2020 Economic Development Annual Report by Hamilton, Ohio

City of Hamilton Economic Development

2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Contents A Letter from the Director Coronavirus Response Industry

Hamilton Enterprise Park

80 Acres & Infinite Acres

Downtown

Spooky Nook Sports Complex

Thommy Long

DORA

Brad Baker

Healthcare Infrastructure

Roadway Improvements

Metrics Thank You

2 4 6 7 8 14 15 16 22 24 28 30 31 32 34

A Letter from the Director 2020 was a difficult year for every sector of our nation’s

economy, with unprecedented circumstances faced by healthcare providers, manufacturers, logistics firms, restaurants, entertainment venues, small businesses, and more. After rising above the challenges of the past year, I have more faith in the Hamilton business community than ever before. We have seen a rapid shift in the ways that employees engage in work, customers shop and dine, and in the way people connect with each other, and these shifts are likely only just getting started. Hamilton businesses have adapted and innovated to not only keep the lights on, but to reach out and help their community. Hamilton’s award-winning healthcare systems were instrumental to ensuring the health of the community during the pandemic. Kettering Health Network’s Fort Hamilton Hospital and TriHealth’s Bethesda Butler Hospital prepared for the worst while seamlessly transitioning many patients to services such as remote appointments. Community First Solutions, which runs both Berkeley Square and Westover Assisted Living Facilities, played a crucial role in maintaining the safety of their elder communities and preventing community spread.

“After rising above the challenges of the past year, I have more faith in the Hamilton business community than ever before.” - Jody Gunderson

At the same time, Hamilton manufacturers stepped up to the challenge of producing the equipment necessary to fight the pandemic. Kiavac Cleaning Solutions immediately played a global role in sanitizing just weeks after the announcement of the pandemic, while iMFLUX ensured the safety of healthcare providers and citizens alike with the development of face shields supplied to FEMA, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and the Cleveland Clinic. Others such as ODW and Kirsch CPA committed to doing their part by transitioning from downtown offices to working from home. Of course, Hamilton’s vibrant small business community was most directly and immediately affected by the stay-at-home and social distancing orders. The community events our retail shops and restaurants rely on, such as Operation Pumpkin and Alive After 5, had to be scaled back in 2020. Still, despite this, Hamilton’s entrepreneurs got creative, learning how to market themselves in new ways.

And, of course, business must go on even in the strangest of times. Hamilton’s faithful businesses, based both locally and abroad, continued to expand, develop and build within our city. Spanish-based recycled paper manufacturer Saica announced plans to build a $72 million facility in Hamilton’s Enterprise Park and broke ground in fall 2020. Construction at Spooky Nook Sports continues unabated, with plans to open in early 2022. If this past year has shown us anything, it is that every individual person and business can contribute to the good of the community in their own unique way. While the circumstances of the past year have not been easy, they have also tapped into the existing grit and determination of this community and allowed leaders to find new solutions to a variety of problems. Through the collaborative effort of the city, Chamber, and businesses alike, I believe that our community will come out on the other side of this crisis both stronger and more resilient than ever.

Coronavirus Response

2020

brought uncertainty for the Hamilton community, businesses, and city staff. As of early April 2020, the City implemented work from home for many employees. However, despite the ongoing changes to daily life, essential business continued as usual. Hamilton’s Building Department continued to carry out inspections, which allowed businesses to continue necessary operations and move forward on vital projects. After all nonessential businesses had to suspend operation and restaurants and bars were ordered by the State of Ohio to shut their doors to the public and provide carryout only, the City of Hamilton quickly assembled a group of officials to work to keep the local economy afloat. This task force became known as the Rapid Restart Team, which is still working to assist the city’s small businesses now.

Rapid Restart Team The Rapid Restart Team (RRT) was created in April as a cross-functional team of City and Chamber staff tasked to assist the small business community during the stay-at-home order, fast track reopening when the pandemic subsided, and help reintroduce the public back to businesses once the order was lifted. The Rapid Restart Team implemented over twenty-five initiatives to keep the small business community strong through the pandemic, including altering downtown parking, creating outdoor dining areas, implementing sanitizer stations, and adding signage and trashcans within the Downtown Area. In late March 2020, the Hamilton City Council voted to authorize a $300,000 payment to the Hamilton Economic Development Corporation (HEDC), a non-profit economic development entity that has been serving the City of Hamilton for over forty years. The funds were then accessed by the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce to assist in the administration of the Small Business Stimulus program. This program offered $300,000 in small “loans” to local businesses to be paid back through the sale of gift cards. To boost retail sales, the team developed “Hamizon,” a small business interactive guide and marketing

