The Wyandot County Office of Economic Development carries out a number of programs that contribute to its overall impact in the local community. While not all of the organization’s efforts may be categorized into a specific program, the WCOED tracks certain metrics annually and conducts studies in partnership with surrounding counties as necessary. Some of these reports can be found below:
2022 Annual Report
Wage & Benefit Survey
Wage & Benefit Survey – Completed in 2021, a wage and benefit survey and final report were completed for Wyandot County plus a larger region including Erie, Hancock, Huron, Lucas, Sandusky, and Seneca Counties. The 7-county survey offers key information on company demographics, types of benefits offered to employees, retention strategies, and compensation patterns.
After the WCOED prepared the first Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for Wyandot County in 2013, a regional CEDS was completed in 2022 including Wyandot, Crawford, Richland, and Ashland Counties. The U.S. 30 Corridor CEDS integrates the region’s human and physical capital to plan for economic development. The CEDS provides a road map for needed future projects to bring about economic development within the county and region.
The WCOED also compiled a formal Economic Impact Analysis (EIA) for Wyandot County that helped to identify target industries and the effects that changes in one industry has on all local industries. The first of these reports for Wyandot was completed in mid-2014 and is available below:
The Wyandot County Office of Economic Development working in conjunction with other local partners has created retail analysis of the largest municipal downtown areas in Wyandot County:
The Wyandot County Office of Economic Development offers a comprehensive Business Retention & Expansion Program that is designed to connect local businesses with resources that help to plan and implement growth projects. Through multiple local, state, and federal level partners, the WCOED can direct local organizations toward multiple programs and specific expertise. The Business Retention and Expansion Program also provides local development officials and policy makers with the data they need to develop, prioritize, and implement actionable items that make Wyandot County a better place to operate a business.
The WCOED offers assistance to existing small businesses and new entrepreneurs in their venture to profitably operate and grow their business. Whether you are interested in learning about small business loan programs, finding a location for your business, or establishing an online presence, our office has the means to assist you. The WCOED partners with a number of organizations offering expertise in these areas. Our office may be able to provide in-house education, or connect you directly with local experts or those in our region that can help to streamline your project.
Community Opportunity is a free resource for Wyandot County businesses geared toward connecting local talent with local opportunities that the WCOED has put into place and manages. Specifically, it is a comprehensive website for students, job seekers, and area businesses alike to connect, network, and find/share employment opportunities in the community.
The majority of all local high school students will create profiles within the system, and will narrow their scope of interest throughout their high school careers. Those that choose will be identifiable by local businesses for job shadow, internship, and summer work opportunities. By making local talent aware of local opportunities before graduation and further education and training, our younger talent is better equipped to fill those local needs in the future.
www.CommunityOpportunity.com is available for county employers to build their business profile page, post current job openings, and mine resumes. As with any other job board, any job seeker inside or outside of Wyandot County can also create a profile and stay updated on new postings within their areas of interest.
The Wyandot Employment Task Force (WETF) is a concerted effort the Wyandot County community bringing together all ‘Five Communities of Interest’, or those stakeholders that play a crucial role in workforce development, specifically to tackle the local issues surrounding workforce. These communities of interest include Business, Government, Community organizations, Education, and Local Talent; all of which must be engaged and motivated to make headway in alleviating this top challenge faced by employers across the country.
Many of the major employers and industry representatives have joined in the mission to “Passionately connect talent with employment opportunities.” This group of stakeholders meets regularly on the third Wednesday of each month.
