Ben Venue Labs to add drug-manufacturing plant in Bedford

Ben Venue Labratories, located in Bedford, OH, will be expanding their already constantly growing pharmaceutical company. Already employing 1,100 people, the expansion will allow for the creation of 200 NEW jobs.

Being the largest employer and responsible for 41% of the total payroll tax, this is great news for Bedford. Sort of....

The City of Bedford Council, through the hard work of Frank Gambosi (Finance Director), Ken Schuman (Law Director) and Rebecca Corrigan (Economic Development Director), with cooperation from the schools, were able to further solidify Bedford's financial outlook by granting the abatement on this $71.5 million dollar expansion.

The tax abatement approved Monday night gives Ben Venue an 80 percent reduction in real estate taxes for 10 years. This year Bedford Schools, which shares property taxes with Bedford, will also begin receiving monies from one of the first Ben Venue tax abatement's granted 10 years ago.

Owned by Boehringer Ingelheim of Germany, Ben Venue, as usual were very gracious & appreciative of the cooperation they received. In 2005 Ben Venue shocked everyone with an unexpected gift for Bedford City School District.

Afterwards, Mike Faulk, the Controller of Ben Venue presented a check for $10,000 to the Bedford Schools Foundation Fund. At that time, Ben Venue presented a larger check for $300,000 for technology, improvement of computers, etc. Everyone at the meeting was taken by surprise at the amount.

With outdated computers being used by our students, many in the community were flush with joy over the unexpected wind fall, which they believed was to immediately & directly benefit the children. The school district felt it was more prudent to advance their effort to reach out and involve parents.....

Ben Venue earmarked the funds for technology at the discretion of the superintendent. In keeping with the school district’s ongoing efforts to improve home-school communications and meet the goals in the school district’s strategic plan, laptop computers will be purchased for all teachers.

“This will enable teachers to better communicate with parents using the laptops for e-mail and through an Internet tool called ProgressBook, said Mrs. Motsco.

While maybe well intentioned, many felt this money was squandered on the purchase as the ProgressBook program is only utilized by a select few teachers, and rarely kept up to date, if used, by other teachers. With this latest abatement, it is believed, Ben Venue will purchase new lockers for Heskett Middle School.

The downside to this story is.... after having Bedford City School District recently compared to East Cleveland & Maple Hts Schools, by a teacher, one has to wonder if people will want their children going there.