campaign focused on local retail and service industry businesses. The publication includes high quality images of storeowners, their stories, hours of operation, and how to place an order. With indoor dining prohibited under Ohio guidelines, the city kept the Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) active for bars and restaurants, allowing them to maintain a revenue stream that complied with CDC guidelines. Additionally, DORA cups were provided to every liquor-serving establishment that remained open, free of cost. During the height of the pandemic shut-down, Hamilton restaurants hosted the first-ever Restaurant Week. Eleven local business offered package discounts for online, carryout only orders. The campaign was entirely digital, and was a significant boost for business, being the first time many restaurants downtown were back open. Temporary curbside pick-up locations were created for all food-serving establishments in the city in March, and they were such a success that the increased demand from businesses has resulted in multiple 10-minute carryout parking spots being implemented throughout the business districts, now called Curbside Hamilton.

Industry Saica Saica Group, the third largest company in its field in Europe and the most advanced European player in the development and production of recycled paper for corrugated packaging, has announced its first North American facility in Hamilton, Ohio. The Spanish-based company has more than 10,000 employees across Europe and is a world leader in the manufacturing of high quality and environmentally responsible packaging materials. Its Hamilton location, which broke ground at Enterprise Park in October, will be a state-of-the-art $72 million factory, and will employ approximately 64 people once it opens in early 2022. Saica is leading as Hamilton’s largest foreign investment to date, and is the recipient of the 2020 James A. Wuenker REDI Growth Award. Enterprise Park stood out as a prime location because of its readiness for construction and accessibility to the rest of the Midwest.

Salvagnini Salvagnini America, located just off Symmes Road and Bypass 4, designs, builds, sells, and services sheet metal processing equipment that can be found in factories in over 75 countries. The company recently completed a 26,000 square foot expansion of their current building, which added a new showroom, office space, and training center. The $7 million investment will allow the Italian-based company to create up to 15 more jobs over the next three years and expand business.

Hamilton Enterprise Park

At approximately 349 acres, Hamilton Enterprise Park is one of the largest industrial/office parks in the tristate region. It is owned by the City of Hamilton, enabling the city to work with prospective businesses while offering competitive real estate and utility rates. The city has recently purchased additional land across Tylersville Road to expand the Park.

Fast Facts

Recent Investments • Synergy has invested over $4.5 million in real and personal property at their Hamilton facility • TriHealth Bethesda Butler County completed a $45 million expansion • JWF Enterprises is currently building a 55,000 square foot facility for their new headquarters • 80 Acres Farms completed construction on a $30+ million facility

179

acres of undeveloped land available for $65,000 apiece

0.5

miles to the nearest 4 lane highway (By-Pass 4)

miles to the nearest Interstate (I-275 / only 8 miles to I-75)

property owner and low-cost, reliable provider for electric, natural gas, water, and sewer

80 Acres & Infinite Acres CEO Mike Zelkind: 2020 was a year that tested flexibility and focus for the business. We began the year with tremendous excitement as our brand was gaining momentum in both retailers and restaurants. Additionally, in February, we launched a modular tomato farm in New York City’s Upper East Side neighborhood, in conjunction with the Guggenheim’s exhibition with world-renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. Within weeks, the world had changed. Cities shuttered, retailers saw record sales but shelves were left empty, and restaurants closed indefinitely. Necessity is the mother of invention, so we pivoted our business to meet consumer demands. We quickly responded to retailer’s needs for fresh produce and even offered our products to consumers directly from the farm with contactless pick up. We were also in the middle of building our largest stateof-the art farm. We tightened our belt and remained focused on staying the course. In the fall of 2020, we successfully opened our 70K square foot farm, scaling

our technology and production 10x greater than before. The successful launch of this farm enabled us to meaningfully expand into over 300 Kroger stores in the region, making fresh, local produce accessible to many more people in our community. With our newest farm operating at full capacity, our team is focused on continuously improving the processes from seed to fork. The farm has millions of data points within the life cycle of each crop. We are constantly fine-tuning the precise crop recipes for higher yield, better flavor, longer shelf life, and greater nutrition through AI and machine learning. As we advance the business, 80 Acres Farms is also developing a world class Research and Development Center of Excellence in Springdale, Arkansas to focus on seed genetics and crop varieties. We are excited to utilize our vertical farming technology to grow a broader line of products with exceptional flavor at the right price to the consumer.

Industry Kroger Data Center As Kroger’s digital footprint continues to expand through investment in e-commerce, so does their presence in Hamilton. In 2020, Kroger announced that the company would be expanding operations and investing over $100 million over the course of three years into two new data centers, which will house the company’s computer systems and related components. One center will be located in Hamilton’s Vora Technology Park, the other in Blue Ash. The new addition will include Hamilton in the rapidly growing tech industry within Ohio, which is becoming a crucial hub for the physical infrastructure of the internet. The data center will be a major consumer of the city’s municipally owned electric utility, and is expected to create a number of skilled IT jobs, generating up to $1.5 million in annual payroll.

