Wayne Economic Development News Today

NEWARK — The owner of a Lyons-based home-service company is the winner of the fifth annual Kick Start Business Pitch Competition sponsored by Wayne Economic Development Corp.

NEWARK — The student side of Wayne County Economic Development’s Kick-Start Competition found a strong showing from the Red Creek Central School District.

ORRVILLE  Chamber members cut loose, kicked off their Sunday shoes, and lost those COVID blues as they reassembled at the annual awards dinner and Celebration of Community. A pleasant summer evening greeted guests on Thursday as they gathered outside Orrville High School for the Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce event that took a more laid-back approach this year. Guests enjoyed grilled Gerbers chicken and other picnic sides from Buehler’s Ferris Food Truck. After dinner, they all headed ...

Maribeth Burns will succeed interim president John Crum, who filled in after the departure of Tom Pukys last month.

Crum brings 15-plus years of experience Noble noted Crums numerous qualifications including his 15-plus years of economic development experience, his recent stint as the WEDC chairman and his many years of leading expansion at Seaman. "He knows our organization and we are fortunate to have his expertise," Noble said. Crum retired from Seaman Corp. at the end of last year after 22 years with the company. He had served as the CEO since 2016. "WEDC has a very skilled team and I’m happy to hel...

Maribeth Burns named 56th Paul L. Powell Orrville Citizen of the Year ORRVILLE  Look around the city and you can probably find a project that involved Maribeth Burns. With more than 30 years experience with the J.M. Smucker Co., Burns said shes had the opportunity to work in many communities, "and I always enjoy coming back to Wayne County." Its no wonder shes this year’s Paul L. Powell Citizen of the Year award recipient. “It’s hard to beat that collaborative spirit. It’s more about...

At least one area school district canceled classes this week when it didn’t have enough teachers or substitutes to cover a normal day. And now more districts are taking a look at vaccination schedules and putting plans in place in case of staff absences. Fairless Local in Stark County called off school on Monday due to high teacher absences. District staff had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday. Some of the Monday absences were due to side effects experienced by s...

Wayne, Holmes unemployment return to pre-pandemic levels Most people are back to work in Wayne and Holmes County following pandemic shutdowns earlier in the year. The unemployment rate for Wayne County in October was 3.6%, exactly where it stood in February before Ohio shut down many businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19. Holmes County has rebounded even better, dropping its unemployment rate to 2.3% in October compared to 3.3% in February. “While others were pulling back, curbing hiring ...