OAQDA Approves Financing for Clark County Small Business Clean Air Compliance Project to Support Job Creation and Growth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2026

Media Contact: Lindsey Sanders
[email protected]

419-618-1708

OAQDA Approves Financing for Clark County Small Business Clean Air Compliance Project to Support Job Creation and Growth

COLUMBUS - At its January board meeting, the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) approved up to $250,000 in financing clean air equipment for a small business project in Clark County. The financing will assist with job retention and creation while helping the business meet federal clean air and safety regulations.

The approved project provides funding for Howald's Paint & Body Works, a family-owned auto body shop in Springfield, Ohio, that has served the Clark County community for more than a decade. Howald's will utilize the financing to install a new Global Finishing Solutions (GFS) Ultra XD 24-foot Downdraft Dual Prep Spray Booth.

"Small businesses like Howald's Paint & Body Works are critical employers in many local communities across Ohio," said Christina O'Keeffe, executive director of OAQDA. "Our work supports these investments in equipment that helps expand business growth to protect jobs, improve safety, and drive long-term economic opportunities locally."

The new high-efficiency and healthier equipment will allow the business to comply with clean air and ventilation regulations while significantly reducing harmful volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. As a result, the small business can expand to accommodate its continued growth in the community while improving workplace safety. The project will sustain six existing jobs and create up to four new positions as the business expands.

In addition to financing, the project includes a grant award of up to $20,000, which provides additional financial relief that reduces upfront project costs and improves cash flow. By investing in modern filtration and ventilation systems, Howald's is strengthening its role as a local employer while protecting the health of its employees, customers and the surrounding community.

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The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) is an independent state agency that partners with cities, counties and other municipalities across the state to stimulate job growth, drive economic benefits and improve community health through financing air quality projects. OAQDA's primary activity is to further economic development in Ohio by providing financing and incentives for projects that cause a reduction in air emissions, regardless of whether the project uses coal, natural gas, oil or another resource type. Since its creation in 1970, OAQDA has issued more than $6 billion in revenue bonds for air quality projects to help Ohio employers achieve energy cost reductions and improve air quality. For more information about OAQDA and its services, please visit ohioairquality.ohio.gov.