Westerville365 Fall 2015

Fall 2015

Growth at Polaris Capital City Millwork Holiday Happenings

The Wright Stuff Meet the most successful women’s volleyball coach in Otterbein University history

Westerville365.com

WHAT DOES THE PERFECT MBA PROGRAM LOOK LIKE TO YOU? Does it produce creative thinkers?

Does it focus on problem solving?

Does it balance curriculum with developing skill sets?

Is it cutting edge, streamlined and relevant to employers?

And does it position its graduates to impact the world?

It does if it’s Otterbein.

?

Get to know the new Otterbein MBA. Invest 24 months and about $24K. It’s your next smart career move.

For more information, call 614.823.3210 or visit otterbein.edu/MBAnow Master of Business Administration

Companies Westerville Grown since 1937

a’s CarfagnCatering

na’s CarfagMarket

Let our family help you celebrate graduations, corporate & family picnics, showers, birthday parties, weddings, funerals, etc. When life happens… Carfagna’s will be there for you!

Come enjoy the freshest handcut meats, homemade Italian foods, local produce, imported foods, beers, and wines, and unique gift baskets.

Our 3 Best Steaks • All $699 EEach ach

Carfagna’s

Manufacturing

Our Delicious Pasta Sauces are available at most stores throughout central Ohio.

7 oz. Bacon-wrapped

FILET MIGNON

• • • • •

8 oz. Boneless Loin

NEW YORK STRIP 8 oz. Boneless Ribeye

ourcatering@sbcglobal.net 740-815-5531

Original Market Pasta Sauce Pomadoro Basilico (Very Italian) The Sicilian (Roasted Peppers & Mushrooms) Vodka Sauce (Creamy Tomato) Pootaneska (Spicy w/Black Olives)

2/$11

na’s CarfagKitchen The Carfagna family welcomes you to our fast-casual, family-owned Italian restaurant. Wednesday is $1 Wine Night! All House Wines are $1.00 per glass ALL NIGHT! Come enjoy our Thursday Prime Rib night where you receive a generous slice of slow roasted Prime Rib served with your choice of pasta or vegetable & soup or salad.

WEDNESDAY $1 WINE NIGHT

THURSDAY PRIME RIB NIGHT

(at Carfagna’s Market & Carfagna’s Kitchen only)

DELMONICO STEAK 1405 E Dublin Granville Rd 614-846-6340

www.carfagnas.com

2025 Polaris Parkway 614-848-4488

Subscribe to

Subscribe or renew your annual subscription to Columbus Monthly for $18.

Go to columbusmonthly.com or call 877-688-8009 to subscribe.

2

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

CONTENTS

Fall 2015

12 Cardinal Rule Many coaches turn their high school sport into a career. Monica Wright has gone a step further, becoming the most successful women’s volleyball coach in Otterbein University’s history.

ON THE COVER Photo by Lorrie Cecil

16 Holiday Help From unique gifts to perfect parties, it’s time to start planning those seasonal festivities.

27 Branching Out Capital City Millwork cut its teeth on highend jobs for single-family homes. After some post-recession tweaks, broader offerings helped grow the business.

31 Arts & Rec Phyllis Self helped boost the city’s cultural and recreational offerings. Instead of moving south when she retired, this civic leader stuck around and stayed involved.

34 Painting with a Purpose Meza Wine Shop’s popular Sip & Sketch events draw a crowd and benefit local arts programming.

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

3

DEPARTMENTS

10 Around Town Westerville Education Challenge’s Boots ’N BBQ at the Barn

Saturday, December 5 | 4:30pm–8:00pm Sunbury Town Square Free Entry

* Light-up Christmas Parade * * Tree Lighting * * Ice Sculpting Competition * * Horse Drawn Carriage Rides * * Arts & Craft Show * * Local Business Open House with Treats * * Cookie Decorating & Pictures with Santa * * Caroling *

6 From the Editor 7 Events Calendar 37 Library Notes How the Westerville Public Library is tapping social media to keep patrons engaged

38 Healthy Living OhioHealth’s Dr. James P. Fulop says technology can help—or hinder—a good night’s sleep.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR FALL MOVE IN SPECIAL, and RAKE IN THE SAVINGS! Save from $2860-$6700 by moving to The Village this Fall.

