Commercial Painting & Coatings
- Retail stores371
- Manufacturing plants355
- Senior living and skilled nursing105
- Apartment and multifamily management companies104
- Auto dealerships50
Commercial trades market · Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
Appointment setting for commercial contractors in Dayton
Dayton-Kettering has 2,210 businesses with 20 or more people on site across the categories commercial trades sell to, and it leans toward hospitals and senior living and nursing more than the U.S. as a whole. Here is how each trade's market looks, where the buildings are and when to call.
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Trades in Dayton
How each commercial trade's market looks in Dayton-Kettering
Ranked by larger buildings per contractor against up to 100 markets (only markets with 10 or more contractors in a trade are ranked; n/r means not ranked). A higher rank means more buildings worth calling for every competitor working them.
| Trade | Contractors | 1-yr change | Larger buildings | Per contractor | Rank | Eligible targets | Push months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Painting & Coatings Largest buyer group: retail stores | 10 | 0 | 1,140 | 114.0 | #4 | · | Jan–Mar |
| Paving & Asphalt Largest buyer group: retail stores | 13 | 0 | 1,001 | 77.0 | #5 | · | Jan–Mar |
| Commercial Construction Largest buyer group: manufacturing companies | 88 | -3 | 714 | 8.1 | #11 | 2,970 | Year-round |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial Largest buyer group: manufacturing plants | 185 | -16 | 923 | 5.0 | #19 | 1,092 | Year-round |
| Commercial Roofing Largest buyer group: retail stores | 12 | -1 | 1,080 | 90.0 | #18 | 2,970 | Jan–Mar |
| Fire Protection Largest buyer group: restaurants | 22 | -3 | 1,318 | 59.9 | #21 | · | Year-round |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical Largest buyer group: manufacturing plants | 68 | 0 | 866 | 12.7 | #23 | 1,291 | Apr–May, Sep–Nov |
| Commercial Electrical Largest buyer group: retail stores | 79 | +6 | 995 | 12.6 | #34 | · | Year-round |
| Commercial Landscaping Largest buyer group: retail stores | 270 | +6 | 1,005 | 3.7 | #48 | · | Jan–Mar |
| Commercial Flooring Largest buyer group: ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care | 4 | +1 | 659 | 164.8 | n/r | · | Year-round |
Who each program calls
The industries each Dayton trade program prospects into
Every trade has its own target list. Here are the five largest target industries for each program in the Dayton-Kettering metro, with local location counts; each guide lists all ten and who your SDR asks for.
Paving & Asphalt
- Retail stores371
- Ambulatory health care offices and clinics266
- Apartment property management firms104
- Auto dealerships50
- Commercial building owners and lessors47
Commercial Construction
- Manufacturing companies355
- Senior living operators105
- Auto dealership groups50
- Commercial building owners and developers47
- Churches and religious organizations45
Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
- Manufacturing plants355
- Ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care266
- Senior living and skilled nursing105
- Auto dealerships50
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings47
Commercial Roofing
- Retail stores371
- Manufacturing plants355
- Apartment property management firms104
- Auto dealerships50
- Commercial building owners and lessors47
Fire Protection
- Restaurants626
- Manufacturing plants355
- Senior living and skilled nursing105
- Apartment management companies104
- Hotels41
Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- Manufacturing plants355
- Medical and dental office buildings266
- Senior living and skilled nursing105
- Hotels41
- Private K-12 schools32
Commercial Electrical
- Retail stores371
- Manufacturing plants355
- Senior living and skilled nursing105
- Auto dealerships50
- Commercial building owners47
Commercial Landscaping
- Retail stores371
- Ambulatory health care offices and clinics266
- Senior living and skilled nursing105
- Apartment property management firms104
- Commercial building owners and lessors47
Commercial Flooring
- Ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care266
- Senior living and skilled nursing105
- Apartment and multifamily management companies104
- Auto dealerships50
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings47
Locations with 20 or more employees, U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Property management and similar categories count every company, whatever its size.
What's being built
The projects shaping Dayton-Kettering
Named, sourced projects current as of 2026-09, and the trades each one puts to work.
Think Dayton building at onMain
$70 millionUnder construction
A five-story, 120,000-square-foot research and innovation building on the 38-acre former Montgomery County Fairgrounds site in Dayton, the first commercial building in the onMain district, scheduled to open in 2027.
A 2027 opening puts mechanical, electrical and fire protection rough-in in 2026 and interior finishes in 2027, and lab and research space keeps HVAC and electrical service work going after occupancy.
University of Dayton, 2025-09-26 →Kettering Health Xenia Health Center and Greene Memorial renovations
$25 millionUnder construction
A 24,000-square-foot primary and urgent care center on Progress Drive across from the Xenia YMCA in Greene County, opening fall 2027, alongside $15 million in renovations at Kettering Health Greene Memorial.
