Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is being sold to the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

The two companies announced on Monday that they have entered a definitive transaction agreement under which Goodyear will acquire Cooper for a value of approximately $2.5 billion.

“This is an exciting and transformational day for our companies,” said Richard J. Kramer, Goodyear chairman, chief executive officer and president.

“The addition of Cooper’s complementary tire product portfolio and highly capable manufacturing assets, coupled with Goodyear’s technology and industry leading distribution, provides the combined company with opportunities for improved cost efficiency and a broader offering for both companies’ retailer networks. We are confident this combination will enable us to provide enhanced service for our customers and consumers while delivering value for shareholders.”

“We have a great deal of respect for Cooper’s team and share a commitment to integrity, quality, agility and teamwork. We look forward to welcoming Cooper to the Goodyear family,” Kramer added.

Brad Hughes, Cooper president & chief executive officer said, “Cooper has transformed into a dynamic, consumer-driven organization that has balanced traditional and emerging channels to increase demand for our products, while updating and effectively leveraging our global manufacturing footprint. I am extremely proud of what our team has accomplished over the past 107 years and am grateful to our talented employees for their contributions and commitment. This transaction marks the start of a new chapter for Cooper, which we are entering from a position of strength. We believe that it represents an attractive opportunity to maximize value for our shareholders, who will receive a meaningful premium as well as the opportunity to participate in the upside of the combined company. We look forward to the opportunity to combine Cooper’s considerable talents with Goodyear’s, and to be part of a bigger, stronger organization that will be competitively well-positioned to win in the global tire industry.”

Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development Director Tim Mayle spoke with Cooper CEO Brad Hughes.

Off that conversation, Mayle says there are no expected changes or job losses with the manufacturing operation in Findlay.

And while the combined company will be headquartered in Akron, Goodyear is committed to maintaining an office presence in Findlay.

It’s unclear how many Findlay office jobs will be affected.

The transaction will expand Goodyear’s product offering by combining two portfolios of complementary brands. It will also create a stronger U.S.-based manufacturer with increased presence in distribution and retail channels while combining both companies’ strengths in the highly profitable light truck and SUV product segments. The combined company will have approximately $17.5 billion in pro forma 2019 sales.

Under the terms of the transaction, which has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, Cooper shareholders will receive $41.75 per share in cash and a fixed exchange ratio of 0.907 shares of Goodyear common stock per Cooper share for a total equity value of approximately $2.8 billion. Based on Goodyear’s closing stock price on February 19, 2021, the last trading day prior to the announcement, the implied cash and stock consideration to be received by Cooper shareholders is $54.36 per share, representing a premium of 24% to Cooper’s closing stock price on February 19, 2021, and a premium of 36% to Cooper’s 30-day volume weighted average price as of the close on February 19, 2021. Upon closing of the transaction, Goodyear shareholders will own approximately 84% of the combined company, and Cooper shareholders will own approximately 16%.

Founded in 1914, Cooper is the 5th-largest tire manufacturer in North America by revenue with approximately 10,000 employees working in 15 countries worldwide. Cooper products are manufactured in 10 facilities around the globe, including wholly-owned and joint venture plants. The company’s portfolio of brands includes Cooper, Mastercraft, Roadmaster and Mickey Thompson.

Two people were injured in a snowmobile crash in Putnam County.

The crash happened near U.S. 224 and State Route 66, in the western portion of the county, at around 2:45 Saturday afternoon.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says it received a call about two snowmobiles out in a field with two people on the ground beside them.

The operators of the snowmobiles were Chad Luersman, of Delphos, and Kyle Luersman, of Cloverdale.

Life Flight was contacted but was called off and EMS transported the two men to St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima.

The sheriff’s office says the crash remains under investigation.

Two people were taken to the hospital after a rear-end crash in Findlay.

The crash happened in the 1200 block of Tiffin Avenue at around 7 o’clock Friday night.

The Findlay Police Department says Zachary G. Fairbanks, 21, of Findlay, was eastbound and had stopped to make a left turn into a private drive when he was struck from behind by a car being driven by Emily G. Smith, 24, of Bowling Green.

Police say Fairbanks and a passenger in his car were transported to Blanchard Valley Hospital with suspected minor injuries.

Police issued Smith a citation for Assured Clear Distance Ahead.

The Findlay Fire Department, Hanco EMS and Dick’s Towing all assisted at the scene.

School personnel in Findlay and Hancock County will soon be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

A vaccination clinic for school employees has been scheduled for Saturday, February 27th from 8 to 5 at Findlay High School.

The clinic will accommodate about 1,100 school staff members in Findlay and Hancock County.

Findlay City Schools says it’s grateful for this opportunity to receive the vaccination through Governor DeWine’s public school vaccination program.

The school district says the vaccination of Ohio school teachers and staff is a step towards ensuring continuity of the education for students by returning to full in-person learning.

It is not mandatory that school staff members be vaccinated.

WFIN News on Friday spoke with Hancock County Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi about how the vaccination process is going. Get more on that by clicking here. 

The City Mission of Findlay has been helping the homeless stay warm during the cold and snowy weather we’ve been having.

Chief Development Officer Joy Barger says they need continued community support to operate the recently opened warming center which allows anyone in need to shelter from the elements.

In addition to financial support, donations such as hand warmers, men’s gloves (L & XL) and men’s sweatpants and sweatshirts in larger sizes that allow for layering are needed at this time.

Due to generous donors, the Mission is fully stocked with socks, shoes, and women and children’s gloves and hats.

The City Mission has sheltered 60 to 70 people each night in January and February, despite the challenges of safe social distancing and increased sanitation due to COVID.

