Defiance County’s Year of the Unicorn

My favorite Christmas movie? Hands down — Elf with Will Ferrell. One year, I was watching it with my three daughters, and we got to the part where Buddy the Elf is heading to New York to meet his biological dad. Just before he leaves the North Pole, a deep-voiced Narwhal pops out of the icy water and says, “Buddy, I hope you find your dad!”

I turned to my girls and said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if Narwhals were real?” Cue the laughter. “Uh, Mom… they ARE real.” I was defiant. “Oh sure, and next you’re going to tell me unicorns exist too?” The debate was on. We paused the movie, they whipped out their iPhones, and within seconds, I was officially the biggest idiot in the room. Narwhals are real. Who knew?   Hold that thought.

Every November, our board meeting carries a theme that reflects the year’s journey. Last year was “The Year of the Diamond,” celebrating our organization’s 60th anniversary. This year, we declared it “The Year of the Unicorn.” Unicorns symbolize rarity, and our results this year were exactly that—rare and extraordinary.

That success was made possible by the collective effort to secure First Quality Tissue at the Mega Site. If you haven’t heard, this represents the largest investment in our county’s history, $985 million and 407 new jobs over the next eight years.

Beyond this milestone, several other accomplishments made the year stand out:

• Harmon Business Park broke ground on a 70,000 square foot spec building.

• APG announced a $25 million expansion at Enterprise Industrial Park, soon to add 85 new jobs.

• Tessenderlo Kerley Inc. (TKI) held their grand opening.

• Titan Mechanical opened a new location at 850 Carpenter Drive creating 22 to 50 jobs.

• Our office assisted DECKED in recruiting 70 new workers.

• Standridge Color completed their expansion.

• APT Manufacturing Solutions and NEMCO in Hicksville both completed their expansions.

• With support from WesBanco, we helped 10 + small business owners through our Homegrown Grant Program

• We assisted two new businesses with JobsOhio’s Relocation Grant, helping bring talent back to Ohio

• And that’s just the highlight reel.

  
  

Now back to Unicorns and Narwhals >>>Unicorns in folklore appear only when the moment is right, reminding us that extraordinary outcomes are possible when we keep striving. Narwhals, which I once doubted were real (insert joke), show rare and beautiful things do exist.

This year in Defiance County has been our unicorn year. The magic lies in the uncommon opportunities we captured, and the strength lies in how we worked together to turn those opportunities into real impact—new jobs, new investments, and new hope for families.

(Column Written by Erika Willitzer, Executive Director of Defiance County Economic Development)

For business expansion and/or workforce resources, email Erika@DefianceCountyED.com.