Outpatient clinics need medical-grade HVAC, electrical and fire protection during the build and daily healthcare cleaning once open, while the hospital renovation adds phased flooring and painting.
WYSO, 2026-04-09 →Supply Technologies distribution center
more than $20 millionScheduled to open July 2026
A 375,000-square-foot flagship distribution center in Union, Montgomery County, with automated warehouse operations, a quality and engineering lab and an innovation center.
Automated distribution space depends on reliable electrical service and dock-area paving, and a building this size needs recurring floor care, cleaning and parking lot maintenance.
Park-Ohio press release via Yahoo Finance, 2025-12-16 →Joby Aviation Dayton-area production facility
Acquired; operations starting 2026
A manufacturing facility of more than 700,000 square feet in the Dayton area that Joby is acquiring to help double air taxi production to four aircraft per month by 2027.
Converting a large existing plant to aircraft production means electrical and mechanical upgrades for new lines, then large-floor cleaning and facility maintenance once operations ramp.
AviTrader, 2026-01-09 → Where the buyers cluster
The owners that anchor Dayton-Kettering
Health systems, campuses, large employers and industrial parks hold the biggest concentrations of commercial buildings here. Each fact links to its source, checked 2026-10.
Kettering Health
Kettering, Montgomery County
Kettering Health, headquartered in Kettering, says its system includes 14 medical centers and over 100 outpatient locations, with more than 1,800 physicians and 15,000 employees.
Medical centers and outpatient buildings spread across the region each run HVAC plants, roofs, floors and parking that need service.
Kettering Health →Miami Valley Hospital (Premier Health)
Dayton, Montgomery County
Premier Health calls Miami Valley Hospital the region's most experienced Level I Trauma Center, with campuses in downtown Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville and Miami Valley Hospital North in Englewood.
Three hospital campuses, including a downtown tower complex, carry ongoing mechanical, life-safety and environmental services work.
Premier Health →Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Greene and Montgomery counties
WYSO reported in August 2024 that Wright-Patterson employs 38,000 personnel within its fences, double the 19,000 it had in 2002 when it was Ohio's largest single-site employer.
Research labs, offices, hangars and support buildings on the base are maintained and built through federal contracting.
WYSO Public Radio →Wright State University
Fairborn, Greene County
Wright State reports more than 11,000 students and 32 academic buildings on 730 acres across two campuses.
A 730-acre footprint of academic buildings, a medical school and parking lots needs grounds care, cleaning, HVAC and paving.
Wright State University →CareSource
Dayton, Montgomery County
Ohio approved a tax break for CareSource to create 167 full-time-equivalent positions by expanding its downtown Dayton headquarters.
A growing downtown headquarters campus means office HVAC, janitorial, electrical and interior finish work.
Dayton Daily News →Dayton International Airport (DAY)
Vandalia, Montgomery County
Dayton International Airport says it spans over 4,500 acres with approximately 4.7 miles of runway and 17 active airline gates.
Terminal, parking lots and airport-owned land need cleaning, HVAC, electrical and pavement work.
Dayton International Airport →Union Airpark distribution cluster
Union, Montgomery County
Legrand opened a 637,000-square-foot center off Union Airpark Boulevard, near the Procter & Gamble distribution center and an Amazon fulfillment center at 1835 Union Airpark.
Large distribution buildings near the airport carry long roofs, truck courts, dock lighting and sprinkler systems.
Dayton Daily News → The local business base
Who the buyers are in Dayton-Kettering
Compared with the national mix, Dayton-Kettering over-indexes on hospitals, senior living and nursing and manufacturing plants. The fastest-growing categories over the past year: medical, dental and outpatient offices (+29), apartment and residential property managers (+15) and senior living and nursing (+13).
| Category | Sites with 20+ | All establishments | vs. U.S. mix | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 626 | 1,616 | 1.38x | -1 |
| Retail stores | 371 | 2,323 | 1.36x | -16 |
| Manufacturing plants | 355 | 911 | 1.56x | -6 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 266 | 1,521 | 1.34x | +29 |
| Wholesale distributors | 139 | 695 | 0.98x | -26 |
| Senior living and nursing | 105 | 275 | 1.81x | +13 |
| Grocery stores | 54 | 341 | 1.32x | +6 |
| Auto dealerships | 50 | 113 | 1.42x | +2 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 45 | 554 | 0.85x | 0 |
| Trucking companies | 42 | 233 | 0.96x | +7 |
| Hotels | 41 | 108 | 1.19x | -4 |
| Private K-12 schools | 32 | 54 | 1.41x | +3 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 29 | 336 | 1.04x | -16 |
| Hospitals | 17 | 26 | 2.22x | +2 |
| Warehousing and distribution | 16 | 43 | 1.34x | +5 |
| Hosting and data processing companies | 12 | 48 | 0.79x | +2 |
| Golf courses and country clubs | 4 | 12 | 0.96x | +2 |
| Colleges and universities | 3 | 14 | 0.79x | +1 |
| Apartment and residential property managers | 3 | 104 | 1.18x | +15 |
| Commercial property managers | 0 | 19 | 1.05x | -3 |
| Nonresidential building owners | 0 | 47 | 0.64x | -3 |
Territory
Where the business sites are
Montgomery County holds 71% of the metro's larger business sites, so most programs start there and cover the rest of the metro for larger accounts.
