PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES

Manufacturing

Anthropology Research Project

The Antioch Company
Electroshield Inc.
Morris Bean & Company
TLA, Inc.
Vernay Laboratories

Services and Retail

Ballantine Bookcrafts The Molladoor

Bruning’s Clock Shop Morgan House B & B
Bushworks, Inc. Mr. Fub’s Party
Catalpa Lane Pottery Rita Caz Jewelry Studio
Cliffside Clayworks Robert T. Morrison, M.D.
Coldwell Banker/ & Associates, Inc.
Heritage Realtors Nitelites Rescue, Inc. Yellow
Creative Systems Springs Scuba
Dark Star Books Ohio Silver Company
Dayton St. Gulch Company Pangaea Trading Company
Deaton Hardware Company The Propaganda Mill
Earth Rose International Imports Second Chance Hemp Company
Environment Control SRC Childcare
Friends Care Center Vanlehn Construction Services
Gemini World Music and Art Village Cyclery
Gregor Construction Village Gallery & Guitar
Gaili Tattooz “Would You, Could You” In a Frame
Glen Garden Gifts Yellow Springs Community Federal
Gretchen & Company Credit Union
Henderson Hudson Dezign Yellow Springs IGA
Hosket Veterinary Service Yellow Springs News, Inc.
Kathryn Hitchcock, Psy.D. Yellow Springs Pottery
& Associates, P.A., Inc. Yellow Springs Unlimited
Little Art Theatre Young’s Jersey Dairy
Michael Jones Ceramics One Unidentified Xenia Ave.
Retail Merchant
INTRODUCTION
This report describes Yellow Springs business activity in the retail/service industry as well as
in the manufacturing industry.
Unique retail/service findings include:
• A broad cross-section of retail and service companies in Yellow Springs.
• A near 100% local ownership of retail/service firms.
• Retail and service companies draw most employees from the Village, thus exacerbating the
competition for workers.
• Problems identified by companies are unique rather than organizing around certain themes.
Unique manufacturing findings include:
• No local market nor competitors exist for the manufacturing firms.
• In the past five years, these six manufacturing firms generated 30 new jobs but lost 72.
• Average wages paid are the highest seen across the communities that have undertaken a business
Retention & Expansion program.
The body of the survey report concentrates on four fundamental areas for fifty-one Village of
Yellow Springs firms (45 retail/service firms and 6 manufacturing firms).

Retail and Service

Information such as demographics, work force quality, and business environment issues
pertaining to the retail and service companies are reported in this section.
Manufacturing
Information such as demographics, work force quality, and business environment issues
pertaining to the manufacturing companies are reported in this section.
Community Issues
In this section we explore external influences in the region and in the Village that have a strong
impact on company and community development.
Recommendations
The recommendations, presented in the last section, were developed by the R&E task force
based upon businesses' concerns as articulated when responding to questions in the R&E survey.

1
RETAIL AND SERVICE
Forty-five retail and service companies are included in this report of the Village of Yellow Springs.

Business Demographics
This retail and service section begins with business demographics, including the products and services
provided, the type of ownership and company longevity.

Q: What is the major product or service provided at this establishment?

Of the 45 retail and service com-

Retail Major Product/Service
panies surveyed, there is a broad
cross-section of both retail and Apparel
Pottery/
service companies. The retail cat- Misc. 2
Ceramics
7
egory includes four companies that 4
provide pottery and/or ceramics;
three that produce art, sculpture Picture
and/or music; and two companies Book/ Framing
Newspaper 2
each selling apparel, jewelry, food, Sales Food Jewelry Art/Sculpture/
picture frames, and books/news- 2 2 2 Music
papers. In addition, there are 3
seven companies providing mis-
cellaneous retail goods, such as
toys, gifts, hardware, general
retail, florist, antique retail and bikes (one company each).

