession started, to 2008. Sharlene Neumann, director of Richland County Job & Family Services, said she is not surprised by the news. Her agency's waiting room is routinely packed with residents seeking cash, food and health care assistance. Its phones have been so busy, calls are overloading its system and causing technical issues. Read More...
October 13, 201014 yr North central Ohio not sharing in U.S. growth of factory jobs BY BRYAN BULLOCK • NEWS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 13, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Jobs are not easy to come by in this economy, but they have been a little more abundant in an unexpected sector: Manufacturing. Blue-collar employment has declined nationwide every year since 1998, but it's up 1.6 percent during the first nine months of 2010. "September was the 14th consecutive month of growth for U.S. manufacturing," said Norbert Ore, chairman of the Institute for Supply Management's national survey of manufacturers. "Manufacturing continues to grow faster than the rest of the economy." Read More...
October 18, 201014 yr Richland County corn growers happy about corn yields, price More ethanol use in fuel approved, increasing corn demand BY LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • October 18, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Farmers bringing their corn crop to the Town and Country Co-Op on North Main Street last week had varying opinions about the Obama administration saying gas stations can start selling fuel with more ethanol. Dale Hershey, of Ashland, drove his John Deere tractor pulling two orange wagons full of corn into Town and Country. "I don't believe it," he said of the Obama administration's decision. Read More...
October 22, 201014 yr $3 million earmarked to look for problems at Mansfield GM site Ontario site will benefit from $499M trust BY LOU WHITMIRE • NEWS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 21, 2010 ONTARIO -- An environmental trust will spend $3 million on the vacant Mansfield-Ontario General Motors Stamping facility, according to the Ohio Attorney General's office. The money will go toward site investigation, potential soil excavation and ground water monitoring. Former General Motors manufacturing sites in Elyria, Moraine, Parma and Toledo also will benefit from the deal announced Wednesday between General Motors, the U.S. Department of Justice and 14 states, including Ohio. Attorney General Richard Cordray said the size of the environmental trust is unusual. Read More...
December 3, 201014 yr Ontario woos 1,300 jobs at GM site BY AL LAWRENCE • NEWS JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT • DECEMBER 3, 2010 ONTARIO -- The vacant General Motors stamping plant may soon have a new tenant -- one that could pump 1,300 jobs into the local economy, according to an Ontario councilman. Third Ward councilman and finance committee chairman Mark Weidemeyer confirmed Thursday a company is interested in the facility and requested $5 million in industrial revenue bonds to help finance the project. Weidemeyer said the finance committee already had voted unanimously to consider issuing the bonds. Read More...
December 10, 201014 yr Ontario, Richland County consider bonds for jobs at former GM BY LOU WHITMIRE • NEWS JOURNAL • DECEMBER 10, 2010 ONTARIO -- Ontario City Council will have a special meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. to consider issuing bonds for the company pondering a move into the former General Motors facility. "The county and the City of Ontario are working together on the bonds," Richland County Commissioner Gary Utt said. "It will be a joint effort. Both entities will be going out for bonds." In a related matter, county commissioners are meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday to draft a resolution to consider bonds, he said. Read More...
December 15, 201014 yr Friday could decide if Calisolar will bring 1300 jobs to Ontario BY LOU WHITMIRE • NEWS JOURNAL • DECEMBER 15, 2010 ONTARIO -- Local officials are gaining confidence and excitement at the possibility a California company may soon call Ontario home. Calisolar Inc., a Sunnyvale, Calif., alternative energy company, is considering taking over the former General Motors facility -- and possibly bringing 1,300 jobs to north central Ohio in the next four years. Ontario Councilman Mark Weidemyre called the news "a potential rebirth" of the West Fourth Street GM plant. Read More...
December 24, 201014 yr Shiloh Industries leaving Mansfield BY LOU WHITMIRE • NEWS JOURNAL • DECEMBER 24, 2010 MANSFIELD -- Shiloh Industries, Mansfield Manufacturing Division, has notified the United Steelworkers of America International office of its intent to close its Mansfield facility on Ninth Avenue, according to a press release from the company. No date has been given for the closing. There are approximately 85 Steelworkers working three shifts to finish production so the presses can be moved to a new facility in Bowling Green, Ky., and to other plants it owns in Ohio, according to Gary Hall, human resources director. "This comes after USW 7679 rejected $3.50 per hour wage cuts as well as benefit reductions and contract changes in October 2009 after already accepting a contract freeze previously," Hall stated. Read More...
