New businesses creating job opportunities in Orrville, Dalton areas of Wayne County

Orrville and Dalton continue to thrive as a new wave of entrepreneurial energy is transforming the local business landscape.

While some businesses faced closure due to a workforce shortage, a new generation of business leaders has successfully taken the reins.

The new shops, cafes and automobile services are stabilizing the economic development of the area.

“I think we're kind of in more of a holding pattern right now,” said Dan Franks president of Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Although these new businesses are creating more job opportunities, finding employees is still a struggle.

“The biggest thing is finding enough workers to fill all the openings that we have,” Franks said.

Last year, the chamber launched the Envision Your Future program to prepare high school students for work life. The five-month program aims to help students to think about their interest, skills and their future and align them with the education path they need.

The chamber collaborates with local employers to identify essential skills, providing potential employees with tailored training to meet industry demands. Additionally, Leadership Orrville equips employees with skills, fostering growth within their respective companies.

WrenchWorks is filling a void

Although WrenchWorks Truck and Auto Care just opened in January, the place is getting busy.

“We're looking to hire more from the area,” said Denise Hobson, marketing specialist of Wrench Works.

Kevin and Kelly Kruft opened their first shop in Wadsworth in 2020. When they heard the owner of Nussbaum Automotive was planning to retire, they were interested in filling the void.

“Kevin is very ambitious, the new place is part of his growth plan,” Hobson said.

WrenchWorks specialized truck services and oil changes. It offers a lifetime guarantee on repairs and shuttle service or loaner cars for customers who need a ride after dropping off their cars.

“We want to make it simple and convenient for everyone,” she said. “It’s a fast, friendly with transparent pricing.”

'Small but focused' at Orr Pizza and Subs

The owners of Orr Pizza and Subs moved from Illinois to Ohio 10 years ago, but Orrville is like home for them.

“We lived in Orrville probably about eight years, then we moved out, but for some reason, Orrville keeps calling us back,” said Rey Martinez owner of Orr Pizza and Subs.

Rey and Catrina Martinez bought the business that was formerly known as Lincoln Way Pizza.

“My wife and I talked about owning a restaurant for years, we were tired of working the traditional 9-to-5 job for somebody else and this kind of fell into place at the same time,” he said.

Orr Pizza and Subs offers Gyros, pizzas and even desserts. But many customers come from Apple Creek, Wooster and Dalton to have their signature dish, chickens.

“We're a small restaurant, but we’re focused on putting out good tasting and quality food at a reasonable price,” he said.

Jarrett Logistics Services celebrated a ribbon cutting for its third phase of warehouse expansion. The new phase adds 93,000 square fees to its current location.

“Orrville and the Wayne County area are full of good, hardworking people,” said Mike Jarrett in a statement. “Many of our customers choose Orrville because of our dedicated employees and the continuity of our workforce.”

Name it, and ItZere probably has it, says the owner

Records, furniture, clothes and even more can be easily found in ItZere.

“We named it ItZere because if you are looking for it, it's here,” said Kris Pyers, owner of the ItZere thrift shop.

Pyers moved with his partner from a small shop in Millersburg to a bigger space on East Market Street in Orrville.

“Millersburg has gotten so expensive, this place is half the money and twice the size, we like Orrville, it’s a nice town,” Pyers said.

ItZere has a variety of old and new items for reasonable prices.

“We do $5 fill a bag for clothes, fill a shopping bag up for $5. We have anything from tools, kitchen, appliances, and home improvements, you name it,” he said.

The Dalton area stands as a magnet for local businesses. The Kiko family has been in the real estate and auction field since 1945.

What happening in the Dalton area? Plenty

“We are a family-owned business, my father, myself, my sisters and my brothers, we are all from Wayne County and most of us live in Dalton,” said Pete Kiko, owner of Pete Kiko Realtor and Auctioneer. “We decided that it was a great opportunity to open a branch location here and invest in our community.”

Kiko offers real estate services in residential and agricultural properties.

“People call us for honest advice and we're happy to look at their situations and whatever their goals are, then we can align our options to meet their goals,” Kiko said.

A cafe for beverage, game and art

LincWay Buildings is another family-owned business that aims to bring people together.

In April 2023, the Howells family celebrated the opening of LincWay Cafe and LincWay Art Studio as a part of the 44,000 acres of land.

“Our vision started with having a children’s museum,” said Delight Howells, director of LincWay buildings.

The Dallas family partnered with the Wayne County Children’s STEAM Playlab to build a children’s museum in Dalton.

“We wanted to add a place where families can interact and enjoy,” Howells said.

Besides the board games and beverages it offers, LincWay cafe has a marketplace where local producers can sell their products.

In LincWay Art Studio, families can enjoy purchasing and coloring pottery or join one of the classes provided by local artists.

“The ultimate goal is that it will pair nicely with the Wayne County children's theme play lab,” Howells said.

New home for Weaver and Goodwill donations

After constructing and remodeling several local buildings for years, Weaver Commercial Contractor moved from its Wooster location to the Old Lincoln Way in Dalton.

“We were looking for a place where we could build an office and a shop all on the same property so that our field crew and our office crew could all be based out of the same location,” said Mike Eberly, company president.

Weaver Commercial Contractor has completed and continues to work on local projects. One of the recent projects was the LincWay buildings and an addition building at Central Christian High School in Kidron.

“We're actually working on another phase of the Central Christian School,” Eberly said.

A new Goodwill Donation Center opened on Cochran Street in Dalton for community members to donate gently used items.

“The Dalton Donation Center has been a tremendous success for us so far, with an average of 140 donors per month. We cannot wait to see how the community utilizes this new resource in the Spring,” said Laura Sanders, senior director of retail.

Whether it’s clothes, toys or houseware, Goodwill accepts donated items with a quality standard for the retail store.

“We need all donations, anything that people are willing to give away, "said Casey McGrady, vice president of development and marketing.

In addition to helping people in need with clothes and other items, Goodwill helps the unemployed by supporting them with training and career exploration.

“Every donation to Goodwill equals two hours of job skills training and career development,” said Ashly Hart, internal and community relations.

As these businesses flourish, they're not just creating jobs they're building connections and fostering a sense of community.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: New Orrville, Dalton businesses are revitalizing local landscape