July 21, 201410 yr Would Goodyear actually build its $500 million plant in Akron? By John Harper, Northeast Ohio Media Group Email the author on July 21, 2014 at 1:30 AM, updated July 21, 2014 at 5:15 PM AKRON, Ohio -- It has been decades since a brand new rubber or tire factory opened in the nation's once-esteemed rubber capital. Upon announcement of a proposed $500 Goodyear tire plant a community in South Carolina is already claiming dibs and is preparing tax incentives. That is not discouraging Akron city officials from opening their doors and arms to Goodyear. What's more, local economists believe Akron may have its best shot in decades at seeing a new tire plant open for business in Northeast Ohio. "That Akron is in the mix demonstrates to me a tremendous change in attitude," said Michael Jalbert, a labor attorney who has represented local labor groups."It is going to send a signal not just to Ohio or the rubber industry, but to a lot of major manufacturers who have departed to ports unknown." http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2014/07/would_goodyear_build_akron.html
September 2, 201410 yr Goodyear won't build plant in Akron, city says By John Harper, Northeast Ohio Media Group September 02, 2014 at 6:36 PM, updated September 02, 2014 at 6:41 PM AKRON, Ohio -- Goodyear will not build its new $500 million tire plant in its hometown. In a news release, Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic said Tuesday he received a letter from the tire company. "After discussing the matter with (Goodyear CEO) Rich Kramer, I am saddened but I realize that it is not economical to ship millions of tires from Ohio to Latin America, where Goodyear's growth in sales is occurring," Plusquellic said. "I appreciate Goodyear's willingness to consider our joint efforts to land this major investment, and further appreciate the continuing relationship." The company had said it was reviewing all options for the plant, which will manufacture the company's value-added line of products, but sources early on told Plain Dealer Publishing Co. that Akron was an unlikely location. Still, many industry experts, city officials and local economists said Akron's position as the technology center for rubber and polymer manufacturing may have given it an advantage over other locations in the Americas. http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2014/09/goodyear_wont_build_plant_in_a.html#incart_river
September 5, 201410 yr Italy's Ravizza Packaging opening its U.S. headquarters in Akron By Janet H. Cho, The Plain Dealer Email the author | Follow on Twitter on September 05, 2014 at 11:15 AM, updated September 05, 2014 at 11:41 AM AKRON, Ohio -- Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic announced Friday morning that Ravizza Packaging, a third-generation, family owned manufacturing company based in Turin, Italy, will open its U.S. headquarters in Akron as part of plans to sell its patented Simplicita Bag Smart throughout America. Ravizza Packaging, founded in 1982 by Roberto Ravizza and his father, Franco, will open Ravizza Packaging USA Corp. with nine large pieces of machinery and three employees at Akron's Global Business Accelerator, according to the city. The Accelerator, at 526 S. Main St. in Akron, offers technical, administrative, marketing and professional services to technology-based startups. The company's annual revenues are $3.4 million, with the majority of its sales coming from Europe. It has also recently expanded into South America and New Zealand. "I chose Akron, Ohio, because of its proximity to our market, the overwhelming support from the City and the Accelerator, and the welcoming nature of the people I have met throughout Akron during my visits," Roberto Ravizza said in a written statement announcing the move. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/09/italys_ravizza_packaging_opening_its_us_headquarters_in_akron.html#incart_river
December 10, 201410 yr Very sad. This is a longtime landmark and civic institution in the community..... Schwebel Baking officially notifies state of planned shutdown of Cuyahoga Falls plant http://bit.ly/137GY0R "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 16, 201410 yr Bring 'em home! Goodyear to close Argentina office and transfer 30 to 50 jobs to Akron, city officials announce http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/goodyear-to-close-argentina-office-and-transfer-30-to-50-jobs-to-akron-city-officials-announce-1.550111 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 30, 20159 yr TQL to open downtown Akron location, add up to 70 jobs July 29, 2015 UPDATED 18 HOURS AGO By BRIAN LISIK A project a year in the making involving the city of Akron, Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, JobsOhio and Cincinnati-based Total Quality Logistics has come to fruition, and with it TQL is bringing 70 jobs to a new downtown Akron location. TQL Senior Director of Communications Kristine Glenn confirmed this week that the freight brokerage company will open a satellite office at 50 S. Main Street in January. Headquartered in Cincinnati, TQL has more than 30 brokerages across the country, including one in Independence, Glenn said. MORE: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150729/NEWS/150729781/tql-to-open-downtown-akron-location-add-up-to-70-jobs "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 30, 20159 yr I'm hoping to hear something in the next few months about the Goodyear complex. I don't know any specifics but it sounds like there is movement afoot. That is such a huge building I can't fathom who the tenant(s) would be. Perhaps Orrville is running out of room for all the companies that keep getting bought? With the Goodyear Hall across the street almost completed for residences, maybe it is just natural for IRG to start getting the other building going. But it sounds like there is something more.
