Friday, FEBRUARY 26 Findlay contractors seeing a $33.3 million

Transcription

Progress2016
D1
Friday, FEBRUA RY 26
Photos provided by Marathon
THE MARATHON EXPANSION project has been an
economic boon to local contractors and suppliers, providing
about $33.3 million to the local building businesses. A
construction worker with Amcrete (left), a subcontractor
to Charles Construction, uses a concrete finishing machine
on the cement floor skywalk that connects the existing
Marathon building to the new MPLX building. Another
contractor from Toledo Mirror and Glass (right) completes
work on a window recently installed in the new expansion.
A pair of workers from Snider Recreation (below) construct
a trellis in the Marathon Green Space.
Findlay contractors seeing a $33.3 million
boon from Marathon’s expansion project
By LOU WILIN
STAFF WRITER
A CONTRACTOR from Commercial
Flooring of Toledo (above) applies
a floor adhesive in preparation
for carpet installation. Another
contractor from Precision Mechanical
Insulators (below) installs a pipe
support saddle for insulated piping.
Marathon Petroleum Company
Findlay Office Complex
Marathon Petroleum Corp.’s
current $90 million expansion
in downtown Findlay has meant
tens of millions in revenue for
contractors and building suppliers, and an economic jolt for
Findlay and northwestern Ohio.
Findlay contractors and suppliers are earning $33.3 million from it. When the radius
is enlarged to 60 miles, the
boon for area contractors and
building suppliers totals $73.8
million.
“Sometimes we forget,
there’s prime contracts, direct
subcontracts. But then they
have their own subs and suppliers underneath that, all the
way down to very small-tier
firms and services,” said Chad
Stevers, project executive for
Gilbane Building Co., Van Wert,
which is construction manager
of the Marathon expansion.
Some of the numbers are
staggering:
• Over 1,000 employees
from various companies have
showed up at one time or
another to work at the site. Over
80 percent of those workers live
within 60 miles of Marathon
headquarters, Stevers said.
• Findlay-based National
Lime & Stone Co. supplied
about 33,000 tons of stone and
36,000 yards of concrete for all
of the buildings in the expansion and the newly-surfaced
street areas, curbs and sidewalks, said Tim Federici, general manager of the company’s
ready mix division.
A typical house will use 150
to 200 tons of stone, and a house
with a basement and an averagesize driveway would use 100 to
120 yards of concrete, he said.
The stone and concrete was
delivered in about 3,300 truckloads. National Lime & Stone’s
workers went to great lengths
to ensure the deliveries did not
disrupt downtown traffic. They
started making deliveries at 3
a.m. so they could have them
done by 7 or 8 a.m. each day,
Federici said.
• Charles Construction
Services, of Findlay, which was
involved in various facets of several of the buildings, hired 70
suppliers and subcontractors,
said Josh Huffman, vice president of operations for Charles
Construction.
Those subcontractors have
been involved in fireproofing,
concrete material, stone material, elevators, scaffolding,
doors, frames, masonry work,
roofing and windows, among
other things, Huffman said.
Seneca County Joint Justice Center
Charles Construction also
is contractor for the newlysurfaced street areas, curbs,
sidewalks and brick pavers. It
also will handle construction
and landscaping for the Marathon Green outdoor work area
for Marathon employees at the
southeast corner of Main and
Hardin streets.
Charles Associate’s sister
company, Hancock Structural
Steel, fabricated the steel for the
administrative services building
south of Sandusky Street.
• Alvada Construction Co.
put about 14,000 man-hours
into site preparation and general trades work on the parking garage and administrative
services building south of
Sandusky Street, said Roger
Bishop, vice president of operations for Alvada Construction.
After demolishing concrete,
curbs and sidewalks at the site,
Alvada Construction rerouted a
42-inch-diameter storm sewer
line, graded the area, and connected sewer and water lines to
city lines.
It also installed an underground storm water detention
system of pipelines beneath
the driveway and landscaping
on the east side of the parking
garage on Sandusky and East
streets. The system can hold
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95,000 gallons of storm water
and release it slowly to ease the
burden to the city’s drainage
system.
Alvada Construction’s subcontractors probably put in even
more than 14,000 man-hours,
because one of them was Kirk
Bros. Masonry.
“Masonry is a labor-intensive job. You’ve got a lot of guys
there at one time, doing that
work,” Bishop said. “There’s
no automatic way to do it. It’s
just literally, every brick has to
be put in place, one at a time.”
• Vorst Custom Cabinets
of Findlay is doing all of the
case work, countertops, granite countertops, and “anywhere
from wood locker systems to
break rooms to custom built
work,” said Jim Vorst, owner
of Vorst Custom Cabinets.
“There’s some pretty fancy stuff
they’re doing in the main lobby”
of the new MPLX headquarters
building.
• Vaughn Industries, of
Carey, put in 75,000 manhours with about 30 employees
performing electrical; heating,
ventilation and air conditioning;
and plumbing work in the new
buildings, said John Barnes,
business development manager
for Vaughn.
Wilin: 419-427-8413
louwilin@thecourier.com
Carey Exempted Village
School District PK-12 Facility
At Gilbane, we’re about people, relationships and community. It’s just how we’re built.
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D2
ECONOMIC DEV ELOPMENT
THE COURIER
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016
McLane distribution center to employ 425
Highly-automated
operation will
cost $119 million
By LOU WILIN
STAFF WRITER
Hundreds of jobs, averaging
$57,000 in wages per year, will
be coming to Findlay this fall as
McLane Co. finishes construction
of a $119 million grocery distribution center.
The 337,831-square-foot center
is south of Hancock County 212
and across from Lowe’s Distribution Center.
The highly-automated operation will ramp up to 425 employees by December 2017, including
engineers and technical workers. It also will employ product
selectors, truck loaders, forklift
operators, inventory receivers,
automation maintenance and
monitoring, truck drivers, administration and truck maintenance.
The distribution center will
use state-of-the art grocery distribution technology, including
an automated storage retrieval
system, goods-to-person piece
picking and voice picking.
The warehouse management
system will control all aspects of
inventory and movement of goods
throughout the distribution center
from receipt to shipment confirmation.
It will provide groceries, food
services and beverages to convenience stores and drugstores,
chain restaurants and other
merchants in Ohio, Michigan,
northern Indiana, and western
Pennsylvania.
“We could have gone a lot of
different places,” said Mike Youngblood, McLane’s chief operating
officer.
Those other places were in
Ohio and in other states. But
Findlay offered the best in terms
of workforce, roads, water, sewers
and other utilities and “town atmosphere,” he said.
He also praised the business
support offered by Gov. John
Kasich and other officials.
McLane is getting $4.5 million
in tax breaks and other aid from
the state. It also will receive about
$3 million in property tax savings
over eight years from Findlay’s
Community Reinvestment Area.
McLane also will avoid more
than $750,000 in sales taxes by
temporarily ceding ownership of
the construction site to Blanchard
Valley Port Authority.
The state help includes a $3.6
million job creation tax credit and
a $250,000 job training grant, and
for Findlay, a $637,345 grant for
a street access to the distribution
center. The street will extend
south from Hancock County 212,
directly opposite the driveway for
Lowe’s Distribution Center.
McLane will cover the remaining $112,655 of street construction expense, said Tim Mayle,
assistant economic development
director for the Findlay-Hancock
County Alliance.
The company also will pay
for extension of water and sewer
service to the new Tall Timbers
West Industrial Park with its tax
savings.
McLane’s tab for those public
improvements, along with its contribution for the new street, will
total $500,000. Those improvements will benefit other future
tenants of the industrial park,
which is located south of Hancock County 212, west of Hancock
County 18 and north of Bigelow
Avenue. McLane will occupy 88
acres. An additional 225 acres
remain for industrial park development.
McLane donated $100,000 to
enhance workforce development
programs at Millstream Career
Center.
Youngblood praised Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik, the
Blanchard Valley Port Authority
and other officials for their help.
“Findlay-Hancock County
Economic Development office,
they hosted our initial meeting in
March and they assembled a great
team and they skillfully and completely addressed all of our questions,” Youngblood said. “We were
so convinced that Findlay is the
best location for our newest distribution center. We are comfortable
with the strong productive workforce that is here.”
“We recognize and appreciate
everything that you have done and
everything that you have put into
place to help make a business like
ours successful,” Youngblood said.
McLane is headquartered in
Temple, Texas. It has 21 other distribution centers, each in a different state. It supplies over 45,000
retail grocery locations.
Photo provided
AERIAL PHOTO shows the $119 million grocery distribution center being built by McLane Co. The 337,831-square-foot center is
south of Hancock County 212 and across from Lowe’s Distribution Center. It will begin operations this fall. The photos below show the big
building during various phases of its construction last year.
Blanchard Valley Port Authority
helping attract companies, jobs
By LOU WILIN
STAFF WRITER
Attracting jobs to Findlay and
Hancock County can be cutthroat
business.
To have a fighting chance,
financial incentives must be
offered to companies. After all,
many other towns are competing
with Findlay.
So one cannot overlook the millions of dollars in incentives the
Blanchard Valley Port Authority is
contributing to Findlay’s two biggest projects: expansion of Marathon Petroleum Corp.’s downtown
complex and construction of a
McLane Co. grocery distribution
center. The projects are linked to
hundreds of new high-paying jobs.
The port authority is saving
Marathon Petroleum Corp. $2.7
million in sales taxes in the construction of $100 million in new
office buildings, parking garages
and a hotel downtown.
It is saving Marathon the taxes
by holding title to the properties
during construction and a few
years afterward. The port authority does not have to pay sales taxes
because it is a government body.
It also is saving McLane Co.
$750,000 in sales taxes in construction of a $119 million grocery
distribution center at Findlay’s
north end. As with the Marathon
project, the port authority will
hold title to McLane’s property
during construction and a few
years afterward.
McLane’s highly-automated
operation will pay an average
wage of $57,000 per year plus
benefits to 425 employees when
it opens in November/December.
The employees will include engineers and technical workers.
Port authority officials are
quick to point out there are other,
bigger incentives in the McLane
project.
McLane also will receive about
$3 million in property tax savings
from Findlay’s Community Reinvestment Area and $4.5 million
in tax breaks and other aid from
the state.
Marathon Petroleum Corp.
has been adding hundreds of new
employees in recent years. One of
its new buildings, across Hardin
Street from Marathon’s headquarters, will be headquarters for its
logistics and pipeline subsidiary
MPLX. MPLX has been scheduled to add 150 jobs, averaging
$100,000 per year, from 2014
through 2017.
Robert Beach, port authority
chairman, and Jerry Arkebauer,
administrative consultant, said the
port authority is only one piece of
the local economic development
program.
“I can’t point to the Marathon
project or the McLane project and
say, ‘Without the port authority it
wouldn’t have happened,’” Arkebauer said.
“It takes a real team effort,”
Beach said.
They said Findlay-Hancock
County Economic Development
Director Tony Iriti leads and coordinates the economic development
efforts. The port authority follows
his lead, Arkebauer said.
But the port authority wields
some powerful tools for job creation and economic development.
Besides the tax breaks, it offers
lower-cost financing for projects
involving companies, nonprofit
groups and governmental bodies.
“In this economy, it seems to
me that there is a lot of pent-up
cash ... but people are reluctant to
spend it,” Arkebauer said. “They
still are looking for ways to reduce
the cost of construction, and that’s
what we can do.”
But Findlay has no port!
Originally, port authorities
were intended under Ohio law for
only maritime ventures, but over
the years their uses and roles have
been expanded.
The first port authority in
Ohio, in Toledo, was created in
1955 in anticipation of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in
1959, Arkebauer said.
That port authority was a success. In the early 1970s, Toledo
city leaders wanted the Port of
Toledo to take over operations of
Toledo Express Airport and Metcalf Field Airport.
At the time, Ohio law did not
allow it, so Toledo officials persuaded Ohio lawmakers to rewrite
the rules to broaden what port
authorities can do. Operation of
railroads and airports were added
to the potential functions.
Then in 1988, the law was
revised again to enable port
authorities to aid economic development.
Tod ay, Fi nd l ay- H a ncock
County is among nearly 60 communities in Ohio to have a port
authority.
Created in late 2007 by Findlay and Hancock County governments, the port authority is
designed to promote economic
development.
It is governed by a seven-
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member board. Three members
are approved by Findlay’s mayor
with City Council consent. Three
others are approved by the Hancock County commissioners. One
member is jointly approved by city
and county officials.
