Happy 4th of July Week! 🇺🇸 (And to those of you who took the entire week or at least convinced your boss that Tuesday counts as a holiday, we see you.)

This week, we’re not only celebrating America’s 250th birthday, but also the freedoms and opportunities that make this country so special. We truly are fortunate to live in a place where people can build businesses, grow careers, create wealth, and pursue their own version of the American Dream.

We’re also fairly certain hot dog and hamburger sales are about to spike across Northwest Ohio, so if you’re reading this before heading to the grocery store, don’t forget the buns. They’re always the first thing to get left behind.

We have several exciting developments to share with you over the coming weeks. The first one you may have already noticed on Wednesday: the launch of Toledo Money | Beyond the Listing.

Over the past 16 months, we’ve spent a lot of time listening to our readers, and one topic consistently rose to the top of conversations, real estate. Beyond the Listing is an expansion of Toledo Money, not a replacement. Our Friday publication will remain exactly what you’ve come to expect, while every other Wednesdays now give us the opportunity to deliver deeper, more timely real estate coverage without diluting the flagship Friday piece.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the inaugural edition of Toledo Money | Beyond the Listing, check it out!

This Week’s Shoutout 📢:

This week's shoutout goes to Mike Pniewski, Lucas County Engineer, P.E., P.S.

Bill and I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mike for coffee on Monday morning. Not only is he a genuinely great person, but he’s also someone who consistently goes above and beyond in his role serving Lucas County.

Mike joined the Lucas County Engineer’s Office on August 21, 2017, as Chief Deputy Lucas County Engineer and has been making an impact ever since.

He’s also a loyal Toledo Money subscriber, and we’re grateful for both his support of our publication and his dedication to our community. Thanks, Mike!

Owens Corning | $OC ( ▲ 0.32% )

Dana Incorporated | $DAN ( ▼ 5.0% )

The Andersons | $ANDE ( ▼ 1.59% )

Owens Illinois | $OI ( ▲ 2.09% )

Welltower Inc. | $WELL ( ▲ 2.55% )

Marathon Petroleum Corporation | $MPC ( ▲ 0.56% )

First Solar | $FSLR ( ▼ 3.24% )

There is a reason the old line survives. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

It is overused because it is true. And in economic development, the regions that wait around for big companies to discover them usually end up watching the announcement happen somewhere else.

This week, Northwest Ohio took the shot.

UDD Tech Corp., the U.S. company representing Ukraine’s F-Drones, chose Holland for its first major U.S. assembly and manufacturing center. The project is expected to create at least 300 new jobs and generate $18.4M in new annual payroll by the end of 2029.

That is the economic development headline. The regional lesson is more important.

This deal was competitive. It was pursued. It was worked. It required relationships, timing, credibility, and a region willing to make the case that Northwest Ohio belongs in the conversation for the next generation of defense, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.

That part matters because this region has a bad habit of underselling itself.

We have the manufacturing base. We have the logistics network. We have the workforce. We have proximity to major markets. We have companies that already know how to build, move, machine, fabricate, package, and scale physical products.

What we have not always had is the confidence to go after the bigger fish. The UDD project is a reminder that confidence compounds.

UDD is not simply kicking tires from across the ocean. The company has begun putting roots down in Northwest Ohio, with early production activity underway as it builds toward a larger manufacturing footprint in Holland. The 300-job announcement is the long-term number. The near-term signal is more important: this is moving.

For a region that has watched plenty of projects get studied, delayed, resized, renamed, or quietly shelved, it is good to know This one is already past the “wouldn’t it be nice” stage.

Months ago, Darren Moore told a story that stuck with us. It was about what people involved in cities say in the back rooms. The quiet conversations. The honest assessments. The questions that determine whether a region is serious.

Can this place move? Can this place compete? Can this place connect local capability to global opportunity?

This month, Moore helped deliver an answer.

JobsOhio described Moore as a global business executive, decorated veteran, and elected Ottawa Hills Council member whose national and international relationships helped bring the project to the region. His thesis was simple: for scaled manufacturing, workforce, cost structure, logistics, and access to the American market, Northwest Ohio is the right platform.

A local entrepreneur and civic leader connected global demand to regional capacity.

Ukraine has become the world’s proving ground for drone warfare. First-person-view drones have moved from niche technology to battlefield necessity. The U.S. and allied countries now need affordable, scalable, secure drone production that can move faster than traditional defense procurement cycles.

F-Drones brings combat-tested technology. Northwest Ohio brings production muscle. This combination is why this announcement deserves more attention than a standard jobs number.

The facility in Holland is expected to support U.S. and allied demand for first-person-view drones, unmanned systems, training and testing, dual-use commercial applications, hardware and software integration, customer demonstrations, and long-term U.S. expansion. This is the type of project that can create supplier activity around it.

Machining. Fabrication. Electronics. Plastics. Packaging. Logistics. Testing. Training. Workforce development. Software integration. The first win is 300 jobs.

The bigger opportunity is whether Northwest Ohio becomes part of a vertically integrated unmanned systems supply chain.

Darren Moore called it an “Tiger team approach.” That phrase is easy to skim past, but it is the entire point. Projects like this do not land because one person sends one email. They land because multiple people across public, private, and economic development circles decide the region should be in the arena.

