Dash opened in 2001 and quickly became a thriving, profitable enterprise with steady growth. Two years ago we reached our current staff of twenty-five to thirty drivers who run the gamut from working moms making deliveries while their kids are at school to a retired engineer who has too much energy to sit around the house. We also hire CDL drivers of various ages to operate our small fleet of straight trucks.
Last year, our hometown received a devastating blow when DHL decided to move its operations out of Wilmington. Eight thousand jobs disappeared from our small town and rural county. We are doing whatever we can to keep Dash Logistics from being a casualty of the cascade of job losses that occurred when DHL left the area and from the general stagnation in the economy.
So far, we have kept all of our employees even though we have not had enough business to keep them working steadily. The job situation here is tough; the choice is to either get by on less or move to a place where the job market is more promising. For parents with kids in school or retirees who live near their families, moving away is an extremely difficult decision to make. One of our top priorities is maintaining our workforce to allow as many employees as possible to remain in Wilmington.
As we try to think of ways to keep Dash Logistics up and running in these difficult times, we also are interested in reducing our environmental footprint. We first checked into solar power for our home and became excited about the possibilities for a real commitment to the growth of solar power. Once we got excited, it was a natural progression to think "Hey, maybe this is how we can keep Dash running and keep our employees employed and do something positive for the environment."
We have a twelve-thousand square foot facility on seven acres. The roof of our building has a very slight pitch and is completely unshaded. Once we get the financing figured out, we could begin the installation of solar panels immediately. We are ready to run with this.
Now that the huge airpark is sitting empty, there is serious interest in replacing the lost jobs in Clinton County with green alternatives. To that end, our building could be a wonderful advertisement for solar energy and the many ways it can be beneficial to a community. Our ultimate goal is to be a resource to encourage the growth of solar power and green jobs in and around Clinton County, Ohio.