Board members are Robert
Beach, chief executive officer of
Commercial Savings Bank; David
Spahr, president of Spahr Jersey
Farm and a former Hancock
County commissioner; Douglas
Huffman, attorney for Robinson,
Curphey & O’Connell law firm;
Craig Anderson, retired chairman of Hercules Tire & Rubber
Co.; Judy Miller, vice president of
employee and community relations
for Roppe Corp.; Garry Peiffer,
retired executive vice president for
Marathon Petroleum Corp.; and
Paul Sears, retired dean of the College of Business at the University
of Findlay.
Wilin: 419-427-8413
Photos by RANDY ROBERTS / The Courier
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EDUCATION
THE COURIER
D3
Begin Living
Life Today!
At The Heritage, everything we do is designed
with one thing in mind: exceeding the expectations
of our customers. Residents love our beautifullydesigned, one and two bedroom apartments that
RANDY ROBERTS / The Courier
NURSING STUDENTS Rashae Light, left, and Katie Harrison, along with instructor Darlene Wise,
listen to the breathing of a “patient” during lab time at Owens Community College.
Owens, BGSU create
dual admission program
By ABBEY NICKEL
STAFF WRITER
Incoming students now have an
express track that starts at Owens
Community College and ends with
a four-year degree from Bowling
Green State University.
BGSU and Owens partnered in
2015 to create the Falcon Express
Dual Admission Program, where
students apply once, and then map
out their courses all the way to a
bachelor’s degree at BGSU.
“This is a program that is
meant and designed for people
to truly begin their careers at
both institutions,” said Meghan
Schmidbauer, assistant dean of
admissions, international services,
and college credit plus at Owens.
“This program helps remove some
barriers and helps students not
have to jump through so many
hoops to get from Owens to BG.”
While the program has been
geared toward new students, current Owens students can apply for
the program.
Essentially, students apply
once, earn their associate degree
at Owens, and then move on to
BGSU for a bachelor’s degree,
but Schmidbauer said Owens students can transfer at any time and
Owens can post-award them their
associate degree.
“Obviously, we would love to
have them for the full two years,”
Schmidbauer said.
The program went live in
December, and Schmidbauer said
it has been well received by students.
“Within 72 hours of the program being active, we had students who were already opting
into the program on their applications before we even did a lot
of marketing. So, obviously, that
goes to show me that students
were hungry for something like
this, and they saw the value
without us selling them on that,”
Schmidbauer said.
Schmidbauer said the idea “had
been tossed around for several
years” before both colleges acted
on it.
She also said the collaboration
will continue to reap benefits for
both students and the colleges.
“One of the big pluses here is
that Owens is the more affordable
opportunity for students. Now we
can really say, you can start with
us, and seamlessly go off to BG,”
Schmidbauer said. “The goal is
to avoid hassles for students who
want to go that direction. This
eliminates that.
“For a long time, we have
seen our students transfer to BG
anyway, but I do think this is going
to benefit both institutions in the
long run.”
Nursing program
Owens’ registered nursing program is also experiencing a period
of growth and progress. It recently
received a five-year reapproval for
state accreditation from the Ohio
Board of Nursing.
Its previous state accreditation
also was for five years.
The college lost the national
accreditation for its nursing
program in 2009, but regained
national accreditation in 2013.
The process of losing and then
regaining the national accreditation allowed the program to
come back “stronger than ever,”
the director of the program, Irene
Jones, said.
“We feel that we put out very
strong students that are ready to
enter the nursing field that are
very competitive with their peers,”
Jones said.
Currently, the program has a
97 percent pass rate on the registered nurse exam, and for practical
nursing students, the pass rate is
100 percent, Jones said.
“I think that speaks really
highly of the program we have
here and the students we have,”
Jones said.
Between the Findlay and the
Toledo campus, there are 484 students enrolled in the registered
nursing program, Jones said.
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2820 Greenacre Drive
Findlay, OH 45840
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March 16 • 7:30 pm
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D4
ECONOMIC DEV ELOPMENT
THE COURIER
Economic development leaders working
to retain existing jobs in Findlay, county
Their efforts pay off with
Freudenberg and Best Buy
By LOU WILIN
STAFF WRITER
Findlay and Hancock County
added 914 jobs last year, FindlayHancock County Economic Development leaders report.
In addition, 748 jobs did not go
away. Some of the credit for that
goes to nonglamorous, tedious
work by Anthony Iriti and Tim
Mayle, the director and assistant
director, respectively, of FindlayHancock County Economic Development.
“The one (company) that was
the biggest threat of leaving was
Freudenberg. There’s no doubt,”
Mayle said. “That would be the
one I would say from a retention
and expansion (standpoint) and
high risk, was probably the one
that we probably saved.”
Freudenberg-NOK Sealing
Technologies, which produces
automotive parts, is retaining 148 jobs in an $8.6 million,
43,000-square-foot expansion. It
also plans to add 25 jobs by yearend 2018.
But little more than a year ago,
Freudenberg’s future in Findlay
was not guaranteed. It was leasing its building space off West
Sandusky Street and Interstate
75. The producer of plastic sealing parts for vehicle manufacturers and other suppliers could have
gone elsewhere.
Headquartered in Germany, its
options for growing in the United
States were at plants it owned in
Michigan or Indiana, or at the one
it leased in Findlay.
“If they didn’t make that investment here, there was risk that that
whole plant walked away,” Mayle
said.
But expanding in Findlay
meant an extra investment not
involved in Michigan or Indiana.
The challenge for FindlayHancock County economic development officials was offsetting the
additional cost to Freudenberg of
buying the Findlay building.
It took cooperation among
state, local workforce development and even American Electric
Power representatives to persuade
Freudenberg’s leaders in Germany,
Mayle said.
“They are here for the long
term,” Mayle said.
Good economic development
practice involves doing homework,
like keeping tabs on existing companies, and finding out what their
needs are.
Mayle’s and Iriti’s diligence
in those areas paid off when they
helped Best Buy decide to keep
its distribution center and 600
employees in Findlay for at least
an additional 10 years. Best Buy’s
lease was to expire this year. Its
options included Findlay, Indiana
and Michigan.
Economic development leaders spent “a tremendous amount
of time” working to persuade Best
Buy to remain in Findlay, Mayle
said.
“We analyzed a lot of different
sites for them,” he said.
“We talk about retention and
expansion as our top priority in
our office. Those are the types of
things that you get ahead of and
you have relationships with the
companies,” he said. “The last
thing we want is for them to do
that process internally and not
have us at the table, and their decision is to leave, and then we’re too
DAN SHEAFFER is coordinator of Findlay-Hancock County
Economic Development’s Small Business Resource Center. Sheaffer
works to help small businesses survive and grow. Last year, the
center helped eight new businesses obtain financing, either through
banks, private investors or revolving loans through Findlay or
Hancock County.
Manufacturing output rises
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S.
factories cranked out more autos,
furniture and food last month,
boosting production by the most
since July.
Manufacturing output rose 0.5
percent in January, after falling in
four of the previous five months,
the Federal Reserve said. Overall industrial production, which
includes mining and utilities,
added 0.9 percent, the biggest
jump in 14 months.
The data could raise hopes that
manufacturing may be stabilizing
after output declined for much of
last year.
“This encouraging report
should help quiet the recession
calls of late,” said Jennifer Lee,
an economist at BMO Capital
Markets.
Americans are spending at a
solid pace, offsetting some of the
overseas drag. Some economists
have noted that manufacturing’s
weakness has been concentrated
in sectors that are particularly
sensitive to low oil prices and the
global economy’s health, such as
aerospace and industrial machinery.
Meanwhile, auto sales rose
to a record level in 2015, and the
production of cars and car parts
rose 2.8 percent, the most since
July. Furniture output climbed 1.4
percent.
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FINDLAY-HANCOCK COUNTY Economic Development worked last year to keep Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies in its Findlay
plant. The company, which produces automotive parts, decided to buy and expand the factory. It is retaining 148 jobs and plans to add 25
jobs by year-end 2018.
late.”
“That’s where the retention
and expansion calls become
important,” Mayle said. “Knowing
when leases expire. Getting ahead
of those opportunities.”
Small Business Resource
Center
Small businesses create 80
percent of new jobs nationally. But
only 20 percent or fewer of small
business starts are still in business
five years later. Findlay-Hancock
County Economic Development’s
Small Business Resource Center,
at the Findlay-Hancock County
Alliance’s offices, 123 E. Main
Cross St., seeks to improve the
odds of survival and growth.
2015 was a good year for the
Small Business Resource Center.
It helped eight new businesses
obtain financing, either through
banks, private investors or revolving loans through Findlay or Hancock County, said Dan Sheaffer,
coordinator of the Small Business
Resource Center.
New busi nes ses help ed
included Firehouse Subs, 1978
Tiffin Ave.; diVine Wine Bar, 326
S. Main St.; Bourbon Affair, 121B
E. Crawford St.; Seams Fitting, at
422 E. Sandusky St.; and Kan Du
Studio, 329 S. Main St.
Over $16 million was raised for
the eight companies. The biggest
contributors were the Findlay and
Hancock County revolving loan
funds.
“The biggest tool in the small
business toolbox, by far, is the
revolving loan fund. County has
one, city has one. It’s just a bucket
of money. It’s good for equipment,
it’s good for construction cost. It
is subordinate to bank loans, so
it reduces the risk for the bank,”
Sheaffer said. “It’s a nice tool.”
Sheaffer also functions as a
coach for people wanting to commercialize their ideas for a new
business. He helps them develop
a business plan with marketing
and financing components. But
ultimately, the success of a business depends on the owner, he
said.
“It’s really on the business
owner, the entrepreneur to do the
work. We’re the resource. We help
coach them along. But ultimately,
they have to roll up their sleeves.
They ultimately have to do the
work,” he said.
And, people frequently find
there is much more work to start
and operate a business than they
first thought.
“It’s not for everybody,” Sheaffer said. “People have got this idea,
and then they realize there’s a lot
of steps. There’s a lot of steps, and
then, I think the national statistics
are, I think, one in a hundred will
make it.”
So, sometimes Sheaffer’s role is
to be a reality check for someone
with a business idea.
“Sometimes getting to a quick,
‘This is not for you’ — a quick ‘no’
— is better than a long, drawn-
out, ‘Let’s work through the process’ and waste of your resources
and (then) figure out this is not for
you,” he said.
Convention & Visitors Bureau
Hancock County’s lodging tax
revenue grew 10 percent last year
to $577,432, a record. Total hotel
rooms rented reached a record
291,914, representing continued
growth in Hancock County’s
travel and tourism sector.
The Convention & Visitors
Bureau’s promotions in recent
years have paid off, said Alissa
Preston, director of the bureau.
In 2014 and 2015, Findlay won
the Jim Farrell Award of Excellence from ASA/USA softball for
its efforts and hosting of tournaments and Team USA events.
Findlay’s enhanced reputation enabled it to win the bid for
a national Class A 10U softball
tournament to be held in 2017,
Preston said.
Findlay drew 43 sports events
in 2015, less than the 61 and 73
events in 2013 and 2014, respectively. But it did that with much
less promotion than in the earlier
years, Preston said.
The biggest new focus has been
to reach outside Findlay to promote events in villages and rural
communities.
“All of the different communities have so many little gems,” said
Danielle Wilkin, event coordinator for the Convention & Visitors
Bureau. “We have really tried to
bring more attention to those and
promote those.”
It assisted 77 rural events last
year with social media promotion,
grant funding, planning and creating welcome bags.
Among the events assisted
were Arlington Farmer’s Market,
Hancock County Farmer’s Market,
Barn Quilt Bus Tour, McComb
Economic Development Organization Business Expo and Flea
Market, Homestead Fall Farm
and Geckle Orchards fall events,
McComb Cookie Festival, Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation
events, and Friends of Ohio Barns
Annual Conference.
Holding events in a small
community can be a formidable
challenge, so the Convention &
Visitors Bureau wants to help.
“Getting all of the details
squared away. There’s so many
things you can’t control. You can’t
control the weather. You can’t control if people are going to show up.
You can’t control how they are
going to act when they get there,”
Wilkin said. “You can’t control
if the tables and chairs show up.
There’s just so many factors that
are outside of your hands.”
“So if we can just help with,
‘Here’s some money just to help
you control the marketing aspect
of it,’ it helps a lot.” she said.
