BARLOW — Micro Machine Works, in collaboration with JobsOhio, Ohio Southeast Economic Development and the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority today announced it is investing $650,000 in its Barlow Township facility.

Micro Machine Works was founded in 1992 and produces custom metal parts for manufacturers. The company specializes in machining small and precise parts to very tight quality tolerances. The company is owned by Linn Yost, a U.S. Navy veteran.

Thanks to growing demand, Micro Machine Works currently has more orders than it can fill. The company lacks the capacity in both machinery and staffing to meet the demand. Thus, it will be investing $650,000 in a large 5-axis CNC machining center, to be used primarily for aerospace and other very close tolerance Department of Defense work. This investment will lead to the creation of six new jobs.

“Washington County is a great place to live and work,” said Yost. “Micro Machine Works, Inc. has been in business in Barlow, Ohio for 30 years and I can honestly say that we have never advertised for work. All of our advertising has been through word of mouth. We do work for other manufacturing companies across the United States.”

Yost added, “We invest heavily in training and have a very high-quality workforce. We are initiating a manufacturing awareness program throughout our local school systems to entice and educate young people about the opportunities in manufacturing. It’s awesome to live in an area without the hassles of traffic jams and the high cost of city life while earning a quality paycheck.”

JobsOhio supported the project with a $40,000 JobsOhio Inclusion Grant and Ohio Southeast Economic Development assisted the company with the grant process. The Southeastern Ohio Port Authority also provided assistance to the company.

“As a lifelong resident of the Barlow area, this project quite literally hits close to home for me,” said SeOPA Executive Director Jesse Roush. “Micro Machine Works is a unique asset within Ohio’s manufacturing sector and Linn Yost is among the most innovative workforce developers in the region. This project will secure and create vitally important jobs within a community that rarely sees this type of investment.”

The JobsOhio Inclusion Grant exists to provide financial support for eligible projects in designated distressed communities and/or for businesses owned by underrepresented populations across the state. Eligibility requirements for the program can be found at www.jobsohio.com/why-ohio/inclusiongrant.

“Micro Machine Works is helping to lead a machining renaissance in southeast Ohio,” said OhioSE President Mike Jacoby. “This JobsOhio assistance will allow Micro Machine Works to purchase cutting-edge equipment critical to meeting rapidly-growing customer demand for its precision manufactured products.

“We are thrilled to support the growth of this dynamic company.”

The Southeastern Ohio Port Authority is the lead economic development agency in Washington County, Ohio. SeOPA focuses primarily on site and infrastructure development to attract and retain businesses and jobs, along with conduit financing, planning, and advocacy on behalf of the County.

Ohio Southeast Economic Development is the JobsOhio Network Partner for southern, eastern, and southeastern Ohio, providing economic development work and resources in 25 rural counties; they are the newest and geographically the largest of the six regions across the state. OhioSE partners closely with regional development districts, local economic development offices, state agencies, and other entities to expand, retain, and attract businesses in the counties they serve. Learn more at OhioSE.com.

JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio though Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.