Page 1 - CEP newsletter 3 2020 FINAL 082620

Developments

Economic Development News in Champaign County, Ohio Summer 2020
Business Amid COVID: CEP Board Members Share Insights

Several CEP board Businesses thankful menu to include selections
members know firsthand for CEP COVID that could hold their quality
the challenges of small to customers’ homes.
business, including run- grants. See Page 2.
ning one in a pandemic. Pat said they chose to
They share their insights been good for both take dine at home orders
here. enterprises, but it’s been over the phone – not
a learning process to online – to retain personal
Pat Thackery, leisure/ serve customers amid customer service.
entertainment CEP COVID-19.
Board rep, owns Café Now that limited dine-in
Paradiso and Carmazzi’s After the Café reopened, service is available, too,
Candy & General Store initially for dine at home business has shifted from
in Urbana with his wife, service only, they had to about 60% dine at home to
Patsy. Business has adjust the dine at home 60-70% dine in. “People
are feeling more comforta-
Rittal Business Booming ble. Our protocols are bet-
ter than they need to be
With Growing IT Demand (as confirmed by the
Health District),” Pat says.
As businesses and their tions and Supply
employees depend on Chain. While he’s hopeful, Pat Pat and Patsy Thackery, in front of Café
video conferencing plat- Paradiso and soon-to-be In Good Taste
forms to stay connected “We’ve seen a fantastic Continued on Page 2 Fresh Market, next door.
during the pandemic, growth in IT infrastruc-
business is booming at ture for critical custom- KTH Keeping Busy – And Hiring
the Rittal North America ers such as Microsoft
facility in Urbana. and Facebook,” he KTH Parts Industries, Inc., a days, hosting open interviews to
says. Rittal is the sin- Champion Level CEP investor, is fill 40 to 50 open production posi-
Rittal, an Advocate Level gle-source supplier for running at full production, with tions. “The availability of candi-
investor in the CEP, is Microsoft and one of many Saturdays scheduled for dates to fill these positions is very
recognized as an essen- two enclosure suppli- the remainder limited,” says Millice. “We
tial manufacturer of IT ers for Facebook. of this year, have been advertising these
enclosures, racks and thanks to positions by radio, social
accessories, produced in Rittal recently invested “robust high media and news publica-
three shifts by 400 of the more than $3 million in sales de- tions.”
Urbana facility’s 500+ state-of-the-art equip- mands” in the
workforce. To keep up ment to form metal for automotive While keeping up with de-
with growing demand, IT enclosures. sector, reports mand, KTH also has been closely
Rittal is recruiting 40 Chris Millice, KTH’s Senior Vice following CDC guidelines to

more assemblers, ma- The company also is President of General Administra- Continued on Page 4
chine operators and investing in current tion.
welders, says Neil Love,
Vice President of Opera- Continued on Page 4 Champaign County’s largest Inside
employer, KTH is one of the larg-
est Tier 1 automotive suppliers in CEP Developments
the U.S., employing more than
1,100 associates in a 1.068- Businesses Grateful for Grants 2
million-square-foot complex west
of St. Paris. KTH makes under- Business Liaison Shares Plans 3
body structural frame compo- Job Site Growing 3
nents for cars, with Honda its top CEP Facilitates Building Sale 3
customer.
Rittal’s new punching center used to help meet Housing Consortium Starts 4
its growing demand for IT enclosures. KTH also has been busy on Sun-