Wilin: 419-427-8413
COU NT Y GOV ER NMENT
THE COURIER
D5
County tackles river clearing, road projects
Building on Broadway demolished
By DENISE GRANT
STAFF WRITER
The Hancock County commissioners’ office ended 2015 with a
burst of activity, with the commissioners voting in October to award
a large contract for clearing the
Blanchard River of dead ash trees.
The office also followed
through on plans to demolish a
downtown office building, and
began work on straightening Findlay’s Distribution Drive.
The commissioners also voted
in October to increase the county’s
hotel/motel bed tax to benefit the
Marathon Center for the Performing Arts and the Hancock County
Agricultural Society.
So far, the “to-do list” for 2016
includes building projects and
technology improvements.
This year, the commissioners’
office will focus on connecting
to the dark fiber Internet ring
being constructed by Findlay City
Schools.
Security updates and possibly
additional space for the Hancock
County Probate and Juvenile
Court, 308 Dorney Plaza, are also
on the project list, as is more work
to the Hancock County Courthouse at 300 S. Main St.
An investigation into the cause
of moisture problems at the courthouse in 2015 revealed there is no
drainage around the footer of the
building.
The windows of the Hancock County jail also need to be
replaced. The windows, which
have thick, heavy-duty security
glass, are expected to be expensive. The windows have not been
replaced since the jail was built in
the 1980s.
River clearing
In October, commissioners
from six counties agreed to award
a $923,000 contract to clear dead
ash trees and other leaning trees
from the banks of the Blanchard
River.
The contract went to H&H
Land Clearing, Middlefield, which
submitted the lowest of two bids,
with the work expected to be complete this spring.
The contract was approved
by commissioners representing
the six member counties of the
Blanchard River Stream Enhancement Project.
About 55,821 parcels in the
Blanchard River watershed will
each be assessed $18 for the ash
tree clearing project, along with
continued maintenance. The
parcel count by county is: Allen,
3,162; Hancock, 33,087; Hardin,
6,770; Putnam, 10,969; Seneca,
33; and Wyandot, 1,500.
The ash tree count by county
is: Hancock, 6,670; Hardin, 130;
and Putnam, 1,760.
Demolition, construction
Demolition of the former Hancock County offices at 222 Broadway started in late October, with
the building completely cleared
by mid-November. ALL Excavation & Demolition was awarded a
$56,940 contract by the commissioners to raze the building.
The building housed the commissioners’ office after the 2007
THE FORMER HANCOCK COUNTY offices at 222 Broadway were
demolished in October and November. The building was in need of
extensive repairs, including the roof and foundation.
flood severely damaged their
former office. The commissioners’ office moved to 514 S. Main
St. in 2013.
The Broadway building was in
need of extensive repairs, including the roof and foundation.
In August, the commissioners awarded a $686,317 contract
to JDR Excavating, Findlay, to
extend Distribution Drive south
to Hancock County 212. The
construction straightened Distribution Drive and eliminated its
intersection with Hancock County
99.
The commissioners financed
the road work, along with other
infrastructure for the Ohio Logistics Business Park on Distribution Drive, with a tax increment
financing plan. It is expected to
take about 10 years to pay off the
nearly $2 million in debt.
The 47-acre industrial park is
north of Hancock County 99 and
east of Ball Metal and the CSX
railroad tracks.
Tax increment financing allows
additional real estate tax revenue,
created by new development in a
specific area, to be diverted from
public entities like schools and
townships and used to finance
infrastructure work.
Hotel/motel tax
On Oct. 6, the commissioners
voted to increase the hotel/motel
bed tax to benefit the Marathon
Center for the Performing Arts
and the Hancock County Agricultural Society.
The additional 3 percent tax
is expected to generate about
$349,000 each year for the arts
center, and $174,502 a year for
the agricultural society, which is
known as the fair board.
The tax money must be used
for improvements to property or
for assets with a life of at least five
years. Hotel/motel bed taxes are
typically used for entertainment
venues that attract overnight
guests. The investment is meant
to benefit both the community and
hotel/motel owners.
The arts center is expected to
use the money to pay off construction debt, pay for renovations or
additions, and to buy equipment.
The fair board has several
buildings that are in need of repair
or replacement, and its plans call
for construction of a new youth
building capable of housing fair
and community activities.
Total taxes on hotel patrons in
Hancock County will amount to
15.75 percent. The county’s hotel/
motel bed tax will total 6 percent,
plus a 3 percent city hotel/motel
bed tax, a 1 percent county sales
tax, and a 5.75 percent state sales
tax.
County finances
In all, the county collected
about $22.7 million in revenue last
year, including funds from investments, property taxes, state funds,
charges for services, and the sales
tax.
County spending also ticked up
in 2015, to $18.5 million, despite
efforts by the commissioners to
cap spending. About 40 percent
of the county’s budget went to
public safety.
The county spent about
$363,074 on improvements in
2015, including vehicles and equipment for the sheriff’s office, technology and a new postage machine
for county use.
Road projects
In 2016, Hancock County will
spend about $1.4 million on road
and bridge improvements.
A total of 11.25 miles of county
roadways will be resurfaced this
year, including:
• A total of 2.73 miles along
Hancock County 96, between
Hancock County 53 and Pleasant
Township 120; between Blanchard
Township 120 and Pleasant Township 123; and between Blanchard
Township 123 and Ohio 235.
• A total of 2.19 miles will be
resurfaced along Hancock County
17, between Delaware Township
147 and 149, and between 149 and
150.
It will cost $357,562 to resurface these roads. The projects will
be paid for with county funds generated by the motor vehicle and
gasoline tax.
• A total of 3.09 miles along
Hancock County 26 in Amanda
Township, between the Wyandot
County line and Hancock County
193, will be resurfaced. Also, 1.58
miles along Hancock County 60
in Eagle Township, between Hancock County 37 and 313; and 1.66
miles along Hancock County 153
in Delaware Township, between
Hancock County 17 and Ohio 37.
It will cost a total of $423,000
to resurface these roads. The bill
will be split between the county
and funds from the Ohio Public
Works Program.
The Hancock County Engineer’s Office is also planning to
replace five bridges at a total cost
of $739,996.
A bridge in Amanda Township,
on Hancock County 26, and two
in Madison Township, on Hancock County 177 and 148, will be
replaced with box culverts. This
work will be paid for entirely by
the county.
A total of $500,000 from the
Ohio Public Works Program will
be used to replace two bridges on
Hancock County 112 in Portage
Township, and on Howard Street
in Findlay.
Final report due on Army Corps’ flood-control plan
By DENISE GRANT
STAFF WRITER
Nearly 10 years in the making,
the final report on the Army Corps
of Engineers’ flood-control plan
for the Blanchard River at Findlay, the “chief’s report,” is due this
spring.
The report is expected to
be submitted to Congress in an
attempt to gain federal funding for
construction of a 9.4-mile Eagle
Creek diversion channel on Findlay’s west side.
Construction is expected to
cost about $60.5 million, and may
be eligible for up to 65 percent federal funding. The local share of the
cost would then amount to about
$20.5 million.
It will be another year before
Congress is expected to act.
Local officials, however, don’t
plan to stop working on the plan
until then.
Steve Wilson, project manager
with the Hancock County Engineer’s Office, said detailed survey
and geo-technical information will
need to be collected before final
construction plans can be created.
Wilson said by using a “contributed funds agreement” with
the Army Corps of Engineers,
the full cost of data gathering and
plan development could be paid
locally, without waiting for federal
funding.
“Should federal funds become
available for construction, we
would be given credit for these
costs,” Wilson said.
With the Army Corps’ final
report in hand, Findlay officials
say work on “local options” can
also begin. These local options
are plans the corps can’t pursue,
mostly due to cost.
City officials want to develop a
plan to drop the flood level of Lye
Creek to reduce street flooding in
the Hunter’s Creek subdivision.
They also want to fix problems
with the Norfolk Southern Railroad bridge, which crosses the
Blanchard River just north of West
Main Cross Street.
On Dec. 29, the Hancock
County commissioners asked the
Maumee Watershed Conservancy
District, Defiance, to take over the
Blanchard River flood-control
project in Hancock County. The
commissioners are seeking to give
up the oversight role they have
held since 2010.
No de c ision h a s b e e n
announced by the conservancy
district. The district would administer the design and construction
of the diversion channel.
Letters of intent from both
the commissioners and the conservancy district, supporting the
Army Corps’ proposal, are needed
before the plan will be presented
by the corps to its Civil Works
Review Board.
Once the plan is approved by
the review board, it will then be
released for a 30-day public review
and comment period.
It is up to the review board to
determine if the study is ready for
presentation to Congress. If it is,
the chief’s report is issued.
The commissioners have
pledged money from the county’s
half-percent sales tax to help
pay for work on the channel.
The 10-year sales tax increase,
approved by city and county voters
in 2009, generates about $2.5 million a year for flood mitigation,
and an equal amount for county
operations.
So far, money from the tax,
along with state and other local
funds, has been used by the commissioners to buy flood-prone
properties, clean the river, and
pay half the cost of the $9 million
flood-control study. The Army
Corps paid for the rest of the
study.
The county’s flood fund has a
balance of $15.8 million.
The commissioners also
pledged to work with Findlay and
the Army Corps to seek federal
funding for the project’s construction. The Army Corps has
cautioned local officials that even
communities showing a 2-to-1
benefit-to-cost ratio are not being
funded by Congress. At the last
update in August, the corps said
Findlay’s plan had a 1.34-to-1
benefit-to-cost ratio.
Without federal funding, local
officials will most likely look to
the state for help. Assessments
or a renewal of the sales tax are
other options. That decision, most
likely, will be made by the conservancy district once it takes charge.
The corps’ flood-control plan
in Hancock County remains
unpopular among farmers, with
the Hancock County Farm Bureau
opposed to anything more than
cleaning the river.
In August, the corps announced
that it had dropped plans for a 1.5mile levee, in favor of widening
and deepening the Eagle Creek
diversion channel. The change
was due partly due to the concerns
of the farmers.
Dropping the $8 million levee
from the plan also improved the
benefit-to-cost ratio, which had
been nearly flat. By law, a recommendation by the corps must have
a ratio of at least 1-to-1, meaning
for every $1 spent on the project,
$1 of property is protected.
The levee would have been
built west of the river and south
of the Findlay reservoirs. It was
meant to keep Blanchard River
floodwaters from spilling into Lye
Creek, which aggravates flooding
in Findlay. The levee would have
stopped the river from overflow-
ing into Lye Creek, but it also
would have caused increased or
“induced” flooding on about 1,500
acres of mostly farmland on the
city’s east side.
Putnam County
bridge work is nearly complete.
A total of $8 million in funding was approved by the state
Legislature to fund the design and
construction of the flood-control
measures in Ottawa. Those funds
should cover nearly all of the cost
of the project.
The conservancy district has
the authority of eminent domain,
which means it can take property
from landowners for a public use.
Landowners must be paid a fair
price for the property taken.
The Maumee Watershed Conservancy District is already in
charge of Blanchard River floodcontrol efforts in Putnam County,
and Wilson is also the project manager there.
The conservancy district voted
in August 2014 to take over leadership of Ottawa’s flood-control project at the request of both Ottawa
Council and the Blanchard River
Flood Mitigation Coalition.
The Putnam County project
includes a diversion channel that
would route floodwater from the
Blanchard River northwest of
Ottawa.
That diversion channel, and
modification of the embankment
of the I-9 bridge at Ottawa, were
recommended by the Army Corps
to control flooding in Ottawa. The
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BLUFFTON
U.S. OKs
factory
in Cuba
HAVANA (AP) — The Obama
administration has approved the
first U.S. factory in Cuba in more
than half a century, allowing a
two-man company from Alabama
to build a plant assembling as
many as 1,000 small tractors a
year for sale to private farmers in
Cuba.
The Treasury Department notified partners Horace Clemmons
and Saul Berenthal that they can
legally build tractors and other
heavy equipment in a special economic zone started by the Cuban
government to attract foreign
investment.
Cuban officials already have
publicly and enthusiastically
endorsed the project. The partners said they expect to be building tractors in Cuba by the first
quarter of 2017.
“Everybody wants to go to
Cuba to sell something and that’s
not what we’re trying to do. We’re
looking at the problem and how do
we help Cuba solve the problems
that they consider are the most
important problems for them to
solve,” Clemmons said. “It’s our
belief that in the long run we both
win if we do things that are beneficial to both countries.”
