Homes prices increase in Dayton area
Following a nearly nationwide trend, Dayton-area home prices continued to push upward in September, even as sales fell slightly, according to the latest monthly report from the Dayton Realtors trade organization.
The average sales price increased 5% to $221,342 and the median price grew 3% to $185,450, Dayton Realtors said.
However, the number of sales dipped from last year, falling 3% with 1,652 transactions.
Year to date, the average price totaled $218,618 (up 12%) while the median price came in at $185,000, up 10%.
Statewide, sales in September reached 16,128, a 0.9% uptick from a year ago. The average sales price across Ohio reached $242,561, an 8.8% increase from 2020.
“We’re seeing the Ohio real estate market return to a place of balance, with a steady uptick in the level of homes being marketed for sale across most of our markets occurring to help us meet the continued strong demand of consumers eager to take advantage of the historic low interest rates,” said Ohio Realtors President Seth Task.
In the Dayton area, single-family and condominium sales reported by Dayton Realtors’ Multiple Listing Service reached a sales volume of $365 million last month, six million more than the same month in 2020.
Sales year-to-date through September reached 13,016, up almost 3% compared to the same period in 2020 when 12,662 properties closed. Total dollar volume through nine months hit $2.84 billion, a 15% increase.
Single-family and condominium listing entries totaled 1,733 in September, down 8% from September 2020. Listings through the nine-month period totaled 15,580, up 2%.
More workers required to get vaccine
More and more local workers are required to get a COVID-19 vaccine as employers increasingly adopt mandates and as federal guidelines take shape.
General Electric, CareSource, Walmart, Procter & Gamble, University of Dayton, and more are among those either planning to require or already requiring vaccination.
Many companies in making their announcements cited that their workplace will be subject to the Biden administration’s forthcoming COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
President Joe Biden in September told OSHA to write new rules requiring companies with more than 100 employees to be vaccinated or regularly, and those rules are expected to be published soon.
In separate guidance, federal contractor employees must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8.
In total, more than 6.4 million Ohioans have at least started a vaccination series, which is approximately 55% of the population.
This includes around 225,000 Ohioans who got their first COVID-19 shot in September.
Dayton-based CareSource, one of the city’s largest employers, said in a statement that the insurance company “will comply with the federal vaccine mandate, and we have notified employees that they need to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8 or have an approved accommodation in place.”
Nursing homes are one of the few industries with detailed staff vaccination data.
About 56.3% of health care staff in Ohio nursing homes were fully vaccinated in the latest AARP analysis, which looked at the average vaccination rates for the four weeks leading up to Sept. 19.
Air Force warns about not having vaccine
The Air Force is warning active-duty personnel who refuse to take a COVID-19 vaccine that they could be prosecuted under military law.
Nov. 2 is the deadline for active-duty Airmen and Space Force Guardians to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel facing a Dec. 2 deadline.
Any active-duty Airman or Guardian who has refused to
get a qualifying vaccine by Nov. 2 and has not received, or, is not in the process of pursuing, a medical exemption or religious accommodation will be in violation of a “lawful order and subject to discipline under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” the Air Force said Wednesday.
“Should a service member refuse to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, commanders retain the full range of disciplinary options available to them under law and policy, some of which includes issuing administrative paperwork, imposing nonjudicial punishment, or referring court-martial charges,” the Air Force said.
Article 92 concerns the failure to obey a direct, lawful order. The maximum punishment is dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of pay and confinement for two years.
New giant building planned near airport
Construction could begin as early as next month on a 675,000-square-foot building being built on spec on more than 80 acres near the Dayton International Airport, Steve Stanley, executive director of the Montgomery County Transportation District, said Wednesday.
Land for the giant building was purchased for $2.2 million north of Old Springfield Road in Union. No end user has been identified, but the building could hold a little more than 11 football fields.
It was unclear Wednesday, for that reason, who might occupy the building or how many people might work there.
