Dayton Region Manufacturers Association

What Dayton Region Manufacturers Association does

Dayton Region Manufacturers Association (DRMA) is a private, non-profit regional trade association founded in 2017 and headquartered at 22 E. Fifth St., Suite 100-B, Dayton, Ohio. It serves as the unified voice and advocate for the manufacturing industry across a 14-county West Central Ohio region spanning Auglaize (north) to Butler, Warren, and Clinton counties (south). The association addresses a regional manufacturing base of 2,466 companies employing 130,222 workers — 14.7% of the region's workforce — with a regional manufacturing Location Quotient of 1.9, annual payroll of $10.9 billion, and a Gross Regional Product contribution of $21.6 billion. DRMA is led by President Amy Schrimpf and a 2026 Board of Trustees chaired by A.J. Rolling, owner of Cat-Wood Metalworks, with governance drawn from member companies.

DRMA's service portfolio is organized around three pillars: Strengthen, Educate, and Advocate. Strengthen covers peer networking via Breakfast with DRMA, Meet Ups, Happy Hours, Lunch & Learn Webinars, and Shoptalk Events, plus cost savings programs delivered through endorsed partners (Sedgwick for workers' compensation premium evaluations, Mid-America OSHA Education Center for 20% off OSHA training). Educate delivers professional development including supervisory workshops, lean manufacturing, GD&T, OSHA training, HR Leadership Circle, and Emerging Leaders Circle. Advocate represents member interests at local and national levels, with OMA Endorsed Sector Partnership status from the Ohio Manufacturers' Association. Workforce development is a strategic emphasis, anchored by the WorkAdvance initiative and partnerships with Sinclair College and seven career technical centers (Butler Tech, Greene County Career Center, Miami Valley CTC, Springfield-Clark CTC, Stebbins, Upper Valley, Warren County). The DRMA Foundation operates as a wholly-owned nonprofit affiliate focused on workforce development and manufacturing career awareness, and the MAKING OHIO statewide initiative extends DRMA's career awareness reach.

DRMA's business model is membership-based, generating recurring revenue through annual membership dues (pricing not publicly disclosed). Customer reach is broad and distributed across automotive, aerospace, defense, food & agriculture, electronics, and medical manufacturing, with 330+ manufacturing peers connected through membership. GTM is community-led: direct enrollment via daytonrma.org/join, supported by a multi-channel presence (website, News Bits email newsletter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram) and event-driven member engagement. The association is not a technology company: it has no proprietary platform, no AI or API surface, and no app product, and its underlying tooling is a Wix-hosted website with Lightcast-sourced labor market data powering its Manufacturing Impact reports.

Name

Dayton Region Manufacturers Association

Legal name

Dayton Region Manufacturers Association

Website

https://daytonrma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dayton Region Manufacturers Association (DRMA) is a non-profit trade association serving 330-plus manufacturing companies across a 14-county West Central Ohio region, providing workforce development, education, advocacy, and peer networking through recurring membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dayton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: DRMA generates revenue through annual membership dues from manufacturing companies in the Dayton Region. Members receive access to networking events, workforce programs, advocacy services, educational workshops, and member discount programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

DRMA is a membership-based regional manufacturing trade association that serves 2,466 manufacturers across a 14-county area of West Central Ohio. It sells annual memberships that bundle workforce development, education and training (including WorkAdvance), advocacy and government affairs, peer networking, and industry intelligence such as the Manufacturing Impact Report. The organization operates as a 501(c)(6) trade association paired with the DRMA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Product overview

Dayton Region Manufacturers Association (DRMA) is a regional industry association serving the 14-county Dayton Region in West Central Ohio, providing a portfolio of member services rather than a unified technology product. The organization's offerings center on workforce development through its WorkAdvance program and workforce partnerships, professional education and training programs, advocacy representation, and peer networking events. Additional services include a newsletter (News Bits), manufacturing impact reports with regional data, and a member directory. These services work together to strengthen the regional manufacturing ecosystem by connecting companies, workforce resources, and industry intelligence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WorkAdvance: Workforce advancement program connecting job seekers with manufacturing careers
• DRMA Foundation

Products and services

• DRMA Membership Annual membership that gives manufacturers access to workforce development, education, advocacy, networking events, and industry intelligence. Members are part of the 330+ manufacturing peer network serving 2,466 regional manufacturers.
• WorkAdvance Workforce development partnership program designed to advance regional manufacturing talent pipelines for member companies.
• Workforce Partnerships Strategic partnerships with educational institutions including Sinclair College and regional career tech centers to build manufacturing talent pipelines.
• Education and Training Programs Training programs for the manufacturing workforce, including OSHA safety training delivered through the Mid-America OSHA Education Center partnership and academic programs through Sinclair College.
• Advocacy and Government Affairs Services Government and regulatory advocacy on behalf of member manufacturers, representing the 2,466 regional manufacturing companies before policymakers.
• Member Networking Events In-person and networking events including the annual Manufacturers luncheon, mixers, and peer meetings that connect 330+ manufacturing professionals across the region.
• DRMA News Bits Newsletter Regular member newsletter delivering regional manufacturing news, policy updates, and association information.
• Manufacturing Impact Report Industry intelligence report quantifying the economic impact of the regional manufacturing sector, used by members and policymakers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 74 facilities expanded and 7 new facilities constructed in 2021-2022, creating 6,710 jobs

