Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose listens to a presentation by the staff of Nelson Packaging in Lima. LaRose toured the facility Wednesday as part of his office’s Manufacturing Month.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
LIMA — Manufacturing has long been a staple of Ohio’s economy, and on Wednesday, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose traveled to Lima to celebrate one area manufacturer’s accomplishments.
LaRose paid a visit to Lima’s Nelson Packaging Wednesday as part of his office’s efforts to highlight manufacturing in the state during the month of October. Along with a tour, LaRose heard a presentation about the company and what its work entails, including chemical blending and packaging for several Proctor & Gamble products, such as the Downy Unstopables laundry scent beads and the Tide to Go stain remover pen.
“We’re a state that knows how to make things and make quality products that are used all over the world, just like what they’re doing here at Nelson Packaging,” he said. “It’s a wonderful facility that has grown and that the Lima community should be very proud of. A lot of products that are ubiquitous in our lives come out of this facility. A lot of people don’t realize that they are shipped all over the world and they come right here from Lima.”
Michael Gee, Nelson Packaging’s director of projects, expressed gratitude for LaRose’s visit as well as excitement to be able to show how this company has continued to contribute to the local and state economy.
“It’s always great to get someone like Frank LaRose coming into our plant and seeing how we are part of the manufacturing process here in Lima,” he said.
Gee wanted to highlight “just how involved we are with the hiring of people within Allen County as well as how we’ve been growing our business through the years,” he said.
LaRose also spoke about how his office has been preparing for the upcoming November election, coordinating with county boards of elections to ensure that all the pieces are in place to have a smooth election where people can be confident in the results.
“It’s important for Ohioans to know that your county board of elections is a thoroughly bipartisan organization in a time when it feels like Republicans and Democrats in Washington can’t agree on what day of the week it is,” he said. “Your county board of elections is half Ds, half Rs working very collegially and cordially together, and that’s a great story.”
LaRose also emphasized the need for poll workers throughout the state, saying he has told each county to aim for 115 percent of their required poll worker pool, citing the need for people able to fill in should a poll worker not be able to work on Election Day.
Reach Craig Kelly at 567-242-0391 or on Twitter @cmkelly419.
