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Portage plant wows governor: Strickland touts education, innovation at Freedom firm

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Mike Sever
October 10, 2009
Governor Strickland
Governor Strickland
Governor Strickland handles one of the products made by the Catacel Corp out of Garrettsville.
Governor Strickland handles one of the products made by the Catacel Corp out of Garrettsville.
Governor Strickland and Catacel Corp Co President look over some of the companies machinery.
Governor Strickland and Catacel Corp Co President look over some of the companies machinery.
Governor Strickland handles a item prodiced by Cortel Corp in Garrettsville.
Governor Strickland handles a item prodiced by Cortel Corp in Garrettsville.

 

By Mike Sever

Record-Courier staff writer

FREEDOM — Catacel Corporation’s factory is short on marble and polished brass, as Gov. Ted Strickland noted Friday, but long on innovation and ingenuity. Strickland used the visit to the plant to highlight Ohio’s need to invest in education and innovation for its future.

From its plain-vanilla plant on Gotham Road, Catacel turns out cutting-edge, catalyst-based products for the advanced energy and chemical industries.

“This sort of illustrates what my wife has been telling me — the best ideas or industries for the future are in someone’s garage,” Strickland said after touring the plant.

Founded in 2001, Catacel engineers and manufactures catalytic heat-exchanging materials  that allow customers to improve their energy efficiency and at lower costs.

Company President William A. Whittenberger led the tour for Strickland and other local and state government leaders. 

The company has about two dozen workers, and is poised to expand, thanks to state economic development support and private venture capital.

Strickland said the company is an example of what Ohio needs to do for its future

“Ohio needs affordable college education for our young adults and support for our entrepreneurs,” he said.

Strickland commended Whittenberger for his firm’s commitment to staying in Ohio.

State Rep. Steve Dyer said Catacel represents the creativity and innovation needed in education

Dyer personally pushed for education funding reform and chaired the house committee which worked on the reform package.

Strickland also said he was committed that education funding will face significant reductions because of the loss of revenues from “video lottery” — slots at horse tracks. A state supreme court decision allows the governor’s plan to allow the machines at tracks to be put to voters for approval.

He also spoke in favor of postponing the final phase of an income tax reduction. Taxpayers paying the same rate this year as last will still pay lower taxes because of an increase in the personal deductions, he said.

 




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    Posted by dawnpechman1 October 10, 2009
"This sort of illustrates what my wife has been telling me " the best ideas or industries for the future are in someone's garage,"

Excellent advice! It's the trial, error, late nights, weekend work - while maintaining the self sustaining income job and/or jobs - during the creation of these ideas and industries - that make the end result work.

"...poised to EXPAND, thanks to state economic development support and private venture capital."

The communication and collaboration that happens when a PLAN is developed, then followed, will allow for the attraction of private capital that can be used in conjunction with public dollars to improve the overall quality of life for Ohioans.

When Business, Individuals, Non-Profits and Governments work together, communities (however defined) thrive!

Governor Strickland says: "Ohio needs affordable college education for our young adults and support for our entrepreneurs."

Affordable college education needs to be made available for ALL Ohioans of ALL ages in the effort to educate and train, as well as RETRAIN and RESKILL Ohioans.

These retrained and reskilled workers will be earning self sustaining wages and will be able to support entrepreneurs with their income dollars AS WELL AS further the education and training of all in their own communities.

OneStops (funded by federal dollars passed through Ohio Jobs and Family Services to the 20 Ohio Workforce areas) provide 3 groups of Ohioans with services:

Adults: 18 YOA and older;
Dislocated Workers: Laid off, homemakers returning to the workforce, veterans, business owners returning to the workforce, those underemployed (not earning a self sustaining wage);
Youth: Ages 14 - 24

CORE services are available to all; Intensive and Training are based on suitability.

To learn more about Onestops - check out http://www.onestopohio.org/ This is the website for a neighboring area (Trumbull, Mahoning & Columbiana Counties) and covers the entire OneStop concept.

Portage County is in Workforce Area 19 - aka GAPP (Geauga Ashtabula Portage Partnership) - and the Onestop is located at Portage Workforce on W. Main in Ravenna. Our Area's website is: http://www.gapp-inc.com/ It's outdated by several years and does not provide the information about retraining and additional education that can be found on the neighboring area or state web sites.

KSU's Trumbull campus partners with the Trumbull County Onestop and has a Workforce Development office on campus: http://www.trumbull.kent.edu/

Experience does count, and some additional education and/or training just might give you the edge you need to be a trained and skilled worker in an existing business or a person who just might step out on her or his own and become an entrepreneur (on-tray-pray-NEW-er)

Maybe Mrs. Strickland should be the next director of Ohio's Department of Development...

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