DAYTON — Construction is underway on a project transforming the old Montgomery County Fairgrounds into a new innovation hub as part of the OnMain project in downtown Dayton.
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Local, state, and federal leaders gathered together on Friday, representing decades of work and collaboration by countless agencies and people who shared the idea of making the Dayton region a hub for research, technology, and workforce development.
“This is a generational project for the city of Dayton. I truly mean that,” said Jeff Hoagland, President of the Dayton Development Coalition.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, the development, covering 38 acres, is set to become a $70 million innovation hub owned by the University of Dayton and Premier Health. The site aims to capitalize on an emerging workforce from nearby universities and colleges, and even local school districts, honing in on training the next generation of workers used by digital and technology companies, as well as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
“Our goal is to bring those folks from around the country that will want to work with the Air Force or these companies around digital technologies,” Brian Heitkamp, CEO of OnMain Inc., said. “So we want to bring workforce and students to the community that not just upskill the ones that are here.”
The heartbeat of the project will be the five-story, 120,000-square-foot Think Dayton building that will sit right at the corner of Main and Stewart streets.
The goal is to have the doors open by the spring of 2027.
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