The Village at Westerville offers a warm sense of community that features: • • • •

Independent Living Independent Living With Assistance Assisted Living Studio, One- and Two-Bedroom Floorplans • Affordable Rent • Meals, Housekeeping, Cable, Transportation, Activities Included

Call Today To Learn More!

614.882.3782 www.villageatwesterville.com 4

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

40 Outtakes

BUILDING BUSINESS

22 Big Success, Small-Town Appeal An array of amenities and infrastructure helped spur development in the Polaris area.

Despite a few growing pains, it shows no sign of slowing down.

Save

Oakland INSIDE & OUT

25% OFF on any single INSIDE & OUT item.

Expires December 24, 2015.

7801 N. Central Drive Lewis Center, OH 43035 740-888-6000 • Fax: 740-888-6001 Westerville365.com Volume 1 • Number 3 PUBLISHER Roy Biondi

Fresh, Fun, Wow... be amazed at

Not valid with other clipped savings, discounts,, or on prior purchases. INSIDE & OUT store sales only. es.

Excludes work by local artists. No photocopies.

OAKLAND INSIDE SID DE & O OUT UT Garden & Gifts! ififts ts!

5211-B JOHNSTOWN ROAD (adjacent to Oakland New Albany Garden Center)

614-573-8648

EDITORIAL Editor: Julanne Hohbach Contributors: Lee Cochran, Steph Greegor, Jane Hawes, Kitty McConnell, Lisa Proctor, Jarrod Ulrey and Pamela Willis PHOTOGRAPHY Chief Photographer: Joshua A. Bickel Contributors: Lorrie Cecil, Eric George, Chris Parker and Ryan M.L. Young DESIGN/PRODUCTION Production Manager: Rebecca Zimmer Design: Annie Steel Web Producer: Scott Hummel ADVERTISING Director: Doug Dixon Retail Manager: Heather Kritter Classified Manager: Terri Tribbie Account Executives: Brendon Byers Chris McMillen Marketing & Promotions: Annie Steel CIRCULATION Home Delivery & Business Distribution Customer Service: 888-837-4342 Retail advertising: 614-583-5793 advertising@westerville365.com Classified advertising: 614-785-1200 Editorial: 740-888-6000 editorial@westerville365.com Westerville365 is published quarterly by ThisWeek Community News with Sunday distribution by Consumer News Services Inc., a subsidiary of GateHouse Media Inc. Consumer News Services Inc. reserves the right to reject, cancel or edit any advertisement at any time. If we make a substantiative error in news coverage, we want to correct it. If you believe an error has been made, call 740-888-6000. CNS is not responsible for unsolicited photographs, manuscripts, press releases, etc. Š Copyright 2015, GateHouse Media Inc.

 ��  �

� ­€‚ƒ„… †� ‡ˆ  ‡‰…Š‹  ����� ­ ‹‡Œ…�Žƒ‘… ‡Œ­’

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

5

From the Editor

Specializing in Rehabilitation

• Private Room w/Private Shower h • 7 Days a Week Therapy • Bistro Style Menu • Secured Dementia Unit • Accepts Most Insurance including Medigold To schedule a personal visit call (740) 965-3984

S b Countryview C t i off Sunbury

14961 N. Old 3-C Highway • Sunbury Ohio 43074 www.countryview-sunbury.com

Welcoming Fall, and a New Baby

By Julanne Hohbach

A

s I write this column on a sunny, 78-degree day in early October, it’s hard to believe summer is over, let alone that Halloween and the holidays are just around the corner.

Where did the time go?

But here we are, with the kids back in school, three-fourths of the way through 2015.

Speaking of children, I’d be remiss if I didn’t congratulate this month’s cover subject, Monica Wright, and her husband, Bobby Wright, on the birth of their first child. Their son, Warren Wright IV, was born Sept. 19—three days after we took the photos that accompany the story.

Monica was gracious enough to let us take more pictures of her and 11-day-old Warren at the Sept. 30 home volleyball match against Capital University. She definitely has that new-mom glow.