January 10, 201114 yr Recycling business expansion gets land boost from Mansfield BY LOU WHITMIRE • NEWS JOURNAL • JANUARY 10, 2011 MANSFIELD -- A local business, B&R Recycling LLC, has signed a lease with Mansfield for $1 a year on a 26-acre city-owned parcel at 177 E. Longview Ave. The plan is to open a recycling facility for contractors and the public. Business partners Rick Weemhoff and Ben Flynn said B&R Recycling soon will accept concrete, dirt and asphalt from demolitions and from driveway and road tearouts. The company will crush the material for resale for applications ranging from driveways and basements to agricultural uses. Read More...
January 16, 201114 yr Gorman-Rupp expects good year BY BRYAN BULLOCK • NEWS JOURNAL • JANUARY 16, 2011 MANSFIELD -- The Gorman-Rupp Company was founded in a humble Mansfield barn during the Great Depression. It not only weathered the worst recession in American history, but came out firing on all cylinders. Today, 77 years later, company officials say Gorman-Rupp has licked another economic downturn and sees brighter days on the horizon. "We're very bullish for 2010," said Jeffrey S. Gorman, president and chief executive. "And we expect to have a better year next year, and the year after." Read More...
January 30, 201114 yr North central Ohio home sales climb 8.2 percent BRYAN BULLOCK • NEWS JOURNAL • JANUARY 30, 2011 MANSFIELD -- North central Ohio home sales rose in 2010 -- posting one of the biggest gains of any market in the state. There were 1,367 homes sold last year in the Mansfield area, according to data recently released by the Ohio Association of Realtors for Richland County and parts of Crawford County. Home sales climbed 8.2 percent from 2009, the second largest year-to-year increase in any Ohio housing market. "This is good news for Mansfield," said Edison Dorsey, president of Mansfield Board of Realtors. "The market is slowly moving in the right direction, even if it's not moving as fast as people would like it to." Read More... 'Green' jobs already have home in Mansfield BRYAN BULLOCK • NEWS JOURNAL • JANUARY 30, 2011 Energy Technologies Focuses On High-Tech Equipment Including Temporary Shelter System, Energy Converter MANSFIELD -- Energy Technologies specializes in making high-tech equipment for the military and these days, the Mansfield-based company is focusing on reinventing an age-old concept: Temporary shelter. Its Tactical Shelter Systems are anything but primitive. The rugged, lightweight shelters are outfitted with thin solar panels and flanked by small wind turbines. They use a sophisticated combination of alternative and traditional energy sources to create a workstation that can be rapidly setup, torn down and used in even the most remote, uninhabitable places. Afghanistan and Iraq are two places the military is using them. Read More...
February 7, 201114 yr City council to vote on assessment contracts for former Rable building AL LAWRENCE • News Journal correspondent • February 1, 2011 MANSFIELD -- City council will vote tonight on legislation authorizing the service-safety director to seek proposals and enter into contracts for an environmental assessment and asbestos survey on the former Rable Manufacturing building, 137 Touby Court. The work is the first step toward the possible sale of the property, which has been vacant since the company moved operations to the airport area about two years ago. City Engineer Jim DeSanto told council's Economic Development Committee on Monday that the entire cost for the assessment will be covered by a $233,000 Clean Ohio grant. "We're providing assistance (to Rable) and acting as the grant administrator," he said. "What this will do is provide a document that will tell what's there, and then they'll have to put in an additional application for any cleanup." Read More...
February 26, 201114 yr North Central Ohio home sales surge 6:29 AM, Feb. 26, 2011 | By BRYAN BULLOCK MANSFIELD -- North central Ohio home sales started 2011 by climbing 49 percent. There were 82 homes sold in the Mansfield area in January, according to data recently released by the Ohio Association of Realtors for Richland County and part of Crawford County. That's 27 more than the same month last year. Home sale prices also rose. The average north central Ohio home price climbed from $70,839 in January 2010 to $83,704 in January 2011, an increase of 18 percent. Read More... MMP disputes tax bill in local court Feb 26, 2011 | Written by LINDA MARTZ MANSFIELD -- Mansfield Motorsports Park has asked a local judge to provide tax relief -- contending some of the track's assets were unfairly double-taxed by the state and county. MMP's complaint was filed Feb. 17. A foreclosure case involving the north-side Mansfield race- track is still pending before Richland County Common Pleas Judge James DeWeese. Read More...