With the increasing need for a skilled and educated workforce among local manufacturers, and the lack of a substantial talent pool, the WCOED has offered a yearly “Manufacturing Day” since 2013 to sophomore students from Carey, Mohawk and Upper Sandusky high schools. Students have the opportunity to visit participating manufacturing facilities throughout the county. This program makes these 10th grade students aware of the abundance of opportunities available in the manufacturing industry right here in Wyandot County. The majority of students have never been exposed to a modern manufacturing environment or the various functions located therein. Students are provided with a brief overview of the Manufacturing Day goals and objectives and then bused to participating facilities where the local employers give students a brief overview of their respective organization and the products they manufacture. They then take students on a tour to show them not only the production area, but to introduce them to the various positions found within each facility. Students have the opportunity to meet personnel from various departments located in each facility, learn what those jobs entail, and the types of skills and education required for each. This provides the students with a better understanding of each position’s role in the larger organization and how they could try to pursue those types of opportunities if they were of interest. Each student is asked to complete a pre- and post-test to evaluate their prior knowledge and document changes in awareness and perceptions regarding the local manufacturing industry as well as their overall experience. It is the hope of the WCOED that data gleaned from these evaluations will help to strengthen future offerings of the program as well as aid in expanding the reach of the program to the other Wyandot County school districts in subsequent years.
Other Workforce Development Resources
The WCOED works closely with Ohio Means Jobs of Wyandot County (formerly JobSolutions) to provide information and tools that link local employers to Ohio’s workforce system. Ohio Means Jobs staff, housed at the county Department of Jobs and Family Services, administer federal and state programs that offer employment services such as hiring and training support and labor market information to employers and workers. Contact the WCOED for assistance with your recruiting or training efforts. OhioMeansJobs.com also provides an online database, powered by Monster.com, that allows Ohio employers to resume mine and post available positions completely free. The tool also allows Ohio job seekers to post their resumes for free. The tool can be accessed here.
OMJ of Wyandot County also manages a large pool of funding to help the emerging workforce prepare for and find meaningful employment. Comprehensive Case Management Employment Program (CCMEP), can provide local employers benefits such as:
On the job training reimbursement for employee wages and benefits
Payment of occupational skills training for job related certifications
Drug and alcohol counseling
Supportive services including assistance in purchasing specialized clothing, foot wear, tools, daycare, and gas vouchers
Adult mentoring
Our organization also partners with area vocational schools, technical schools, and universities to provide both on-site, classroom, and online training needed for new and incumbent associates of local employers.
The Wyandot County Manufacturing Day program was developed by the Wyandot County Office of Economic Development to introduce high school students to the realities of the modern-day manufacturing environment. Each year sophomores from local high schools are offered the chance to tour two local manufacturing facilities, and to learn from personnel in various departments about what their job entails as well as the skills and education required to perform their functions.
Simple pre- and post-tests are used to gauge the program’s effectiveness and change of awareness in students. Results from the program have shown that the majority of students participating have never even been exposed to a manufacturing operation before going through the program.
Expansion & Relocation Assistance
The WCOED actively pursues new business for Wyandot County in addition to working with local existing businesses by assisting with expansion projects. The WCOED maintains close relationships with regional, state, and private agencies who can also provide assistance to local businesses. This can include assistance such as tax incentives, grants, and loans, or even assistance with needed infrastructure and utilities. The WCOED also strives to meet the demands of company requests for information compiling services for items such as local demographics, workforce, and labor sheds.
Property Database Administration
Site Selection Database
The WCOED is the local agency responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of a comprehensive site and building database for Wyandot County. This database system, called Ohio Zoom Prospector, is used by the State of Ohio when prospective businesses are performing a site search within the state. The system provides a streamlined method of offering business prospects available sites and/or facilities that meet their search criteria. Click here to access the Zoom Prospector system, which contains all local industrial properties and those over 5 acres in size.
Outside of the groups run by the Wyandot County Office of Economic Development, the WCOED Executive Director provides community service and leadership in a number of local organizations that all have a positive impact on the local business and economic climate. Those service capacities include:
Board of Directors – Wyandot County Airport Authority Membership – Wyandot County Health Alliance Board of Directors / Secretary – Wyandot County Young Professionals Board of Directors / PR Chair – Rotary Club of Upper Sandusky
The WCYP is a community organization for individuals aged 18-45 who live or work in Wyandot County, or graduated from a Wyandot County school district. The group was created as a subsidiary of the WCOED and has now grown to become a separate entity that is determined to attract and retain young talent in the Wyandot County area. Visit the WCYP page for more information.
Manufacturing Day
