Four local businesses awarded JobsOhio Inclusion Grant

Four Ottawa County businesses were awarded the JobsOhio Inclusion Grant Funds through the JobsOhio Inclusion Grant have helped to finance machinery and equipment, real estate and training which allows Ohio’s smaller businesses to prosper.

Completed Inclusion Grant projects have already created $74 million in new investment. The Ottawa County projects include:

Pristine Marine is a disabled, veteran-owned business located in Port Clinton. Pristine Marine offers a range of services including upholstery and canvas, as well as a wide variety of marine flooring options from SeaDek, Gator Step, and Corinthian snap-in carpet. Their work is done with state-of-the- art equipment to ensure a tight factory look.

“The Ottawa County Improvement Corporation (OCIC) helped Pristine Marine increase our capability to serve Ottawa county’s boating community,” stated Michael McGlothlin, owner of Pristine Marine. “Not only did they help us increase speed but also the quality of products we provide.”

Lateral Gig is a female-owned contract screen printing company, producing high quality prints at large quantities. Lateral Gig creates all screen printed and engraved marketing products in house. The business opened in 2017 in downtown Port Clinton.

Quikstir, Inc. was founded in 1954 and manufactures mixers of various sizes and capacity. Soon, there was a need in the industry for the mechanical application (or spraying) of the industrial coatings that the mixers were mixing.

In 1968, Quikspray, Inc. was established as the manufacturer of these applicators.

“OCIC and JobsOhio made the grant process simple and straightforward,” said Leah Barker, Sales and Marketing Specialist for Quikstir Inc./Quikspray Inc. “The team that I worked with made the application process easy and we look forward to our upcoming project.”

Legacy Canvas Unlimited specializes in custom canvas repair and replacement for marine, residential, and commercial needs. The company opened in 2018 by Brenda Smith.

“As a small, local business, women-owned and operated, the funds are an important, sustainable investment in the infrastructure of my business, creating two jobs that will be necessary to support expansion and advancement due to the introduction of technology into our fabrication process,” said Brenda Smith, owner of Legacy Canvas Unlimited.

The use of technology is on the cutting edge in the global marine canvas covers industry.

“Without assistance from the JobsOhio grant, the investment and commitment necessary to see this project to completion might not be possible,” said Smith. “The assistance frees up funds that would otherwise be needed in areas of the business such as payroll and operating expenses but can now be applied to an innovative approach to improving our efficiency and accuracy.

“This will result in a more effective effort in meeting the extensive demands of the marine market in our area.”

JobsOhio created the Inclusion Grant in June 2020. The Inclusion Grant aims to provide financial support for eligible projects in designated distressed communities and for businesses owned by underrepresented populations across the state. The primary goals of the overall inclusivity strategy are to drive investment and job creation into distressed areas across Ohio, and also to help growing small and medium sized businesses located in discussed communicates and/or have minority ownership.

“Small businesses can be an important spark that attracts growth in communities that have played a vital role in Ohio’s success story,” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio President and CEO. “These inclusion grants can spur more opportunity for four creative and dynamic small businesses that can improve commerce and vibrancy of communities in Ottawa County.”

To qualify for the Inclusion Grant, a company must be owned by an underrepresented population which includes consideration of geographic location, race, ethnicity, gender, veterans, and those with disabilities, or it must be located in a qualified distressed community as defined by the Economic Innovation Group. The grant may be put towards eligible costs including fixed asset investment in machinery and equipment, real estate investments and training costs.

“This is just one more example of how the JobsOhio/Regional Growth Partnership model works so well,” said Chris Singerling, OCIC Executive Director. “Because of their success in bringing large scale businesses and jobs back to Ohio, they are able to focus investments on the smaller businesses that enhance vibrant communities like ours.”

JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention, and expansion. For more information about the Inclusion Grant or about JobsOhio, visit jobsohio.com.