March 1, 201114 yr Ohio tax credit for Calisolar keeps Ontario in running 2:14 PM, Feb. 28, 2011 | Written by MNJ.com COLUMBUS -- The Ohio Tax Credit Authority today decided to extend the maximum job creation tax credit possible to Calisolar Inc. as an incentive for the company to locate in Ohio. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company has been considering locating a manufacturing operation in the former GM metal center in Ontario. During a meeting in Columbus today, Ohio authorized Calisolar a state tax credit of 75 percent for each of 15 years, beginning Jan. 1. Read More...
March 10, 201114 yr Richland posts January jobless jump; trend seen statewide Mar 10, 2011 | Written by BRYAN BULLOCK MANSFIELD -- Richland County's unemployment rate spiked sharply in January, mirroring a statewide trend. County unemployment increased 1.1 percent from December to January, bringing it to 12.2 percent, according to seasonally unadjusted estimates released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services on Wednesday. The number is down from January 2010, when county unemployment was 13.7 percent -- the highest it had been in nearly 27 years. Read More...
April 1, 201114 yr Calisolar deal still on track Mar 31, 2011 | Written by LOU WHITMIRE ONTARIO -- Calisolar Inc. seems to be focused on Ontario as its site for a new operation, according to city leaders. Mayor Larry Collins said Calisolar Inc.'s chief executive officer, Sandra Beach Lin, and Terry Jester, executive vice president of operations, toured the former General Motors building Tuesday. "It's moving forward," Collins said Wednesday. "We are very optimistic they will soon be here. Sandra Beach said when she toured the facility she was very impressed with how clean it was and how adequate it would be for their operations." Read More...
April 6, 201114 yr NJ EXCLUSIVE: Ontario is Calisolar's first choice 2:28 PM, Apr. 5, 2011 | Written by Lou Whitmire ONTARIO — Calisolar Inc. is focused on making a $750 million investment in Ontario, and a consultant today said Calisolar is in the final stages of negotiations. “At this point it is a sprint to the finish,” said David L. Stickler, senior managing director of Global Principal Partners LLC, during an exclusive interview with the News Journal. Company officials have said a move here to the former General Motors plant would create 831 full-time positions at an average wage of $45,000, generating $37.3 million in annual payroll. The average wage of the new full-time equivalents will be $21.63 per hour, plus $3 per hour in benefits. Calisolar has committed to hiring at least 10 percent disadvantaged or minority persons, as defined by state law, if the company comes to Ohio. Read More...
April 20, 201114 yr Jobless rate dips in Richland County Written by Bryan Bullock MANSFIELD -- Unemployment dropped sharply in Richland County last month, the second consecutive plunge. County unemployment fell 0.6 percent from February to March, bringing it to 11 percent, according to seasonally unadjusted estimates released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. During the same period, the jobless rate in Mansfield dropped 0.7 percent to 10.4 percent, the lowest it has been since 2008. Kevin Nestor, president of the Mansfield-Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, said while the unemployment rate is moving in the right direction, it is too early to tell how many out-of-work residents have actually found jobs. Read More...
April 22, 201114 yr When will they know for sure on this Calisolar deal? That would be a great thing!
April 22, 201114 yr ^I don't think that they have made their final decision yet, but there was in article in the News Journal that said they "hoped" to locate in Ontario and that they would like to start construction in September or October.
May 24, 201114 yr Mansfield, Richland jobless rates drop in April Written by MNJ.com COLUMBUS — Data released today shows a drop in unemployment for Richland County, Mansfield and surrounding counties.
May 25, 201114 yr Grill opening in Mansfield carousel district Written by Lou Whitmire MANSFIELD -- A new restaurant will open soon in the Carrousel District, at a site that historically has been a barometer of sorts for the local economy. The City Grille is scheduled to open by the end of June in the former Brant's Bistro site, 37 E. Fourth St., according to owners Melissa Banks and Bobby Petrovski, of Mansfield. Banks said the restaurantwill offer casual dining and be open for dinner initially. Jamie Thompson, co-director of Downtown Mansfield Inc., said, "It's very exciting to see entrepreneurs following their dreams and opening new businesses downtown. Downtown as a whole has not been as affected as other areas of our community as far as the economy goes. Read More...