Office consensus is that she looks a bit like Julia Roberts in that photo, too. (By the way, Otterbein won that match with scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24 and nabbed its first conference win of the year.)

ThisWeek Community News sportswriter Jarrod Ulrey pitched the idea of a story about Wright, the most successful women’s volleyball coach in the university’s history. He called and found out she was due to give birth pretty much at any time. She agreed to a next-day interview and photo shoot, and the result is a compelling story of how this Westerville resident has grown Otterbein’s program in her eight-plus seasons at the helm.

In addition to winning games, though, her goal is to help grow and shape the young women she coaches. She compared coaching to running a business. “Fortunately for us we’re in the business of developing young women into mature, productive citizens most importantly, and on the flip side of things, we get to play. We get to hang out in the gym and hang out in the weight room and do what we love, which is awesome,” she said.

Read more in “Cardinal Rule” on page 12.

Also in this issue, you’ll find features on civic leader Phyllis Self, local business Capital City Millwork and the explosive growth of the Polaris area.

And about those looming holidays: Don’t miss the story highlighting some of the area’s too-numerous-to-name shopping and party venue options. If your family is looking for holiday activities, check out our Upcoming Events listings for some of the scheduled happenings.

Thanks for reading.

Wvl365

6

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

@WVL365

Westerville365

Upcoming

Events

To submit an item for the calendar, go to Westerville365.com. All events will run online and select listings also will appear in the magazine. The deadline to submit listings for the next print publication is Dec. 15.

NOVEMBER Nov. 4 The Early Decades of the Cleveland Indians Author James Odenkirk, who published Of Tribes and Tribulations: The Early Decades of the Cleveland Indians earlier this year, shares stories of the team. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Westerville Public Library, meeting room B, 126 S. State St. Free.westervillelibrary.org

share stories of their adventures through China, including information about the country’s history, architecture and changes. 7-8:30 p.m.

Westerville Public Library, combined meeting room, 126 S. State St. Free. westervillelibrary.org Nov. 13 Evening of Elegance The Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce annual event will feature live and silent auctions. 6-11 p.m.

Villa Milano, 1630 Schrock Road. $65 or $700 for a sponsored table of 10. westervillechamber.com

Nov. 5 Author Gillian Flynn Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn will speak at a reception and presentation hosted by the Westerville Library Foundation.

4:30 to 6 p.m. The Lakes Golf & Country Club, 6740 Worthington Road. $65 per person includes appetizers, seating and a ticket to the presentation, which takes place at 7 p.m. at Westerville Central High School, 7118 Mount Royal Ave. Presentation-only tickets are $25.

Nov. 7 Holly-Day Bazaar 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Westerville Community United Church of Christ, 770 County Line Road

FILE/PAUL VERNON

Nov. 7 Rotary Honors Veterans 5K Walk/Run Proceeds from the 5K will benefit the American Legion Young-Budd Post 171 and the Ellis E. Woodrow Memorial VFW Post 7883. 9 a.m. Alum Creek Park North, 221 W. Main St. $32 before Oct. 31, $37 afterward. Kids fun run is $8. rotaryhonorsvets5k.org

Nov. 7 31st Annual Mark Twain Craft Bazaar The Mark Twain Craft Bazaar, sponsored by the Mark Twain Elementary School Parent Teacher Association, has grown to include more than 150 artists from Ohio and attracted 2,000 patrons last year.

Proceeds benefit the school’s students through field trips, artist-in-theschool programs and other activities.

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Westerville North High School, 950 County Line Road. marktwaincraftbazaar.org

Community Center, 350 N. Cleveland Ave. Free for veterans, $4 for all others.

To register, call the Westerville Senior Center at 614-901-6560. westerville.org

Nov. 11 Veteran’s Day Celebration This pancake breakfast honors all veterans. 8:30-10 a.m. Westerville

Nov. 12 Two Wandering Women: Journey to China Travelers Carol Gray and Nancy Staley

Nov. 14 Picture an Old Fashioned Christmas Holiday photos will be taken in the Hanby House parlor. Period clothing is available or wear your own festive attire. Noon to 4 p.m. Hanby House, 160 W. Main St. $30; sitting fee applies. To make reservations, call 800-600-6843, 614-891-6289 or email hanbyhouse@yahoo.com.

