Thank you, once again, for reading. This is your newsletter. You can reach Tom at tom.gnau@coxinc.com and (937) 681-5610. Drop him a line, tell him what’s going on. He’s on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Big news came out this week for people interested in outdoor clothing, shoes and equipment.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
REI CO-OP announced its opening a location in the Beavercreek Shopping Center.
What’s happening? The 23,000-square-foot store will be located at 2650 N. Fairfield Road, and will feature a full-service bike, ski, and snowboard shop. The store will offer curbside pick-up and buy online-pick up in store shopping options.
According to the company, subscribers to the co-op membership program total around 28,000 in the Dayton area, and nearly 400,000 statewide. REI has stores in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus.
Drone Express has moved its headquarters to Denver, but Chief Executive Beth Flippo says the company will maintain its Dayton downtown office.
The commercial drone delivery company has garnered attention through its partnerships with Kroger and Winsupply; those partnerships remain in place, as does the company’s roots in Dayton, Flippo told Tom Gnau.
Why is Drone Express moving headquarters to Denver?
Owner Beth Flippo said Dayton remains home for her business and her family. She said the headquarters office needed to be closer to Silicon Valley and venture capitalists — deep-pocketed investors nearly any tech-oriented start-up will need to establish itself.
“We still have our office in Dayton,” Flippo said. “We just made our headquarters in Denver, so we have another office there. We also opened an office in Madrid. We’re starting to do a lot more international work.”
FAA license important: The Drone Express team is working towards a Part 135 certification through the Federal Aviation Administration, positioning it to conduct flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
MRI business near Dayton Mall moves
Precision Diagnostic Imaging (PDI) Dayton opened last week at 5692 Far Hills Ave. in Washington Twp., offering a full range of MRI technology to accommodate both patients and referring physicians.
PDI Dayton in 2009 bought the Dayton Open MRI location at 2591 Miamisburg Centerville Road in Miami Twp., which had been operating at the site since 1996, according to area manager Michael Dean.
WHY DID COMPANY MOVE? That location at the corner of 725 and Mad River Road, which Dean referred to as “a landmark of the Dayton community,” was damaged in a flood last December when pipes burst on the facility’s third floor.
Two area companies recognized for inclusive workplaces
“We want you guys to be examples for other businesses,” Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities director Kevin Miller said. Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities works with approximately 40,000 people with disabilities, and 1.7 million Ohioans have a disability, Miller said.
The award, which was established in one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s first executive orders when he took office, is scored on a rubric of 20 questions, he said, which cover hiring practices, training standards, and workplace accommodations.
Longtime Germantown restaurant has new owners
Reporter Natalie Jones reported Monday that the Florentine, which traces its history back more than two centuries in Germantown, has a new set of owners.
“It’s an honor,” said Sheree Henson, who now owns the restaurant with her husband, Bryce. “I have fond memories of coming here when I was a little girl. We came here every year for my grandmother’s birthday. It’s historic — the building, the restaurant — and it’s an honor to be given the privilege to carry on with that.”
Former owners Clay Alsip and Beth Vanden Berg purchased the restaurant in January 2018 after it spent more than a year on the market. The Florentine, Ohio’s second-oldest inn that dates to 1814-1816, reopened to the public in March 2018 following kitchen renovations.
The restaurant has been longtime staple in Germantown.
Quick hits
Bricks & Minifigs franchise opens in region: A Lego store with a twist
Dayton chamber CEO: Government shutdown bad for this region
Popular toy store to close: ‘A great thing comes to an end.’
BBQ smokehouse planning Dayton location: Restaurant has dinners under $10
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