In a story published on Wednesday, Argus Media reported that AK Steel is planning to idle its flat-rolled stainless steel mill in Mansfield effective April 4.
The post cites a representative of owner Cleveland-Cliffs, who shared that the decision was tied to the current conditions in the automobile industry. American car manufacturers are experencing sharp sales declines given the impact of the cornavirus health crisis at the same time that factories have temporarily ceased production. More…
As thoughts turn toward home, with schools closed, remote work increasing, temporary shutdowns, and travel impacted, it’s important to remember that there are still ways to help others and to support your community and its businesses — all from the comfort of your favorite easy chair.
During times of social distancing made necessary for health reasons, an in-person trip to that store or restaurant is not always necessary to make a real difference. Here are some ideas on how you can make a difference for Richland County businesses: More…
It’s never fun here at 1812Blockhouse to share news of a report that has challenging figures about the north central Ohio economy. On the other hand, we recognize that our readers want all news that might give them information important for their lives and careers.
A recent report by retail platform Volusion, based on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, looked at the number of employees in the country’s 358 metro areas who make a six figure salary. The report noted that the largest concentration of declines in that figure is in the Midwest and on the East Coast. More…
The Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) has released its latest analysis of the economic and demographic performance of Ohio’s 22 legacy cities, which includes Mansfield. GOPC concludes that many of Ohio’s small and mid-sized legacy cities are showing signs of improvement since 2014, but they will require support from the state to be as strong as they were in 2000.
GOPC’s assessment is based on recently released 2018 American Community Survey data and is an update to GOPC’s 2016 report, “From Akron to Zanesville: How Are Ohio’s Small and Mid-Sized Legacy Cities Faring?” More…
The Mansfield News Journal recently ran an interesting article about lack of mid-tier housing in Mansfield (that story can be read here). Hopefully this means that our local economy is on the upswing, as the article asserts that the housing shortage is caused by low jobless rate and low interest rates. But it also got us thinking about a time in Mansfield’s past, or – more correctly – the country’s past, when there was not enough housing for everyone. More…
InnovateOhio, under the direction of Lt. Governor Jon Husted, released the Ohio Broadband Strategy this past Thursday.
The document serves as a comprehensive plan for aggressively expanding and enhancing the state’s broadband network. If approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), it will also qualify local governments in Ohio to receive 20 additional points on applications for federal ReConnect funding. Finally, InnovateOhio is working with Connected Nation Ohio to produce a series of broadband availability maps, each with interactive GIS map layers, allowing journalists, researchers and legislators to zoom in and explore them directly. More…
When the US Department of Housing and Urban Development recently made funding available for local efforts to combat homelessness for a segment of society in need, a local agency was included.
HUD has awarded $131.3 million to 325 local public housing authorities across the country to provide affordable housing to approximately 15,363 additional non-elderly persons with disabilities. Secretary Ben Carson made the national announcement during a recent visit to Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit Housing Commission received $597,629 to serve the residents in their community living with disabilities.
In Ohio, the voucher awards included one to the Mansfield Metropolitan Housing Authority (MHA), which received an award of $73,464 for 25 vouchers. More…
The University of Cincinnati Economics Center has released its annual Holiday Forecast of Ohio Retail Spending, and the numbers look very positive for Mansfield and north central Ohio – in fact, better than any other metro area in the state.
Overall findings included the following: More…
It’s good news heading into the seasonal employment boost which takes place during the holidays.
This past week, seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for Ohio’s counties and larger cities were released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. While the state’s rate remained steady, the rates fell slightly in Mansfield and Richland County while adjacent counties remained substantially level from the month before. More…
All About Richland, All Things Business
In the most recent unemployment rate report issued through the Ohio Department of Family Services, north central Ohio’s jobless numbers remained steady.
As for the entire state, Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in September 2019, up from 4.1 percent in August. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 1,500 over the month, from a revised 5,592,700 in August to 5,591,200 in September 2019. More…
It’s that time of year when Richland County retailers gear up for what they hope will be robust holiday season sales.
As we shared last year, the prediction for Mansfield/Ontario area shopping numbers for retail spending during the Christmas season was the strongest in the state with a predicted 8 percent increase. Local store owners are certainly hoping that trend continues this year. Predictions for the 2019 shopping season from the University of Cincinnati Economics Center are due out near Thanksgiving. More…
As the fourth Democratic debate nears at nearby Otterbein University in Westerville, the New York Times published a story on Saturday that looks at how Ohio’s economy is faring.
To answer that question, the Times chose a representative city on which to focus much of its article.
They chose Mansfield. More…
All About Richland, All Things Business
This past week, seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for Ohio’s counties and larger cities were released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. While the state’s rate remained steady, the rates in Richand and all adjacent counties remain substantially level from the month before. More…
Can a smaller sized business in Richland County actually make an impact in a global market? Could that business actually sell oversees?
Ohio small businesses, including those in Richland County, have access to $457,780 in funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) to help them identify exporting opportunities. The STEP award will support various small business exporting activities to help make “Made in Ohio” more internationally known. More…