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SedgwickcoreOthersSedgwick is DRMA's endorsed business partner for workers' compensation services. Members receive a complimentary evaluation of their workers' compensation premium through this partnership.
• Mid-America OSHA Education CentercoreOthersDRMA members are eligible to receive a 20% discount on OSHA training classes through this partner.
• Clark Schaefer ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides leadership training and consulting services to DRMA members. Featured speaker at Breakfast with DRMA events.
• Sinclair College Workforce PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRMA partners with Sinclair College's workforce development programs to support manufacturing training and education initiatives in the Dayton Region.
• Dayton Development CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on regional economic development data and initiatives. Sources cited in DRMA's Manufacturing Impact reports.
• MAKING OHIOcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStatewide initiative to promote manufacturing careers. DRMA directs students and job seekers to this resource for information about potential manufacturing careers.
• Ohio Manufacturers' Association (OMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRMA holds an OMA Endorsed Sector Partnership designation, indicating alignment with state-level manufacturing advocacy efforts.
• Butler TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer technical education partner offering Precision Machining and Welding programs for high school students in the Dayton Region.
• Greene County Career CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer technical education partner offering Engineering Technology and Welding and Metal Fabrication programs.
• Miami Valley Career Technology CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer technical education partner offering Precision Machining, Robotics and Automation, and Welding programs for Montgomery County students.
• Springfield-Clark Career Technology CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer technical education partner offering Applied Engineering and Manufacturing and Welding and Fabrication programs.
• Stebbins Career Tech CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer technical education partner offering Engineering and Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing and Machining programs.
• Upper Valley Career CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer technical education partner offering Manufacturing and Machining Technologies and Welding programs for Miami County students.
• Warren County Career CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer technical education partner offering Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics and Welding and Metal Fabrication programs.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA): Trade association serving the metal forming, fabricating, and welding industry with education, events, and networking. Closely aligns with DRMA's representation of precision machining, welding, and metal fabrication members in West Central Ohio.
• Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME): Nonprofit manufacturing association focused on enterprise excellence, lean, and operational improvement. Comparable to DRMA in its member-based, education-and-training-led model serving manufacturing executives and practitioners.
• Ohio Manufacturers' Association: Statewide trade association representing Ohio manufacturers through advocacy, workforce development, and member services. Closely comparable to DRMA in mission and programming; DRMA actually holds OMA's Endorsed Sector Partnership designation, indicating a recognized peer relationship.
• Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME): National professional association for the manufacturing industry, offering training, certifications, and technical resources. Directly comparable to DRMA's training and education pillar (lean, GD&T, supervisory workshops) but at national scale and without a regional advocacy mission.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM): The largest U.S. manufacturing trade association, providing national advocacy, workforce policy, and member resources. Overlaps with DRMA's advocacy and workforce missions at the federal level rather than serving a specific regional membership base.

Regional players

• Greater Dayton Chamber of Commerce: Regional business membership organization serving the Dayton area with networking, advocacy, and economic development services. Overlaps with DRMA on local business advocacy and networking, but covers all industries rather than focusing exclusively on manufacturing.
• Greater Cleveland Partnership: Northeast Ohio's leading regional business membership and economic development organization. Comparable to DRMA in providing regional advocacy and member services, but serves a larger and more diversified Cleveland-area business base.
• Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber: Regional chamber serving the Greater Cincinnati area with similar business advocacy, workforce, and member-service programming to DRMA, but at a different geographic footprint. Provides comparison on regional business association operating models in Ohio.

Others

• Dayton Development Coalition: Regional economic development organization that partners with DRMA on regional economic data and initiatives. Complementary rather than competitive—focuses on site selection and capital investment attraction for the same 14-county region.
• Mid-America OSHA Education Center: OSHA-authorized training provider offering 20% discounts to DRMA members. A vendor/ecosystem partner delivering a service DRMA resells to members rather than a direct competing association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsVQWTTGfoEMOWGTtEVrSJw
• Facebookfacebook.com/DaytonRMA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drma-dayton-region-manufacturers-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/accounts/login/?next=%2Fdaytonrma%2F&source=omni_redirect
• Xx.com/DaytonRMA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dayton Region Manufacturers Association