Northeast Ohio manufacturer finds unique solution to address workforce shortage
Cleveland Fed president and chief executive officer Beth M. Hammack and Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr toured Tendon Manufacturing Inc. in Bedford, Ohio.
One of the five functions of the Federal Reserve System is consumer protection and community development. The 12 Reserve Banks—including Cleveland—and the System’s Board of Governors each have a community development function that prioritizes gathering information about the workforce.
To better understand one company’s challenges finding workers and its unique approach to address the issue, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland president and CEO Beth M. Hammack and Federal Reserve Board Governor Michael Barr visited Tendon Manufacturing Inc. in Bedford, Ohio.
Michael Gordon Jr. of Tendon displays a laser-cut piece of metal made at the Bedford, Ohio facility. From left to right, Governor Michael Barr; Courtney Falato, senior vice president of external engagement at the Cleveland Fed; and Cleveland Fed president and CEO Beth Hammack look on (June 26, 2025)
Employment barriers can prevent some people from fully participating in the labor market, and as maximum employment is one side of the Fed’s dual mandate, it is important to understand these barriers and learn about possible solutions.1
At Tendon, the shop floor may look like many others, with freshly cut metal pieces on pallets, welders, and an American flag hanging near the floor entrance.
But at Tendon, in addition to an American flag, there also hangs a Ukrainian one.
From left to right, Courtney Falato, Cleveland Fed; Michael Gordon Jr., Tendon; Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr; Cleveland Fed president Beth Hammack; and Khaz Finley, education outreach manager at the Cleveland Fed, look at the Tendon shop floor under American and Ukrainian flags (June 26, 2025)
It, and the posted bulletins around the floor written in both English and Ukrainian, are literal signs of how Tendon has addressed a worker gap over the past several years—by hiring Ukrainian refugees in Cleveland who train on the job to fill crucial roles.
Signs at Tendon are written in both English and Ukrainian (June 26, 2025)
Manufacturers, both locally and nationally, report difficulty finding employees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in April 2025, there were 369,000 open manufacturing jobs in the United States2 and in Northeast Ohio, there are an estimated 10,000 open manufacturing jobs that companies can’t find workers to fill.3
Tendon officials said the company offers training for the technical manufacturing skills needed to succeed on the shop floor, and they’re looking for employees who come in with qualities like a strong work ethic, being prepared, and a positive attitude.
The company currently has about 110 employees, and around 30 percent of those are Ukrainian refugees.
Gordon told Hammack and Barr that Tendon is also trying several different avenues for workforce development, including a partnership with trade programs in the Parma City School District to offer internships and possible future employment.
From left to right, Finley, Barr, Hammack, and Gordon look at cut metal pieces (June 26, 2025)
From left to right, Finley, Hammack, Barr, Falato, and Gordon walk to a second Tendon warehouse facility (June 26, 2025)
About President Beth M. Hammack’s Around the District tour
President Hammack is visiting communities across the Fourth District as part of her Around the District tour to meet and connect with the people who live and work in all corners of the region and to gain a better understanding of how the economy is working in different communities. The Cleveland Fed, with branches in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, serves an area that comprises Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Hammack will use this information to inform her policy views and better represent the Fourth District around the Federal Open Market Committee table.
Footnotes
- Hammack, Beth M. 2025. “Community Development: Paying It Forward.” Speech. Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. https://doi.org/10.26509/sp-20250626. Return to 1
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2025. “Manufacturing: NAICS 31-33.” June 25, 2025. https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag31-33.htm. Return to 2
- Karp, Ethan. 2023. “Manufacturing Career Opportunities and Pathways.” Manufacturing Insights (blog). June 7, 2023. https://www.manufacturingsuccess.org/blog/manufacturing-career-opportunities-and-pathways. Return to 3
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Beth M. Hammack
Beth M. Hammack is the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, one of 12 regional Reserve Banks in the Federal Reserve System.
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