Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, left, asks questions of Xaloy employee Roy Smith of Salem, who works in quality control, as Tressel tours the Austintown manufacturing business Monday morning. Tressel was there to tout WorkOhio, an initiative to connect Ohioans with in-demand jobs.

AUSTINTOWN — Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel touted WorkOhio, an initiative to connect Ohioans with in-demand jobs, during a visit Monday to an Austintown manufacturing business.

“WorkOhio is just one more way to see if we can raise awareness of the opportunities that are out there in the state of Ohio,” Tressel said after a tour of Xaloy, which designs and manufactures equipment and components for the plastics industry.

WorkOhio is coordinated through seven regional job hubs — the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition for this area — that helps people looking for employment.

Tressel said: “Maybe there’s someone out there who’s been wandering a little bit. They’re not sure where they want to go. We want to let them know there are amazing opportunities in the state of Ohio.”

Xaloy has 480 employees worldwide with 180 of them at its Austintown headquarters, said C. Andrew Brickman, its chairman. Brickman and a partner purchased the business five years ago.

When the purchase was made, Brickman said the company, founded 97 years ago, “was losing quite a bit of money. I give the government credit. They were putting in support programs for struggling businesses just to get them over the hump, and we were able to get over that hump.”

Brickman said: “Today, 20% of our products have been developed or introduced in the last 24 months, and we want that percentage to increase. Before that, only 1% to 2% of our products were new.”

During Tressel’s visit, he toured Xaloy’s manufacturing floor as well as its research and development center, which is under construction.

“The only constant is change,” Tressel said.

WorkOhio — workohio.gov — was launched in January to connect people with jobs in the state as well as training programs and other resources aligned with their background, experience and goals.

Tressel said: “It’s a great opportunity for young people or maybe a great opportunity for someone who wants to make a career change and get excited about some of the new things going on. WorkOhio wants to raise awareness and show we have opportunities.”

Tressel said Xaloy is “a great example of a company that shares our vision of investing in people and helping them reach their full potential. By working as a team with their regional workforce network, Xaloy is turning opportunity into reality for job seekers in the Mahoning Valley.”