July 30, 20159 yr ^ good news. Can you clarify the Orrville comment? I don't know what that is referencing. Thanks!
July 30, 20159 yr ^ good news. Can you clarify the Orrville comment? I don't know what that is referencing. Thanks! Probably referring to Smuckers, which is located in Orville and has been expanding/buying other companies.
October 18, 20159 yr Wouldn't that be funny if Akron-Canton airport got a nonstop to Europe before Hopkins did?? Diebold in Talks to Buy German ATM Maker Wincor for Nearly $2 Billion Deal could enable increased investments into digital services By EYK HENNING Updated Oct. 17, 2015 11:45 a.m. ET FRANKFURT—U.S. automated teller machine maker Diebold Inc. is in talks to buy Wincor Nixdorf AG in a deal that would value the German company at more than €1.7 billion ($1.9 billion), Wincor said Saturday. Diebold and Wincor—the industry’s No. 2 and No. 3 companies by revenue, respectively—entered into a nonbinding agreement on the key parameters of a cash-and-share deal valuing Wincor at €52.50 a share on Sept. 24, the German company said. Such a deal would enable both companies to sharpen their focus on the growing digital-payments segment and move away from ATMs, for which prices are declining. By joining forces, they could boost investment into the development of software and IT services, which is costly. A deal would also boost Diebold’s European presence, having previously concentrated on North America. MORE: http://www.wsj.com/articles/diebold-in-talks-to-buy-german-atm-maker-wincor-for-1-7-billion-1445092841 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 19, 20159 yr In downtown Akron, workers from 16 companies share one office By John Harper, cleveland.com on November 19, 2015 at 5:30 PM, updated November 19, 2015 at 5:38 PM AKRON, Ohio -- At OSC TechLab's office in downtown Akron, inside the former Ohio.com offices at the corner of East Exchange and Main streets, 16 companies share one space. Programmers to public speaking coaches, otherwise unrelated professionals share coffee, wireless Internet, printers, donuts and even beer. There are bright orange and blue walls, ergonomic chairs, couches and a conference room. The 2,400-square-foot space is Akron's first co-working space, a growing form of real estate that offers freelancers and remote employees respite from the monotony of their home offices. MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2015/11/in_downtown_akron_techlab_offe.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 25, 20169 yr Akron's New Planning Director sees immigration as key to population and economic growth. "Jason Segedy has a... https://t.co/3ndPwyk8U2 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 26, 20169 yr Big news for the banking world in Akron - FirstMerit is selling to Huntington: FirstMerit Bank, with 2,000 employees in Akron, sells to Huntington Bank By Teresa Dixon Murray, The Plain Dealer on January 25, 2016 at 11:00 PM, updated January 26, 2016 at 12:05 AM AKRON, Ohio -- In a monster deal between two of Ohio's largest banks, Huntington Bank of Columbus is catapulting to the national stage by buying FirstMerit Corp. of Akron. The blockbuster deal will create a bank bigger than Cleveland-based KeyCorp and will give Ohio another powerhouse bank nationally. Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati will remain Ohio's largest. But the sale of FirstMerit will almost surely mean significant local job loss. FirstMerit employs about 4,000, with about 2,000 of those at the Akron headquarters, according to the city of Akron. More at http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2016/01/firstmerit_bank_with_2000_empl.html#incart_m-rpt-1 clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
January 27, 20169 yr After a day of letting the news of the merger sink in, I've been contemplating what will happen with the tower in Akron. I doubt they will keep that building. There are other offices in Cascade plaza and I believe some computer operations/data center that will likely stay in that complex. The likely scenario is that they vacate the building in 2 years. I'm wondering if this building would be up for a residential conversion to condos or apartments. It has some great views. But with really only 1 building downtown currently that has residential in the YMCA building its hard to make a case that more is needed.