“We are helping as many as possible under the circumstances,”Barger said.

“Community support is vital now so we can keep going.”

To make a financial donation, visit www.FindlayMission.org.

To seek help for yourself or someone you know, call the Mission’s help line at 419-423-9151.

While there were no new deaths from COVID-19 in Hancock County in the last week, the overall death count increased from 95 to 109.

That’s because 14 of the more than 4,000 statewide deaths that were underreported were in Hancock County.

The state says the underreporting began in October and continued through the end of 2020.

Earlier in February, state health officials said human error was to blame in that underreporting and a state employee resigned.

Currently, active cases in Hancock County are down to 84, and only one person is hospitalized.

Hancock County Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi says things are getting better but we’ve still got a ways to go to get the pandemic under control.

Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccination dashboard shows that nearly 1.4 million Ohioans have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far which is about 12 percent of the state’s population.

The dashboard shows that around 8,400 Hancock County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine which is around 11 percent of the population.

Baroudi says they’re vaccinating as many people as they can with the supply of doses coming in from the state.

He says next week’s clinics will still be for people 70 and older.

And he’s hoping a week after that to start vaccinating 65 and up.

School personnel in Hancock County will be offered the vaccine on Saturday, February 27th.

There have been nearly 950,000 cases in Ohio and 16,693 deaths as of Friday.

The Hancock Park District has some fun outdoor winter activities for you to enjoy this weekend.

The park district says Raccoon Run Winter Sports Center in Shelter 3 at Riverbend Recreation Area will be open this weekend.

It will be open on February 20th and 21st, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., renting cross country skis and snowshoes.

In the picture above, provided by the Hancock Park District, Beth and Tim Kroetz of Findlay trekked Riverbend Recreation Area by snowshoe on Friday morning.

After trying the sport out on level ground at home, the couple decided to tackle the park’s riverside trails before the snow begins to melt next week.

The Findlay Police Department says a man nearly struck an officer while driving away from a traffic stop.

It happened around 11:50 Thursday night in the 1800 block of Brookside Drive.

Police say they went to pull over Ian J. Fleck, 37, of Findlay, for a traffic violation.

After initially stopping, police say the man refused to exit his truck and started to drive off.

An officer attempted to stop Fleck by pulling him out of the truck.

The officer was knocked to the ground and Fleck drove away, nearly hitting the officer on the ground.

Officers gave pursuit and Fleck drove off the right side of the road, striking multiple mailboxes and a traffic sign.

Police say he exited his truck and ran from the scene and was located and arrested.

Fleck was issued a citation for driving under OVI suspension and for not driving on an approved portion of roadway.

He was arrested and charged with felony OVI and felony failure to comply with an officer.

He was booked at the Hancock County Jail.

Findlay’s keeping an eye on a snowpack that keeps growing.

Sarah Jamison, Senior Service Hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland, says a melting snowpack and river ice contributed to some of Findlay’s worst floods.

She says we have some things in our favor. Next week we’ll get above freezing, leading to a gradual melting of the snowpack, and there are also no big rain events on the horizon that could cause serious flooding concerns.

Sarah says the best case scenario for Findlay’s large snowpack to go away is from what’s called a thermal melt, a gradual melting of the snowpack in undramatic fashion.

The worst case scenario would be for a notable thaw of the snowpack combining with river ice and a serious rain event, which could result in something like the 1959 floods which were exacerbated by a large snowpack and river ice.

The National Weather Service released its Winter/Spring Flood Outlook on Thursday, which is calling for a near-normal to slightly above normal flood risk for the next two weeks and through the spring.

Sarah says Findlay is making a lot of progress in that area.

Sarah says, while we’ll have to keep an eye on the growing snowpack in Findlay, the good news is, we don’t have any dramatic snowmelt or rain events on the horizon that could lead to serious flooding.

The National Weather Service recently modified the flood stages on the Blanchard River to reflect the flood mitigation efforts the city has undertaken such as benching of the river and removing flood-prone properties.

Effective March 1st, Minor flood stage will be raised from 11 feet to 12 feet.

Moderate flood stage will be raised from 12.0 feet to 13.5 feet.

And Major flood stage will be raised from 13.5 feet to 14.5 feet.

If more changes are made to reduce flood impacts in the region, then further reviews will be taken to adjust flood stages.

In December, a second installment of funding was approved for construction of the Eagle Creek Floodwater Storage Basin project just south of Findlay, which will further mitigate flooding in the area. Read about that by clicking here.

The Hancock Youth Leadership Program is taking applications for its 2021-2022 class.

The program gives high school students the hands-on experience they need to develop their leadership and communication skills to become positive role models and future leaders.

Click here to learn more about the program and for an application.

Full details are in the following news release from the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2021-2022 Hancock Youth Leadership (HYL) program. Affiliated with the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, HYL is an investment in the future of Findlay and Hancock County. Its purpose is to enhance knowledge and develop leadership skills in a select group of high school students, motivating them to become positive role models, active and committed to their civic responsibilities.

Students attend monthly sessions, beginning with a team-building retreat in August. Session topics include agriculture, health and human services, arts and media, diversity, business and economic development, justice and law, and volunteerism.

HYL is open to Hancock County and Findlay City Schools students, including those who are homeschooled, beginning their junior year in fall 2021. Applications are available online at www.FindlayHancockChamber.com/HYL. Completed applications must be submitted by Friday, March 19, 2021.

For more information contact the Chamber of Commerce at 419.422.3313, email djenkins@FindlayHancockChamber.com, or visit www.FindlayHancockChamber.com/HYL.