CRESTLINE, OH – Link’s Country Meats, a family-owned meat processing facility serving regional farmers and grocery chains, has been awarded a $25,000 JobsOhio Small Business Grant. Located in Crestline, this business has been a community staple for over 100 years across six generations of family ownership.
The grant will support the expansion of their facility and upgrade electrical systems to meet growing demand.
“This facility was built by my grandfather, and over the last four or five years we’ve simply outgrown what the original infrastructure can handle,” commented Manager of Business Operations Michael Link, Jr. “Being just outside of town, the cost of bringing three-phase power to the site has always been out of reach. This support from JobsOhio/Crawford Partnership helps offset that cost and makes the project manageable, allowing us to expand capacity, better support local producers, and serve families more effectively. It also opens the door for additional jobs, which is a big win for our community.”
The assistance from the aligned economic development community—including Crawford Partnership, JobsOhio, and Regional Growth Partnership—also helped Link’s Country Meat’s decision to commit to Crawford County with the retention of 13 jobs and plans for 2 new positions.
“We appreciate the investment in the community from Link’s, and we are proud to support a local business with deep roots in Crestline,” said Executive Director for Crawford Partnership Makenna Laser. “The support from Regional Growth Partnership and JobsOhio continues to allow Northwest Ohio to be a top destination for businesses to grow.”
About Link’s Country Meats
The Link family has provided meat processing services to the surrounding area for six generations, evolving from on-the-farm butchering to a state-inspected facility specializing in high-quality processing of locally raised livestock. Today, Link’s Country Meats is operated by the fourth, fifth, and sixth generations. Located just outside Crestline, the business serves as a critical business partner for local farmers selling directly to consumers through on-farm sales, farmers markets, and other retail outlets.
About Crawford Partnership
The Crawford Partnership is a non-profit organization dedicated to making Crawford County a place where people seek to live and work through strategic economic and community development.
About Regional Growth Partnership (RGP)
The Regional Growth Partnership is the lead economic development organization serving 17 counties in Northwest Ohio. As a private nonprofit development corporation, the RGP is dedicated to fostering regional, national and international business investment opportunities across the region. The RGP serves as Northwest Ohio’s network partner for JobsOhio. Visit www.rgp.org for more information.
About JobsOhio
JobsOhio, Ohio’s private nonprofit economic development corporation, enhances company growth and personnel development through business attraction, retention, and expansion across ten competitive industry sectors. JobsOhio delivers world-class customer service to provide companies with a competitive advantage.
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