| County | Larger business sites |
|---|---|
| Montgomery County | 1,512 |
| Greene County | 388 |
| Miami County | 235 |
Climate and timing
Dayton's year, month by month
Outdoor trades (roofing, paving, landscaping, exterior painting) work the months with lows of 40°F or above and sell in the months before. HVAC sells ahead of its heating and cooling peaks. Each trade page has its own calendar.
- Jan36° / 21°Off-season
- Feb40° / 23°Off-season
- Mar50° / 32°Off-season
- Apr64° / 41°Outdoor season
- May73° / 52°Outdoor season
- Jun82° / 61°Outdoor season
- Jul85° / 64°Outdoor season
- Aug84° / 62°Outdoor season
- Sep78° / 55°Outdoor season
- Oct65° / 44°Outdoor season
- Nov52° / 34°Off-season
- Dec41° / 26°Off-season
Working in Ohio
Contractor licensing in Ohio
Ohio's OCILB licenses commercial contractors in only five trades: electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics, and refrigeration. Other trades, including general contracting and roofing, are handled by local building departments, and the State Fire Marshal certifies fire protection companies.
Trade-by-trade rules are on each trade page. Confirm with Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce. Checked 2026-09-30.
Hiring locally
What an in-house SDR costs in Dayton
Before you hire a sales development rep in Dayton, price the whole job, not just the salary. Here is the local pay for sales representatives, and what a first year really costs once you add commission, payroll taxes and benefits, tools, recruiting and the manager time it takes to coach them.
- $61,640median pay for a sales rep in the Dayton metro
- $42,980 to $90,530middle half of local pay (25th to 75th percentile)
- 2,270people in the role locally, all competing for the same hires
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091).
In-house SDR, first year$122,400
Abstrakt Growth program, full-time SDR, 12 months$102,000
In-house adds $15,000 commission, 25% payroll taxes and benefits, $500/month tools, $5,000 recruiting and 4 manager hours a week at $75/hour, before ramp time or turnover. Abstrakt includes the SDR, management, tools and data.
How Abstrakt works in Dayton
Outsourced appointment setting, one trade per market
Abstrakt's U.S.-based business development reps build a Dayton target list around your trade, service area and ideal buildings, work it by phone, email, LinkedIn and direct mail, and book meetings with the people who sign. We will not run the same program for a direct competitor in your territory.
Selling into Ohio? See the Ohio outbound calling rules: do-not-call lists, calling hours and registration, so you know what a program here has to handle.
Dayton commercial trades, answered
Does Abstrakt set appointments for commercial contractors in Dayton?
Yes. Abstrakt runs outsourced appointment setting for commercial trades across the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro: our U.S.-based business development reps call the buildings, qualify the opportunity and book meetings with the person who signs. We run one program per trade per market.
Which commercial trades have the most room to grow in Dayton?
Measured by larger buildings per contractor against the 100 markets we track (where a trade has at least 10 local contractors), commercial Painting & Coatings (#4), paving & Asphalt (#5) and commercial Construction (#11) rank best in Dayton.
What kinds of businesses are concentrated in Dayton?
Compared with the national mix, Dayton-Kettering has more hospitals (2.22x), senior living and nursing (1.81x) and manufacturing plants (1.56x). Those industries are the best-represented buyers for trades that serve them.
Which counties make up the Dayton market?
The metro covers Montgomery County, Greene County and Miami County. Montgomery County holds 71% of the larger business sites.
Sources and method
- Contractors and business-category change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2, Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH.
- Business sites by size and county: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Suppressed size classes count as zero.
- Climate: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county monthly series, 1991-2020 averages.
- Projects: sources linked on each project card.
- Anchor owners: sources linked on each card, read 2026-10.
- Eligible targets: Abstrakt territory record counts, 2026-10; estimated decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect per program, shown for HVAC, roofing, construction and cleaning.
- Photo: Downtown Dayton skyline along the river, by Michael Bowman on Unsplash.
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