January 27, 20169 yr ^Problem is also now a significant loss of professional jobs that would give people the means and perhaps greater interest in living in Downtown Akron within an office tower converted into condos and apartments or similar new housing. FirstMerit going away will have a ripple effect in other professional sectors too (e.g. legal, etc.) throughout the Akron area. Some of them will also likely layoff staff, relocate, merge, or simply close shop. Not good news any way you cut it for a smaller city that seems to be seeing even more of its anchor institutions disappear that were supposed to be the backbone of its rebirth and renaissance. Akron General also lost its independence and identity to the Cleveland Clinic. Even Summa isn't wholly independent anymore, either. What's next? The University of Akron going under? That might have been inconceivable just 2 years ago. But given its current shoddy management, anything seems possible now. Maybe the FirstMerit merger underscores just how important it is for UA to get its act together, as it may very well truly be Akron's last best hope now.
January 27, 20169 yr My firm actually used to be located in the FirstMerit building. I didn't work here yet at that time, but I'm told that the office space was a little bit outdated even a decade ago, and I doubt it's gotten any significant renovation since then. Assuming that information is correct (and I can't verify it, but I don't doubt it), then attracting a significant new office tenant for that space will be an extremely daunting task, though a residential conversion would also be a significant investment. I'd hate to be whoever the landlord is there right now.
January 27, 20169 yr My firm actually used to be located in the FirstMerit building. I didn't work here yet at that time, but I'm told that the office space was a little bit outdated even a decade ago, and I doubt it's gotten any significant renovation since then. Assuming that information is correct (and I can't verify it, but I don't doubt it), then attracting a significant new office tenant for that space will be an extremely daunting task, though a residential conversion would also be a significant investment. I'd hate to be whoever the landlord is there right now. What's left down there, as employers? If there's not a lot of jobs there, there's little reason to live there. My understand is downtown Akron's been nowhere near as booming as Cleveland.
January 27, 20169 yr I think the big downtown employers will now be FirstEnergy, GOJO, E&Y, PNC, the university, Akron Children's, Akron General, and Summa.
January 27, 20169 yr Huntington is indicating they won't entirely decimate Akron. So some kind of large banking function will still be there. Just not anything needing an art deco tower from 1931.
January 28, 20169 yr I feel for ya, Akronites. Believe me, from a city (Dayton) that has seen more headquarters leave/merge in the past 20 years than catfish plates in Arkadelphia, I understand. The FirstMerit Building would make a fine residential conversion. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
September 20, 20186 yr Good news for Akron- Cleveland's employment numbers haven't yet returned to pre-2002 recession numbers (almost 20 years later!!), but Akron's employment numbers have fully rebounded and are the highest they've been since 1989, maybe ever... according to the BLS. Akron's employment growth obviously helps the region as a whole. I hope Akron's trajectory remains the same for the foreseeable future. Recessions will come, sure. But the collective region has been stagnate for long enough. Canton's employment numbers mirror where the region was in 1995. The silver lining, however, is that Canton's numbers for July 2018 are the highest they've been since 2004. Again, I hope Canton's numbers continue to increase as well. Manufacturing is still decreasing in the region (even in the Trump years- the Canton-Massillon area is -2.2% year over year in manufacturing), though leisure and hospitality are up 3.3% year over year along with professional and business services being up 5.7% year over year. Would anyone be able to say what they see going on locally in Canton? I'm interested just because with employment growth comes population growth, which involves everything urbanists like (and hate, if we're talking about sprawl) to see.
October 1, 20186 yr Myers Industries changes mind, opts to stay in Akron https://www.ohio.com/news/20181001/myers-industries-changes-mind-opts-to-stay-in-akron Magnet to set up presence in Akron's Bounce Innovation Hub https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/magnet-set-presence-akrons-bounce-innovation-hub "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 2, 20186 yr Myers Industries changes mind, opts to stay in Akron https://www.ohio.com/news/20181001/myers-industries-changes-mind-opts-to-stay-in-akron Magnet to set up presence in Akron's Bounce Innovation Hub https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/magnet-set-presence-akrons-bounce-innovation-hub That was a quick turnaround by Myers. I'm glad they are staying put. I wonder if the decision has less to do with "greater than expected costs" for the move and more to do with the negative press.
October 2, 20186 yr Maybe their finances weren't as sound as they thought - and that became apparent with the projected move costs. Who knows? I can't imagine they cared much about negative press - if you're going to leave a town, who cares what their media thinks?