Thyssenkrupp Bilstein Thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America is a world-class supplier of high tech automotive parts. Headquartered in Hamilton since 1995, Bilstein has expanded within the city four times since 2011, now occupying a 350,000 square foot facility over three buildings in Enterprise Park, and employing over 550 people. At the Hamilton location, Bilstein produces highly engineered semi-active and passive monotube shock absorbers for high-performance automobiles, motorsports and off-road vehicles. The company needed to keep its manufacturing processes lean and flexible and could not grow at the desired rate by simply hiring more people, in addition to the commitment made the previous year to the existing workforce to decrease ergonomically unfavorable tasks. As a result, in 2020 nine UR10 collaborative robots were deployed at the manufacturer’s plant in Hamilton. The new technology has optimized production and opened new avenues of growth by automating hard-to-staff tasks such as machine tending, assembly, and product inspection. In the future Bilstein intends to integrate at least 40 additional UR “cobots” to the plant. In light of the pandemic, Bilstein has also taken major strides to keep employees safe and production on schedule. The company has installed a medical-grade air filtration system to the plant, operates on staggered shifts, and integrated cleaning stations for the start of every shift, automated scanners for temperature checks, and 3-D printed masks.

Kaivac Kaivac Cleaning Systems earned a lot of attention in early 2020 when one of its major products, KaiBosh disinfectant, was recognized as effective against COVID-19 just weeks after the pandemic was announced. Kaivac was founded in Hamilton in 1998 and opened a new four-building campus in 2017 due to significant increases in demand. The company continues to see growth in 2020, with a 300% increase in demand and further expanding operations by hiring an additional 30 people, putting its total employee count at roughly 125.

Home Depot In 2020, Home Depot began distribution operations out of their new location near Hamilton Enterprise Park. The 100,000+ square foot facility opened in October as a logistics and delivery hub, generating more than 115 new jobs. With the growth of digital ordering and home delivery, Home Depot expanded to the facility for lastmile accommodations in the supply chain. The facility will service the greater-Cincinnati area from its Hamilton location.

Darana Hybrid One of the biggest companies working to transform Hamilton neighborhoods is Darana Hybrid. The fully Native American owned company engineers and installs conveyor belt systems for commercial end-users. In 2020, the company completed more than $3 million in renovations on 903 Belle Avenue, a severely deteriorated industrial building in Lindenwald. Now, Darana has 40 employees at its 170,000 square foot Hamilton facility, in addition to the hundreds more who travel around the country. Manufacturing will soon begin at this location, and plans to continue hiring throughout the year are in place for the anticipated growth in new business. In addition to growing its business, Darana Hybrid is committed to making Hamilton better by investing in the surrounding neighborhood and creating accessible jobs.

Industry iMFLUX In early 2020, iMFLUX, an injection molding company in the plastics industry, shifted its production focus to help Ohio and the nation meet the needs of the healthcare community in the wake of COVID-19. The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, mobilized alongside FEMA, the Cleveland Clinic, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to create and design the next generation of proprietary injection molding technology, and has now been recognized as an industry leader many times. As the pandemic ramped up, iMFLUX also began to produce two high demand items: headband pieces for face shields, and molds for the production of COVID-19 test swabs. With approximately 130 employees, the company has pushed the leading edge molding technology and plans to continue its groundbreaking work in the coming years.

Day & Ross With the 2020 opening of the Day & Ross logistics firm, employment opportunities continue to grow in Hamilton’s Industrial Parks. Day & Ross is a Canadian logistics company with a diverse portfolio of freight and delivery solutions across North America that moved to the city after signing a contract with General Motors. Despite the uncertain circumstances of the pandemic, the company was still able to meet the summer deadline to open the 100,000 square foot facility. The firm began operation in late July, bringing along 175 new jobs as part of their five-year growth strategy. Day & Ross has ranked No. 31 on the Top 100 List of the largest for-hire fleets in North America, and has been expanding across the Midwest in recent years.

Hamilton Caster Hamilton Caster has operated in the City of Hamilton for more than a century, and though it has remained in the same location, business has been anything but static. The company’s reach has grown in scale and scope in recent years, and its world-renowned products are found in NASA facilities, automotive assembly lines, and airports around the world. Due to this recent growth, in 2020 Hamilton Caster broke ground on a new $6.5 million, 61,000 square foot facility in February, with plans to open in early spring 2021. The new building will include office and manufacturing space, and allow for further expansion in the coming years.