The $5 million to $10 million
plant would be the first significant U.S. business investment on
Cuban soil since Fidel Castro took
power in 1959 and nationalized
billions of dollars of U.S. corporate
and private property. That confiscation provoked a U.S. embargo on
Cuba that prohibited virtually all
forms of commerce.
Letting an American tractor
company operate inside a Cuban
government facility would have
been unimaginable before Presidents Barack Obama and Raul
Castro declared on Dec. 17, 2014,
that they would restore diplomatic
relations and move to normalize
trade, travel and other aspects of
the long-broken bilateral relationship.
Since then, Obama has been
carving exceptions into the
embargo through a series of
executive actions, and his administration now says they allow U.S.
manufacturing at the Mariel port
and special economic zone about
30 miles west of Havana. One
exception allows U.S. companies
to export products that benefit
private and cooperative farmers
in Cuba.
THE COURIER
2 new Bluffton restaurants open
Other eateries have new owners;
university making building plans
By HANNAH DUNBAR
STAFF WRITER
BLUFFTON — Residents of
the Bluffton area have a selection
of new restaurants to try.
Last year, two new restaurants
opened, and two existing restaurants changed ownership.
In July, Lu Lu’s diner opened
at 114 E. College Ave. Justin
and Amy Musil of Elida are the
owners, and currently lease the
building from owners Tom and
Sheena Dotson.
The Bluffton location is the
fourth Lu Lu’s. The other three
are in Lima.
The Bluffton diner is open for
breakfast and lunch. Hours are 6
a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
The menu includes omelets, burgers, waffles, pancakes, and soups
and salads.
The menu also offers 10 items
called “Lu Lu’s favorites.” They
include steak and eggs, sausage
biscuits and gravy, and corned
beef hash.
In November, another new restaurant, Li Co Chinese and Italian
Restaurant, opened at 415 Ohio
103, the former site of a Kentucky
Fried Chicken restaurant.
Wen and Cheng Tsai of Lima
are the owners. The restaurant
is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday through Thursday and
11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and
Saturday.
The Chinese menu includes
soup, fried rice, noodles, chicken,
beef, pork and shrimp, while the
Italian menu includes appetizers,
pasta, risotto, and desserts.
Rafael Arciga of Lima is the
owner of Don Jose Mexican Restaurant at 142 N. Main St. The
restaurant, which reopened in
October, formerly was Tu Pubelo
Mexican Restaurant.
Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday through Thursday and 7
a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is open for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The
menu includes Mexican foods such
as enchiladas, burritos and tacos.
The Mustard Seed Cafe, 562 N.
Main St., also changed ownership.
Rhonda Moor, the new owner, was
the chef of the Mustard Seed Cafe
under its previous owners.
Moor has implemented new
hours as well as a revised menu.
The hours are: Sunday, 9 a.m. to
3 p.m.; Monday, closed; Tuesday
through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9
p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.;
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The revised menu includes an
increased number of dinner and
brunch options. On weekends,
after hours at the Mustard Seed
Cafe will include live entertainment and light cocktail drinks
with a focus on bitters, mulled
wines, and draft beer.
Business maps
There are currently 200 Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce
members and approximately 45
businesses located along Main
Street in Bluffton, according
to Fred Steiner, director of the
chamber.
In an effort to help visitors
find their way around town, the
chamber has developed a project
that will place four colorful maps,
each 2 feet by 3 feet, around the
village. This $4,000 project will
show where parking is and where
businesses are located, Steiner
said.
“We want people to know
where they are in Bluffton,”
Steiner said.
Town Hall currently has one
map installed on the front lawn.
Two more maps will be placed at
Bluffton Family Recreation and at
an undecided location at the south
end of Main Street. The final map
will be set up in the village park,
which is off County Line Road,
south of Interstate 75.
“Since there are a lot of soccer
and baseball games at the park,
people from other towns show up
and do not know there’s a town on
the other side” of the interstate,
Steiner said.
In addition to the large maps,
members of the chamber will have
a notepad version of the map in
black ink at their businesses.
According to Steiner, the notepad
allows business owners to draw
directions to a location and then
give it to customers.
The chamber will sponsor
three major events this year,
WAITRESS DESTINY ACHILLES takes the orders of Carol Groman, facing, and Peg Augsburger at Lu
Lu’s diner, one of two new restaurants in Bluffton. Two other village restaurants have new owners.
Steiner said:
• The 45th arts and crafts
show in May will have 70 booths
on Main Street in Bluffton.
• The farmer’s market will
start on the first Saturday in May
and end on the last Saturday in
October. The market will be open
from 8:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday and will host about 25 to 30
vendors, Steiner said.
• The annual Blaze of Lights
parade and celebration will be held
in November.
After eight years as director of
the Bluffton chamber, Steiner will
retire this year. A search committee has formed and is accepting
inquiries from individuals interested in the position.
In other village developments,
Bluffton Village Council has a new
president and council member.
Last month, Phill Talavinia was
elected council president. Talavinia is director of athletics as well
as an athletic trainer for Bluffton
University.
A few weeks later, Ralph Miller
was sworn in to fill the council seat
left vacant when Judy Augsburger
became mayor.
Officials said the university
has outgrown its current science
building, Shoker Science Center,
built in the 1970s.
In another development at the
university, nurses who hold an
associate degree will be able to
begin classes to complete a bachelor of science degree in nursing
this fall.
The program is called the “RN
to BSN completion program,”
which stands for registered nurse
to bachelor of science in nursing.
The university has “gotten
a lot of inquiries from potential
students who are interested in
our program,” said Sherri Winegardner, director of nursing and
associate professor in the nursing
department.
Winegardner was the last
graduate of Bluffton University’s
nursing program in 1991. That
program was discontinued due
to the small number of students
involved.
A new four-year nursing degree
program will be offered in fall
2017.
“I think it’s an excellent mission fit for the university,” Winegardner said.
Bluffton University
At Bluffton University, plans
are being made for a new science,
technology and math building on
campus.
The university this month
accepted a $4 million gift for
the building from the Austin E.
Knowlton Foundation of Cincinnati. It was the single largest gift
in the university’s history.
It will cover part of the cost
of the $14.5 million project, to be
named the Austin E. Knowlton
Science Center. It will be built in
the middle of campus.
The university hopes to open
the three-story building by fall
2019 and has spent the past year
and a half designing and developing the building. Construction of
the building, which will measure
32,500 square feet, will take about
18 months.
The university plans a fundraising campaign to raise the rest of
the money needed.
The building will include 15
faculty offices, 10 learning labs
and three classrooms, and will be
the home to programs including
biology, chemistry, physics and
mathematics.
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OF YOUR CHOICE
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FINA NCI A L INSTITUTIONS
THE COURIER
D7
Financial institutions see busy loan market
By DENISE GRANT
STAFF WRITER
Banking officials reported
signs of an improved economy in
2015, with a busy loan market and
a strong financial performance.
Most are predicting 2016 will
be a good year for business, too.
Area banks are also promising continued online and mobile
banking improvements in the year
ahead.
State Bank
State Bank will celebrate its
first full year of operations in Findlay on March 23, and Mike Epps,
regional executive, said it has gone
“incredibly well.”
The bank is at 201 E. Lincoln
St., in the former offices of Commercial Savings Bank.
It’s part of SB Financial Group,
headquartered in Defiance, which
has provided financial services for
112 years. State Bank operates
16 full-service banking centers in
Ohio and Indiana, as well as loan
production offices in Dublin and
New Albany, Ohio, and one in
Angola, Indiana.
“I think we have been able to
accomplish a lot our first year,”
Epps said.
Epps said State Bank “started
from scratch” last year and did
well, both recruiting new clients
and building its balance sheet. He
said that can be difficult in a competitive market like Findlay, which
is already “saturated” with banks.
He said State Bank’s strategy
of “identifying the right people
first” has paid off.
“This is a people business, and
State Bank believes if you have the
right people in the right spot, good
things follow,” Epps said.
The branch’s staff is not new to
Findlay, he said.
“Most of us have lived or
worked in this community for
years,” Epps said. “State Bank
developed this team of local Findlay people, and then empowered
us to develop a strategy and then
supported that strategy.”
On March 23, to mark its anniversary, Epps said the staff will
invite Findlay for a coffee break
at Coffee Amici, 328 S. Main St.
Online:
www.yourstatebank.com
Old Fort Bank
This year marks the 100th year
anniversary of the Old Fort Bank,
and officials say the bank has
money to lend and the economy
is showing signs of improvement.
In 2015, the bank financed 350
mortgages and made $130 million
in loans to commercial, small business and retail clients.
Craig Burnside, vice president
and city executive, said, “We
are pleased that Old Fort Bank
employees have controlling interest in the bank. Because we are an
ESOP, our clients are being served
by an owner of the bank and our
associates take extreme pride in
that ownership.”
Burnside said the bank’s goals
for 2016 remain consistent with its
business model.
“Putting people first, integrity,
reinvesting in our communities
through volunteering, monetary
and in-kind contributions and
grant assistance. We take pride in
being a well-capitalized and managed bank,” Burnside said. “We
remain focused on strong liquidity, conservative credit philosophy, having knowledgeable and
experienced staff, and delivering
superior client service.”
In 2016, Old Fort plans to begin
accepting electronic signatures
and will enhance its mobile banking platform.
Michael Spragg, president and
CEO, said the bank remains one of
the oldest independent community
banks in the region.
“Our goals and objectives are
not driven by Wall Street. We
focus on the local economy rather
than reaching into unfamiliar markets,” Spragg said.
Old Fort Banking Co. serves
Allen, Greene, Hancock, Sandusky, Seneca and Wood counties, with financial centers in
Bettsville, Clyde, Findlay, Fostoria, Fremont, Old Fort, Tiffin and
Sugarcreek Township. Old Fort
operates a commercial loan office
in Lima and a mortgage loan office
in Xenia.
Online:
www.oldfortbank.com
with the credit union planning to
issue chip-enabled cards in the fall.
The chip encrypts information to
help increase data security when
making transactions at terminals
or ATMs that are chip-enabled.
Debit cards will be chip-enabled
this year.
Millstream Area Credit Union
is part of a nonprofit network of
financial institutions. All earnings made by the credit union are
returned to the members in the
form of lower interest rates on
loans and higher rates on deposits.
Online:
millstreamcu.com
Hancock Federal Credit Union
Commercial Savings Bank
Hancock Federal Credit Union
finished 2015 strong, and officials
predict a continued strong performance in 2016.
“We ended the year with over
$75 million in assets and continue
to experience growth in deposits,
loans and membership,” said Dan
Kennard, president and CEO.
“The local decision-making and
intensified community involvement from our staff, in addition
to our major sponsorships with
local events, is all making the difference for us.”
The credit union reported
deposit growth of 8 percent and
loan growth of 22.5 percent.
Membership exceeded the 10,000member milestone.
“We expect to see a continued
increase during 2016,” said Suzzette Boyd, senior vice president
of operations.
The credit union will begin
offering mobile banking this
year. “Sprig” will allow credit
union members to manage their
accounts, make person-to-person
payments, account transfers and
mobile deposits, said Karen Taschler, marketing director.
Established in 1938, Hancock
Federal Credit Union has two
full-service offices in Findlay. The
credit union employs 34 people.
Membership is open to individuals
who live, work, worship or attend
school in Hancock County, or who
have immediate family members
with credit union membership.
Membership is also open to
businesses and other legal entities
in Hancock County.
Online:
hancockfcu.com
There was excellent growth in
the loan market in 2015, according
to officials at Commercial Savings
Bank, with gains in commercial,
agricultural and the mortgage sectors. More growth is expected in
2016.
Robert Beach, president and
CEO, said much of the bank’s
growth can be attributed to its
local service.
“Our customers have come to
expect simply better service at our
friendly hometown bank,” Beach
said. “Since we are a community
bank, we can make our decisions
promptly and locally.”
Business clients continue to
rely on the bank’s treasury management services such as cash
management, merchant capture
and credit card processing for the
day-to-day handling of their financial needs.
In 2016, bank officials said to
expect continued improvements
to mobile and online banking services.
Established in 1920, Commercial Savings Bank operates
offices in Arlington, Findlay,
Carey, Upper Sandusky, Harpster, Marion and a loan production
office in Worthington.
