DIC inspectors play key role in construction of new Wilson Football factory

Inspectors with the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Industrial Compliance play a crucial role in keeping the state’s buildings safe, but they are also playing a role in the National Football League.

Since the 1950s, NFL footballs have been hand-assembled at Wilson Football’s factory in Ada, Ohio, and now, as the company is building a new 80,000 square foot facility to continue that tradition, inspectors and plans examiners with the Division of Industrial Compliance are playing a key part in the process.  

“As business in Ohio continues to grow, our inspectors and plans examines play a vital role in making sure buildings are safe for the public,” DIC Superintendent Robb Coventry said. “As with every project they work on, our inspectors are working diligently to ensure the new Wilson facility is built as safely as possible.”

As construction continues at the new factory, structural and electrical inspectors are regularly on site, making sure the facility is in compliance with Ohio’s building codes every step of the way, ensuring the safety of contractors and eventually employees and visitors at the new facility.

Inspectors work closely with contractors throughout the construction process, even conducting video inspections, to make sure construction continues as safely and efficiently as possible. The new facility, which will include a retail space, is expected to be open in by May 2024, just a year after ground was broken, and DIC inspectors will be there every step of the way.

Each year, the inspectors with the Division of Industrial Compliance conduct about 8,300 electrical inspections and about 7,800 structural inspections around the state. Certified plans examiners are required to review submitted plans for new construction projects, renovations in communities that don’t have an existing building department, as well as all state-funded construction projects.