“It’s a party!” announced emcee Sharon (Davis) White ‘78 as she greeted an overflow crowd of community champions who had gathered under a huge tent on mostly vacant land dotted with bulldozers and filled with dreams.
“Welcome to a place where Dayton builds what is next,” said Brian Heitkamp ‘99, CEO of onMain, talking about the future home of Think Dayton, a digital transformation center that’s being built on “a strong civic foundation.”
One by one, community leaders and elected officials took the stage and spoke about the significance of this signature moment in our city’s history (watch video). Every groundbreaking offers a reason to celebrate, but this one somehow felt different to me. Perhaps because there’s so much at stake.
“This corner of Dayton changed the world. You can feel it in the air. We’re here today because we believe lightning will strike here again,” said Jeff Hoagland ’91, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition.
“We’re a few minutes from Deed’s Barn, across the river from the Wright brothers’ workshop and across the street from where NCR developed the WWII codebreaker Bombe. The new Think Dayton building will set the stage for the next generation of Dayton innovators.”
In a city awash with the echoes of a history of imagination and invention, the first building to rise on the 38-acre site of the former Montgomery County Fairgrounds will stand as a testament to what I call the region’s radically selfless collaboration.
“This has been a project done Dayton style,” agreed U.S. Rep. Mike Turner ‘92, who secured nearly $900,000 in federal funding to preserve the historic Roundhouse, an exhibition and special events space, that remains on the land for future use. “We stacked up every group and organization, and they came to the table. We’re taking the energy and excitement of the growth occurring downtown and pulling it together here.”
Let’s fast forward from the construction of the wooden Roundhouse more than a century and a half ago to 2027, when the sleek, modern Think Dayton will open its doors. Dayton’s glorious history and bold future will converge as UD, Premier Health and our partners bring to life a bold, collaborative vision. Here, cutting-edge research will attract the brightest minds to support the digital transformation of the U.S. Air Force while attracting new and developing businesses and providing immersive, hands-on learning opportunities for students. It will be the beginning of a new era of innovation.
Mike Riordan, president and CEO of Premier Health, and I are deeply grateful to the state of Ohio for providing $35 million through its Innovation Hubs Program to fund half of the $70 million initial investment. Phase one includes the 120,000-square-foot, five-story Think Dayton building, along with roads, utilities and other infrastructure needs. The remaining support from federal, state and local sources, as well as private investment, reflects a belief that Dayton’s future will be shaped by innovation and collaboration.
“It’s great to see dirt moving,” Mike said. “It sends a message of vibrancy this community deserves.”
It was that sense of forward momentum that made the groundbreaking ceremony such a joyous moment. As a community, we were marking the realization of a bold dream. But as U.S. Senator Jon Husted ’89 ’93 reminded us, this is just the beginning for what’s in store for onMain: “We need not squander this opportunity and think small. We need to think big.”
Looking out over the crowd, I saw a sea of big dreamers, people who saw the possibilities of a vision decades in the making.
“This is a community that doesn’t take no, or you can’t do it, or it’s over, or it won’t work,” said JP Nauseef ’88, president and CEO of JobsOhio. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
(Members of the community are invited to take a look at building plans, hear from onMain leadership about the project's progress, and provide feedback at a community open house 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the Roger Glass Center for the Arts.)