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Small Business

10KSB Speed Networking

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Are you ready for a summer of intense business education to help you grow and scale your company? The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Sinclair College is accepting applications for its summer 2026 cohort. For those who would like to learn more about the impacts of the program and hear personal testimonials from previous cohort graduates, you are invited to join Dayton-area 10KSB alumni at a special speed networking event on Nov. 12.

Register today to reserve your seat at Oregon Express — proudly owned by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Cohort 5 graduate Laura Zeller — for a fast-paced networking event designed to connect Dayton 10KSB alumni and qualified business owners. Meet other small business owners and find out why this program has a 91% referral rate among graduates. If you’re considering applying to this s free educational “boot camp” for small business owners, this is a great way to learn more about the program and expand your network.

  • Doors open at 5:00 PM; event starts at 5:30 PM
  • Quick 2-minute conversations across tables with rotation each round
  • Ask your questions about 10KSB and get feedback from business owners who participated
  • Ends with a prize drawing and open networking

About 10,000 Small Businesses … 

Sinclair College offers a 14-week “entrepreneurial boot camp” exclusively to small business owners with the goal of helping them grow and expand. The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program takes a deep dive into  business management  topics while participants develop their growth strategy. They have support from peers, award-winning faculty, and business advisors working with them one-on-one during the program. Best of all — it’s FREE!

We help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing access to education, capital, and support services. The best-in-class curriculum covers all the fundamentals for growing a business, and is delivered in partnership with community colleges like Sinclair. Best of all, this grant-funded program is offered to business owners at no cost to them.

Since launching the program here in Dayton, Sinclair has graduated 97 small business owners from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. The graduates produce over $110 million in revenue and more than 1,800 employees work for them. On average, 71% of graduates increase their annual revenue and 51% add employees to their payroll just 18 months after completing the program and implementing their growth strategies. Find out how this free summer of intense education can help YOU grow and scale your business, too.

Oakwood Farmers Market

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The 2025 Oakwood Farmers’ Market will be held Saturdays, June 7th thru October 11th, from 9 am until 12pm.

The Oakwood Farmers’ Market was founded in 2013 by a group of Oakwood residents who wanted to bring local farmers, gourmet food vendors, and artisans to the heart of Oakwood’s business district.

It is the mission of the Oakwood Farmers’ Market to create an educational, entertaining, and inclusive market for the residents of Oakwood and surrounding Dayton communities to gather and support local businesses.

The market is located on Orchard Drive and the adjacent public lot (off Far Hills Avenue) immediately behind the Oakwood Retail Center.

Kickstarter live for veteran startup seeking to recycle uniforms, tell stories

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Will Romes is working to help fellow veterans transition to civilian life — by helping their uniforms make that same transition.

Will’s new company, Eighth Order, will take donated uniforms from retired veterans and re-pattern them into new oxford-style cotton shirts. He’s running a Kickstarter now to get the company up & running.

An Air Force veteran, Will wasn’t ready to retire at age 38.

“In military life, there are stage gates,” he explained. “Goals are easily achievable  if you follow the path laid out.”

As he looked toward retirement, he realized he didn’t have a path laid out for his post-military career. He was pondering this new reality one Sunday as he dressed for church, and his eyes wandered to the four stacks of military uniforms that he would soon be throwing away.

It seemed like a shame, he recalled. So he looked for a way to repurpose it.

He connected with a factory in California that can make eight pattered shirts out of each military uniform, But Eighth Order isn’t only about clothes — it’s also about the stories behind those uniforms, he said.

According to the Veterans Administration, between 11 and 20 percent of U.S. veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. Will is one of them.

Sharing the stories behind the uniform — what countries it has traveled to, what campaigns it has seen — can help the veteran deal with the disorder, Will said.

When veterans donate their uniforms, they’ll also return a card where they share as many or as few details from their service as they wish. This card will eventually be distributed with the shirts the uniform is used to create.

Will has 45 days to go on his $20K Kickstarter goal. He hopes to launch his Eighth Order e-commerce shop in February 2020. Share this story, & click here to support him!

