COMMERCE AKRON OFFICE TO MOVE

Move brings construction plans examination closer to customers

 

 

The Ohio Department of Commerce division of Industrial Compliance is moving its regional office from 161 South High Street, Akron to Canton.  The new office will be located at 4661 Belpar Street NW, Canton, Ohio 44718, near Belden Village Mall off of Dressler Rd.  The phone number for the office will remain 1-800-643-4842. 

 

The office primarily examines and approves construction plans for commercial projects that fall under state jurisdiction.  The division also provides these functions at its main office in Reynoldsburg and in field offices in Chillicothe and Toledo.

 

The Akron office will close at 5 p.m. Friday, September 21^st.  The new Canton office will open for business at 7:30 a.m., Monday, October 1.  Its normal hours will be from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Businesses needing service between September 24 and September 28 may mail or deliver their plans directly to The Department of Industrial Compliance main office, located at 6606 Tussing Road, Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068, or utilize the Chillicothe or Toledo office.

 

Over the last four years, the department has witnessed a continued trend of increased plan submission from contractors, engineers and architect firms across the state.  With minimal staffing at the regional offices, the workload increased beyond capacity, increasing plans review turnaround.  DIC examined alternative solutions to the plan review process that would provide improved customer service and make the entire process more consumer-friendly.  After the review, Director Commerce Gary C. Suhadolnik arrived at a two-fold solution.

 

• Increase the number of plans examiners within the division main office from 10 to 12, providing shorter turnaround time on plan review, especially on large or complex projects.

 

• Reduce the regional office from four remote locations to three more centralized locations, and establish a standard, office configuration of two plans examiners, one secretary and one plumbing inspector assigned to each regional office. 

 

This move allows for more space without increased cost and provides closer access to the state's customer base in Eastern, North Central and North East Ohio. “These changes will improve overall customer service and individualized service at each of the three regional locations, reduce the project turnaround time across the state and reduce the long-term costs of each office while improving efficiency and productivity,“ said Superintendent of Industrial Compliance David M. Williamson.

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