The bank is a subsidiary of
Commercial Bancshares.
Online:
csbanking.com
Huntington Bank
In 2015, Huntington Bank was
the second-largest lender through
the Small Business Administration
in the nation. The bank lent more
than $673 million to small businesses, representing 4,337 loans.
That’s an increase of 21 percent in
the amount of dollars lent, and a 4
percent increase in the number of
loans over fiscal year 2014.
“This is particularly impressive
given that at the time, Huntington
was the 32nd-largest bank in the
country, and our Small Business
Administration lending is only
within our six-state footprint,”
said Daniel Kendrick, Huntington’s community president.
“We measure progress in
many different ways. Huntington
recently posted record earnings
for 2015, including a 10 percent
increase in net income and a 13
percent increase in earnings per
common share, driven by ongoing
growth in revenues, deposits and
lending,” Kendrick said. “We also
measure our progress by the satisfaction of our customers, which
continues to be strong.”
In 2016, Kendrick said Huntington will continue with its
24-Hour Grace service, which
allows customers to avoid fees by
covering overdrafts by the next
business day.
“It is believed to be the only
service of its kind in the country,”
he said.
FINDLAY’S NEWEST BANK, State Bank, is about to mark its one-year anniversary at 201 E. Lincoln
St. Bank staffers include, from left, Tony Konecny, Crystal Hockley, Scott Poling, Lisa Hummel, Mike
Epps, Crystal Ellerbrock and Evan Skilliter.
Kendrick said Huntington also
is one of the few banks that credits deposits on the same business
day, if the deposits are made by
midnight at an ATM or through
a mobile app.
Huntington Bancshares is a
$71 billion asset regional bank
holding company headquartered
in Columbus, with a network of
more than 750 branches and more
than 1,500 ATMs across six Midwestern states.
Founded in 1866, Huntington
National Bank and its affiliates
provide consumer, small business, commercial, treasury management, wealth management,
brokerage, trust and insurance services. Huntington also provides
auto dealer, equipment finance,
national settlement and capital market services that extend
beyond its core states.
Online:
www.huntington.com
First Federal Bank
First Federal Bank posted
stronger-than-expected earnings
in 2015, breaking previous earnings records. The bank credited
its success to technology use and
an expanding lending portfolio.
First Federal Bank also opened
its 34th office in Toledo this year.
Amy Hackenberg, recently
named as president of the bank’s
southern market area, said, “Our
digital services, such as Apple Pay,
online account opening, mobile
deposit and online mortgage and
commercial loan applications,
allow us to meet our customers’
increasing expectations to provide a quick and personalized
response.”
“While our presence online is
important, we remain dedicated
to building relationships with our
customers throughout banking
center locations,” said Greg Allen,
executive vice president and community banking president.
Last year, the bank hosted its
second annual “Pay it Forward”
event. Each employee was given
cash to perform random acts of
kindness for area residents. The
company made additional donations to numerous Hancock county
nonprofit organizations and sponsored events like Rally in the Alley,
Balloonfest and Artwalk.
First Federal Bank operates
34 full-service branches and 41
ATM locations in northwestern
Ohio, southeastern Michigan and
Fort Wayne, Indiana, and a loan
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production office in Columbus.
Online:
www.firstfederal.com
Chase Bank
Officials at Chase Bank’s parent
company, JPMorgan Chase, said
their bank’s success is based on
the success of the communities it
serves. The bankers cited Cincinnati’s robust growth as a “strong
indicator” of its progress.
Banking officials said in the
coming year they will continue
to focus on developing products,
services, branches, and mobile and
digital tools that suit the banking
habits of its customers.
By the end of 2016, Chase customers will be able to use their
mobile phones to identify themselves and compete transactions at
most of the company’s ATMs. The
service is meant to complement
the use of ATM and debit cards.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is
among Ohio’s 10 largest employers, and is the state’s largest financial services employer.
The firm employs more than
20,000 Ohioans, and serves customers from nearly 300 branches
and more than 500 ATMs across
the state.
Chase is the U.S. consumer and
commercial banking business of
JPMorgan Chase & Co., a global
financial services firm with assets
of $2.3 trillion and operations
worldwide. Chase serves nearly
half of America’s households with
a broad range of financial services,
including personal banking, credit
cards, mortgages, auto financing,
investment advice, small business
loans and payment processing.
Chase operates 5,400 branches
and 17,000 ATMs.
Online:
www.chase.com
continues to work to cut interest
rates, with a goal of saving the
community $500,000. For the
credit union, it is a measure of
success.
New memberships are also a
good measure, officials said. In
2016, the credit union will continue to work to gain members
and expand its brand recognition.
Technology will also be a focus,
In 2015, First National Bank
celebrated its 25th year in Bluffton
and its first year in Ottawa, while
introducing several new products,
including a program for first-time
homebuyers, enhanced online services, the e-FNB mobile bank app
and mobile check deposit.
See MARKET, Page D8
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FINA NCI A L INSTITUTIONS & 50 NORTH
Market
Continued from page D7
In 2016, First National will
introduce the “Step-Up Home
Buyers Program,” designed to
help homeowners “step up” into
their next home.
The bank will also continue to
host workshops on several topics,
including Social Security, Medicare and senior care options.
First National Bank was
founded in 1919 in Pandora.
The bank currently operates five
full-service branches in Findlay,
Bluffton, Ottawa and Pandora,
and serves the communities in
and around Putnam, Allen and
Hancock counties. All offices offer
a full range of loan, deposit, and
investment products with related
services structured to meet the
needs of its customers.
Online:
www.e-fnb.com
Citizens National Bank
Citizens National Bank saw
loan growth of 11.73 percent in
2015, exceeding expectations.
Bank officials said businesses
are expanding and growing again
due to growing confidence in the
economy.
In 2016, Citizen National
plans to focus on securing additional deposits to support its loan
growth.
Officials said consumers should
expect interest rates to rise, with
the Federal Reserve increasing
rates that banks pay to borrow
short-term funds. This means
small increases in deposit rates,
and slightly higher rates on loans.
The bank will also focus on
technology use, customer convenience and security.
Citizens National has introduced a new product called Positive Pay, which helps businesses
detect check fraud before it happens. It will also launch an app
that allows customers to turn off
debit cards to prevent fraud.
Citizens National’s credit cards
are already “chip enabled.”
Citizens National Bank is a
community bank with nine locations in Ohio. The bank is focused
on small business banking and is
one of the largest agriculture lenders in Ohio.
Online:
cnbohio.com
Impact Credit Union
Impact Credit Union saw
robust growth in both loans and
deposits last year.
“ O u r m a rke t p re s e n c e
increased in Seneca County with
the opening of our first branch
office in Tiffin, which has received
an outstanding reception by the
community,” said Scott Hicks,
president and chief executive officer.
The office, at 435 W. Market
St., Tiffin, exceeded its budgeted
deposit and loan growth in its first
year.
“We also advanced our position as a small business lender.
Through 2015, we saw 17 percent
growth in member business loans.
This confirms the success of our
business banking initiatives as we
become a business lender of choice
in our service area,” Hicks said.
In the Findlay market, Joshua
Kurtz, vice president and Findlay
market manager, saw positive
growth in both deposits and loans
with over 11 percent in each area.
Kurtz said the credit union
has high growth expectations for
2016.
Impact Credit Union’s Findlay
market consists of two offices, at
14901 Ohio 12 and 11814 Allen
Township 100.
The credit union will open
another full-service location in
Fremont by the end of the year.
Impact Credit Union is a financial institution providing competitive, flexible financial products to
meet member needs.
Formed in 1937 through the
Davidson Corp., Impact Credit
Union has grown to over 14,600
memberships and four locations
with over $127 million in assets.
Membership is open to anyone
who lives, works, worships or
attends school in Sandusky,
Seneca or Hancock counties.
Online:
www.impactcu.org
KeyBank
KeyBank officials said 2015
was a good year, with the bank
earning a Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of “outstanding”
for the eighth consecutive year. It
also finished the year strong with
profitable results for the year and
for the fourth quarter. Officials
said KeyBank is well-positioned
for another good year in 2016.
In 2015, the bank expanded
its affordable housing platform
to include all 50 states, and will
use the same strategy to address
community needs through investments this year.
KeyBank also “refined” its
use of technology and is working
to develop an innovative digital
experience for its customers that
is easy to use with no distractions.
Officials say relationships,
trust, conversations, ease, value,
expertise and an ability to “evolve
as we observe, learn and adapt,”
are all strategies for the coming
year.
KeyCorp was organized more
than 160 years ago and is headquartered in Cleveland. One of
the nation’s largest bank-based
financial services companies, Key
provides deposit, lending, cash
management and investment services to individuals and small- and
mid-sized businesses in 14 states
under the name KeyBank National
Association.
Key also provides a range of
corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and
acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications
and derivatives to middle-market
companies in selected industries
throughout the United States. It
trades under the name KeyBanc
Capital Markets.
Online:
www.key.com
Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank, Northwestern Ohio, continued as the top
deposit and mortgage leader in
Findlay and Hancock County in
2015.
“As the market leader, it is our
privilege to partner with and support the many superb organizations that are making a difference
here in Findlay,” said Bob LaClair,
president of Fifth Third Bank,
Northwestern Ohio. “Findlay is
a growing community and Fifth
Third Bank is proud to be part
of the successful equation that is
spurring this development.”
“We work hard to lend to and
invest in affordable housing, community facilities and other community revitalization projects that
generate positive impact,” LaClair
said.
Locally, Fifth Third Bank
employees volunteered more than
3,300 hours in 2015.
Fifth Third Bank also partners
with the University of Findlay’s
business school, and reported success with recruiting and placing
recent graduates.
The bank also supported the
construction of the Marathon
Center for the Performing Arts in
Findlay.
“At Fifth Third Bank, we are
particularly proud of our partnership with the Marathon Center
for the Performing Arts and we
look forward to and encourage the
entire community to join us for the
official unveiling of the Fifth Third
Bank Wall of Fame on Fifth Third
Day this year, which is Tuesday,
May 3,” said Alex Gerken, senior
THE COURIER
commercial banker at Fifth Third
Bank.
In 2015, Fifth Third Bank
introduced the community reinvestment mortgage special in lowincome areas in the bank’s 12-state
footprint. Through the program,
the bank pays closing costs for
mortgage customers who buy or
refinance homes.
Fifth Third Bank also introduced Express Bank in 2015 to
serve people who typically don’t
maintain bank accounts. Express
accounts have no monthly service
charges, balance requirements or
overdraft fees.
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company
headquartered in Cincinnati. The
company has $141 billion in assets
and operates 1,254 full-service
banking centers, including 95
Bank Mart locations, most open
seven days a week, inside grocery
stores.
It also operates 2,593 ATMs in
Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee,
West Virginia, Pennsylvania,
Missouri, Georgia and North
Carolina. Fifth Third is among
the largest money managers in the
Midwest. As of Dec. 31, the bank
had $297 billion in assets and
managed $26 billion for individuals, corporations and nonprofit
organizations.
Online:
www.53.com
Grant: 419-427-8412
denisegrant@thecourier.com
Twitter: @CourierDenise
50 North: Name change boosting membership
Programs, services also expanding
By ALLISON REAMER
STAFF WRITER
A new name is drawing a
crowd.
In November, the Hancock
County Agency on Aging’s Senior
Center underwent a name change,
to 50 North.
The change came after surveys
indicated that people were reluctant to come to a center that gave
the perception it’s a place where
old people congregate, according to Carolyn Copus, 50 North’s
executive director.
With the new branding, 50
North is seeing new faces come
through the door, Copus said.
“It’s opening the doors to some
people,” Copus said.
In 2015, 50 North saw a 21
percent increase in membership
compared to the year before. Compared to four years ago, membership has grown 40 percent.
50 North now has more than
4,000 active participants.
Copus said she’s hearing from
people who are nearing the age of
50 who can’t wait until they can
join.
Copus said the agency’s tagline
is “Enriching Lives and Supporting Independence.” It offers activities and a fitness center, a dining
hall and nutrition services, outreach and chore services.
Over the past year, many of
those programs have expanded
and there are plans for more
growth, Copus said.
This year, the agency is offer-
ing new programs including a
walking and hiking group, a crosscountry skiing program, a creative
writing series, acting, choir and
art classes, and language classes.
Technology classes continue to
be popular, Copus said.
