The Dayton Development Coalition had what it called a record-setting year in 2023, with new projects and plans for expansion from some of the nation’s biggest employers.
The new projects that companies committed to in 2023 will generate more than $383 million in new payroll and $1 billion in capital investment in Miami Valley, according to the DDC.
The coalition held its annual meeting and economic review on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. About 650 community and business leaders from the Dayton region attended.
DDC President Jeff Hoagland cited projects like Honda and LG’s $4 billion battery plantin Fayette County.
“The past three years, our region has created more than 15,400 jobs and retained 15,800 jobs,” Hoagland said. “Capital investment from those projects totaled $7.45 billion. We closed on 39 projects that created more than 5,200 jobs.”
The theme for this year’s conference was the future of aviation, and both Sierra Nevada Corporation and Joby Aviation highlighted two projects for the Dayton region.
Aerospace company Sierra Nevada opened its Aviation Innovation and Technology Center in Dayton a year ago. The company said it's the first large aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facility constructed in the Dayton region since World War II.
Aircraft manufacturing company Joby Aviation will build an electric air taxi manufacturing plant in Dayton, which the company said will create 2,000 new jobs.
The Miami Valley is a strategic manufacturing location, said Didier Papadopoulos, head of aircraft OEM at Joby.
"It's really impressive that Ohio is the No. 1 supplier of parts for Boeing and Airbus,” Papadopoulos said. “That's why it's really important for us that we grow the workforce here that is very diverse and able to produce various components in partnership and collaboration with the rest of the industry here.”
Ohio Lt. Gov. John Husted, who attended and spoke at the meeting, said the development of these projects is a testament to strong partnership and collaboration in the region.
"I could tell a story about a success in 2023 from every county in the region," Husted said. "The county commissioners in all of these counties, the mayors, the local economic development professionals, the educational institutions, understand that we all win together."