JobsOhio helped make the case. The Regional Growth Partnership helped make the case.

Dean Monske and the RGP team have spent years positioning Northwest Ohio’s manufacturing, logistics, and site-selection strengths to companies looking for a place to grow. Darren Moore helped connect the dots globally.

And other regional leaders, investors, relationship-builders, and public officials helped push the opportunity forward. That is how regions win. They stop waiting.

They make the call. They chase the project. They sell the region with conviction. They explain why a place like Holland, Ohio, can matter to people thinking about Washington, Kyiv, and the future of the defense industrial base.

The UDD project reinforces something we have believed for a while: Northwest Ohio does not need to reinvent its identity to compete for the future. It needs to translate its existing strengths into the industries that are growing.

Defense technology. Advanced manufacturing. Energy. Logistics. Data centers. Mobility. Food production. Aerospace. Industrial automation. These are real markets with real capital and real site-selection decisions being made often. UDD choosing Holland is a win. The larger win is seeing what happens when Northwest Ohio plays offense.

Because regions that wait to be found usually stay hidden. Regions that compete get a shot. Sometimes, the shot lands.

One of the questions we get asked most often is, “How do you know what’s coming as a media company and how do you stay ahead?”

The answer is actually pretty simple: we’re not traditional journalists.

We don’t spend our days chasing police scanners or waiting for press releases to hit our inbox. Toledo Money was built by business people for business people. Every week, we’re in conversations with developers, commercial real estate professionals, business owners, investors, lenders, executives, and local leaders across Northwest Ohio. Individually, those conversations may not mean much. Collectively, they tell a story. We are so thankful for our loyal community of Toledo Money advocates and information network.

When enough independent conversations begin pointing in the same direction, patterns emerge. That’s where Toledo Money thrives.

Over the past year, we’ve had the privilege of sharing several major developments well before they became widely accepted. We talked about Lululemon coming to Levis Commons before it was announced. We shared news of Shake Shack’s expansion into Levis Commons early. We have been reporting on the Fallen Timbers potential acquisition and redevelopment activity while many of the plans were still unfolding. We were among the first to confidently discuss Trader Joe’s coming to Westgate, even while many people questioned whether it would actually happen. The same was true for Dick’s House of Sport, which we covered long before most outlets were comfortable connecting the dots.

None of those stories came from a single source or one lucky phone call. They came from relationships we’ve spent time building and a network of people who care deeply about the future of this region. We don’t publish every rumor we hear, and we certainly don’t pretend every conversation turns into reality. But when multiple credible people who don’t know each other begin talking about the same project, we pay attention.

That’s the advantage of being embedded in the local business community instead of simply covering it.

As we look ahead, there are several developments we’re keeping a close eye on. We’re hearing plans for two separate apartment developments near the corner of US-20A and Albon Road in Maumee, along with a Ridis convenience store and gas station at the same intersection. There’s also growing confidence that the former Bar 145 property could become yet another Sheetz location. (Seriously… these Sheetz don’t seem to be slowing down.)

And then there’s the one that keeps coming up in conversations. Could Buc-ee’s be looking somewhere southwest of our region?

Maybe. That’s all we’ll say for now.

Nothing is official until the approvals are signed, the permits are filed, and the shovels hit the ground. But if the last year has taught us anything, it’s that today’s conversations often become tomorrow’s headlines.

Our promise to you is simple: we’ll continue listening, asking questions, connecting dots, and sharing what we believe deserves your attention. We won’t chase clicks, and we won’t publish speculation simply to be first. We’d rather earn your trust by being thoughtful, measured, and right more often than not.

That’s the role we believe Toledo Money should play. Not just reporting on Northwest Ohio’s business community, but being part of it.

Here are a few headlines we are snacking on

SpaceX IPO’d at a $1.75T valuation. Three business days later, they were the sixth-most valuable public company.

Those who bought at the opening bell saw a 40% gain. Andreessen Horowitz, who invested back in 2023? 1,700%+. The lesson? Today’s biggest growth comes at the private stage.

It’s why institutions love private-stage opportunities. A similar dynamic’s playing out in lithium, where General Motors backed $1B+ private unicorn EnergyX. Except this time, you can join them.

EnergyX’s patented tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods. And with lithium prices up 75% this year and demand projected to grow 5X by 2040, they’re perfectly positioned.

After opening America’s largest lithium production facility of its kind, EnergyX is preparing to unlock up to 13M tons. Become a private-stage EnergyX before the 7/16 deadline.

Invest in EnergyX

^{Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. (“EnergyX”) has engaged Beehiiv to publish this communication in connection with EnergyX’s ongoing Regulation A offering. Beehiiv has been paid in cash and may receive additional compensation. Beehiiv and/or its affiliates do not currently hold securities of EnergyX.}

^{This compensation and any current or future ownership interest could create a conflict of interest. Please consider this disclosure alongside EnergyX’s offering materials. EnergyX’s Regulation A offering has been qualified by the SEC. Offers and sales may be made only by means of the qualified offering circular. Before investing, carefully review the offering circular, including the risk factors. The offering circular is available at invest.energyx.com/.}

^{Comparisons to other companies are for informational purposes only and should not imply similar results. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Market shortfall are forward‑looking estimates and are subject to substantial uncertainty.}