Service Major Product/Service The service category includes six com-

Professional panies that provide professional ser-
Misc. Service
5 vices such as psychological, veterinary,
6
and medical services. Furthermore,
two companies, each, provide enter-
tainment, personal care, finance/insur-
*FIRE
2 ance/real estate services, construction
Construction services, and book bindery/creation.
Book Contractors Miscellaneous services include clock
Personal Entertainment
Bindery/ 2
Creation
Care (Bar, Movies) repair, furniture repair, janitorial ser-
2 2
2 vices, tattooing, and lodging (one
* Finance, Insurance and Real Estate company each).

2
Q: What is the nature of your establishment? Do you own or lease your office space?

Nature of Establishment
Unlike most communities, the Village of
Yellow Springs is characterized by com-
50 43 panies that are locally owned and op-
erated (43 companies). Only one com-
Number of Firms

40
30 pany each is part of a regional or na-
20 tional chain. At the same time, nearly
10 1 1 half of the companies own their office
0
space (21 companies). Taken together,
Locally Owned Regional Chain National Chain these two points imply that there is lo-
and Operated cal commitment to the retail and ser-
vice industries in Yellow Springs.

Q: In what year was this company started at the present address?

Six companies began their busi- What Year Company Started At Present Address
ness before 1970, two as early 19
20
as the late 1940s. Six more
began operations between 14
1970 and 1979. Retail/Service 15
Number of Firms

industries in Yellow Springs have

shown growth in recent years. 10
Fourteen were started between 6 6

1980 and 1989, while another 5

nineteen companies began after
1990. 0
Before 1970 1970-1979 1980-1989 1990 and After

3
Work Force Issues
Workers are the core of the work place and therefore a large section of the report is dedicated to work
force issues.

Q: How many full-time and part-time employees do you currently employ?

Number of Full-Time/Part-Time Employees Overall, the companies described in this

19 19 report are small in size. In fact, nine of
20
the 45 companies are run by the owner
and have no full or part-time employees.
Number of Firms

15
Only two of the companies in this report
10 have more than ten full-time employees.
6
5
4
5
4
Nineteen companies have between one
5
2 and five employees and four companies
0
have between six and ten full-time em-
0 1-5 6-10 11+ ployees (the rest of the companies did
Full-T ime Part-T ime not specify).

The employment of part-time person-

nel presents a very similar pattern to that for full-time employees. Specifically, nineteen companies
employ between one and five people, five employ six to ten people, and four employ more than ten
people. Seasonal employees are even less common among these companies as is evidenced by the
fact that only six firms employ seasonal help, for a total of 53 employees.

Q: What are your employees’ average wages per hour?

Full-Time/Part-Time Average Wage Per Hour
The most common pay range for
full-time employees is $6.01 to 14 13
Full-T ime
$8.00 per hour (nine companies) 12
Part-T ime
while seven companies pay an av- 10 9
Number of Firms

erage of $8.01 to $10.00 per hour. 7

8
On the other end of the pay scale,
6 5
two other companies report em-
4 3
ployee average wages per hour as 2 2
between $14.01 and $16.00. The 2 1
0 0 0 0
pay scale for part-time employees 0
is marginally lower than that for full- Les s Than $6.00- $8.01- $ 10.01- $12.01- $14.01-
$6.00 $ 8.00 $10.00 $12.00 $ 14.00 $ 16.00
time employees.

4
Q: What benefits are offered to your full and part-time employees?
Full-Time/Part-Time Benefits
Companies were asked a series of questions
16
pertaining to benefits offered to full and part- 15 14
time employees. Twenty-five of the 45 com-

Number of Firms
panies employ full-time personnel and 16 10
10 9 9
provide health, 10 retirement, 14 vacation,
and 9 sick leave. Of the 26 companies that 5
5 3 3
employ part-time people, the most commonly
provided benefit is vacation time (9 compa- 0
nies). Five companies offer sick leave and Health Retirement Vacation Sick Leave
three companies provide health and retire- Full-T ime Part-T ime
ment benefits to their part-time employees.

Q: How do you rate your employees’ quality of work and attitude toward work?

