Business

Small business owners are salivating at the prospect Ohio might raise up to $1 billion over five years by hiking taxes on natural gas liquids drillers and using the revenue to pay for a general income tax cut. 

DAYTON— Standard Register says a planned restructuring will mean the loss of about 12 percent to 15 percent of its work force over the next six to nine months.  The announcement came yesterday and the company says the restructuring should mean an estimated $45 million in annual savings.

But the moves are expected to cut expected revenues for the fourth qtr 2011 by approximately $5.5 million,and another $1.5 million in the first qtr. of 2012.

The company has about 614 Dayton workers.

The boom in drilling for natural gas trapped in layers of shale has been good news for a handful of Ohio companies that supply the type of sand needed for such drilling.

Rob Sidley's family-owned company in northeast Ohio processes sand that is perfect for the drilling process because it's nearly 100 percent quartz as well as round, hard and water resistant.

The Akron Beacon Journal reported Monday that companies like Sidley's have a valuable commodity since 6,000 to 8,000 tons of sand are needed to drill one well.

The process for releasing gas in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations blasts thousands of gallons of sand- and chemical-laced water into the shale, a process known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking.
    

Ohio craft brewers hope a new state law will help boost beer tourism by bringing breweries more in line with winery tasting rooms.

The law allows production breweries to open tasting rooms and sell beer by the glass without buying a second, costly permit.

Ohio wineries have not had to pay that charge and have flourished by marketing themselves as tourist destinations. 

The December installment of SOCHE TALKS featuring Riad A. Ajami, from Wright State University on Ohio and global business.

The SOCHE Talks are a collaboration with the Southwest Ohio Council for Higher Education. In this monthly series we’ll hear from faculty and staff from areas colleges and universities on a wide variety of subjects. It's an effort to bring Miami Valley research and thinking into the public arena – a way to enlighten the world with local knowledge.