EATON — This year marks the 50th year for local non profit L&M Products, and special celebratory events are scheduled for August, September, October and December.

All of these events will focus on the individuals served and the service professionals that provide these services. Most of the events will be held at L&M’s new location which returns the agency to a familiar intersection from the past — Lexington and Maple.

In early 2023, L&M purchased the First Baptist Church property located at the northeast intersection of Lexington and Maple Street. In January, the offices were relocated and services followed in April.

Until 2016, L&M had operated at the southwest corner of the intersection and was named for the streets Lexington and Maple — L&M. The move and subsequent remodeling was managed by L&M directors Chris Armstrong and Cindy Kaufman. “Although it was a big undertaking, we are excited to return to the intersection that gave us our name just in time to celebrate 50 years of serving Preble County,” said Executive Director Kaufman.

History of L&M

In the early 1970s, a grassroots effort began in Preble County when local parents of adult children with developmental disabilities began meeting in their homes to discuss how they could provide their children with an opportunity to learn and connect with others. When participation grew to over a dozen individuals, the program was moved to a local car dealership building on South Cherry Street in Eaton. Then in January of 1973, a board of directors was developed and on Jan. 17, 1973, the Preble County Adult Workshop Inc. was officially incorporated and by the end of the year, there were approximately 30 adults attending the program.

In 1981, ground was broken for a new 14,000 square foot building and by 1982, the Preble County Adult Workshop moved to the corner of Lexington and Maple Streets, and changed its name to L&M Products. At that time, the new location met the needs for the vocational habilitation services being offered with a fully functioning production area providing work experience for those interested.

L&M continued to promote itself and developed partnerships with many local businesses, including Dayton Flexible, Parker Hannifin, Henny Penny and Rohm and Haas (DOW). These partnerships provided work training for the individuals attending.

In July of 2014, L&M Products and the Preble County Board of DD became separate entities to ensure conflict-free case management. This ensured L&M and the Preble County Board were compliant with federal rules. L&M became a private, non-profit agency providing the same services at the same location. However, the building was still owned by the Preble County Board of DD.

On July 5, 2016, L&M purchased its own building and moved from the corner of Lexington and Maple to a new location on North Barron Street.

In 2022, L&M was approached by First Baptist Church of Eaton with interest in acquiring the Barron Street property. With the focus on community-based services, the Barron Street property was much larger than what was needed to serve the number of individuals attending the program, according to L&M officials, who said although another move was not in the plans, it was a great opportunity.

“Two moves in just over six years was a lot of work, but the individuals love their new facility,” Director of Operations Armstrong said. “The new location is ideal for services that now focus more on community engagement rather than facility-based work.”

The new location has three buildings, an administration building, service building and a home which will be used for future projects, added Armstrong.

L&M currently provides 58 individuals with facility-based day services, two community groups and a mobile work crew which rotates days at Henny Penny and Cargill worksites.

Celebratory events

The Preble County Chamber of Commerce will be holding a ribbon cutting event at L&M, 1308 N. Maple Street, on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at noon. The public is welcome to attend.

There will also be a Golf Scramble Fundraiser on Friday, Sept. 29, at the Eaton Country Club, to raise funds for the annual client Christmas party. Contact Kaufman at [email protected] if interested in playing in, or sponsoring the event.

In October, the individuals, families, staff and board members will come together for the return of the annual awards ceremony. This has not happened since the March 2020 event was canceled due to COVID.

The anniversary year will end with the annual Christmas party for the individuals who attend L&M.

It will be an eventful year to celebrate the founding families that wanted more for their children with disabilities, according to Kaufman.

“We are all excited to celebrate our past and look forward to the future at our new location so close to our roots,” she said.

For more information, follow L&M Products on Facebook, or visit our website www.LMproducts.org.