Strickland to tour Lima ethanol plant Monday, by Bart Mills, LimaOhio.com, March 21, 2008
Perry Township—Gov. Ted Strickland is scheduled to visit the Greater Ohio Ethanol plant at 10:30 a.m. Monday where he will tour the new Hanthorn Road facility and discuss his Building Ohio Jobs plan. The visit comes just one week before the plant is scheduled to launch.

Job seekers pile in to hear about new plant; idled Ford facility may get new life, by Gary T. Pakulski, Toledo Blade, March 21, 2008
Maumee—Job seekers packed a Maumee banquet hall for a second day yesterday to hear about the opening of a new manufacturing operation in an idled Ford Motor Co. parts factory. Maumee Authority Stamping Inc. plans to initially employ 250 at Ford's former Maumee Stamping Plant, which closed last fall. If sales materialize, the new firm plans to hire several hundred more workers in coming years.

Aleris International Inc. shutting Bedford rolling mill, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 21, 2008
Bedford—Aleris International Inc. said Thursday that it will close its rolling mill in Bedford by the middle of the year and shift production to its other mills, putting 40 people out of work.

Progressive Insurance funding $10 million X-Prize for 100-miles-per-gallon car, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 21, 2008
Cleveland—Progressive Insurance announced Thursday that it will fund a $10 million prize to the team that builds the best 100-miles-per-gallon car. The X-Prize Foundation plans to hold a series of road tests and races in 2009 and 2010 to determine the winner of the automotive contest.

'Catch up' is goal, interim Dana execs say, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, March 20, 2008
Toledo—The temporary top executives of Toledo's biggest business said yesterday that auto parts supplier Dana Corp. must continue to focus on its bread-and-butter businesses while it races to "catch up" with other suppliers moving into growing overseas markets. Under questioning from analysts, the acting CEO said the previous management had lost its focus on the company's key business and the bankruptcy helped the firm refocus on what it does best.

Tax credits to help Hercules project get off the ground, Canton Repository, March 20, 2008
Canton—State tax credits will help clear the way for the $178 million Hercules development project, which will include exhibition, office, retail and residential space. The tax credits, part of a program with the Ohio Department of Development, are valued at roughly $36 million, about 25 percent of the estimated $178 million project. The project will have 100,000 square feet of exhibition space, office space, retail space and about 150 residential units.

Related stories:

Overhaul at Canton plant, by Marilyn Miller, Akron Beacon Journal, March 21, 2008

$178M development to bring jobs to Canton, NewsNet5-ABC, March 20, 2008

Editorial: Federal and state EPAs must look more closely at steel mill's neighborhood, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 20, 2008
Cleveland—ArcelorMittal is obliged to be a good neighbor to the hundreds of thousands of people who live within five miles of the West Side plant. That means sitting down with Matt Carroll, director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health, and maybe even Ohio Citizen Action, the organization that's helping nearby residents press their complaints.

Imports savage Ohio's leading industries, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 20, 2008
Washington—The United States Business & Industry Council reports the fastest-growing categories of foreign-manufactured goods match Ohio's top seven industrial sectors, suggesting that Ohioans are buying from abroad what other Ohioans make at home. Analysts from the Council and the Alliance for American Manufacturing urge tougher public policies that restrict imported goods from countries they say violate trade agreements.

NE Ohio manufacturer buys British operation, by Scott Suttell, Crains Cleveland Business, March 17, 2008 (subscription)
Mayfield Village—Mayfran International, a maker of factory automation systems, has acquired Hardman Maintenance Engineering of Bolton, England. Hardman will be integrated with other Mayfran operations in the United Kingdom at a plant under construction near Manchester.

Akron Chamber launches mission to boost economy, by Paula Schleis, Akron Beacon Journal, March 16, 2008
Akron—The Greater Akron Chamber has begun visiting members with that vision and hat in hand as it starts a fundraising campaign to support a new five-year strategic plan called Advance Akron. Our Region. Our Future.

Reports indicate weak manufacturing, by Jeff Bater, Wall Street Journal, March 17, 2008 (Subscription)
Washington—New data from the Federal Reserve show further evidence of economic weakness in the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Schulman hires UBS to explore possible sale, other alternatives, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 17, 2008
Green—Plastics and resins maker A. Schulman Inc. said today that its board has retained UBS Investment Bank as its financial adviser to explore alternatives, including an acquisition or sale of the company.

Editorial: Cleveland is under the EPA's ozone hammer again, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 16, 2008
The PD's editorial board takes the EPA to task for jacking up ozone standards, potentially causing more economic hardship in Ohio.

Cleveland's 'Medical Mart' goes forward, AP via Canton Repository, March 15, 2008
Cleveland—Cuyahoga County's negotiator told commissioners on Thursday that an agreement had been reached with a Chicago-based developer, Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. He said the developer will invest $20 million. The county's share hasn't been specified.

Henkel employees moving to Westlake, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 15, 2008
Avon—Henkel Corp. plans to move 100 to 200 employees from Avon to Westlake as part of the company's sell-off of some adhesive brands and a local plant to Phoenix company. Westlake planning officials approved a renovation request for a building at 801 Canterbury Road where Henkel could occupy approximately 30k square feet.

Upcoming Events:

Ohio Nanotechnology Summit, April 9-11, Great Wolf Lodge, Mason (near Cincinnati)
The 2008 Summit will focus on applications and product commercialization. New how-to consultative sessions and collaboration mixers allow attendees to focus their experience to build their business and grow partnerships. A preliminary agenda is available on the website. Early registration discount ends March 21.

SBIR/STTR and Grant Funding Proposal Preparation Workshops:

April 4, Akron Global Business Accelerator
April 10, Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (Elyria)
April 11, Youngstown Global Business Incubator
April 28-29, Ohio Aerospace Institute (Cleveland)

The Ohio Aerospace Institute and TechLift, a NorTech Initiative, are hosting four workshops to help individuals prepare grant proposals for the SBA's Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Program(STTR). For complete details, see the NorTech announcement.