Northwest Ohio

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Nearly $6 million in air quality financing has been approved for the northwest Ohio region by the Authority since 2007. The projects ranged from energy-efficiency equipment for a large community college to clean air facilities for industrial manufacturing, municipal buildings and a variety of automotive dealership projects.

The Authority frequently supports small businesses in rural Ohio communities with financing to expand local economic vitality and support job retention and creation. One such project in 2019 is a family-owned dry-cleaning business, which has served the Defiance community for more than 20 years. Mercury Cleaners received financing approval for $75,098 and $27,905 in grants to purchase and install a new cleaning system that uses biodegradable, environmentally-friendly solvents and eliminates the use of perchloroethylene (PERC), which is considered a hazardous chemical to human health. The new equipment is designed to save costs of acquisition and operation, while being safer for the environment. The new machine utilizes a solvent that removes stains better, is gentle on fabrics, and has low water toxicity.

“With two rivers nearby, this financing from OAQDA allows us to buy equipment that uses a solvent that not only reduces emissions into the air but also is safer for our water.”
– Mike McCann, Owner, Mercury Cleaners