The agency nearly doubled its
day excursions, as well.
Another area of expansion
within the past few years has been
the fitness center. In the past three
years, 50 North has doubled its fitness equipment. The fitness center
includes commercial-grade equipment as well as exercise groups
and videos.
“We’re trying to do as much
as we can with the resources we
have,” she said.
A program in the works is a
volunteer-based program that
gives permission for an individual
to check up on an elderly person
at their home, help them get to
doctor appointments, or follow
up with doctor’s orders.
“Children live out of town and
they want to know that Mom and
Dad are OK. We’d like to do a
check-in service where we have
people call and check up on people
just to see if they have any needs,
if they’re doing OK,” Copus said.
The program is anticipated to
be in place this year.
Changes will also be made to
the cafeteria.
Breakfast is served every Saturday, but 50 North will also start
serving a light breakfast Monday
though Friday, Copus said.
Mobile meal delivery will also
expand. Currently, meals are delivered throughout the county during
the week, but Copus said meals
for the weekend will also be delivered on Saturday, so “people will
have nutrition seven days a week
instead of five.”
Last year, the agency started
grocery delivery for about 20 individuals, a service which has grown
to about 45 people.
Copus said over 380 people volunteered in different capacities at
the agency last year. Those interested in volunteering can contact
Julie Niswander at 419-423-8496.
This year, the agency will be
researching a possible increase
in its levy, which will need to be
renewed in 2017.
Copus said more than 300 Hancock County voters were recently
interviewed to see if they would
support an increase in levy millage, which is currently at 0.6 mill
and costs the owner of a $100,000
market value residence about $21
a year.
A possible increase in levy
dollars is needed because of the
growth in membership and activities, she said.
Membership growth “in our
world does not mean revenue,”
Copus said. “It doesn’t cost to be a
member, and we have minimal fees
for our fitness center, for some of
the classes that we offer. Many of
the classes that we offer are free.”
The upstairs area at 50 North
is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday and Wednesday; from 8
a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday;
and 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday,
although Copus said Saturday
hours will probably be extended.
The fitness center, in the basement, is open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday through Friday, from 7
a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
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LIBR A RY & AGR ICULTUR E
THE COURIER
D9
Agriculture: Odd
winter follows
soggy summer
By JIM MAURER
STAFF WRITER
MORE OF THE Findlay-Hancock County Public Library is visible, now that a neighboring building has been torn down. The library
hopes to install a book drop on the now-empty lot.
Findlay library out in the open
Demolition of neighboring building makes library more visible
By ABBEY NICKEL
STAFF WRITER
Staff at the Findlay-Hancock
County Public Library say their
building is now a more noticeable
part of downtown Findlay.
The demolition of the former
Hancock County offices next door
at 222 Broadway in November led
to some long-anticipated changes
for the library, even if it had nothing to do with the library building
itself.
“It’s nothing that we actually
did, but personally, I think this is
the single biggest thing that happened to us this year. It just feels
like we are more part of the downtown now,” Director Jeff Winkle
said.
With the former county offices
gone, Winkle said, the library
building is more visible from West
Main Cross Street.
“It’s going to really make a
difference for us. I think usership
will go up” and the feeling that the
library is part of the community
will increase, Winkle said.
“We’ve been here a long time,
and I am having people from all
over the community come up to
me to say, ‘Oh, the library looks
so good, it looks so nice,’ like
they didn’t even realize it was
here, which I understand, because
we really were hidden to some
extent.”
The library added signs on the
south side of its building, which
used to be obscured by the former
county structure.
“It really is funny how many
comments I’ve received,” Winkle
said with a laugh. “And we haven’t
done a thing, except add some
words to that side of the building. We have looked like we have
always looked. People can just see
us now.”
Winkle said demolition of the
county building has been on his
wish list for a long time.
“At the end of all of the speeches
I have given over the years, I have
made a point of saying, ‘We hope
that building comes down so we
can be part of the downtown.’ And
now we finally have that.”
Now that an empty lot is next
door, plans are in motion to try
and establish a book drop there,
in collaboration with the county
commissioners. The drop, which
would be independent of the
library building, would be accessible by motorists using a portion
of the lot.
Winkle hopes to have the project started this spring. He and the
commissioners are trying establish the safest and most effective
way of building the book drop, he
said.
“Right now I can say that this is
going to happen, it’s just a matter
of figuring out the safest way to
do it and establishing a traffic pattern,” he said.
In addition to saying good riddance to 222 Broadway, Winkle
said the library had other reasons
to celebrate in 2015, including the
library’s 125th anniversary.
“Being able to say we’ve been
serving the community for 125
years is quite an accomplishment,”
Winkle said.
Winkle said the library staff
also celebrated the way voters
overwhelmingly renewed a 0.5mill, five-year operating levy for
the library in May 2015. The levy
accounts for about 24 percent of
the library‘s budget.
The vote was 84 percent in
favor.
“We are still humbled and
honored by how the community
responded,” Winkle said.
The library also hosted its first
local authors fair in 2015, an event
that Winkle said will be an annual
event.
“Helping local authors has
always been important to us, and
having a time and a place where
we can have them all in one room
is a neat thing we can do for them
and the community,” Winkle said.
The library also completed a
variety of small projects that has
helped make a difference in the
building’s atmosphere, Winkle
said.
They include new carpeting in
We’ve got it...
Traced back to 1929, Dick’s
Auto Supply was originally
owned by the August Family
for 40 years, specializing in
boats, cars, car parts and
auto salvage.
the Lindamood Room in the basement of the library, new light fixtures in the atrium of the building,
and several new meeting rooms
for activities such as tutoring sessions.
“They might seem small, but
those small things have a big
impact on our building,” Winkle
said.
For the coming year, Winkle
said several other projects are in
the works.
One of them is new landscaping around the building. Winkle
said the library staff is working
with architects to help match the
landscaping that surrounds the
nearby Marathon Center for the
Performing Arts building.
“We know with all of the
visitors (the arts center) will be
having, we want to look as good
as we can,” Winkle said.
Winkle said the library staff is
looking forward to what the next
year will hold.
“I think the other big thing is
the new energy in this area because
of the Marathon Center, and hopefully a rejuvenated Dorney Plaza
in the future,” Winkle said. “We
are just excited about this area, to
see people walking around, there
is a new energy that comes with
it, and we are looking forward to
see what happens.”
As an unusually warm and relatively snowless winter continues
in northwestern Ohio, farmers are
wondering what sort of weather is
coming next.
The region has seen little snow
this winter, but precipitation has
been about normal.
In the Findlay area, December
precipitation was above normal —
3.41 inches, compared with the norm
of 2.25 inches — according to figures compiled by the AccuWeather
weather service.
January precipitation totaled
1.26 inches, compared with the
norm for the month of 1.8 inches.
AccuWeather recorded 6.4 inches of
snow in January, but that amount
wasn’t experienced by everyone
living in the region.
So far in February, Findlay precipitation totals 0.92 inch, compared
with the norm of 1.3 inches, AccuWeather said. That includes 2.5
inches of snow for the month.
Last summer, farmers in the
region saw way too much precipitation, as heavy rains drenched the
area in June and July, damaging corn
and soybean crops.
Soybean surprise
The soybean harvest was the
surprise of 2015 for area farmers,
according to Ed Lentz, Hancock
County Extension educator.
“Excessive and continual rainfall
in June and July” was hard on both
corn and soybean crops, he said.
“The area did not have five good
crop-growing days in a row from
late May through late July. Yields
in many fields were greatly reduced
because of the excess water,” Lentz
said.
But there was some good
weather, too. The early growing
season was relatively dry and warm,
and temperatures were moderate for
most of the growing season, Lentz
said.
Rains fell when needed during “a
relatively dry August,” Lentz said.
“Soybeans were the surprise of
the year. They looked ugly during
the wet months of June and July and
farmers had little hope,” he said.
However, “There were enough
plants that survived flooding, waterlogged soils, and disease to provide
respectable yields,” Lentz said.
“The area did not have bean
fields yield in the 70-bushel range,
like some years, but there were
many fields in the 50s, far exceeding expectations.”
Area cornfields did not fare as
well.
“The damage was beyond repair
for some cornfields after the excessive rain ended,” Lentz said. Corn
yields were highly variable “depending on the amount of rain that fell in
a small area and the ability of a field
to drain excess water.”
Corn yield reports ranged from
less than 100 bushels per acre on
damaged fields to near 200 bushels
on fields that received less rainfall
and/or had better drainage, Lentz
said.
When the final numbers were
in, the average corn yield in Hancock County was 146 to 158 bushels per acre. There were a lot of
50-bushel-per-acre soybean fields,
but the average soybean yield in
the county was in the mid-40s per
acre, Lentz said.
Wheat yields in the county
averaged between 73 and 75 bushels per acre last year.
Prices for both corn and soybeans
tumbled during the year, Lentz
noted, so “farmers in the area will
have to adjust their business plans
to be profitable.”
As crop prices fell, some experts
predicted that could have an impact
on farmland values, and the amount
that farmers would be willing to pay
to rent farmland.
Farmlland values are not
expected to increase this year,
according to Barry Ward, an agricultural economist at Ohio State
University.
He said land values may
decrease this year, following a
3.5 percent increase in 2015 when
bare cropland averaged $5,850 per
acre in Ohio.
During a presentation in
December, Ward predicted “a
flat to slightly lower cash rental
market outlook for 2016.”
Clean water project
The Ohio Farm Bureau and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation
Service have partnered to create a
“Blanchard River Demonstration
Farms Network.”
Other state and federal agenSee WINTER, Page D10
Angela B. Bateson, DDS
General Dentistry
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In 1968 Harold & Barb
Main bought the business
and for 30 years served
the auto parts and auto
salvage needs of the local
community.
Now owned and operated
by Harold and Barb’s son,
Dave and his wife Pam
since 1998, they have
continued the tradition of
providing auto parts and
supplies and that extra
service that you won’t find
at the big chain stores.
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Findlay
419-422-4862
Fostoria
419-435-7755
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D10
SENECA COU NT Y
Winter
Continued from page D9
cies, area conservation groups
and farmers will contribute to
the project.
It will include four demonstration farms to test ways “to prevent
and reduce agricultural nutrient
runoff.” The results will be shared
with farmers, state legislators,
land managers and the public.
Rover Pipeline
Plans to build two 42-inchdiameter pipelines to transport
natural gas are being reviewed by
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission. This “Rover Pipeline” project would pass through
the region.
Energy Transfer, the Texasbased company proposing the
project, wants to build two pipelines to carry natural gas from
the Utica and Marcellus shales to
customers in the Midwest, Great
Lakes, Gulf Coast and Canada.
The proposed 711-mile route
crosses parts of Seneca, Hancock,
Wood and Henry counties. Rover
would ship 3.25 billion cubic feet
of natural gas a day.
The company says summer
construction would be safer for
workers and the public, and cause
less damage to farmland and the
environment, according to paperwork filed with the regulatory
commission.
The regulatory commission
has to determine the project’s
environmental impact prior to any
construction. The review should
be done by July 29, and federal
agencies would have until Oct. 27
to finish reviews.
In recent months, the company
has been placing advertisements
in area newspapers outlining its
plans and seeking support.
THE COURIER
Seneca County to build justice center
Multi-story building will go on site of former courthouse
By JIM MAURER
STAFF WRITER
TIFFIN — A joint justice
center, the Seneca County Historical Museum and the Seneca
Regional Planning Commission
are at the top of the Seneca County
commissioners’ to-do list this year.
A leadership team of county,
Tiffin and court personnel have
been meeting to discuss the
joint justice center project, a
36,000-square-foot multi-story
building that will be constructed
where the former county courthouse was located at Market and
Washington streets in Tiffin.
It will house two common pleas
courts, Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal
Court, the clerk of courts, and
possibly other county offices. It
will be connected to the adjacent
county annex building, which will
be the location of the county probate/juvenile court.
Construction is expected to
begin by mid-year and be completed about mid-2017.
The project’s cost was estimated at $10 million in 2013, but
the estimate has increased to $11
million as furnishings and changes
in the interior building design
were not included in the earlier
estimate. Construction costs have
increased, too.
In 2015, the project reached a
variety of milestones, according
to Holly Stacy, chairman of the
leadership team and president of
the commissioners.