Sixteen companies rate the quality of work Employees' Attitude Toward and Quality of Work
as excellent, 14 rate it good and one rates 16
worker quality as fair (recall that 9 compa- 14 15
16 14
Attitude
nies cannot rate this because they have no 14
Quality
Number of Firms

12
employees). Employee attitude toward
10
work recorded quite favorable ratings too. 8
Fourteen companies rated attitudes excel- 6
lent, 15 rated attitudes good, one rated them 4
1 1 1 0
fair, and one said attitudes are poor. 2
0
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Q: Where do your employees live?

When employers were asked to describe where their employees live, most responded that their employ-
ees live in the Village of Yellow Springs. In fact, 21 companies state that 76 to 100% of their work force
live in the Village of Yellow Springs. Nine companies say that over 50% of their workers live outside of
Yellow Springs but in Greene County. Further, only 7 companies have employees who live outside of
Greene County. Answers to this question may impact the nature of recruiting problems, described below,
because retail and service companies are competing for workers in the relatively small Village labor pool.

Q: Does your company have problems recruiting employees?

The question is posed regarding six different occupations and eight potential recruiting problems.
Clearly, the most common problem is with sales employees (23 companies). When describing the type of
problem, however, no single theme is reported. Rather, about four companies report each of the following
six problems: poor work attitude, the low skills of the work force, the high cost of training employees, the
high competition for trained labor, high wage rates, and high worker turnover.

5
Business Environment Issues
This section describes the internal development decisions being made by companies and business trends
that help us gauge the health of the retail and service industry.

Q: Is your company planning to renovate/expand, open another branch, relocate, or close/sell

the firm?

This question is an important one to

organizations involved in facilitating Companies Planning to Renovate/Expand, Open, Relocate, or
business development. Answers to Close/Sell Their Facility

this question allow us to gauge the 12

pace and nature of development that 12
will occur. The first question in this
10
section asks each of the companies
whether they plan to renovate or ex- Number of Firms 8

pand their operations in the Village 5

6
of Yellow Springs. Of the 45 com-
3
panies in this report 12 plan to reno- 4
2
vate and/or expand and nine of those 2
own or lease sufficient property to
allow the changes; however, two 0
Renovate/Expand Open Relocate Close/Sell
companies do not have sufficient
space and another company is unsure.

Companies were asked to list any barriers that they have confronted in planning renovations and/or expan-
sions. Half of the companies have experienced barriers, and nearly each reason is unique to one
company. Specifically, two companies lack the cash flow to support the cost of renovating and/or
expanding. One company restated the need for additional space, one company cited zoning/building
regulations /inspections, one company has had difficulty obtaining a loan, and one company says
there is a lack of good cooperation between the Village and the County and that they cannot finance
the building that they envision.

Some of these companies would like assistance from organizations that facilitate business development.
Three companies would like assistance from the Village and/or the County, two request assistance from
the Community Improvement Corporation, one cites the Ohio Department of Development, one mentions
the Chamber of Commerce, and one specifies the Small Business Assistance program.

Other types of business expansion decisions may affect development in the Village. Five companies plan
to open another outlet—one will do so within the Village, one outside of the Village, two are undecided,
and one refused to specify. Two outlets are planned to be opened with one year, one outlet is planned to
open in one to two years, and two other companies did not specify the time frame for opening.

6
Two companies in this report are planning to move their business in the short run (in six months to one
year). One will move due to an overcrowded building and one will move because business is not growing
as hoped. One of these companies is relocating elsewhere in the Village and one company will move
elsewhere in Greene County.

Three companies plan to close or sell their establishment. One will do so in one to two years, one will do
so in more than two years, and one did not specify. The reasons for closing are unique. One will no longer
provide personal care services, however, would like to open a care center in Yellow Springs but cannot
see how employee benefits would be afforded. One says the company will close due to lack of local
support for the business, and one is closing because the owner is retiring.

Q: Over the last two years, have your profit, sales quantity volume, sales dollar volume, and
number of customers increased, stayed the same, or decreased?