The new Hamilton Caster facility is located at the site of the former Hamilton Inn, the blighted motel property that had a detrimental effect on the surrounding neighborhood. Hamilton Caster was able to purchase this adjacent lot in order to expand its current campus, while also bringing greater economic value to the area. This investment earned the company the REDI (Regional Economic Development Initiative) James A. Wuenker Growth Award in 2020, an honor that recognizes the most consequential projects announced by companies in the Greater Cincinnati region. Hamilton Caster currently employs 92 people and will expand its team further once construction is complete. Located near several south Hamilton neighborhoods, such as Riverview, Lindenwald, Jefferson, and the East End, Caster continues to contribute to the urban renewal on the city’s east side by offering quality job opportunities close to where residents live, and employing people from a wide variety of backgrounds and nationalities.

Downtown

Business Development Even in the midst of a historic pandemic, in 2020 business continued to flourish in Hamilton. Over the course of the year, the city celebrated the opening of Pinball Garage, a classic pinball arcade with a cocktail bar; Smoochies Boba & Crepes, a bright and cheery place to grab a bubble tea, fresh fruit smoothie, or crepe; the Strauss Gallery & Gift Shop, a hip shop with works from local artists living in the downtown Artspace lofts; and Chick’nCone, a Nashville hot chicken and waffle cone restaurant. Main Street Throw, a disc golf and skateboard shop, also opened on Main Street in August, and Jane Curry, owner of Kensho Karate in Lindenwald, opened a specialty retail shop on Pleasant Avenue called the Linden Tree. In addition to the newly opened businesses in 2020, several more have been greenlit for 2021 as well. Hamilton’s Urban Backyard, aka The HUB on Main, an outdoor event venue and food truck park, has been announced, slated to open in July of 2021 in the 500 block of the Main Street Business District, as well as Billy Yanks Burgers & Bottles in the 200 block. Spooky Nook Sports at Champion Mill, the massive indoor sports and event center is currently still under construction, but on track to open early 2022.

Spooky Nook Sports Complex

North America’s largest indoor sports facility has made further steps forward in 2020 with development and construction at the former Champion Paper Mill site. Spooky Nook Sports is turning the brownfield site into a $144 Million dollar investment in Hamilton’s Urban Core. The redevelopment will result in a 42-acre sports complex, hotel, and convention center. Mill One at Spooky Nook will include over 650,000 square feet of courts and fields, including 14 hardwood courts, and full size indoor and outdoor turf fields. Mill Two will be home to several retail spaces, restaurants, a 233-room hotel, and 16 meeting and event rooms ranging from 300-8,800 square feet. In July of 2020 restaurant and retail leasing opportunities began, as did the hiring of major operations positions, including the Director of Hospitality, filled by Hamilton Local Lisa Disbro, and Director of Facility Operations, filled by Matt Lengel.

2020 Construction Removed concrete slab sections in advance of foundation operations.

APR

Drilled for geothermal wells, placed concrete column pads and foundation walls.

MAY

Restaurant and retail leasing opportunities open.

JULY

Installed 8” water line from building to connection on B St.

AUG

Began installing hangers for the roof drains and storm piping.

DEC

Thommy Long CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

Thommy Long earned the 2020 Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the year award when his company, Lemon Grenade Creative, made a major impact on Hamilton small businesses while they needed it most. During the height of the pandemic, as so many establishments had to close their doors and people began working from home, Long saw a chance to serve the community and an opportunity to keep staff engaged. Seeing such potential in the otherwise dire situation, the team launched “Free Lemon-Aid,” in which local businesses were eligible to receive up to four free social media graphics/ads, help updating their websites, assistance with social media outreach, and marketing help.

“Even during these uncertain times, we have forged ahead by supporting existing development projects while aggressively recruiting new ones.” - Joshua Smith City Manager

Where are you from? I grew up in Fairfield. My father’s side of the family is from Hamilton, and I spent many weekends as a child at my grandmother’s house exploring the city. The first house I ever bought was in Lindenwald. This city has always been my home away from home.

What were you doing before you started Lemon Grenade? I attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati and graduated with a BFA in Communication Design and a Major in Graphic Design. I have worked at four creative agencies ranging from very small to one of the biggest in Cincinnati. Before I started LemonGrenade, I worked at the same agency for 11 years where I worked my way to Senior Designer.

Where did the idea of LemonGrenade come from? My wife is my biggest supporter, and she saw that I was ready for a change. When you work for a small company, you see every aspect of the business. I went to her one day and said “I think I can do this on my own,” I started spending all my nights and weekends freelancing, while still working for another company in addition to being an adjunct professor at the time. It eventually got to the point where we could survive on the freelance work alone, and I was ready to step away. I started LemonGrenade in June of 2014 out of my house. After six short months, I had to hire my first full time employee because the work was piling up.