June 16, 201113 yr Calisolar gets $275M loan guarantee, with strings 2:03 PM, Jun. 16, 2011 | Written by News Journal staff report ONTARIO — Calisolar has received a $275 million conditional loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy to help build a solar products manufacturing facility in Ontario. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and the U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that development at 1:45 p.m. today. The conditional loan would help Calisolar begin manufacturing, most likely in the former GM stamping plant in Ontario, Brown said. Read More... Also posted in the Ohio General Business Section Solar-energy firm expected to add 1,100 jobs near Mansfield $275 million federal loan guarantee announced for Calisolar Thursday, June 16, 2011 01:40 PM Updated: Thursday, June 16, 2011 02:45 PM By Tim Feran The Columbus Dispatch The Mansfield area could gain more than 1,000 permanent jobs as a result of a loan guarantee announced today that will allow an alternative-energy company to build a plant in the area. The U.S. Department of Energy announced this afternoon that it is offering a $275 million loan guarantee to California-based alternative energy manufacturer Calisolar Inc. to expand its operations in Ontario, located just west of Mansfield in Richland County. The manufacturer plans to build its new plant on the site of the former General Motors plant, creating nearly 1,100 permanent jobs and up to 1,000 construction jobs. Read More...
July 2, 201113 yr Calisolar president to Ontario mayor: We're not coming to Ohio Company says it can't meet construction deadline on fed loan 6:53 AM, Jul. 2, 2011 | Written by Lou Whitmire ONTARIO -- Mayor Larry Collins said Friday that Calisolar will not be coming to Ohio. Officials from the Sunnyvale, Calif., company informed him of their decision just before 5 p.m. According to Collins, company president Sandra Beach Lin said the company could not meet the September construction deadline to qualify for a federal loan if it came to Ontario. Last month, Calisolar received a $275 million conditional loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy to help build a solar products manufacturing facility in Ontario. The deal was announced in June by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Read More...
August 18, 201113 yr 20 Therm-O-Disc Mansfield jobs going to Mexico Written by Jami Kinton MANSFIELD -- Therm-O-Disc announced Tuesday it will shift about 20 jobs to Delicias, Mexico, this fall. Spokesperson Christine Linder said the company anticipates the transition will be completed in two phases, with the first completed by Oct. 1, and the second by Dec. 1. Therm-O-Disc is the world's largest producer of bi-metal disc controls. The Mansfield facility employs 440 workers. Read More...
September 21, 201113 yr Richland County jobless numbers decline Sep 21, 2011 | Written by Bryan Bullock MANSFIELD -- Unemployment dropped sharply in Richland County last month, echoing a trend across the state. The jobless rate decreased 1.3 percent from July to August, bringing it to 10.1 percent, according to seasonally unadjusted estimates released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The unemployment rate in Mansfield fell 0.6 percent to 10.7 percent during the period. Unemployment typically declines this time of year as back-to-school shoppers help fuel the economy. Rates fell in all 88 Ohio counties last month. url=http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20110921/NEWS01/109210306/Richland-County-jobless-numbers-decline]Read More...[/url]
September 23, 201113 yr Moody's reduces Mansfield's bond rating to 'average' Downgrade's effect likely minimal Sep 22, 2011 | Written by Linda Martz MANSFIELD -- The Moody's Investors Service decision to downgrade the City of Mansfield's municipal bond rating will have little short-term effect, because the city has no immediate plans to borrow for any large-scale projects, a top city official said Wednesday. Finance Director Kelly Blankenship said the only fallout from the downgrade, issued Aug. 25, was that when the city considered a plan to replace police and fire department vehicles through lease-purchase arrangements, one bank out of the six to eight banks approached commented on it. That bank's concern was based partly on the number of elected offices on the November ballot, and uncertainty over whether those elected would support the city's current fiscal recovery plan, Blankenship said. Read More... Local home sales climb Local prices also up, bucking state trend Sep 22, 2011 | Written by Bryan Bullock MANSFIELD -- Local and state home sales climbed in August, posting big gains over weak sales seen last summer. There were 140 local homes and condominiums sold last month, up 24 percent from August 2010, according to data released Wednesday by the Ohio Association of Realtors for Richland County and part of Crawford County. North central Ohio and the state saw sales gains the past two months. Ohio saw sales increase 22 percent last month over August 2010. Read More...
October 13, 201113 yr New firms locate in Mansfield, use Ashland Railway 5:31 AM, Oct. 13, 2011 | Written by Lou Whitmire MANSFIELD -- Two new companies that will use the Ashland Railway to transport products from various points in the United States and Canada have located in Mansfield. McFarland Cascade, a supplier of utility poles to the electricity industry, is based in Tacoma, Wash. The company will establish a utility pole distribution and storm response center at the Deer Creek facility on East Longview Avenue. It will be McFarland Cascade's third largest yard in the United States. The poles, including some 150-foot utility poles, will arrive by rail from the South and from the West Coast. Read More...
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