Oct. 15--Dayton manufacturers can harness the wind.

That's the belief of the Dayton Tooling and Manufacturing Association, which is hosting a workshop aimed at helping members find a place in the wind energy supply chain.

Chris Meyer, Dayton Development Coalition energy programs director, said that in 2008, more than 8,500 megawatts of wind power were installed in the United States -- bringing the U.S. total then to more than 25,000 megawatts.

But installed wind power in 2009 is down -- which will lead to "pent-up demand," Meyer said.

Angelia Erbaugh, DTMA executive director, said she and Meyer began talking some months ago about the idea of a wind workshop for DTMA members. The event will be the DTMA's annual Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Show on Oct. 22.

"Members are asking questions in general about what other markets are out there that (they) can get into," Erbaugh said. "I hear a lot of buzz about energy; I hear a lot of buzz about medical."

Meyer relies on his experience, co-founding local high-performance insulation firm AcuTemp. He moved on to Doubleday Holdings for a couple of years before joining the coalition. His mission: Find opportunities in energy that will create jobs in Dayton.

Dayton is rich in metal fabrication, machining and materials, which should give it an edge in the building of a supply chain, Meyer said.

To illustrate the point, Meyer said he will guide Mark Shanahan, energy adviser to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, on the day of the workshop on visits to AcuTemp, the University of Dayton Research Institute, daytaOhio and Gaia Energy in Wilmington, which is working on converting corn to energy, Meyer said.

Some wind turbine companies -- Vestas, Siemens, Gamesa, others-- are European or Asian, Meyer noted. But making their mark in the U.S. are General Electric and Clipper Windpower. The American Wind Energy Association has identified Michigan and Ohio as "target states" for developing the wind supply chain, Meyer said.

"We've got all the right pieces here," Meyer said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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