Nov. 19-22 Dance 2015: Famously Yours...Forever This annual Otterbein University dance concert is a performance choreographed by Stella Hiatt Kane, based on Gottfried Helnwein’s painting Boulevard of Broken Dreams, which is an American pop reinterpretation of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks.

Performance times vary. Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove St. $18. otterbein.edu Nov. 20 The Triumphant Oberlin-Wellington Rescue of 1858 Members of the Kelton House Underground Railroad Community Advisory Committee will perform as part of the Westerville Historical Society’s Annual Meeting. 7:30 p.m.

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

7

American Legion Hall, 393 E. College Ave. Free and open to the public.

Dinner reservations are available. westervillehistory.org Nov. 21 St. Paul’s Christmas Bazaar The holiday event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. St. Paul the Apostle School and Activity Center, 313 N. State St.

Nov. 28 Jazz Brew Concert Series The performance of Latin, Brazilian/ Afro-Cuban Jazz is part of a series highlighting different styles, artists and locations. The concerts are presented by the nonprofit SEMM Foundation. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Westerville South High School, 303 S. Otterbein Ave. $15 adults, $8 students. myjazzbrew.com

Nov. 29 Swim with Santa Get your photo taken with Santa Claus as he joins kids in the pool with the lifeguard elves. Photo and swim time included. 6-7:15 p.m., Westerville Community Center Watering Hole, 350 N. Cleveland Ave. $7.50, $5 discounted resident rate. Parents admitted free but must be in the water with their children.

Registration is required. westerville.org

DECEMBER Dec. 1, 5-6 Christmas Open House Visitors can partake in decorations, refreshments, special music and a tour.

7-9 p.m. Dec. 1; 1:30-4:30 p.m. Dec. 5-6. Hanby House, 160 W. Main St.

parking lot of the Chase building on Brooksedge Boulevard and finishes on State Street, just south of County Line Road. $25. 614-794-0401 or runsignup.com/race/oh/westerville/ westervillesertomarudolphrunwalk

Dec. 4 Holiday Jazz Showcase Otterbein University will host this musical performance. 8 p.m. Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove St. $5 adults, students free. otterbein.edu

Dec. 6 Westerville Children’s Christmas Parade Welcome Santa during this annual family event, which immediately follows the Rudolph Run. 1:45 p.m.

Brooksedge Boulevard to Schrock Road to state Route 3, north to County Line Road

Dec. 5 WARM/Rotary Holiday Food Drive The Rotary Clubs of Westerville, Otterbein Rotaract Club members and alumni, the High School Interact Clubs and the Westerville Area Resource Ministry will collect canned food donations for those in need this holiday season. Volunteers will canvass the city and also will accept nonperishable food and cash donations at the WARM office, 150 Heatherdown Drive; Westerville City School District administration building, 936 Eastwind Drive; and area Kroger stores. westervillerotary.com or warmwesterville.org Dec. 5 Holiday Craft Bazaar The American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Unit 171 presents its annual holiday bazaar. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. American Legion Hall, 393 E. College Ave. For vendor information, call 614-891-0171.

Dec. 5 18th Annual Gingerbread Cottage The annual Gingerbread Cottage event will feature vendors selling items from Avon to woodworking as well as concessions, raffles, music and children’s activities. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Westerville South High School, 303 S. Otterbein Ave. gingerbreadcottage.org Dec. 5, 7-12 Snowflake Castle At this 31st annual event, children can 8

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

FILE/Jessica M. Kanalas

Dec. 4 Tree-Lighting Ceremony Join fellow residents for carols, candles and family fun. 7 p.m.

Westerville City Hall, 21 S. State St. westerville.org

work with elves to make a wooden toy, visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and enjoy trains, face-painting and a gift shop. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 5-8 p.m. Dec. 5; 9 a.m. to noon and 5-8 p.m. Dec. 7-12. Everal Barn at Heritage Park, 60 N. Cleveland Ave. $5 includes toy and photo.

Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Nov. 2.

Registration is required; go to mkt.com/ snowflakecastle.

Dec. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20 Home for the Holidays Enjoy extended shopping hours and fun holiday activities in Uptown Westerville on the weekends leading up to Christmas. shopuptownwesterville.com Dec. 6 Rudolph Run 5K Run/Walk The Westerville Sertoma Club is the sponsor of this seventh annual event.

1:30 p.m. The race begins in the

Dec. 11 Progressive Christmas Concert Enjoy sights and sounds of the season as three Uptown Westerville churches host 25-minute concerts featuring choirs and other music. Caped guides with lanterns will lead participants; van transportation is available. 6:308:45 p.m. For tickets and information, call 614-794-0401.

Dec. 11-13 A Miracle on 34th Street The Westerville Parks and Recreation Department will hold a second Westerville Civic Theatre production in 2015, A Miracle on 34th Street. The players at a fictional 1940s Westerville radio station will put their spin on the holiday classic. 7 p.m. Dec. 11-12, 2 p.m. Dec. 13. Westerville South High School, 303 S. Otterbein Ave. $10. westerville.org Dec. 13 Sounds of the Season The Westerville Symphony’s annual Sounds of the Season concert is a family holiday tradition. Assistant conductor Jim Bates will lead the chamber orchestra through holidaythemed classical works old and new and other Yuletide favorites, including audience sing-alongs. 5 p.m. Riley Auditorium, Battelle Fine Arts Building,

170 W. Park St. at Otterbein University. $25. westervillesymphony.org Dec. 14 Quarterly Membership Luncheon The Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce event will feature a speaker to be determined. 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m., Crowne Plaza Columbus North-Worthington, 6500 Doubletree Ave., Columbus. $25 for chamber members, $35 for nonmembers.

Registration deadline is Dec. 10. westervillechamber.com Dec. 14 Author Mitch Albom A talk with Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and the upcoming The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto. $10. 7 p.m. Westerville Central High School, 7118 Mount Royal Ave. westervillelibrary.org

JANUARY Jan. 11 An Island Apart: Cuban Artists in Exile Three art exhibits will open in three Otterbein University galleries under the umbrella An Island Apart: Cuban Artists in Exile, as part of “Opening Doors to the World,” a three-year international arts initiative focusing on Latin America (2015-16), Asia (2016-17) and Africa (2017-18). Free and open to the public. 614-823-1792 or otterbein.edu Jan. 17-18 Phil Brown Basketball Classic The girls and boys basketball teams from Westerville Central, North and South high schools will play other Ohio basketball teams. The girls will play Jan. 17 and the boys will play Jan. 18. Game times are 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Otterbein University Rike Athletic Center, 180 Center St. Proceeds benefit Westerville athletic programs. westervillerotary.com Jan. 20 Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation Organized by Otterbein University. 3:30 p.m., Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove St. Free and open to the public. otterbein.edu

Sources: city of Westerville, Otterbein University, Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce, Westerville Public Library, Westerville Visitors & Convention Bureau

Meritra Clinics

Family practice of Naveen Bekkam MD, Debb Wilson MD, Angela Collins NP, and Amanda Smith NP

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS • Ages 12 & up • Same day appointments • Sick office visits • Wellness consults • Women’s Health

• Physicals • Diabetic counseling • Flu shots • Weight loss

*We take all insurance*

Call for your appointment today!

614-882-9355 Open Monday - Friday 8am to 5pm. Expanded hours coming soon.

We’re Just a Smile Away!

Gentle Caring Staff Same Day Crowns Botox® Juvéderm® Nitrous Oxide Saturday Appts.

Accepting New Patients!

(614) 882-6741

STEPHEN R. MALIK, D.D.S. GENERAL DENTISTRY Dr. Malik has more than 25 years of experience.

