In this series, the Icon presents the Bluffton Beyond Tomorrow comprehensive plan in eight segments, which can be found in full on the Village of Bluffton website HERE. The Bluffton Public Library has two print copies.

Notable characteristics

• Leading Employers
• Agriculture
• Manufacturing
• Education
• Healthcare

672 residents both live & work in Bluffton
2,100 Jobs in Bluffton

Local economy and employment
Bluffton’s thriving economy is fueled by agriculture, manufacturing, education and healthcare. Major employers include Bluffton Hospital, Bluffton University, and numerous manufacturers.

Manufacturers such as GROB (797 employees), Autokiniton (170), SumiRiko (666) and Diamond Manufacturing (120) account for a significant portion of the jobs in Bluffton. In the education sector, there is Bluffton University (566 including work-study programs) and Bluffton schools (235). In healthcare, there is Bluffton Hospital (273) and Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio (280), which encompasses Mennonite Memorial Home, Maple Crest and Willow Ridge. (Full and part time employee W-2's reported by Village of Bluffton.)

Considering Bluffton’s size, its employer presence is substantial. The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) recorded over 2,100 employees within the corporation limits of Bluffton in 2020. Interestingly, GROB reports out of 797 employees, 106 are Bluffton residents, which equates to 13% of their workforce. 

The major employment sectors in Bluffton have a balance between white collar and blue collar positions. The manufacturing presence contrasts with the large fractions of healthcare and higher education that attract employees with differing backgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives. It plays into the diversity that has shaped Bluffton into something out of the ordinary.

There are about 1,570 residents in the workforce including teens at least 16 years of age in the 2021: ACS 5-year estimates. About 125 of those folks work from home. The OnTheMap tool provided by the United States Census Bureau estimated 672 people both living and working in Bluffton in 2019. The average commute for the remainder who work outside Bluffton is about 20 minutes, a notion supported by anecdotal evidence that many Blufftonites are either employed in Lima or Findlay, the county seats of Allen and Hancock.

The 2021 ACS suggests Bluffton has a strong presence of residents working in education services, healthcare and social assistance sectors. This is one sector where Bluffton separates itself from both Allen County and the state of Ohio. The village has 16% of its working population in the sector while the state and county have 11.6% and 10.4% respectively.

Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce and Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs
The village has an active, thriving chamber of commerce. The Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce currently boasts 169 members, which includes 24 new members for 2023 alone. Monthly breakfast meetings, held on the second Friday of the month, average 30 attendees. The chamber is led by a part-time Executive Director and a volunteer board of 12 local business men and women.

Additionally, the Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs (BCE) works with entrepreneurs to promote Bluffton. The BCE began in 2007 as a nonprofit business incubator serving Allen, Hancock, Hardin, and Putnam counties. Its goal is to provide tools and resources for small businesses and entrepreneurs to help them be successful. The BCE, which is led by an executive director and a volunteer board of 8, works with business leaders to promote Bluffton, and attract and promote entrepreneurs to the area. As part of this goal, the BCE runs the Ropp Triplett Business Plan Competition biannually, funded by an endowment from the Triplett Foundation.

ECONOMIC STRATEGIES

Maintain and continue to build relationships with regional planning and economic development organizations in Allen and Hancock County.

Improve two-way communication channels with key stakeholders in County, State, and Federal government representatives to advocate for the economic needs of the Village.

Consider using local resources to incentivize and/or complete feasibility studies of specific parcels of land.

Look into what entry-level manufacturing employees and first-time teachers earn to assess whether they could afford to live in Bluffton and pursue measures to enable them to do so.