“I think a spec building of this nature is one that can have distribution,” Stanley said. “In my experience, there can also be light manufacturing.”
The project will be overseen by Panattoni Development Co. Inc. Messages seeking comment were left with that company.
As part of the project, the transportation district will extend Union Airpark Boulevard to the north of Old Springfield, to serve the west side of that property, Stanley said
Montgomery County property records identified a recent land buyer on that site as “CH REALTY IX JV I DAYTON LOGISTICS WEST LP.” The seller was listed as a trust for Barbara J. Deal. Purchased were parcels of 76.3 and 5.1 acres.
Battle Sight Technologies lands funding
Dayton’s Battle Sight Technologies has landed a $100,000 grant from the Ohio Third Frontier Technology Validation and Start-up Fund.
The money will be used to further test and refine a new product to help distinguish friend from foe on the nighttime battlefield.
The Dayton business said it is the only company to receive the Ohio grant twice. The company first won the grant in 2018.
“I believe Ohio is a growing force in the emerging technologies marketplace and it’s exciting to impact state and local economies through the creation of technology-focused jobs,” said Nick Ripplinger, president of Battle Sight and a U.S. Army veteran. “We anticipate significant growth over the course of the next four years from our Dayton headquarters.”
The company’s focus today is commercialization of its new Infrared signal technology, called “ColdFIRE.”
Battle Sight said ColdFIRE, a photoluminescent, industrial powder, emits lights in near-infrared and short-wave infrared wavelengths once activated by an ambient light source.
DRMA releases benefit survey
The Dayton Region Manufacturers
Association (DRMA) has released its annual Employee Wage and Benefit Survey report.
DRMA has released the survey for more than a decade. One observation to be gleaned from the latest survey is that wages are indeed rising, said Angelia Erbaugh, DRMA president.
“The wages are trending up, and other components of the compensation are, too,” she said.
Results of the 2021 survey help companies determine their competitiveness in the industry and offers a look at best practices. The survey covers trends in compensation, employee benefits, work schedules and recruitment and retention strategies.
Companies are identified when they respond to the survey but published results are aggregate, Erbaugh said
She said DRMA staff does not have access to individual company information. Published results identify companies by number of employees, not names.
Jim Bowman, owner of Dayton manufacturer Noble Tool LLC, called the survey “a benchmarking tool for us.”
“We want to offer a total compensation package that is competitive in the region, and then add to that the exciting teaming environment that Noble Tool has to offer in order to attract the best and brightest employees,” Bowman said. “We want Noble Tool to be one of the manufacturing employers of choice in the Dayton region, and the survey supports that goal.”
The survey report is available to DRMA members for $250 and to non-members for $400.
Member companies include manufacturers in Butler and Clark counties, according to its website.
To buy a copy, contact DRMA at (937) 949-4000 or email SKnoll@DaytonRMA.org.
New downtown business open
The small business momentum continues in downtown Dayton as three new leases have been recently signed.
Last week, Vy Banks Boudoir signed the lease for a space directly above Grist at Ludlow Place at the Corner of Fifth St. and Ludlow St. An opening date has yet to be set, but according to the Downtown Dayton Partnership, Vy’s owner plans to open soon.
Between August and September, two more businesses secured first floor retail spaces.
ZaLaDaS event planning will open in the RSM building at 10 S. Patterson Boulevard across from Dayton Metro Library. The space is currently under construction and an opening date is still to be determined.
EmBARK dog boutique is scheduled to open later this year in the St. Clair Lofts “about mid-block” between Fourth St. and Third St. in the Fire Blocks District. The boutique will take over the former space of Anthony James Painting and Contracting.
Some of the boutiques products that will be offered in-store can be found on the shop’s Etsy website at etsy. com/shop/LadyEleanorDesigns.
Miami County urgent care center opens
A new urgent care center is expected to open in Piqua early 2022.
The urgent care will open on Spring Street, and will join area locations operating in Dayton, Clayton, Huber Heights, Xenia, and Troy.
