DAYTON—JobsOhio has assisted three Dayton Region small businesses with Inclusion Grants totaling $100,000.

The grants provide financial support for eligible projects in designated distressed communities and for businesses owned by underrepresented populations across the state. The Dayton Development Coalition, JobsOhio’s network partner for the Dayton Region, supported the companies through the grant application process.

“We often work with companies in need of support in order to grow and add jobs but do not meet the requirements for traditional JobsOhio support,” said Julie Sullivan, the DDC’s Executive Vice President for Regional Development. “We’re thrilled to have a new tool in our economic development toolbox to support small business job growth.”

Projects awarded grants in December 2020 and January 2021 include:

CANARY Consulting (Dayton): CANARY Consulting Inc., helps design new products for insurance companies and bring them to market through actuarial support and regulatory compliance. The JOIG grant will help them train new employees on industry specific software in this complex industry.

“Connecting our diversity and inclusion plan to our business plan is a constant pursuit for us. CANARY’s business model is built entirely on the value proposition of diversity and inclusion – by attracting and retaining diverse talent, the company has invested in insurance innovation and plans to be an industry leader for the development of young talent. This brainpower built upon the application and inclusion of diversity of perspective, skills, and experience allows us to solve large, complex challenges providing our clients with high-quality, accurate analysis and solutions.    

“Our company has grown significantly in the last five years and we expect to experience this kind of exponential growth over the next five years as well. As most business owners know, sustaining rapid growth has its challenges: from operational inefficiencies to cash flow crunches to overextending the existing team. We are so grateful to be a recipient of this grant which will neutralize many of these challenges, providing us with the means to grow quickly and strategically. 

“Our workstyle is to quickly and cohesively integrate with our client’s teams, working as partners, which maximizes the value of our diverse talent pool. So, not only is inclusion important for bringing our own talents to the table, but also for helping our clients get more value out of the teams they already have and with this approach, CANARY is constructing a new future for the insurance industry. This grant enables us to continue the important work of investing in our business, investing in our community, and investing in the insurance industry.” –Kyle Babirad, Actuary, CANARY Consulting

    JOIG amount: $50,000

• Capital investment: $0
• Jobs created: 30
• Jobs retained: 12

Incenta Rewards (Washington Twp.):  Incenta offers loyalty and incentive programs to companies, creating customized programs with web portal for each client. When COVID hit, they lost significant business and switched to providing PPE for the short term.  As the incentive and loyalty business starts to come back, the company needs to upgrade their online software technologies. The JOIG will support the necessary upgrades.

“My wife Carol and I launched Incenta Rewards in 2013. Together we built a thrilling incentive, employee recognition and consumer loyalty rewards business. In 2018, Incenta Rewards was recognized as Dayton’s #1 Fastest Growing Company and Business of the Year for Family-Owned businesses in Greater Miami Valley Region. Business was incredible with major revenue growth and employment opportunities from their grass-roots start-up. Fast-forward to 2020 when the pandemic impacted company revenues when their large gift events were halted due to CDC guidelines related to COVID-19 events and crowd sizes.

“When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we sat down and reviewed all of our business processes and expenses to find ways to enhance our core business. We determined Incenta’s proprietary online reward platform was ready for a 2.0 upgrade. The timing of JobsOhio’s Inclusion Grant could not have been any better. It allows Incenta Rewards to fast-track the software development to enhance our platform. We’re grateful to JobsOhio and the DDC for their support.”—Incenta Rewards President Joe Jones

     JOIG amount: $25,000

• Capital investment: $36,000
• Jobs created: 3
• Jobs retained: 5

Oregon Printing Communications (Dayton): Oregon Printing Communications provides offset and digital printing, creative/editorial consultation, graphic design, marketing and a full range of mailing services. Oregon is a leading print and marketing solutions provider serving Dayton and Indiana and KY markets. The grant will allow them to purchase a new HP Indigo 7K digital press.

“I’m grateful JobsOhio was able to grant Oregon Printing Communications $25,000 toward the purchase of a New HP 7900 Indigo digital printing system. The grant was able to give us the push we needed to be able to afford this whole transaction, which was a total of $390,000. The technology provided by the HP Indigo technology will expand Oregon’s portfolio of solutions for non-profit fundraising support by expanding our capabilities in data driven direct mail and fundraising campaigns, as well as expand our ability help designers communicate their message with new and innovative print technology.

“By making this move now, we feel like we will be able to get the proper training and workflows under our belt, so that starting now, and when we do come out of the pandemic, we will be ready to help our customers achieve their goals, as well as add some skilled jobs to our payroll.” – Judd Plattenburg, President, Oregon Printing Communications

     JOIG amount: $25,000

• Capital investment: $390,000
• Jobs created: 2
• Jobs retained: 11