Future built onMain

After weeks of activity at the site, excavators and bulldozers sat silent Sept. 26 to welcome community partners, business leaders and elected officials to onMain. With clear skies, it was all smiles under the tent to celebrate the groundbreaking of Think Dayton — the first building in the onMain innovation district, adjacent to campus. 

“Today marks a milestone decades in the making, but not the finish line,” said Brian Heinkamp, CEO of onMain. 

He said the five-story Think Dayton building will serve as the cornerstone for the district, attracting new investment and jobs in research and technology, as well as a hub for academia, government and private industry to work together. 

Located on the former Montgomery County Fairgrounds, onMain is an emerging innovation district designed to fuel opportunity and foster a vibrant live-work-learn community. The 38-acre development is a partnership between the University of Dayton and Premier Health. 

UD President Eric F. Spina recognized what he called the “radically selfless” collaboration involved in this project — requiring partnerships on the local, state and national levels — and its continued progress. “Our ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt transform our dreams into reality,” he said. 

Think Dayton, along with two new community spaces, is projected to open in 2027.