“Decisions in the past 12
months have included the location;
to have a joint project with the
county and the city; the establish-
ment of the leadership team, with
county, city and judicial representation; the signing of a cooperative agreement and management
agreement between the owners
— the county and city; the hiring
of Quandel Construction Group,
Westerville, as the owner’s representative; Silling Associates,
Charleston, West Virginia, as the
architect and engineers; and Gilbane Building Co., Westerville, as
the construction manager at risk,”
she said in a statement.
“A number of factors provided
assistance to having the project
at this stage,” said Tiffin Mayor
Aaron Montz, “including past
studies on space needs, location,
and the engagement of an external and internal design committee
led by Common Pleas Court Judge
Steve Shuff. ”
Common Pleas Judge Michael
Kelbley has participated in discussions that will lead to the building
layout.
“The process we are going
through assures me that the needs
of the occupants will be taken into
consideration at all phases of the
design work,” Kelbley said. “The
experience that Silling brings to
our project is helping us to make
the best use of every dollar we are
putting into the building.”
Museum work
The commissioners approved a
contract last year with the BarnesDeinzer Seneca County Museum
Foundation for porch restoration
at the county’s historical museum
on Clay Street.
Work will begin this spring.
Quality Masonry Co., Marion,
submitted the only bid of $104,310.
The museum foundation will
pay $30,000, Tiffin Charitable
Foundation will pay $20,000 and
the county will pay the remainder.
In another museum matter,
personnel with the Seneca County
Historical Society want to complete a multi-year plan to inventory each item retained by the
museum.
A partial inventory was done
in 1992, but there has never been
a complete inventory of the more
than 15,000 items.
The proposal would include the
purchase of a computer, printer/
scanner and computer software
programs. Tonia Hoffert, the
museum’s volunteer director,
would be paid to begin the inventory.
Planning commission
The board of the Seneca
Regional Planning Commission
is seeking a new executive director, and the planning commission
office is temporarily closed.
Executive Director Roxyanne
Burrus and Brianne Schrank,
administrative assistant, both
resigned last year and left in
December. Burrus had been director for 14 months.
County Administrator Stacy
Wilson and Tanya Hemmer, assistant administrator, are handling
the office duties while the planning commission board works on
finding replacements.
Regional planning handles
sewer district maintenance billing
for residential customers, Community Development Block Grants,
federal funds funneled through the
state, and the Community Housing Improvement Program, a state
program which provides repairs
to residential properties of low- to
moderate-income individuals.
Separately, the Seneca Industrial and Economic Development
Corp. board is expected to name a
president and chief executive officer and one of the two candidates
is David Zak of Tiffin, who held
the position for about two years
until taking a job at Tiffin University in August.
Zak left the university administrative position at the end of
December.
The other candidate is Lisa
Wagner of Maumee, a former
regional project manager at Jobs
Ohio with 17 years of experience
in project management and business development.
Transportation district
Separately, the commissioners established a five-member
board to oversee a Transportation Improvement District, a state
program which provides funds for
road improvements.
The transportation board will
include a county commissioner,
county auditor, county engineer,
Tiffin and Fostoria mayors or their
designee. Those five positions will
be voting board members, while
the state Senate and state House
will each appoint a non-voting
member.
The board will approve projects and seek funds. The group
can apply annually for state funds
equal to 10 percent of the total
cost, to a maximum of $250,000.
There is a May 30 annual deadline
to submit an application.
The state funds may be used
for a variety of expenses including
engineering costs and right-of-way
property acquisition, according to
Stacy.
The groundwork has been
started to prepare an application
for this year, including updating
the county’s transportation plan
to outline various county projects such as an Ohio 53/Ohio 18
bypass connecting with U.S. 224.
The state provides $3.5 million
annually in competitive grants.
There are 22 such districts
statewide, with Henry, Sandusky and Lucas counties in state
Department of Transportation
District 2 with Seneca County.
The district is headquartered in
Bowling Green. The transportation district has to be overseen by
the county.
An improvement district in the
county will be administered by the
regional planning office and Fostoria will be part of the district,
even though the city is within
three counties.
The county has been successful in getting federal grants for
transportation projects, according
to county Engineer Mark Zimmerman, with more than $20 million
in the last seven years. County
funds cover 10 or 20 percent,
depending on the grant.
Maurer: 419-427-8420
jimmaurer@thecourier.com
Hall of Fame
The 2016 Hancock County
Agriculture Hall of Fame members
will be announced at the March
10 Farmers Share breakfast, to be
held in Brugeman Lodge at Riverbend Recreation Area.
The 11th annual awards will be
made to individuals, either farmers or in an agriculture-related
field. The number of awards each
year will not exceed four, and the
number of posthumous awards
will not exceed two.
The number of awards presented each time are determined
by the Hancock County Hall of
Fame Committee.
Nominees must have been
born, grown up, lived in, or begun
their career in Hancock County
and have at least 25 years experience in agriculture. Nominations
were due Feb. 6.
Recipients will have photos
displayed in the Hancock County
Agricultural Service Center, 7868
Hancock County 140. Also, recognition may be given throughout
the year at special county events
including the Hancock County
Fair.
The 2015 recipients were
James Demler, Emil Nagel, William Johnson and Lynn Cupples.
Maurer: 419-427-8420
jimmaurer@thecourier.com
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FOSTOR I A
THE COURIER
D11
Fostoria welcomes Korean vinyl tile maker
Factory’s goal to employ about 150 workers
By MORGAN MANNS
FOR THE COURIER
FOSTORIA — Fostoria’s
economy and job opportunities are
looking up in 2016 after a large
international company arrived in
the city.
Nox Corp., a family-owned,
South Korean vinyl tile maker,
moved into the former Atlas
Crankshaft factory on U.S. 23
south of town in July 2015. A
ceremony and ribbon-cutting was
held last month to showcase products, renovations and equipment.
The company hopes to eventu-
ally have around 150 workers. The
jobs will pay an average of $31,200
per year.
“We’re pleased to have you
here,” Fostoria Mayor Eric Keckler
said during the ceremony. “Thank
you for believing in Fostoria.”
Nox’s Fostoria factory is its
first in the United States. The first
Nox factory was founded in 1994
in South Korea, where five other
factories were built.
“Our U.S. sales were increasing,” Human Resource Manager
Donna Freehafer said. “This move
gives us better responsiveness to
serve our customers in the states.”
A Nox representative has said
the company was drawn to the
Fostoria area by recommendations
within the flooring industry. The
proximity of U.S. 23, U.S. 224 and
Interstate 75 were also key factors.
Since its arrival in July, the
company has invested tens of
millions of dollars in machinery,
equipment and building renovations.
Contractors worked through
the end of January taking down
walls, putting up new walls,
installing and upgrading technology, painting, laying flooring and
more in the office spaces on the
east side of the building.
The company also built a $2
million, 16,820-square-foot addition onto the existing 330,000
square feet of the structure. The
60-foot-tall addition towers over
the older part of the building,
allowing more room for taller
production equipment, Freehafer
said.
Full-scale production of luxury
vinyl tile (LVT) began in December. Nox makes more than 3,000
designs in five different types of
vinyl flooring:
• Orchid — an eco-friendly
flooring that provides designs in
wood or stone looks.
• Ecoclick — a glueless flooring typically for commercial use.
Pieces click together through a
joint system.
• Ecolay — a glueless flooring, more commonly for residential use, that provides more size
options and sticks together.
• Ecolock — flooring often
used in hospitality and retail that
looks like puzzle pieces.
• Loom — tile that looks similar to woven thread. It comes in
various colors, sizes, patterns and
designs to allow the customer to
be more creative.
Nox’s vinyl tile is sold by distributors to commercial customers
such as large office buildings and
hospitals in more than 50 countries, including Japan, Germany,
and France.
“You won’t see our name on the
product but I’m sure you’ve seen
it,” Freehafer said. “Our products
are sold under other company
name brands because we’re not
involved on the retail side.”
What sets the company apart
from other flooring companies,
according to Freehafer, is the
coating that goes on top of the
flooring. The coat acts as a bacteria shield and is eco-friendly and
scratch-resistant.
“Fostoria really needs this,”
Don Miller, president and CEO
of Fostoria’s Roppe Corp., said
during the ceremony in January.
“Maybe other businesses will see
this and, by (Nox’s) example, start
settling here in town.”
Mennel Milling investing millions in Fostoria operations
By SETH WEBER
FOR THE COURIER
FOSTORIA — In the midst
of its 2020 plan, Mennel Milling
Co. made multiple changes and
upgrades to its Fostoria operation
in 2015.
The 2020 plan is a $45 to $50
million, 10-year project to improve
Mennel Milling’s Fostoria facility.
“Our Fostoria plants are the
most important physical asset to our
company and it’s starting to show its
age,” said Ford Mennel, president of
Mennel Milling. “Fostoria continues to be a strategic location. With
being located between two rail lines,
we can hit pretty much anywhere in
the country from Fostoria.”
One major change the company
is making is integrating the corporate office and plant facilities to
create “a much more efficient work
space for us to move into.”
“We’ve outgrown our current
office space,” he said. “We’ll be
right next to our mill as well, which
makes sense.”
Fostoria’s corporate office on
Crocker Street will be moved to
the former Seneca Wire building on
Vine Street. This move will not only
put the corporate building closer to
the plant, but will also add square
footage.
The current office is about
11,000 square feet, and Mennel said
the new office space will double to
about 22,000 square feet.
Much of the building to be used
for the office is being gutted by
Clouse Construction, Mennel said.
The plan is to keep much of the
original building, including its brick
walls and hardwood floors.
Also being worked on is the
second phase of a bin replacement
program, to allow for more grain
storage.
The first phase was completed
last year and involved removing four
100-year-old grain bins and replacing them with new ones. This year,
the company is focusing on adding
four more bins, to double the previ-
ous capacity.
Mennel said the company has
also been working on making the
former Ameri-Kart factory on South
Countyline Street fully operational.
A flour extrusion plant will be
placed in the building. Mennel said
it is almost ready, with completion
being planned for May.
“We’ve already got all the
machinery in place,” he said. “It’ll be
installed once the walls are done.”
Mennel also has purchased a
former fertilizer plant at 602 Findlay St. Mennel said employees have
been steadily rehabbing it with the
goal of storing bulk commodities
such as salt and mulch inside it.
In October, Mennel Milling Co.
acquired an old popcorn facility at
2970 County 74 in Morral.
“The facility will give the company the ability to diversify and
get into some specialty grain, and
processing operations outside of
our core business of handling corn,
wheat and beans and milling wheat
flour,” Mennel said. “The company
is fortunate to acquire a well-maintained facility with highly qualified
staff that is eager to get the facility
back up and operational.”
Rick Longbrake, vice president
of grain for Mennel, said the area
of the old popcorn plant is ideal for
Mennel Milling.
“The facility is strategically
located and is in an important grain
origination point for the organization,” he said. “Wyandot County is
an excellent agricultural production
area, we have strong relationships
with the producers in the vicinity
and we hope to continue to offer
them new opportunities as we
expand their marketplace.”
Now serving you from our
new location in Findlay!
6HUYLQJQHLJKERUVLQ+DQFRFN6HQHFD:RRG3XWQDP+HQU\:\DQGRW6DQGXVN\&RXQWLHV
Serving neighbors in Hancock, Seneca, Wood, Putnam, & Henry Counties
Fostoria officials working
to clean up neighborhoods
By BRIAN BOHNERT
FOR THE COURIER
FOSTORIA — One of Mayor
Eric Keckler’s goals since taking
office in 2012 has been to restore
Fostoria’s neighborhoods to their
old glory in hopes of bringing more
families to town.
Progress is being made, the
mayor says.
“We’re seeing good things
happen,” Keckler said. “We’re trying
to clean up the neighborhoods and
keep track of the housing stock.”
Officials approved a trio of ordinances in 2015 designed to get foreclosed homes back on the market
and hold financial institutions
accountable for vacant properties
in Fostoria.
In December, officials approved
an ordinance giving banks more
“incentive” to get foreclosed homes
back on the market by creating new
guidelines for banks filing cases
against properties within the city.
The plan was created to expedite
the process so any homes sitting
empty do not stay that way for long.
Any applicant filing a foreclosure
complaint must file a cash or surety
bond of at least $10,000, which the
city will hold until the property is
back on the market. If a property
becomes uninhabitable and must
be razed, the money is forfeited to
the city.