Change in Companies' Business Factors Over the Past Two Years Of the four business
29
factors listed in the
30 28
27 question, profits have
25
25 declined more so than
Number of Firms

20
the other items. In fact,
profits for 25 compa-
15
10 9
nies have increased, for
8
10 6
7
6 6 5
ten companies profits
5
have stayed the same,
and for eight companies
0
Profit Sales Sales Dollar/Volume Number of profits have declined.
Quantity/Volume Customers At the same time, sales
Increased Stayed the Same Declined dollar volume has in-
creased for 29 compa-
nies, has not changed for six companies, and has declined for six companies. As can be seen in the chart,
the sales quantity volume and the number of customers have experienced similar patterns to the sales dollar
volume.

Q: Has your company undertaken activities to improve the business environment in the past two
years, or does it plan to do so in the next two years?

To improve their business environment, the most common activity undertaken by these 45 companies is to
upgrade the mix of goods and services. Nineteen companies have done so in the past two years, four plan
to do so in the next two years, and thirteen companies have done so in the past and will continue to do so
in the future. The second most common activity is to computerize records and inventory. The chart
presents the various activities and the frequency with which they are done.

7
 Activities Firms Have Undertaken or Will Undertake

19 Do ne In Pas t 2
20 Years
Plan To Do In 2
Years

Do ne & Plan To
Number of Firms 15 13 Do In 2 Years

10
9 9 9 9 9
10 8 8
7
6
4
4
5
2 2 2 2

0
Up g rad e M ix o f Remo d el Chang e Bus . Part icip at e In Att end Bus . Co mp uterize
Go o d s /Serv. Facilit ies Ho urs J o int M kt g . Training Rec./ Inv.
Effo rts

Q: Has your advertising budget changed in the past year? What is the size of your advertising
target market?

Most commonly, the advertising budget for these firms has remained unchanged (27 companies). On the
other hand, the advertising budget has increased for fifteen companies and decreased for three. Consistent
with other responses, it appears that most of these companies target the Yellow Springs market—20
companies have a target market of less than 10,000 people. Fifteen companies target a market between
10,000 and 50,000 people and eight advertise to markets in excess of 50,000 people.

Q: Where do you believe the majority of your customers live?

As is generally the case in U.S. retail and service industries, these companies provide for the needs of the
immediate population. For 30 of 45 companies, the majority of their customers live in the Village (19), and
in Greene County but outside of the Village (11).

Q: What factors are the most needed improvements in the Village of Yellow Springs?

Companies were presented with a list of sixteen factors that affect the business environment, and they were
asked to rank the top needed improvements. Using a weighted calculation, the most desired improvement
is to address the parking situation (meaning the need for more spaces or for spaces to be more conve-
niently located). A second tier of concerns relates to the improvement of the exterior appearance of the
Village and a reduction of traffic congestion.

8
MANUFACTURING
Business Demographics
This section describing the manufacturing industry in Yellow Springs begins with business demographics,
including the products and services provided, the type of ownership, and company longevity.

Q: What is the major product or service provided at this establishment?

Major Product/Service Provided Each of the six manufacturing firms in this re-
Printing & Publishing 1 port develops a different type of product. One
Rubber & Misc. Products 1 firm is in the printing and publishing industry,
Primary Metals 1 one develops rubber and miscellaneous prod-
Electric & Electronic Equipment 1 ucts, one is in the primary metals industry, one
Electronic Components 1 in electric and electronic equipment, one in
Research & Development 1 electronic components, and one in research
and development.
Q: What is the nature of your establishment?
Nature of Establishment
Manufacturing firms were asked which of three
5 4
business ownership types best represented their Number of Firms
4
firm: single unit firm, headquarters of a multi-unit
3 2
firm, and branch plant of a multi-unit firm. Single
2
unit firms and headquarter operations indicate the
1
most local control over business decisions. In this
0
case, four manufacturing firms are single unit firms Single Unit Firm Headquarters of a
and two are the headquarter operation. Multi-Unit Firm

Year Company Started At This Address

Q: In what year was this company started at
the present address?
4
3
Another positive indicator for a community is the
Number of Firms

3
longevity presented by the manufacturing base. In
2
1 1 Yellow Springs three firms were started in or be-
1 0 fore 1950. One firm in this report began opera-
0 tions between 1970 and 1979, while one firm be-
Before 1970- 1980- 1990 and gan at its present address in 1998.
1970 1979 1989 After

Q: Where does your company sell its products or services? Where are your company’s competi-
tors located?