180 Commerce Park Drive Westerville, Ohio 43082 Located in office complex, last building on the left by the bike path.

westervilledentalhealth.com Westerville365 | Fall 2015

9

Around Town

1

Boots ’N BBQ Photos by ERIC GEORGE Westerville Education Challenge held its annual Boots ’N BBQ at the Barn fundraiser Oct. 3 at the home of Skip and Linda Weiler. Proceeds from the event help bring Challenge Day to all three Westerville high schools. The anti-bullying program teaches students and community mentors about diversity and acceptance. Organizers said 129 tickets were sold and about $16,500 was raised this year.

2

1 Attendees show off their boots. 2 Madison Moore speaks to the audience. 3 Mark Faubel, Lauren Faubel and Michael Martin 4 Hosts Linda and Skip Weiler 5 Kevin Hernke and Mike Dickens 6 Stephanie Martin 7 Megan Foster speaks. 8 Kevin Thompson, Rob Doughtery, DebbieLee Doughtery and Leslie Thompson toast with “moonshine.” 9 Morgan Rack, 16, and Evan Wessels, 16 10 A group of this year’s guests 11 Tracy and Mark Davidson

3

4

10

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

5

7

6

8

9

10

11

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

11

LORRIE CECIL

Many coaches turn their high school sport into a career.

Monica Wright has gone a step further, becoming the most successful women’s volleyball coach in Otterbein University’s history.

12

Cardinal Fall 2015 | Westerville365

B

alancing her personal life with her career might never have been as challenging for Monica Wright as it was in mid-September.

Shortly after beginning her ninth season as Otterbein University women’s volleyball coach, Wright was away from her team—normally the last thing she would want to happen.

While the Cardinals were winning all four of their matches Sept. 11 and 12 at the Catholic University of America Tournament in Washington, D.C., Wright stayed back in Westerville with the junior varsity team, talking strategy over the phone as graduate assistant Dee Glass coached the varsity squad.

It was a necessary decision considering she was in the final month of pregnancy with her first child. She gave birth to a son, Warren Wright IV, on Sept. 19 and was back coaching Sept. 23 when the Cardinals faced Heidelberg University in an Ohio Athletic Conference match.

“I don’t want to take off for two weeks,” Wright said several days before the baby was born. “(I’m planning to) be at practice and games for the rest of the season. The girls are excited. I have 20some babysitters lined up, so that makes things easier.”

Wright never has let complex situations slow her down.

She took over a program in 2007 that previously had struggled to find consistent success, and has become the most successful coach in Otterbein women’s volleyball history. The Cardinals made the NCAA Division III tournament each year from 2010-13 and opened this season by winning seven of their first nine matches.

Wright, a 2001 Newark Catholic High School graduate, moved to Westerville when she took over at Otterbein for her first head-coaching job. She has lived in the Uptown area the last three years.

Her husband, Bobby Wright, is a 2007 Otterbein graduate. They’ve been married since December 2014. “My husband is a graduate of here and we joke that he loves this place more than I do,” Wright says. “He likes me working at Otterbein almost more than I do.”

In late August, Cardinals players held a baby shower for their coach. “I look forward to bringing this new baby into such a great community of support. My family, as well as my husband’s family, are extremely supportive and they’re both local, and everything about the Otterbein community makes me more excited to have this baby, especially since we live a block away.”

A Competitive Background Although Wright grew up playing a number of sports, her focus began to turn to volleyball in high school.

Being part of a Newark Catholic program with a history of success had a big influence on that decision. The Green Wave has won eight state championships in volleyball and was state runnerup when Wright was a freshman in 1997.

The team also made it to a state semifinal with Wright, whose maiden name is McDonald, when she was an outside hitter during her junior season in 1999. Newark Catholic’s current coach, Jeri Helfer, took over in 2000 during Wright’s senior season.

Wright’s roots in Westerville go back even further, however. She grew up competing for the Westerville Volleyball Club under former Westerville South High School coach Bob Price.

“My junior year we made it to the final four, so that was exciting,” Wright says. “I actually only played varsity there my junior and senior years.

They were really, really good when I was there and I was kind of a late developer. I was (5-foot-4) for a long time.”

Her sister, 2006 Newark Catholic graduate Meredith McDonald, helped the Green Wave win its last state title in 2004. “My little sister does have a championship ring and she actually works at Newark Catholic, so that’s a little bit of a source of tension,” Wright says with a laugh.

