COVID grants, Mechanics Bank promotions, patent
Local businesses encouraged to apply for COVID relief grants
COLUMBUS – Applications are open for local businesses and venues in the form of grant programs to help Ohio industries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiatives were implemented by Senate Bills 108 and 109, legislation passed by the Ohio General Assembly. State Rep. Marilyn John (R-Richland County) supported both bills and was a cosponsor on S.B. 108.
The grant relief programs for Ohio restaurants, entertainment venues, and lodging provide $10,000, $20,000 or $30,000 grants based on percentage of revenue loss from 2019 revenue compared to 2020 revenue. The new small businesses grant program provides $10,000 grants to new Ohio small businesses established on or after Jan. 1, 2020.
Each program will require applicants to have an OH|ID, and businesses that plan to apply can get an OH|ID now, if they don’t already have one. Register at OH|ID (ohid.ohio.gov) by creating an account with a username and password. Click on Create OH|ID Account to set up an account at OH|ID.
All four programs will be administered by the Ohio Development Services Agency. Program guidelines, terms and conditions, and required documentation are available at businesshelp.ohio.gov. For questions, please email [email protected].
Mechanics Bank announces promotions
MANSFIELD – Mechanics Bank has promoted three employees to the position of senior vice president.
David Baumann joined Mechanics in 2010 as manager of Human Resources and now serves as the Branch Sales & Service, Human Resources & Facilities manager. Dave has a bachelor’s degree from Franklin University and a master’s degree in business administration from Ashland University. Additionally, Dave is a graduate of the Ohio Bankers League Bank Management School and is currently attending the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Philip McClenathan joined Mechanics in 2000, serving numerous roles in the past 21 years, many focused within the consumer and commercial lending departments. Phil now serves as the senior credit officer and commercial loan manager. Phil has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mt. Vernon Nazarene University. He is a graduate of the Ohio Bankers League (OBL) Bank Management School, OBL Bank Leadership Institute, Graduate School of Banking (GSB) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and GSB’s Financial Management School.
Gregory Mumea joined Mechanics in 2005 as a residential mortgage loan officer and now serves as the Residential Mortgage and Consumer Loan manager. Mumea holds a bachelor’s degree from the Ohio State University.
Local companies awarded patent, federal contract
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Therm-O-Disc of Mansfield has been assigned a patent developed by six co-inventors for a “pressure sensor assembly and method for manufacturing a pressure sensor assembly.”
A pressure sensor is a device that converts pressure into a pneumatic or electric signal for control and remote transmission. In a conventional pressure sensor, the pressure sensitive component and the control circuit are designed to be separated from each other, so that the overall size or volume occupied by of the device is too large and the reliability is poor.
In addition, Gorman-Rupp Company of Mansfield won a federal contract award for $204,666 from the Defense Logistics Agency, Columbus, for hardware and abrasives.
AEP Ohio offers money-saving tips
GAHANNA – When the temperature rises, so can electric bills. AEP Ohio, an American Electric Power company, has some tips to keep a home energy efficient during the summer months:
- Turn off lights, fans and electronics when not in use.
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with Energy Star LEDs.
- Pull the plug on devices, like phone chargers, when not in use. They still consume energy, even when turned off. Note: unplugging your DVR/cable box might interrupt recordings of your favorite television shows and result in a full system reboot.
- Use smart power strips for electronics likes computers and televisions. They can sense when a device is turned off or not being used and will shut off the power automatically.
- Close window blinds to prevent the sun from increasing indoor temperatures.
- Consider keeping the thermostat at 78 degrees while circulating cool air with box and ceiling fans.
- Caulk, weather-strip and insulate windows and doors wherever air leaks are found.
- Replace air conditioner filters. Clean filters can lower air conditioner energy consumption up to 15 percent.
AEP Ohio also offers a program to help spread the cost of heating and cooling over the whole year so residential customers can avoid seasonal bill increases. AEP Ohio customers can enroll in the Average Monthly Payment (AMP) plan by calling the company’s 24-hour Customer Operations Center at 800-672-2231 or by logging into their account and updating their billing preferences.