None of the firms in this report sell their products and services in Yellow Springs or in Greene County. In
fact, the majority of products and services for all firms in this report are sold in the United States (outside
of Ohio). For this reason, competitors of these firms are more likely to be found in the United States.

9
Work Force Issues
Manufacturing workers, because they export products, are important in generating new dollars in a local
economy. Therefore, a large section of the report is dedicated to work force issues.

Q: How many full-time and part-time employees do you currently employ? How many were
employed five years ago, and how many do you project to employ in five years?

Firms in this report have full-time employ- Number of Full-Time Employees

ment levels on extreme ends of a con-
tinuum, beginning with four employees on 4
3
the one hand and over 400 hundred em-

Number of Firms
3
ployees on the other. Part-time employ- 2
2
ment levels are negligible; in fact, these 1
firms employ only 13 part-time people. 1
For this reason, no further analysis will be
0
presented regarding part-time employ- 1-10 11-20 20+
ment.

In the past five years, these six companies have generated thirty new jobs, but have lost 72 jobs. These
findings are not particularly alarming considering that most of the firms interviewed are in the mature stage
of their development as opposed to the “adolescent” or rapid growth stage. In line with these findings, the
projected change in employment levels for these firms is a net increase of just over 50 jobs.

Q: What is the main reason for changes in employment?

Although many reasons for changes in historical employment levels varied from firm to firm, one reason is
consistent across these firms. Offering new products and services is the most common reason for changes
in employment in the past. The reasons for the changes in employment in the future are the projected
growth in demand for products and increased efficiency gained through new technologies.

Q: What are your employees’ average wages per hour?

Although the range of wages paid is some-
Average Wage for Full-Time Employees
what broad, as one might expect from the
varied employment size of these firms,
3
most of these firms pay average wages in
2
Number of Firms

2
2
excess of the highest wages paid by retail
1 1 and service companies. Specifically, two
1 firms pay average wages between $14 and
$16 per hour, one firm pays between
0 $16.01 and $18.00 per hour, one firm
$14.00- $16.01- $18.01- More than
$16.00 $18.00 $20.00 $20.00
pays between $18.01 and $20.00, and
two firms pay well over $20 per hour on
average.

10
Q: What percentage of your workers are unionized?

When asked about unionization within their firms, two firms report that none of their employees are union-
ized, while two state that approximately three-fourths of their workers are unionized (two other companies
did not specify).

Q: Where do your employees live?

Firms were asked to specify the geographical areas from which they draw large portions of their employ-
ees. For most firms, it appears that roughly 25% live in the Village, 25% live elsewhere in Greene County,
and about 50% live elsewhere in Ohio.

Q: How do you rate your employees with respect to their work attitude and the quality of their
work?

The manufacturing firms in this report rate employee attitude toward work and the quality of their work
identically. Two firms rate attitude and quality as excellent and four firms rate them as good. This satisfac-
tion with worker attitudes is a theme that is continued in the next question.

Q: Does your company have problems recruiting employees?

Firms were asked to specify the types of problems they experience when recruiting new employees within
the following occupational categories: unskilled workers, semiskilled, skilled, clerical, professional, and
management. As might be expected among manufacturing firms, the greatest concern is with unskilled,
semiskilled and skilled workers. The greatest problem across the eight potential problems listed in the
question is the high competition for trained labor. This problem is a regional work force issue confronting
a large proportion of firms in the manufacturing industry.