“We recognized there was a need and opportunity to provide local residents with greater access to quality care with shorter wait times, walk-in service and lower costs than the traditional emergency room,” stated Annie Keller, WellNow Urgent Care public relations manager.
WellNow Urgent Care treats non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses such as sprains, burns, lacerations, colds and allergies while also providing on-site X-rays, lab testing and physicals, and all locations also do COVID-19 testing, according to Keller.
The Chicago-based chain now has more than 85 locations in New York, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan, from opening new locations as well as acquiring chains Hometown Urgent Care and MASH.
The chain started in 2011 as Five Star Urgent Care and rebranded as WellNow Urgent Care in 2018. Its a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aspen Dental Management.
Equitas Health names interim CEO
Equitas Health has named an interim CEO, after its longtime leader resigned after employees claimed the organization had a culture of racial discrimination.
The nonprofit network of LGBTQ+ focused health centers serves residents in Dayton, Columbus and other cities.
Robert Copeland was named interim CEO of Equitas Health, after joining the staff four years ago as chief development officer, according to an announcement by Equitas Board Chair Sam Rinehart.
Equitas said Copeland initially was a member of the board of trustees and that he has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare and nonprofit fundraising.
“The Board is confident Robert’s unique perspectives and trusted relationships will help Equitas Health navigate the current challenges. His passion is inspiring, and he is unwavering in his commitment to the mission,” the announcement stated.
The allegations by employees of Equitas were first reported by the Columbus Dispatch earlier this month. Several current and former employees said the organization had a culture of discrimination against Black employees.
Equitas has administrative offices in Columbus and Dayton and services around the state, including in Dayton where it operates a specialty pharmacy and medical center.
Workforce and labor shortages continue to plague the business community across the globe and supply chains everywhere, for everything; I mean literally every single thing is being impacted. But there isn’t one single cause to blame. It is a perfect storm and confluence of events that has led us to this breaking point:
Some two-person working families made the decision for one person to stay home during the pandemic, and they haven’t gone back to work.
The pre-pandemic workforce skills mismatch didn’t go away. There are still thousands of jobs and thousands of job seekers who may not have the skills for the specific job openings.
Baby boomers (70.7 million people ages 57-75 years old) are exiting the workforce hard and fast, and there aren’t enough Generation Xers (64.9 million people ages 41-56 years old) to fill the workforce voids.
New business registrations are being filed at a record pace, pointing to a significant number of people who exited the workforce and started their own business.
Hospitality jobs everywhere were eliminated in the pandemic and some still aren’t fully open again.
COVID-19 unemployment benefits were extended for longer than they needed to be. They are over now, but the extension through September 2021 kept people out of the workforce for longer than needed.
All of this has created a perfect storm of workforce shortages and supply chain disruptions that are leading to rapid inflation and an eventual economic correction. When will the correction be here? This is the big question. Cars are sitting in parking lots waiting for micro-processor chips, construction supplies are sitting on freight liners in California shipping ports, and it seems that literally everything you need at a store is on back order these days. I’ve never seen an economy where consumers have money to spend, but they can’t buy the products they want because of supply chain shortages or nobody is working to sell it to them.
Supply and demand across the board is so off-kilter that employers are raising wages to compete, gas prices are soaring, and retail products and homes are selling for way above value. This is a reflection of a free enterprise economy and a supply and demand economy. But, eventually, there will be an economic correction and we have to begin preparing for it now.
Building reserves, making strategic investments and being very deliberate about business operations changes will help us weather this storm when it gets here. Businesses need our public sector partners to do the same. One-time pandemic relief funds are helpful, but they can’t be a part of the permanent solution moving forward. Maintaining balanced budgets, not over-hiring, and keeping expenses inline will help the public and private sectors be prepared for what’s next.
In the meantime, let’s work together to help our businesses fully reopen, get fully staffed and get our supply chains moving again.