October 2, 20186 yr My feeling is the employees “revolted”. I think it was probably felt in the ‘C’ suites to be a good move and so they pursued it but reality hit and hardly anyone wanted to make the drive to downtown Cleveland or move up north. The upper management probably lives in Hudson or Bath so it wouldn’t be a big deal for them to hop on 480 to 77 or just 77 vs heading down rt 8. There probably aren’t that many people that live in Northern Summit county that work there to make this kind of move easier. I think this is a better move as this is mainly an old line business that they dominate in. It is better to stay in a place that is known for the tire business as their vendors and customers are still mainly in Akron. They also are a manufacturer of plastic pallets, organizers and plastic boxes. Which is what they were probably trying to get people to differentiate from their mainline business with the move to Cleveland. I would wonder if this is a temporary move for them. They already own the Akro Mills building where they are now moving. I would think they can bide their time and build a new corporate building in downtown Akron. They complained initially they couldn’t find a building in downtown to move their HQ. I would think the Main and Market Summa building would be the right size for them but maybe they want more of a campus complex that the repurposed innerbelt downtown might afford.
October 15, 20186 yr "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 19, 20186 yr The BLS has Akron's numbers up by 1.8% yoy, highest September numbers in the last 29 years (!). The region is doing pretty good right now ?
October 19, 20186 yr 1 hour ago, Oldmanladyluck said: The BLS has Akron's numbers up by 1.8% yoy, highest September numbers in the last 29 years (!). The region is doing pretty good right now ? That's both a good and bad statistic "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 11, 20186 yr Analysis Finds Akron Office Space is in High Demand http://www.wksu.org/post/analysis-finds-akron-office-space-high-demand#stream/0 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 9, 20196 yr "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 18, 20195 yr Looks like Diebold Nixdorf is bringing over 200 jobs to North Canton... Diebold Nixdorf will move 215 jobs to the Hoover District as it consolidates assembly for some of its retail point-of-sale cashier check-out machinery. The company has a five-year lease for a 200,000-square-foot space previously used by Suarez Corporation Industries. Diebold Nixdorf hopes to have some operations in the building by August. More at https://www.cantonrep.com/news/20190617/diebold-nixdorf-to-bring-215-jobs-to-north-canton
November 7, 20195 yr Is TimkenSteel for sale? Interim CEO doesn’t deny the possibility https://www.beaconjournal.com/news/20191107/is-timkensteel-for-sale-interim-ceo-doesnt-deny-possibility "Dunlap took the reigns on Oct. 22 when it was announced Ward J. “Tim” Timken Jr. would step down as chairman, CEO and president. Timken had led the company since shareholders forced the spinoff of TimkenSteel in 2014. His departure means nobody from the Timken family is involved in operations at the steel business, which started in 1917 as a division of the tapered roller bearings maker. TimkenSteel has struggled to be a profitable company since the spinoff. Dependent on sales of steel for drilling oil and natural gas wells, the company’s results have reflected the ups and downs of the oil industry."
May 8, 20205 yr "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 22, 20214 yr Well this is huge news: Goodyear to acquire Cooper Tire in $2.5 billion deal This is relief for Ohio, keeping Cooper Tire in state. Tough news for Findlay, but good for Akron. https://www.cleveland.com/business/2021/02/goodyear-to-acquire-cooper-tire-in-25-billion-deal.html AKRON, Ohio -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is buying competitor Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. in a $2.5 billion deal, the Ohio-based companies announced Monday. Akron-based Goodyear, the world’s third-largest tire maker, said the acquisition will combine the companies to create a strong American manufacturing brand. Cooper, based in Findlay but originally founded in Akron, is the fifth-largest tire maker in North America with 10 factories and about 10,000 employees worldwide. The deal was announced along with Cooper’s fourth quarter and 2020 financial results. Cooper reported a profit of $143 million on sales of $2.5 billion for the year. Goodyear reported a loss of $1.25 billion on revenue of $12.3 billion for fiscal year 2020, but a profitable fourth quarter. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
February 22, 20214 yr ^Some justice in the world. Bridgestone (the world's largest tire maker) left Akron when it merged with Firestone and moved their US HQ to Memphis, and then built this: https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/corporation/our-headquarters.
February 22, 20214 yr 1 hour ago, Pugu said: ^Some justice in the world. Bridgestone (the world's largest tire maker) left Akron when it merged with Firestone and moved their US HQ to Memphis, and then built this: https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/corporation/our-headquarters. Ugh, I hate that they proudly say they left Akron, pretty much.
February 22, 20214 yr 8 hours ago, Pugu said: ^Some justice in the world. Bridgestone (the world's largest tire maker) left Akron when it merged with Firestone and moved their US HQ to Memphis, and then built this: https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/corporation/our-headquarters. They moved to Nashville.
February 24, 20214 yr Yeah, tough for Findlay, but at least it keeps them in Ohio. Findlay still has Marathon Petroleum though...they probably say "At least we aren't Lima" there.