11
Q: Is your company involved in international trade?

Five of the six manufacturing firms are in- Nature of International Trade Involvement
volved in international trade through sev- 5 4
eral methods. The most common method 4

Number of Firms
3
is through direct sales outside of the U.S. 3
2
(four firms). Three firms work through 2
foreign agents and distributors, and two 1
firms import products and parts. 0
Direct Sales Work T hrough Import Products
Foreign
As is the case in the Greater Dayton re- Agents/Dist.
gion, these manufacturers trade primarily
with Western Europe and Canada (four
firms each). Three firms are involved with such East Asian countries as Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam
and the Philippines. Only one firm each trades with the Middle East and with Latin America.

We ask companies that are involved in international trade if they face any barriers to trade, and one
company said, “Yes.” The barrier described is the “ignorance of international trade laws.” We also ask
those firms not involved with international trade, what issues are preventing them from doing so. The one
manufacturing firm not currently involved in trade says that the business serves a specific area, that man-
agement lacks familiarity of foreign markets, and that the costs are too high.

Region of Company Trade

1
Latin America
3
East Asia

1
Middle East

4
Canada
4
Western Europe

0 1 2 3 4 5
Number of Firms

12
Business Environment Issues
This section describes the internal development decisions being made by the manufacturing companies and
presents business trends that help us gauge the health of the manufacturing industry.

Q: What factors will have a positive impact on profits in the future? Which ones will have a
negative impact?
Positive Factors On Profit
New Products
Changing Consumer Tastes
New Technology Making Older Plants Obsolete
Firms were asked to characterize those
factors that will have a positive impact on
profits. The three most common themes
are new products, changing consumer
tastes, and new technologies making older
plants obsolete. Factors that may have a
negative impact on profits in the future are
equally considered to be wage rates and
domestic competition.

Q: Are there any major technological innovations on the horizon in your industry that might
affect your company with the next five years?

Firms were asked to respond to a list of potential technological innovations, such as computer technology,
robotics, and quality control systems. At least three of the six firms listed computer technology, low cost
substitutes, standardized production processes, and robotics. The most common technological innovation
that may affect companies in the next five years is computer technology (4 firms).

Q: When has your company invested in new/used equipment or machinery? What is the average
life cycle of all machinery used in production?

One gauge of an industry’s health and Company Investment in New/Used

commitment to the local economy is the Equipment/Machinery
degree to which firms are investing in 6 5
their business operations. One measure 5
Number of Firms

of that is investment in equipment and 4

machinery. In this case, five of the firms 3 2

have invested in machinery and/or equip- 2 1 1

1
ment within the past year, while two in-
0
vested one to five years ago, one invested Within Between 1- Between 5- More T han
in new/used equipment between five and Past Year 5 Years 10 Years 10 Years
ten years ago, and one firm invested
more than ten years ago (companies could have given more than one response). The average life
cycle of all machinery is between one and four years for two firms and over ten years for three firms.

13
 Companies Planning to Renovate/Expand, Open Another
Branch, or Relocate

4
3

Number of Firms
3

2
1

1
0

0
Renovate/Expand Open Another Relocate
Branch

Q: Is your firm planning to renovate/expand, open another branch, or move?

Of the six manufacturing firms in this report, three are planning renovations/expansions and all three own or
lease sufficient property to allow for the changes. Yet all three face barriers to renovation/expansion, and
each reason is somewhat unique. One firm states that the firm’s land configuration is not ideally suited to
expansion. One firm states that it has had zoning/building regulation/inspection barriers. One firm says that
it lacks the cash flow necessary to support the cost and that cooperation issues between the Village and
County are anticipated.

One of the six manufacturing firms is planning to open another branch in six months to one year. The
branch will be located in a southeastern state. None of the manufacturing firms in this report are planning
to relocate nor to close or sell.

14
COMMUNITY ISSUES
Community Issues
This section focuses on community-wide issues and combines the responses of both the retail and service
industry with the manufacturing industry.