Wright has two other siblings. Younger brother Stephen McDonald, a 2004 Newark Catholic graduate, competed in football, wrestling and track before playing football for the University of Dayton. He’s now defensive coordinator for the Kettering Fairmont High School football team.

“Newark Catholic in and of itself has a culture of discipline, a culture of winning and I think it keeps young kids interested and motivated,” Wright says. “The success is addictive maybe, so I attribute it to the intensity of the programs we grew up with. That’s when more of the focus (in girls volleyball) was on high school than on club.

Most of my love of the game came through high school athletics.

“The most important thing was that my parents really never pushed us. We were always playing for ourselves when we were younger. My brother and I chose to continue on (to college), and I really think it was great parenting, which is why I’m not burnt out. I was practicing because I wanted to.”

“She is super laid-back but she knows when to get down to business. She’s one of those people you can talk to.” senior Volleyball Player Kasey White

Finding Her Passion Wright had no idea when she began her college playing career at Wittenberg University that she’d

Rule

By Jarrod Ulrey | Photos by Chris Parker

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

13

“One thing I’ve learned in coaching is that losing makes all problems exponentially worse. It’s a lot easier to have a happy team when you’re winning.”

Monica Wright

Wright coaches her team at practice Sept. 16. still be involved with the sport more than a decade later.

After being a two-time Division III All-American, she still enjoyed volleyball enough to serve as an assistant at Mount Union College for two seasons.

With the Purple Raiders, Wright was part of a program that improved from 15-16 in 2005 to 22-10 in 2006. She also assisted the men’s and women’s track and field programs.

Wright also coached at the high school club level in 2005 and 2006.

She wasn’t expecting to become a head college coach at age 24 when she applied for the Otterbein job. “A high school friend of mine was coaching at Mount Union and asked me to come be her assistant,” Wright says. “I was enjoying my time coaching so I applied (for the Otterbein job) kind of on a whim with the intention that I was going back to Mount Union for my second degree as well as coach there, but here I am nine years later.”

The Cardinals went 14-13 in 2005 and 22-10 in 2006, but they endured significant losses to graduation and struggled to a 4-26 finish in Wright’s first season in 2007. They went 9-23 in 2008, but improved to 24-9 in 2009 and would win at least 26 matches in each of the next four seasons as well.

Otterbein won a program-record 15 consecutive matches in 2011 when it finished 26-6, including earning a five-game victory over eventual national champion Wittenberg. In 2012, the Cardinals won their first OAC title, going 26-8 and beating Mount 14

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

Union in the league’s tournament championship match.

Wright admits she’s somewhat surprised by how far Otterbein has come since she took over. “The first two years here were very rough in terms of wins and losses,” she says. “I look back and I wonder how I didn’t get discouraged, but I think at some point you just don’t allow yourself to think negatively.

“One thing I’ve learned in coaching is that losing makes all problems exponentially worse. It’s a lot easier to have a happy team when you’re winning. Kids are more accepting of playing time. Kids are more accepting of roles. Your coaching staff is happier.

You’re probably a little bit more positive in practice.

“Winning solves a lot. Losing was not fun, and the utter hatred of losing that many games kept us really pushing forward. It just kind of proved to myself at a young age that hard work is definitely the formula.”

Building on Success Last season, Otterbein had just four seniors and finished 16-14.

Wright entered this season with a career record of 158-101 and a 12-member freshman class that includes four players from central Ohio. For the first time in several years, the Cardinals have a JV team. “(Coaching in college is) awesome,” Wright says. “Honestly it’s just like running your own business, and fortunately for us we’re in the business of developing young women into mature,

productive citizens most importantly, and on the flip side of things, we get to play. We get to hang out in the gym and hang out in the weight room and do what we love, which is awesome.

“There’s a lot of recruiting involved so there’s a lot of travel to high school games (and) travel to club matches, and that’s where the relationship begins with these young women. Once you start, the recruiting process is the most rewarding part of the job.”

