• Small and medium-sized manufacturers to receive up to $500,000
• Expects to create 829 new jobs

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced a $20 million in grant funding through Ohio Development to help Ohio manufacturers produce much-needed personal protective equipment to continue to combat covid19 pandemic in the state.

“Small and medium-sized manufacturers will receive up to $500,000 to retool or expand existing facilities in Ohio, construct new facilities, purchase equipment, or upgrade technology,” said Governor Mike DeWine.

“The projects are expected to create 829 new jobs and retain 1,133 existing jobs. More than half of the awards are going to small businesses with less than 25 employees.”

Governor DeWine said, “we are seeing the spread of COVID19 getting much worse in our communities. 19 counties are in Red Alert Level 3 – meaning there is a very high risk of exposure and spread.”

Also, Lt. Governor Jon Husted said that “to date, Ohio has procured approximately 65 million pieces of PPE. This includes various types of face masks and shields, gloves, gowns, coveralls, and thermometers. More than 50 million pieces of this PPE have been distributed across the state.”

“Next week, in an effort to help Ohio’s small businesses and their workers operate in a safe environment,   Jobs Ohio and its six Network Partners will distribute 15,000 PPE toolkits for a total of 1.5 million 3-ply masks, 150,000 KN95 masks, and 15,000 bottles of hand sanitizer.”