Q: What is your overall opinion of the Village of Yellow Springs as a place to conduct business?

Combining the responses of manufactur- Overall Opinion of The Village of Yellow

ing and retail/service companies, the ma- Springs As A Place To Conduct Business
jority of companies have a favorable opin- Good Fair
ion or the Village of Yellow Springs as a 28 9
place to conduct business. Specifically,
41 rate the community as either an excel-
lent or good place to conduct business.
On the other hand, nine companies rate
Yellow Springs as a “fair” place to con- Excellent
13
duct business (one did not specify).

Q: Please rate public services available to you in the Village of Yellow Springs?

Part of what makes a community attractive as a place to conduct business is the quality of public services.
Both manufacturing firms and retail/service companies were asked to rate a variety of public, utility and
school services. Of all these services, fire, police, and school services rated the highest, while water
services appear to be rated the lowest.

Companies were asked whether they believe there is sufficient parking in the downtown area. Thirty-six of
the combined 50 companies responded “no,” there is not sufficient parking.

We asked companies whether existing telecommunication services meet their needs. Thirty-two state that
current telecommunication services meet their needs, while 7 companies have unmet needs (12 firms
did not specify).
Q: How do you rate amenities in the down-
Rate Amenities in Downtown Area town area of the Village of Yellow
Springs?
31
30
Another contributing factor to making a com-
Number of Firms

20 munity a good place to conduct business op-

7
10 erations is the provision of amenities. The vast
10
2 majority of companies in this report rate down-
town amenities (such as park benches, trash
0
Excellent Good Fair Poor containers, and bike racks) as excellent (7) or
good (31). Conversely, twelve companies rate
amenities as either fair or poor (one did not
specify).

15
Q: Is there a need to expand the central business district in the Village of Yellow Springs?

When posed with the question about the Central Business District, most of the companies (33) do not see
a need to expand the Central Business District, while ten are in favor of expanding it (8 companies did not
specify).

Q: Please specify the level of helpfulness you receive from business development organizations.

We asked businesses to rate five business development organizations:

• The Village of Yellow Springs
• The Chamber of Commerce
• The Greene County Department of Development
• The Dayton Power and Light Company (DP&L)
• The Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

We found that the majority of companies are not familiar with three of these organizations. Specifically, 38
companies are not familiar with the services of the SBDC, including all of the manufacturing firms in this
report. Most companies are not familiar with the Greene County Department of Development (30)
nor DP&L’s business development services (29). For the two organizations having the most famil-
iarity, the Village and the Chamber of Commerce, one-fourth found them not to be helpful, while
about three-fourths of the companies found them to be helpful.

16
RECOMMENDATIONS
A number of firms have desires/plans to renovate or expand. Many mention barriers to these
plans.

• The Village and Chamber will develop a follow-up process to identify those firms with barriers
to expansion. This may include a business perception survey or business roundtable.
• The Village, Chamber and the Yellow Springs/Miami Township Community Improvement
Corporation (CIC) will explore the development of a mixed-use park that could incorporate
manufacturing and service firms.

Numerous companies requested assistance from organizations that facilitate business devel-
opment. In conjunction with that, many are unaware of the functions of the various organi-
zations and the full array of resources available to them.

• The Village and Chamber will follow-up with all participants of the Retention & Expansion Pro-
gram detailing existing resources available to local businesses.
• The Chamber, in cooperation with the CIC, will develop a survey to determine needs/interests of
local businesses.
• The Chamber and CIC will develop a program that will put the business community in touch
with the appropriate resources. This may take the form of a lecture series, workshops, or a
resource guide.

Parking continues to be a concern in the Village.

• The Village will continue to educate the community and visitors about parking through a bro-
chure or through local print media.
• The Village will review the availability of bicycle stands and the visibility of signage at existing
parking to determine if improvements are needed.
• The Village and Chamber will explore other solutions to the parking problem, balancing mer-
chants’ needs with residents’ concerns for congestion.

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