How did you end up in Hamilton? Once I realized I needed employees, I also quickly realized we needed office

space. Being from this area, and seeing Downtown Hamilton, I knew this was where I wanted to be. At that time, anyone could tell Hamilton was up and coming, and I wanted to be a part of it. I contacted a few people and got connected with CDA in Downtown Hamilton. I was taken all over the city, but I kept eyeing the Robinson-Schwenn Building. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here for almost seven years now.

What was your reaction to winning Small Business Person of the year? That’s a funny story. One day, the Chamber came to me and said “we need to talk to you about the Small Business Person of the Year.” I do creative work for them, so I immediately grabbed my pen and paper and said, “of course, what do you guys need?” And they said “no, you won! You’re the Small Business Person of the Year!” I was nominated by my employees in secret, so I certainly wasn’t expecting it.

What is Free Lemon-Aid? During covid the world basically came to a crashing halt. Work for us pretty much immediately stopped, and I had five designers that weren’t sure what their futures looked like. The worst thing you can do as a business is to just stop. People need to know you’re open, and you’re still trying to survive. So the team and I came up with Free Lemon-Aid. It was a program designed for us to partner with businesses in Butler County, and we designed up to four digital ads for each business in order to help ramp up their exposure and outreach. Plus it allowed my team to work on new brands, and show some these businesses that have never heard of us how we approach their marketing materials.

What was the Feedback? It was great! The program kept my team busy and engaged at work, and we were able to work with about 80 businesses in total. We dedicated around 200 design hours of free work. We didn’t do it for the recognition but because it was the right thing to do to help others. However, even with all the time we dedicated to this campaign, we had a great 2020, and 2021 is on track to be even better.

Are you still working with these businesses? Yes, many of those businesses stayed on as new clients. My team was able to transform their brands in a way that many of these companies had never seen themselves before. It was a really cool program, and we really had a blast doing it.

To what would you attribute the success you’ve had amidst such an otherwise challenging year? Culture is huge to me. When I started LemonGrenade, my goal was to create an agency where I would want to work. I have an incredibly talented crew that I truly think are even better than me. You know, if you’re a good boss, then your employees should be better than you, and it should be your goal to be as good as them one day.

Downtown Residential Development As commercial and office development continues to flow into Downtown Hamilton, urban residential development will follow, from upper floor residential rehab to infill development. Continued interest in downtown residential space has brought plans for additional expansions, renovations and redevelopment projects in 2020 that will generate more urban core dwellers. From the heart of Hamilton’s Historic German Village to Hamilton’s Main Street, more than 275 residential units have been completed since 2011 with at least an additional 88 more planned.

Third + Dayton German Village has recently seen major investment in the former Ohio Casualty complex, now called Third+Dayton, that has been vacant since 2012. Los Angeles-based firm IRG has invested over $1 million in the project in 2020 alone, completing the transformation of the sixth floor into several modern apartments. In total, over $2 million has been invested in redeveloping roughly 100,000 square feet of the sixth, seventh, and eighth floors into 75 apartments. Further redevelopment plans for the building are in the works, including adding additional residential units on the fifth floor and two commercial spaces on the ground floor. In 2020 IRG has also invested $1.5 million into transforming the 131 North Third Street building into 40,000 square feet of commercial space. Headlines Sportswear has signed as the first tenant, utilizing 20,000 square feet of the completed first floor. Renovation efforts have also continued at the 136 North Third Street building, with the completed project creating up to nine new commercial storefront suites and generating over $1 million in additional investment.

New Small Businesses Scattering Joy Reptile Pit The Linden Tree Strauss Gift Shop Soulshine Wellness Los Compadres Mexican Grill The Fringe Coffeehouse Main Street Throw Pinball Garage

Rossville Flats The latest Hamilton residential development, Rossville Flats, was announced in 2020 along the Main Street corridor. The four-story building will be mixed use with first floor retail space and upper level residential. The development will include approximately 75 total apartments and up to four commercial spaces adjacent to the sidewalk. The development is Hamilton’s first residential infill project on Main Street in over a century, and is expected to see completion in 2022.

Anticipated Openings Chickn’Cone We Love It Too Billy Yanks Burgers & Bottles The HUB on Main Luke’s Custom Cakes Raising Canes Morgan Renae Bridal Lush Beauty Bar HER Reality Healthy Hideout Pet Supplies Plus Mahon Strength & Fitness Lion & Ram Studios Sweet T’s Desserts Amp House Brewing Agave & Rye Frost Factory

DORA Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area In 2018, the City of Hamilton established a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) downtown, with the intention of spurring additional growth and investment in the area. The DORA allows liquor serving establishments to serve drinks into designated “DORA” to-go cups, and patrons can peruse the district and all the shops and sights within its boundaries with their drinks in-hand, leading to a more vibrant and active atmosphere. The DORA has proven to be a powerful economic development tool for the city, with new businesses, both liquor serving and not, requesting available space within the district. During the pandemic, the DORA was a lifeline for businesses that were suffering