October 28, 20213 yr https://www.nexentireusa.com/posts/nexen-tire-america-relocates-u-s-headquarters-to-richfield-ohio I get that this is where the research and development center was located, but I just don't understand the move to Richfield over Akron where you have other big players in the industry and Akron U with it's polymer program.
October 28, 20213 yr 21 minutes ago, Luke_S said: https://www.nexentireusa.com/posts/nexen-tire-america-relocates-u-s-headquarters-to-richfield-ohio I get that this is where the research and development center was located, but I just don't understand the move to Richfield over Akron where you have other big players in the industry and Akron U with it's polymer program. You wouldn’t think that when a company moved their headquarters from CA to NEO that they would choose Richfield. But I do think Akron U and akrons rich history in tires/polymer is a big reason they chose this area (25ish minutes away).
April 7, 20223 yr Goodyear has a plan to develop natural rubber from a domestically-grown variety of dandelion, reducing reliance on foreign sourcing. Edit: not just domestically grown, but Ohio-grown! https://corporate.goodyear.com/us/en/media/news/goodyear-to-develop-domestic-source-of-natural-rubber.html. Edited April 7, 20223 yr by Dougal Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
April 25, 20223 yr This polymer research and development center would be a huge win for the region, refocusing is on an existing strength. NE Ohio polymer industry hopes for big boost from federal funds "The University of Akron, Case Western Reserve and Kent State universities, and the region’s entire polymer industry, will get a new research and development center — if backers win $17 million in federal funding. ... Proponents expect to know in September if the project will become a reality, as that’s when they’ll learn whether the region’s application for $75 million in Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant funding succeeds. The polymer cluster initiative is the biggest single component of that request. ... The grant money and private funding would be used to build a 20,000-square-foot facility on campus — the specific location has not been determined — that would enable faculty and students from Akron and the other schools to work closely with manufacturers, Dhinojwala said. Ultimately, he hopes the center becomes self-funding via contracts with manufacturers and then grows larger." https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/ne-ohio-polymer-industry-hopes-big-boost-federal-funds [Mod edit: note, subscription required]
August 9, 20222 yr Signet Jewelers Buys Blue Nile to Tap Bridal Market, Expand Digital Capabilities Positioning itself in a jewelry market that’s being impacted by the downturn in the economy, Signet Jewelers announced Tuesday (Aug. 9) that it is acquiring online jewelry retailer Blue Nile and that it has lowered its guidance for full fiscal year 2023. With the acquisition of Blue Nile for $360 million in an all cash transaction, the diamond jewelry retailer will expand its bridal offerings and extend its digital capabilities, Signet Jewelers said in a press release. Signet Jewelers Ltd. is based in Akron. More Info: https://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2022/signet-jewelers-buys-blue-nile-tap-bridal-market-expand-digital/
April 14, 20232 yr Akron's GOJO reportedly to be sold at auction Dan Shingler | April 13th 2023 11:04 AM "GOJO Industries of Akron is for sale, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Citing anonymous sources described as “people familiar with the matter,” the paper reported Thursday, April 13, that the privately held maker of Purell hand sanitizer has hired JP Morgan to run an auction to sell it. The Journal reported the company is valued at around $3 billion, based on its estimated annual sales of about $1 billion, and is attracting interest from big consumer-product companies. Some competitors that might be interested, including Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, jumped into the hand sanitizer business during the COVID-19 pandemic, as GOJO expanded rapidly to meet surging demand." https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/purell-maker-gojo-reportedly-be-sold
April 14, 20232 yr About GOJO being up for sale... Sold = Acquired and whenever a NE Ohio company is "Acquired" by a company outside the area, it's almost never good news. ☹️ Seems to me that Columbus & Cincinnati don't have this problem as much as does NE Ohio.
April 27, 20232 yr If I am reading an internal FirstEnergy memo correctly, the company will be moving out of downtown Akron and consolidating into the West campus.
April 30, 20232 yr On 4/27/2023 at 2:14 PM, JB said: If I am reading an internal FirstEnergy memo correctly, the company will be moving out of downtown Akron and consolidating into the West campus. Wow, but not surprising. I know people who work for the CEI division, which in the 90s moved out of the 55 building to an office on Miller Road in Brecksville. They still control the whole building, but post covid it's mostly empty. I guess FE is thinking it can keep a lot of workers working from home and consolidate in a cheaper (or better for whatever corporate reason)location. Just like Medical Mutual.
May 11, 20232 yr "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 11, 20232 yr I work for them, they’re looking to consolidate as much as they can. They also just sprung some layoffs and offering early retirement to people.
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