Congressman Steve Stivers (R – Columbus) recently congratulated the Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District (BH-HVRDD) on being awarded a $1.7 million Make it in America grant for its Make it in Appalachia Ohio project, which will work to accelerate job creation in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District and throughout Appalachian Ohio.

“Appalachian Ohio is incredibly well-positioned to attract new businesses and jobs to the region,” Stivers said. “The Make it in America Challenge Grant will help the Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District serve the community and support businesses committed to making it in Appalachian Ohio. I was happy to support their efforts as they applied for this grant.”

The BH-HVRDD’s Make it in Appalachia Ohio project is one of ten projects that will receive funding through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Make it in America Challenge grant program.

The Make it in Appalachia Ohio project is a unique partnership between the BH-HVRDD, the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth (APEG), the Ohio Workforce Investment Area 15 Board, and the Ohio Valley Employment Resources (OVER), which will build on the region’s key re-shoring areas to bring further investment in the following industries: metal fabrication, polymers and chemicals, and wood manufacturing.

The project will include three initiatives: a development site inventory and economic development asset mapping, led by Buckeye Hills; wood furniture manufacturing supply chain development, led by APEG, which will engage over 400 local firms; a worker training program focused on strengthening the region’s workforce in the target industries that will engage over 800 workers, led by OVER.

On Sept. 12 Congressman Stivers sent letters to the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Labor offering his support for the Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District’s Make it in America Challenge application.