15K

under reduced capacity restrictions, indoor dining prohibitions, and closures due to lockdown. The city worked with these businesses to provide the DORA cups for free, helping to reduce overhead costs and assist in maintaining revenue streams that complied with CDC guidelines. The result was major, with over 30,000 DORA beverages served in 2020; double that of the previous year, pre-pandemic. The district continues to grow and evolve as development in the area increases. The initial district was 216 acres with seven businesses, and has now expanded to 252 acres and 21 establishments, with 4 more coming soon, and a second expansion planned for next year.

more cups sold

acres added

establishments

PINBALL GARAGE MBW TOWNE PUB

= 1,000 cups

TANO’S BISTRO

THE MONKEY’S

BASIL 1791

THE DRINK

LOUNGE 24

THE BENISON

CASUAL PINT

NORTH 2ND TAP

ROLL ON IN

NEAL’S BBQ

FRETBOARD

RICHARD’S

ARCHES SALOON

THE FITTON CENTER

TAQUERIA EL COMAL

PLAZA ONE GRILLE

Brad Baker OWNER OF VPCABS AND PINBALL GARAGE

In June of 2020 Brad Baker opened the highly anticipated Pinball Garage, an arcade-bar filled with pinball machines, in Hamilton’s Downtown Central Business District. Baker has seen major success in recent years, including a feature on the TV show Shark Tank in 2016 for his pinball machine manufacturing company VPCABS, and in 2019 the business began to outgrow their former location in Fairfield. While looking for a new space, Baker was directed to the 113 N. Third Street building, and was encouraged to expand his business to open an arcade featuring his machines in the front retail space. The establishment features 30 pinball machines that all rank in the Top 50 Best Pinball Games of all time, including “Medieval Madness,” the game that holds No. 1, and the rare Rick and Morty Machine, one of only three available and playable to the public in the entire nation. In the initial boom of Baker’s downtown presence, he was manufacturing over one thousand pinball machines, and brought 30 employees to Hamilton’s downtown center.

“[The City of Hamilton has] really helped us out with everything we’ve needed... they really made it seem like their focus was just us, so that was very cool.” - Brad Baker

Are you from Hamilton? I grew up here, and my grandma lived near Lindenwald. We would come downtown to Elder Bearman and hang out a lot. It’s amazing to see what’s been done here!

perfect because we would’ve bombed it the first year. We needed more time to develop the business. When they called, we actually had a machine located at the Microsoft headquarters in Washington for a year and a contract with the Walking Dead TV show.

How’d you get into the pinball business?

How did Pinball Garage come about?

One of my longest standing endeavors is a custom commercial and residential audio-visual business. In 2010 the market was bad, the business was struggling, and my wife and I almost lost our home. My brother owns Arcade Legacy in the Cincinnati Mills Mall, and in 2012 we combined our talents to upcycle an old pinball cabinet into a virtual pinball machine. We put it in his arcade, and it was a big success. People started asking for custom pinball machine orders, and that’s how we started VPCABS. I started making the pinball machines in my garage and I was actually able to sell enough to pull our house out of foreclosure.

Shark Tank gave us the exposure, and then the city approached us. They took us around and showed us what was in the works for Hamilton, and asked us to be a part of it. Tom Vanderhorst and Mallory Greenham really supported the vision for Pinball Garage, and they have really helped us out with everything we needed. I’m sure they’re like that with everyone, but they really made it seem like their focus was just us, so that was very cool.

What was it like being on Shark Tank? We applied in 2015 and got canned. About 100,000 people apply every year and only 100 make it to taping. A year later we got the call; apparently they had been following our social media accounts, saw what we were doing, and became interested. The timing was

Who is your team? It’s a family owned and operated business. My son runs Pinball Garage and does an amazing job. He’s 24 and there are many things he’s gone through there: managing people, keeping everything in stock, and letting people go when necessary. I come in to help when they need it, but he has a great staff and runs it well. Chris is our bartender, who moved over from manufacturing with VPCABS when we needed the help. And we have so many people who help us for free from the community, whether it’s cleaning or fixing the pinball machines. Honestly the list goes on. I wouldn’t trade a single person on my team for anything.

What businesses has Pinball Garage collaborated with so far? We support local brewhouses and serve their beers. Swine City Brewing has recently collabed on a slushy seltzer with us, and we do events with a lot of the downtown businesses like Lounge 24 and MBW, and we support local artist events as well.