Last April, Fostoria City Council approved an ordinance requiring
property owners within Fostoria to
register vacant buildings and structures every 12 months, to weed out
the inventory of abandoned buildings.
Once properties are registered,
the city imports them into a list and
categorizes the locations by condition to determine which sites need
to be torn down.
For those properties not abandoned, the ordinance provides a list
of duties the property owner must
follow, including keeping the lawn
mowed and shrubbery trimmed;
ensuring the structure has adequate
weather protection; ensuring the
structure is secured against trespassers and rodents; and removing
all trash and debris from the yard.
Another ordinance council
passed in the spring requires citizens to keep their lawns trimmed
in an effort to improve the aesthetic
look of the city. No weeds or grass
are permitted to grow to a height
exceeding 12 inches with the exception of naturally wooded areas or
ornamental grass.
New website
In September, the city launched
a new website in an effort to appeal
to a generation of more technologically-savvy Fostorians.
Officials said there were two
primary reasons for the new site:
to provide accurate, easy-to-find
information and to market the city.
6 Bulk
Water Stations
Locations
One of the most common complaints made by community members regarding the previous website
was the delay in announcing upcoming community events. The new
website, at www.fostoriaohio.gov,
is updated through the city’s administrative office.
In addition to an up-to-date calendar of community events, the site
features a section devoted to each
city department — police, fire,
street, zoning, water and sewer —
as well as contact information for
department heads, City Council
members, and various forms for
taxes, permits and licenses.
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Water Treatmentt Systems
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Choose from a variety of high quality water
treatment systems for purchase or rent.
We also offer 50 lb. bags of salt!
Quality Bottled Water
We also offer bottled water for your home or
business. Simply visit our convenient location
or call to ask about scheduled delivery service.
City projects
The Stearns Road project finally
was completed in 2015.
The construction, which officially began in May, involved repaving and widening a half-mile portion
of the road to include three lanes,
while also installing curbs and
storm drains.
The goal of the project was to
better connect U.S. 23 to Ohio 199,
and also to connect Ohio 199 to
Ohio 12 via Jones Road.
Separately, the city opened bids
for the 2015 street program in
August. Officials received a total of
three bids and awarded the contract
to repave nearly a dozen streets to
Gerken Paving of Napoleon at a final
construction cost of $209,182.
$10 BBQ Cylinder Fill
Our cylinder fill services are available
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ACCOUNT #: _______________________
REF#:________
Expiration 8/31/16. Valid for existing Suburban Propane customers
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only. Not transferable. Valid for OPD 20# D.O.T. certified tanks only.
RQO\/LPLWRQHSHUFXVWRPHU1RWUHGHHPDEOHIRUFDVK1RWWREHFRPELQHG
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(419) 422-4373
1-800-PROPANE (1-800-776-7263)
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SAFE POTABLE WATER
Water from our bulk water stations is safe for personal uses such as filling pools, filling
cisterns. It is also available for commercial and agricultural use. The water stations employ
modern technology and safe equipment such as backflow prevention devices to protect against
contamination during filling and loading.
SAFE OFF-ROAD ACCESS FOR TRUCKS & TRAILERS
Each bulk water dispensing site has been chosen to provide safe access for large trucks and
trailers. The driveway at each site is designed to handle farm trucks, trailers, and tractor trailer
tankers with plenty of driveway turning radius.
LOW COST
Water costs $8.00 per 1,000 gallons purchased.
EASY TO USE
Water is purchased from the bulk water stations using one of the District’s plastic access cards.
Simple and easy to use, the card is similar to a bank’s ATM card, with a PIN number to ensure
safe, secure access. The same card can be used at all locations.
• Your account will be billed monthly, with all bills due by the middle of the following month.
• Accounts will be billed a late fee if paid past the due date.
• A one-time set up fee of $8.00 per card will be billed the first month. Multiple cards are
available.
EQUIPMENT SPECS
The District’s fill station has a 3” male cam lock fitting. Each hauler is responsible to adapt their
equipment to fit the District’s outlet using a 3” female cam lock fitting. Your vehicle must be
plumbed with an air gap with prior inspection by District personnel.
Northwestern Water & Sewer District
12560 Middleton Pike (SR 582)
Bowling Green, OH 43402
877-354-9090
www.nwwsd.org
D12
TR A NSPORTATION
THE COURIER
Taxi! Findlay now served by 3 cab companies
By LOU WILIN
STAFF WRITER
For most of its recent history,
Findlay had one taxicab service,
maybe two, sometimes none.
Today it has three: Accurate Cab
of Findlay, Trinity Cab and USA
Cab.
Their customers include
businesses needing to transport
injured workers to the hospital;
hospital patients needing a ride
home; those who cannot afford a
car; college students going shopping or commuting from Lima;
and other people who are unable
to drive or who lost their license.
Frequent taxicab users also
include those needing a ride home
from a bar.
In fact, the senior taxicab company, Accurate Cab, owes its start
in 2006 to people needing rides
home from the bar. Its owner is
Dave Turner, also the owner of
Dave’s Hideaway bar, 1730 Lima
Ave. Turner noticed other taxicab
companies were poky in picking
up his bar customers.
“They would promise a person
they would be there in 10, 15
minutes and would show up in an
hour and 10, 15 minutes,” Turner
said. “People, when they drink,
are not going to wait. Most of the
time people are not going to wait,
period.”
So he bought two new Saturns.
Today he has five cabs and five
drivers. Turner himself does not
drive a cab, and now he relies more
on corporate accounts than on
people needing rides home from
bars.
“If you had to rely on the city
of Findlay and just running people
from bar to bar or for grocery
shopping or doctor’s calls, I don’t
think you could make it. It would
be really rough,” he said.
Maintenance of the cabs and
insurance gets expensive, Turner
said. For a while, he had seven
cabs and was paying $50,000 per
year for insurance, but two cabs
were idle much of the time.
“O ne of my cor p orate
(accounts) has got to have a million-dollar liability (policy) for me
to pick up these people. It’s medical runs. We’ll pick up somebody,
say on Cherry Street, take them
to Toledo, take them to St. Rita’s
(Medical Center), take them to
Cleveland Clinic, take them to
Columbus, or around the corner,”
he said. “These are the ones that
make your insurance high.”
Turner eventually cut his insurance bill in half by reducing his
fleet to five taxicabs and changing
insurance companies.
Accurate Cab has gotten two
competitors in the past year, USA
Cab and Trinity Cab. Both involve
people who formerly drove for
Accurate Cab.
USA Cab started in April 2015.
Charles Flugga is the owner. His
brother, Roger, is manager/bookkeeper. Both Fluggas formerly
drove for Accurate.
Trinity Cab is the newest in
Findlay. Danny McDaniel started
it in Lima three years ago. Then
in August, Sharon Tracy, a former
Accurate and USA cab driver,
joined McDaniel as a co-owner
focusing on the Findlay market.
Findlay is big enough for three
cab companies, Roger Flugga said.
In fact, there is still room for them
to grow, he said.
“I know that we are going to be
a lot busier as time goes by,” Roger
Flugga said.
The Flugga brothers are the
only drivers for USA Cab, but they
plan to add drivers eventually.
USA Cab mainly relies on individual customers, for the time
being. Though it has no account
with Marathon Petroleum, it
frequently is used by individuals
doing business with Marathon
and needing a ride from airports
in Detroit, Columbus and Cincinnati, Flugga said.
A fair number of USA Cab’s
customers are people needing a
ride home from a bar.
Trinity Cab got off to a slow
start, but things have picked up
dramatically, Tracy said.
“I (advertised) it in the paper.
Then I started hitting all of the
bars and all of the colleges,” she
said. “I knew a lot of my (customers) from working with Accurate
and USA. So I knew a lot of them.
I went to their houses and told
them about this business. As it
progressed, it got busier.”
Flugga’s USA Cab had a similar
strategy.
“We had fliers, we put them
out,” Roger Flugga said. “We went
into the bars and handed them out,
and then we got on Google with
Accurate Cab.”
Punctual, good service is
important.
“Once people start taking you,
if they like you, they want to keep
taking you,” Flugga said.
Tracy and Trinity Cab scored
a recent victory when they won
an account with Blanchard Valley
Hospital, taking patients home.
She is looking to round up more
big accounts.
Trinity could use more cab drivers. It’s only Tracy and McDaniel
for now.
“We are looking for new drivers. We just haven’t found anybody
that we can trust,” she said. Drivers handle a lot of cash. A recent
hire stole money and had to be
fired. That is one of the hazards
for a cab company.
Turner has a similar story.
So, until Trinity Cab can find
more drivers, Tracy is working
24/7 to build Trinity Cab’s Findlay business.
“It’s more (runs) at night than
it is during the day,” Tracy said. “I
was up last night every hour, hour
and a half.”
She sleeps when she can.
“I do, here and there,” she said.
She drives two of her children
to school by 7:20 a.m. Then she
tries to get another hour of sleep.
“But once that phone rings and
it starts, I’m on it,” Tracy said.
She has no complaints.
“I love what I do,” Tracy said.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t work 24/7
days a week here and there and
whatever.”
Besides the demanding driving
schedule, Tracy constantly seeks
new customers. She leaves fliers
and business cards at hotels, bars,
laundromats and the University of
Findlay campus for anyone needing a ride, even if they are not part
of a big corporate account.
“I used to live paycheck-by-paycheck. So I understand where they
are coming from. Those are the
people that I get,” Tracy said. “I
take them back and forth to work
Monday through Friday, and then
on Fridays, they pay me when they
get their checks.”
It is about more than driving
a cab. It is about listening to her
customers.
Flugga, too, said he enjoys the
people.
“A lot of them have got problems and don’t know what to do.
They like that you listen to them,”
Tracy said. “I want them to feel
like they are number one. They are
important.”
Photos by RANDY ROBERTS / The Courier
DAVE TURNER, above, launched Accurate Cab in 2006, initially to
serve people needing rides home from the bar. Turner now relies
more on corporate accounts. Danny McDaniel and Sharon Tracy,
below, are the co-owners of Trinity Cab, the newest in Findlay.
Wilin: 419-427-8413
Some cab customers aren’t sure where they want to go
By LOU WILIN
STAFF WRITER
A taxicab driver’s job can become a comical or scary or absurd adventure when the customer needs a ride home from a bar.
“When you deal with the drunks on the weekends, it’s more like your
drama,” said Sharon Tracy, co-owner and driver for Trinity Cab. “That
is your — how would you say that? — your excitement for the week.”
A good cab driver can be like a kind guardian angel for the cognitively compromised, said Danny McDaniel, co-owner and driver for
Trinity Cab.
But it isn’t always simple or easy. Drunks sometimes take cab drivers on detours.
“Call a cab and get from point A to point B, or Taco Bell, and then
home,” Tracy said. There’s no place like home. But ... where’s home?
Sometimes the drunk can’t quite remember.
“Sometimes you get a few who don’t know where they are going,”
McDaniel said. “But if you ride around enough, they’ll figure out where
they are going.”
Sometimes the cab driver must help the drunk figure out where home
is, Tracy said. She uses landmarks:
“What’s a landmark for you? What do you see every day?”
“Uhhhh, there’s a Rite-Aid.
“I think there’s a school by it.”
“OK, so we’ll go down that way.”
... “Oh yeah, I live right there.”
Things can get rougher for a cab driver, said Roger Flugga, manager
and driver for USA Cab. Once, after Flugga drove him to his destination,
a drunk threatened to hit Flugga in the back of his head.
“So I asked him nicely, ‘Pay the $10. You’re here. You need to get
out,’” Flugga said.
“I’m not getting out,” the drunk said.
“We can do it the hard way,” Flugga said to the drunk.
Flugga called Findlay police.
“They met me at Circle K. They came and said, ‘What’s the problem?’” Flugga said. “They grabbed him out (of the cab), handcuffed
him and took him.”
Findlay police don’t mess around, Flugga said.
Accurate Cab of Findlay does not mess around with drunks, either.
“If they don’t pay, we call the Police Department,” said Dave Turner,
owner of Accurate Cab.
“Usually, if you’re in a bar and you want a ride, you’ll tell me the
address, and we’ll write it down on a sheet,” he said. “Once we get there,
and you say, ‘I’m not paying,’ then we know your address.
“Unless you lied to us.”
Yes, drunks have been known to deceive cab drivers.
“We’ve been hooked a few times,” Turner said. “But I guess there’s no
sure business where you’re not going to get hooked some way or other.”
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