Belmont Days Returns to Dayton

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On June 29, 2019, the Belmont Business Association (BBA) and the Belmont Eastmont Hearthstone Community Council (BEHCC) will once again host Belmont Days. This is an opportunity for their communities, and the city of Dayton, to come and experience all of the growth that has occurred in these districts over the last several years. The event will be from 11 AM to 6 PM, primarily on Watervliet Drive between Fauver Avenue and Mundale Avenue. There will be live music, food, shopping at local businesses, and an opportunity to visit all of the stores in the main business district of Belmont.

It has been twenty years since Belmont hosted this popular event. As the area of Belmont expands and improves, the community wants to invite all of their Dayton neighbors to see and experience the people and businesses that have built up these sections of the Gem City. Stores will be open for shopping while vendors on the street showcase the small businesses that have been built in the community. To kick off the festivities, Belmont Gym has designed a unique obstacle course to challenge the fitness of those that sign up. Music will be playing in the streets, while local businesses will offer everything one can imagine.

Belmont Eastmont Hearthstone Community Council has worked to build and promote these districts of Dayton since the mid-1970s. They work with the citizens of these communities to promote growth, both economically and socially.

Local Small Business Fights Back Against Big Chain: Plans Strategic Expansion to National Market Through Online Sales

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bakehouse_toplogoAfter 17 years in business, Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company is planning to expand beyond their current Miami County market with the addition of online sales as their lead component for growth.

A small, mom & pop artisan bakery located in the small rural town of Troy Ohio, Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company has enjoyed years of consistent growth and local success. Established in 1997, the company moved to their current location in 2000 which boasts 3,800 square feet of bakery space in which they produce artisan breads, pastries and gourmet cookies for sale in their storefront café as well as to wholesale customers.

“Despite our success,” says Steve McLain, co-owner, “like many small businesses, we‘ve definitely felt the pressure of the large chain restaurants and bakeries popping up around us.  As a small, artisan producer, we knew we had to be strategic about our continued growth and find a way to expand beyond our current market in order to ensure longevity. The addition of online sales to our current revenue was the obvious first step. “

Bakehouse recently engaged a professional firm to help elevate the company’s brand presence to ensure it would not only be well received by a national market, but would stand strong when placed beside large chain competitors.

“Very often, small businesses reach a plateau after a number of years. They want to grow, but are afraid to invest in the tools that will help them reach that next level,” says McLain. “We knew that in order to continue to compete, we couldn’t stand in the shadows of the big chains. We had to refresh and not only come out swinging, but shining brightly as well.”

Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company invested in a complete redesign of their brand and web presence to feature high-impact photography of their artisan products and the ability to order products online. “The ultimate goal was to show customers outside of the local area who might not frequent our brick and mortar location the quality of our products and give them the ability to order online,” says Margaret Begg, co-owner and master baker.“This allows us to share the craft of artisan baking with folks all around the country and bolster our growth at the same time.”

Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company is now a small business poised for growth and expansion. Their new web presence features six of their most popular artisan bread staples:  Sourdough, Cranberry Poppyseed, Raisin Walnut, New York Rye, Seven Grain and a special collaboration with a local famer and miller, Organic Spelt. They also offer seasonal products and gift boxes online, as well as their famous Bakehouse gourmet cookies.

All of Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company’s products are created by hand using all natural ingredients in their Troy Ohio bakery. No emulsifiers, artificial fillers, preservatives or other “shortcut” additives are ever used. Every ingredient that goes into creating Bakehouse products are completely natural and whenever possible, locally sourced.

“Yes, there might be a faster way or cheaper way to create a loaf of bread,” says Begg,  “but the nourishment of a nation is no place to cut corners. We believe it is our responsibility as food producers to keep the health of our community at the forefront of every decision. So every ingredient we use in the creation of our products or the delicious food in the Bakehouse café is selected with this in mind.”

Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company’s artisan breads and gourmet cookies are now available to the public via their online storefront at www.bakehousebread.com. Shipping is available within 2 days to anywhere within the continental United States.

Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company creates handmade artisan breads and gourmet cookies for lovers of great food around the world. For additional information about Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company, contact them at937-339-8100 or [email protected]. For the most up to date information about Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company s products, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bakehousebread.