Are you still making pinball machines? Yes. The manufacturing for VPCABS is in operation in the back part of the building behind Pinball Garage. That’s actually what brought us to Hamilton. We grew out of our former location and moved to this location because of the great price we got on the building. At that time, our sole purpose was manufacturing pinball machines. We actually had to push back the opening of Pinball Garage because we had a contract for 1,200 pinball machines to fill first.

How has the pandemic affected business? Well, we opened Pinball Garage in 2020 and that was an adventure! The state mandates fluctuated, and the tools needed to keep the manufacturing side open were exorbitant. For the first three days we sold tickets to limit capacity, and the state wasn’t doing inspections to issue liquor licenses so we couldn’t serve alcohol. We couldn’t have made it without the community support, and now we’re at a point now where Pinball Garage is outperforming the manufacturing part of business. It’s a blessing because with the aftermath of the pandemic the resources we need for manufacturing are in limited production. Thankfully it has all really worked out.

Healthcare TriHealth Bethesda Butler Hamilton Enterprise Park is home to Bethesda Butler Hospital, part of the TriHealth system, a complex which is always growing. In January 2020, construction was completed on their new Cancer Center, a $5+ million project that included two phases and is now fully operational. The Bethesda Butler campus offers a full range of services, including an emergency department, inpatient and ICU care, robotic-assisted surgery, pediatric and primary care, and more. The hospital was chosen by the Healthy Business Council of Ohio as a Healthy Worksite Gold Award Winner in 2020.

Community First Solutions Before COVID-19 made it’s way to Ohio, Community First Solutions established a cross-functional task force to ensure that should the threat spread across the country, they would be well prepared to protect residents, clients and staff. Led by the Certified Infection Preventionist, these early efforts and the commitment of frontline staff kept COVID-19 out of the Berkeley Square and Westover communities for nearly 10 months, and saved countless lives. Additionally, the Jamestowne team worked closely with regional hospitals to safely care for COVID patients. The Community Behavioral Health team found new ways to deliver services to ensure clients could count on addiction recovery and mental health support throughout the pandemic. The Partners in Prime and LifeSpan teams quickly extended services such as ESP Case Management and Meals on Wheels to meet the increasing needs of older adults who were isolated in their homes. The Community First Pharmacy team was among the first to host vaccine clinics locally, and delivered more than 6,000 doses to Butler County residents.

Fort Hamilton Hospital Fort Hamilton Hospital, part of Kettering Health Network, continues to provide high-quality medical care to the community while earning national recognition for its services. Throughout 2020, the hospital invested approximately $14 million into equipment, infrastructure, and capital improvements to continue the mission of raising the quality of life for people in the Greater Hamilton community. COVID-19 has brought tremendous challenges to healthcare centers all over the world, but the physicians and staff at Fort Hamilton Hospital have shown great heroism and teamwork from the start, with providers demonstrating a willingness to work 24/7 to serve and protect patients. Globally, the hospital leveraged the expertise of its physicians, clinicians, and staff to extend mission services to La Loma Luz Adventist Hospital in Santa Elena, Belize, providing medical care, screenings, and construction to a community in need. In February 2020, the State of Ohio designated Fort Hamilton Hospital as a Provisional Level III Trauma Center to provide the most rapid, coordinated medical services to seriously injured people. Further, its

emergency department was accredited as seniorfriendly by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). For continued care after treatment, Fort Hamilton Hospital invested $5.8 million renovating and launching a new 12-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit, which allows patients to recover from a serious illness or injury closer to home while receiving care from a multidisciplinary team of specialists. In 2020 Fort Hamilton was also named a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, a designation awarded to facilities that achieve “excellent” in outcomes and teamwork for services in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, and breast ultrasound. Fort Hamilton Hospital is the third facility in Butler County to receive this distinction. The hospital is also certified as a Primary Stroke Center, and was recognized for its high-quality stroke care by earning the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The hospital also welcomed five new physicians to its staff in 2020.

Infrastructure Multimodal Connectivity Bike lanes were a major focus of the city’s Active Transportation Plan that was completed in 2020, and as a result many bike-related projects are currently underway. One such project is the Beltline, a biking and walking trail that follows the rail line once used by Champion Paper to transport products through the West Side. The city received $560,000 in grants from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Public Works Commission for the first half-mile long phase of the project, and in December of 2020 construction began from Cleveland Ave, near Jim Grimm Park, to Eaton Ave, near Flub’s. That same week, the city received $750,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for Phase Two, which will connect Phase One at Jim Grimm Park with North B. Street, near Spooky Nook. The Miami 2 Miami Trail is another project, in which the city is collaborating with Butler County Metroparks to connect the Great Miami River Trail in Butler County to the Little Miami Scenic Trail in Warren County, creating a continuous trail from Cincinnati to Dayton. The city of Hamilton will lead development on two of the three sections, spanning ?? miles from Bilstein Blvd to Gilmore Rd. The city has received $510,000 in funding for the project from the Federal Transportation Alternatives Grant, with planning beginning in May of 2020 and an expected completion in 2022. The grant funding for these trail projects is significant because they allow the city to focus its own budget on street resurfacing and intersection projects.

