Christopher Che, owner of local consumer labels printer Hooven-Dayton Corp., has been named to President Barack Obama's Jobs and Competitiveness Council, a White House official said Friday.

Che, a Cincinnati resident, owns Hooven-Dayton, which has facilities in Huber Heights and Vandalia. He is the only Dayton-area businessman on the council, the official said.

“I never expected to go to this level, and it was never a part of my game plan,” Che said.

When the presidential council looked for a manufacturer to host its first national “listening session” last month, it chose Hooven-Dayton because of its growth and relationship to household goods giant Procter & Gamble. Karen Mills, U.S. Small Business Administration administrator, said the company was an example of the kind of business the country needs to encourage.

Che said he had no further governmental involvement in mind after hosting the council. The recent call to join the council — and a quick trip to North Carolina Monday to meet Obama and fellow council members — was a shock for him.

Under Che’s leadership, Hooven-Dayton has grown from $10 million in annual revenue when he bought the firm in 2007 to $20 million in 2010.

Che came to the United States from his native Cameroon in 1980 with about $50 in his pocket, he has said. He earned degrees from Wilmington College and Miami University before working for others, then started searching for his own business. He acquired Hooven-Dayton in 2007 and since then, the manufacturer has added more than 50 employees and four presses.

“I’m trying to reconcile it,” Che said of comparing his beginnings to where he is today. “It’s really hard, especially when I’m sitting in the room with the president and he’s quoting my story.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.