October, 1967: Ohio Senate Bill 169 established County Boards of MRDD (mental retardation and developmental disabilities). 1971-1983, the state provided capital construction funds to build County Board-operated schools and sheltered workshops.

January, 1972: The Ross County Board of MRDD, now commonly referred to as the Pioneer Center, opened the Pioneer (MRDD) School.

February, 1972: The adult program Board of Directors incorporated as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) under the name of Pioneer Adult Training Center.

March, 1972: The State of Ohio recognized and approved the organization's Articles of Incorporation under the name of Pioneer Adult Training Center, Incorporated. Adult vocational and habilitation programs operated in the rear of Pioneer School.

Late 1970's: The deinstitutionalization of persons with MR caused a tremendous influx of people to Ross County, requesting adult services. The adult program went from approximately 35 clients to 80 in a few short years. This, and changing service trends, prompted the search for a new facility.

1982: The non-profit board changed its name to First Capital Enterprises, Inc. (FCE), anticipating a move to the downtown business district.

Spring, 1983: The adult program moved to 167 West Main Street, a building which formerly housed a Kroger Supermarket. It became and remains FCE's headquarters and primary sheltered workshop.

August, 1984: Then general manager Jeff Smith and production manager Jewell Long resigned their County Board positions to assume employment under FCE’s Board of Directors through a contract with the Ross County Board of MRDD, demonstrating faith in the contract and paving the way for remaining adult program staff to resign from their County Board positions.

May, 1985: Remaining adult administrative and production staff left their County Board positions to work directly for FCE. Habilitation staff were retained as County Board employees under the RCBMRDD’s Case Management office. In more recent years, the term case manager was changed to service coordinator, and later to service and support administrator.

Late 1985: With a grant from Private Industry Council #17, FCE's Board created a licensed employment agency, initially called Personnel Training and Consulting. It later operated under the name of Main Resource Employment Agency and was located at 45 East Main Street. Main Resource offered a full menu of services: full time, part time, temporary and permanent job placement for individuals with and without disabilities. As an FCE subsidiary, its primary mission was still to place, in community jobs, persons with disabilities from FCE's sheltered workshop.

1986: FCE began participating in Ohio's State Use Program. These are set aside work contracts by government entities for bid by agencies representing and employing persons with disabilities. Bids are typically conducted via an intermediary agency such as Ohio Industries for the Handicapped (OIH). Contracts initially awarded FCE and still renewed include janitorial services we provide at Ohio Department of Transportation roadside rests, ODOT headquarters and garages

1992: The Main Street workshop could no longer house all of FCE's contracts. A small group of employees and staff moved some contract work to a rented facility in the back alley of West 2nd Street. This new facility and cohesive workgroup became known as The Annex.

1992-93: Main Resource was refurbished under a matching Downtown Revitalization Block grant. Two 2-bedroom apartments upstairs were also refurbished under this grant, and rented to FCE program participants.

Fall, 1993: Main Resource sponsored Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce's Business After Business to showcase the employment agency and apartments.

1996: The Ohio State Department of Commerce notified Main Resource that licensing had been legislatively eliminated. Main Resource could no longer claim to be "Ross County's oldest licensed employment agency."

August, 1996: FCE's Board purchased Reeves Carpet building and the surrounding property at 1988 Western Avenue. Renovation of the building took over a year. A new State Use Garage was erected at the rear of the property.

February, 1998: The staff and employees of The Annex, and FCE's State Use staff all move to the new Western Avenue facility, called The Western Extension, or "WE."

April, 1998: WE was publicly showcased sponsoring the Chamber of Commerce monthly Business After Business.

June, 1998: After a year of Policy creation / revision, analysis and paid consultation, Main Resource Employment Agency was surveyed by CARF and granted a 3-year accreditation. As a result, the agency was concurrently approved as a Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC) vendor, allowing access to funding for many Community Employment services. Responsible for placing RCBMRDD clients in community jobs, Main Resource also took over RCBMRDD's Community Employment Transportation.

Mid-1990's: With State Use contracts decreasing as primitive roadside rests began to close, FCE placed greater emphasis on obtaining privately negotiated janitorial and landscaping contracts. This program segment was renamed State Use / Transitional Employment.

Late 1999 to early 2000: Additional construction at Main Resource nearly doubled the working space of the employment agency and even provided space for visiting RSC counselors.

August, 2000: Main Resource once again hosted the Chamber's Business After Business event to showcase the remodeled facility.

Spring, 2004: RCBMRDD advised FCE / Main Resource it would be canceling its Community Employment & Community Employment Transportation contracts in the fall.

September, 2004: Main Resource closed to the public on the 30th.

October, 2004: Main Resource staff vacated the building on the 15th. FCE later sold the 45 East Main Street building to the Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce.

Today:  FCE continues to operate two sheltered workshops, one at 167 West Main Street (administrative headquarters) and the Western Extension at 1988 Western Ave. The WE also still serves as FCE's State Use / Transitional Employment Office and Garage. Out of this facility, work crews consisting of individuals with disabilities and working supervisors without disabilities provide landscaping and janitorial services to various ODOT facilities and other private commercial businesses.

The functions of community based job development and placement have resorted back to the Ross County Board of MRDD. However, at least one FCE staff member continues to provide the onsite job tryouts, training and supervision when requested, under a limited contract with the RCBMRDD.

Like all MRDD agencies in the state of Ohio, FCE is currently transitioning its program, staff, and focus to comply with upcoming changes in Medicaid requirements and funding streams. This includes the agency's ability to provide a wider variety of day habilitation activities that address specific goals in the clients' individual plans (IP's) in addition to, or in lieu of, providing gainful employment opportunities in the workshop.