Roads In the spring of 2020, Hamiton passed a new streets tax levy that would provide additional funds for street repair. The levy is expected to generate roughly $31 million over the course of 10 years, and funds will be split proportionally to the size of each of the city’s 17 neighborhoods over that timeframe. Project construction will begin in 2021 based on the input of citizens on areas of highest priority.

Utilities Hamilton’s water has won the best tasting tap water in the world twice at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition. Most recently, the city has won third place in the 2020 Best Purified Drinking Water category. EmPower Hamilton, a fundraising partnership that assists city utility customers with their bills, was a major asset during the pandemic, assisting with over $20,614 in utility bills. The city is prioritizing sustainability both for the climate and as a means to attract businesses to locate here. Currently 51% of Hamilton’s electricity is from renewable sources, supplied primarily by the three hydroelectric power plants the city currently owns. Hydroelectric power is extremely reliable, and since the city’s gas utility is one of the largest customers of the city’s electric utility, this means prices for both gas and electricity will remain stable for the forseeable future.

2020 Utility Awards Safety Award for Transmission & Distribution Safety Commendations for Generation Innovation Award System Improvement Award Public Power Promotion Award Electric System Sustainability Award

Roadway Improvements OCTOBER 2017 Intersection improvements at High Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard, one of the highest traffic intersections citywide and crucially located at the crossing of 129 and Route 4, along the city’s most central east-west passage.

NOVEMBER 2017 Upgrades and maintenance completed on the Columbia Bridge to repair issues and prolong the lifespan of one of the only three bridges in the city, and only the second east-west passage unencumbered by trains.

SUMMER 2018 South Hamilton Crossing construction is completed, creating a second eastwest corridor that isn’t interrupted by trains, is close to many of the city’s industrial and business parks, and seamlessly connects 127 and Route 4.

2018 Improvements completed along Main Street, the western gateway into the city’s urban core, heart of the city’s central business district, one of the city’s highest trafficked streets, and located between 177 and 129.

2018 Dayton Street riverfront streetscape improvements completed, enhancing the safety and visual appeal of one of the only downtown park spaces and the site of key downtown urban development projects.

SEPTEMBER 2019 Reconstruction of the MainMillville-Eaton intersection completed, creating more efficiency and safety at a busy intersection near significant locations such as the Main Street Business District and Fort Hamilton Hospital.

OCTOBER 2019 Completion of the HamiltonMason Road roundabout, creating a safer intersection along a high-speed road located next to TriHealth Bethesda Hospital, and near Hamilton Enterprise Park, Bridgewater Shopping Center, and Bypass 4.

Metrics The city’s Economic Development Department’s ultimate task is to bring business activity to the city. The way to recognize whether this work is successful is by evaluating a number of metrics that indicate the economic health of the city. The pandemic was certainly a blow to the City of Hamilton and its economy, however it is undeniable that the city has been on an upward trend, and the data shows that mostly the city has been incredibly resilient to the effects of the pandemic and has been regaining traction after the initial shock in early 2020.

Annual Earnings

100k

in grant funds

new businesses

40k

1,000

visitors

new jobs

$30M

1,000

$25M

$20M

new residences

2010 - 2020

Annual Private Investment

50k

sq ft of new development

Newly Adopted Plans North End Revitalization Plan Formulated by Miami University planning students and adopted by the city in 2020 to begin active investment in and improve the neighborhood. Active Transportation Plan Created by the city in partnership with ODOT to improve public transit, expand bicycle infrastructure, and make the city more walkable. Hamilton River Plan A plan developed by the city to establish the Great Miami River as a community center that would also be a catalyst for development. Miami 2 Miami Action Plan A commitment between communities in Butler and Warren counties to complete sections of path that will connect the Little Miami Scenic Trail to the Great Miami River Trail.

“Garden of Dogs,” 2020. Located at Elite Performance and Wellness at 190 N. Brookwood Ave.

33Christian Dallas. Supporting Lead artist and designer artists Mark Hanavan, Olga Klepinger, Emily Mason, Sydnie Reatherford, and Latosha Stone.

Thank You! to those who worked throughout the pandemic to keep our communities safe, clean, and healthy, and keep the city and its services operational.

A special thank you to Jordan Schotz for her years of dedicated service to Hamilton’s Workforce Development Program and with the Economic Development Depar tment.

Hamilton Economic Development Department 345 High Street, Hamilton, Ohio 45011 (513) 785-7070 | econdev@hamilton-oh.gov