We hope this newsletter finds you well as we enter the vibrant month of May. It has been an eventful year so far, and we are excited to share some updates on the economic development initiatives and achievements happening in Tuscarawas County.
We hope this newsletter finds you well as we end the first quarter of 2023. Despite some challenges, we are pleased to report that Tuscarawas County continues to show resilience and growth in various sectors. We want to take this opportunity to update you on the latest developments and initiatives we have been working on to support the economic progress of our county.
We want to thank Steve Stokey, Vice President and Principal at Allied Machine and Engineering for stepping up to replace Mike Hovan as our new Chairman. Though we’re happy to say, Mr. Hovan — a key member of our team — will remain on our board of directors. We’re also excited to announce that Mike Lauber, Chief Executive Officer at Tusco Display and Manufacturing has taken a seat as an Executive Director on our board.
Have you ever wondered how Tuscarawas County stacks up against our neighbors economically? We have decided to gather those numbers for you in a quarterly report. Check out Workforce and Housing numbers by reading State of the Local Economy - Q3 2022.
August for the TCEDC has been productive. As I discussed with Commissioner Abbuhl and Co-director John Kelly on the very first episode of the Valley Podcast, we are inching our way closer and closer to a comprehensive plan to bring broadband internet to every resident in Tuscarawas County. I also had the pleasure of meeting a lot of new faces by attending my first Leadership Tuscarawas event. We participated in the opening of the Reagent Chemical facility in Newcomerstown. And, we have started the process of crafting our strategic objectives. Many leaders in the community have been asked to gather and give feedback on how the TCEDC can be a good partner that supports their objectives from within.
Tuscarawas County Broadband Accelerator Program is in full swing, and we are starting week five. The end result will be a comprehensive plan for the county. Soon we will be asking you to help us with data collection by filling out a short survey for your commercial broadband needs and residential broadband needs. This past week I truly realized the importance of having great speeds and a working computer. My computer crashed at work and now I’m working off my Surface and borrowing everyone’s computer in the office. Broadband is like having electricity or water & sewer.
Alongside our recently promoted Warehouse Foreman, Rob Lax, I have been hunkered down at our distribution center documenting, learning, operating, forklift driving, loading, hiring, and now training every single working day. We’re finding ways to be more thorough, identifying ways to be more efficient, and Rob, I must say has also gone above and beyond the call of duty. He really fits the theme here.
