Ohio Manufacturers Association

Ohio Manufacturers Association
AbbreviationOMA
Formation1910 (1910)
FounderJ.G. Battelle
TypeTrade association
HeadquartersColumbus, Ohio, U.S.
Location
  • United States
Members1,300+ companies
President
Ryan Augsburger
Websitewww.ohiomfg.com

The Ohio Manufacturers Association (OMA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association that represents the interests of manufacturers in the U.S. state of Ohio.[1][2] Founded in 1910, the organization advocates for public policies that benefit Ohio manufacturers, provides workers' compensation services, supports workforce development, and offers information and guidance to its member companies.[3][4] It is the largest statewide business organization in Ohio that is solely dedicated to the manufacturing industry.[3]

The Ohio Manufacturers' Association was established on November 10, 1910, at a meeting at the Chittenden Hotel in Columbus, Ohio.[3][5] The meeting was organized by Colonel J.G. Battelle of the Columbus Iron & Steel Company.[3][5] The OMA was created to provide a unified voice for Ohio's manufacturers.[3][5]

A master's thesis on the association's history from 1910 to 1932 was completed at Ohio State University in 1988.[6] The Ohio History Connection holds a microfilm collection of the OMA's records covering the period from 1910 to 1950.[7]

The OMA's mission is to protect and grow Ohio manufacturing.[1][8] The organization's activities include year-round advocacy at the Ohio Statehouse and with state regulatory agencies, workers' compensation services, workforce development programs, and the dissemination of news and guidance to its members.[3]

The OMA has been active in shaping Ohio's tax structure, workers' compensation system, and energy policy. It has advocated for the overhaul of the state's tax structure, changes at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, and deregulation of electric generation.[3] In 2007, the OMA, jointly with the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, proposed modifications to Senate Bill 221 to strengthen energy cost protections for customers of Ohio's electric utilities.[9] In 2007, the OMA and the Ohio AFL-CIO jointly endorsed Governor Ted Strickland's electricity-restructuring plan, an unusual alliance between labor and management interests.[10] The OMA had previously pushed the state into deregulation in 1999 but later opposed the concept.[11] In 2008, OMA President Eric Burkland warned that a GOP-crafted electricity-regulation bill would result in huge price increases that would undermine businesses, especially electricity-intensive companies.[12]

In April 2013, the OMA urged lawmakers to leave energy-efficiency mandates intact, arguing that the standards created in 2008 had already saved customers money and could save Ohio customers about $5.7 billion by 2020.[13] In November 2013, the OMA joined with the Ohio Consumers' Counsel and other groups to oppose a proposed utility bill, with Burkland stating that the sponsor's changes did "next to nothing" to keep electricity bills from rising or to improve manufacturers' competitiveness.[14] In May 2014, the OMA and the Ohio Consumers' Counsel jointly proposed a comprehensive rewrite of the 2008 energy law, arguing that certain provisions tilted the balance away from customers and toward electric utilities.[15] That same month, the OMA supported a compromise proposal to keep energy efficiency and renewable standards in place, rather than imposing a three-year freeze.[16]

In October 2014, seven large Ohio manufacturers (Alcoa, Ford, General Electric, Marathon Petroleum, Nucor Steel Marion, Timken, and TimkenSteel) formed a new lobbying group called the Manufacturing Policy Alliance.[17][18] The new group's founding members had been strong supporters of Senate Bill 310, which placed a two-year freeze on green energy standards, a bill that the OMA opposed. Several of the new group's members had left the OMA in the preceding months. An OMA spokesperson stated that the association would continue to focus on the needs of all Ohio manufacturers, which included over 1,400 other member companies.[17]

In December 2016, Burkland commented on a report showing that Ohio continued to add manufacturing jobs, though at a slower pace, and noted that manufacturers were struggling to find workers due to the retirement of the baby-boomer generation. He also observed that new technology being deployed by manufacturers had helped them increase production while employing fewer people and using less energy.[19]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the OMA helped form the Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Fight COVID-19, a public-private partnership that supported manufacturers in pivoting to produce personal protective equipment and other needed supplies.[4][3][20] The National Association of Manufacturers praised Burkland's leadership during the crisis, noting his role in spearheading the alliance.[21]

The OMA also provides workers' compensation services as a third-party administrator certified by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.[7] It operates the OMA Educational and Industrial Development Institute, a foundation focused on enhancing Ohio's manufacturing workforce and future talent.[3]

The OMA represents more than 1,300 manufacturers across Ohio.[3][22] Membership is open to manufacturers with operations in the state. The association's members include companies of various sizes from all subsectors of the manufacturing industry.[3]

The OMA is governed by a board of directors. As of the 2024 tax year, the board had 34 voting members, all of whom were independent.[1][8] The president of the association is Ryan Augsburger, who succeeded Eric Burkland in 2021.[3][22] Burkland had led the organization for 31 years, having been hired in 1989. Augsburger previously served as vice president and managing director of the association's public policy services, leading its lobbying efforts at the Statehouse since 2004.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "TY 2024 Form 990". Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  2. ↑ "The Ohio Manufacturers' Association". Better Business Bureau. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Williams, Mark (2020-12-09). "Burkland to retire from Ohio Manufacturers' Association after 31 years". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  4. 1 2 Burkland, Eric (2020-10-18). "One campaign that really will impact Ohio's future --increasing the manufacturing talent pool: Eric Burkland". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  5. 1 2 3 "OMA History | 100+ Years' Support". Ohio Manufacturers' Association. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  6. ↑ "The history of the Ohio Manufacturers' Association 1910 to 1932". Ohio History Connection. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  7. 1 2 "Workers' compensation". Ohio History Connection. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  8. 1 2 "Ohio Manufacturers Association, Full Filing - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  9. ↑ "Ohio Manufacturers' Association Urges Stronger Protections for Customers of Electric Utilities" (PDF). The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  10. ↑ "Governor, labor, management hold hands on electricity". The Columbus Dispatch. 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  11. ↑ "Energy bill sets off scramble". The Plain Dealer. 2007-10-02. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  12. ↑ "Energy bill has many critics". The Columbus Dispatch. 2008-04-12. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  13. ↑ "Ohio manufacturers group wants energy-efficiency mandates left intact". The Plain Dealer. 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  14. ↑ "Consumer, industrial groups blast Ohio energy deal". Akron Beacon Journal. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  15. ↑ "Consumers Counsel and Ohio Manufacturers Association fight to preserve energy standards". The Plain Dealer. 2014-05-01. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  16. ↑ "Ohio's efficiency and renewable standards would be kept in compromise". The Plain Dealer. 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  17. 1 2 "Large Ohio manufacturing employers form lobbying group". The Columbus Dispatch. 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  18. ↑ "Ohio manufacturers form new lobbying group". Canton Repository. 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  19. ↑ "Ohio manufacturers still adding jobs, but pace has slowed". Canton Repository. 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  20. ↑ "Burkland to retire as president of Ohio Manufacturers' Association". Northwest Signal. 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  21. ↑ "Timmons, Lee Praise Ohio Manufacturing Leader's Career of Service to the Business Community". National Association of Manufacturers. 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  22. 1 2 "AEP's crisis is a power play that will gouge Ohioans". The Columbus Dispatch. 2026-03-24. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
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