To combat the most pressing challenge in the industry, a well-known Dayton manufacturer is utilizing a widely unknown provision.
A Dayton-based company is employing minors to help with business under Ohio’s Minor Labor Law to help with workforce issues.
Tarra Enochs, CEO of Tom Smith Industries, has begun utilizing this law to allow children ages 14-17 to work at her company. Tom Smith Industries, founded in 1981 by Enochs’ grandfather, is a woman-owned and operated company that specializes in thermoplastic injection molding.
Enochs, in concurrence with the Department of Commerce for Industrial Compliance, recently began to hire minors for full- and part-time positions year-round. In order to employ the young staff, Enochs must stay within strict guidelines.
In the law, rules include keeping work permits on file, providing a list of wages being paid, a record of breaks and a minor labor law poster displayed.
In 2018, Enochs attended a networking event where she met with representatives from Northmont High School, who approached her with an idea to hire students through the School-to-Work program at Tom Smith Industries.
The School-to-Work program provides students with disabilities the opportunity to go into the community and work a portion of the day with local employers. Typically, these students are placed at jobs in the service industry, such as retail and restaurant chains, but local teachers wanted to grant students more opportunities to go into manufacturing and...
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