Dee Glass came aboard as an assistant in 2014. A middle hitter originally from Medina, she heard about the opening on Wright’s staff from her roommate, Riley Galant, a 2009 Olentangy High School graduate who—like Glass—played for Mount Union.

“She’s such a great coach,” Glass says.

“She’s hardworking and easy to get along with. She’s a competitive person, as you can imagine. I’ve learned a lot of things from working with Monica, such as the skills players need in the back row. I was a middle hitter, so since coming here, I’ve learned a lot about passing.”

Senior defensive specialist Kelsie Gessner, a Westerville North High School graduate and the only player originally from Westerville on the volleyball roster, has witnessed how fiery Wright can be since Gessner transferred to Otterbein from Walsh University.

“She’s taught us about aggressiveness,” Gessner says. “One thing she has a huge philosophy on is serving. She’s not as concerned with misses if they’re aggressive misses.”

Ready for the Future As she walks up a flight of stairs to her office three days before giving birth, one of Wright’s co-workers in the athletics department jokingly reminds her that she’s allowed to take the elevator while pregnant.

Slowing down, though, isn’t really in Wright’s nature.

Once the Cardinals’ season begins in September, Wright spends more daytime hours in an office that features trophies, action shots from volleyball matches and a quote that states, “Work hard, be kind and success will follow you.”

Just six days before her son was born, Wright and the volleyball team hosted a camp for players ages 11-16. Some of the volleyball camps Wright has run during her nine seasons at Otterbein have raised funds for team trips, such as one the Cardinals took in 2013 to Costa Rica. Wright also encourages the athletes in her program to be involved in community service.

Bobby Wright, a Westland High School graduate who is the Otterbein baseball program’s all-time leader in doubles (39), has coached at the college and high school levels the past eight years. He worked as an assistant baseball coach at Dublin Jerome High School last spring and has flexible enough hours that his wife expects her transition into the dual role of coaching and motherhood to be a smooth one.

“She and her husband are going to be awesome parents,” says Cardinals senior Kasey White, an outside hitter from Warren High School in Vincent who helped organize the baby shower. “She is super laid-back but she knows when to get down to business. She’s one of those people you can talk to.”

One of the things Wright looks forward to about coaching, now that she’s a mother, involves a community at Otterbein that she calls “my family.”

“We love Westerville,” Wright says.

“Otterbein is a fantastic place to raise a family. When I was on my job interview under (former Otterbein athletics director and men’s basketball coach) Dick Reynolds, one of the first things he told me is that (his) kids grew up in this gym.

Because we don’t work (9 a.m.) to 5 (p.m.) and because there are times you’re here 70 to 80 hours a week, it’s more than just coaches that are hanging out. Every time school’s called (off), we’ve got kids running around the office, so it’s not an intimidating environment in terms of raising a family.

“I want to coach as long as I love it, and I don’t know when I will stop feeling the same passion for it that I feel now.”

Jarrod Ulrey is a sportswriter for ThisWeek Community News.

“We love Westerville.

Otterbein is a fantastic place to raise a family.”

Monica Wright

“I’ve learned a lot of things from working with Monica, such as the skills players need in the back row. I was a middle hitter, so since coming here, I’ve learned a lot about passing.”

Dee Glass graduate assistant

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

15

Holiday Help From unique gifts to perfect parties, it’s time to start planning those seasonal festivities.

By Steph Greegor

Stephanie Zieber, Thinkstock

16

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

Cheryl’s opened a new retail store and party room at its headquarters, 646 McCorkle Blvd., in August.

S

oon, Jeff Hamler will become a holiday cookiemaking machine, turning out up to 300 dozen cookies in a variety of flavors for parties, gifts and individuals every weekend until Christmas—and he’s not the only one turning up the holiday heat.

As Westerville businesses prep for the holidays, so do its residents, with parties and gift shopping for friends and family.

But where to go for that special, unique gift? And what about purchasing food for seasonal festivities?

Whatever your taste and budget, the area offers something for everyone.

Here’s just a sampling of some of the many local merchants ready to assist customers as the year winds to a close.

Sweet Treats In Uptown Westerville, finding a unique gift isn’t hard with shops such as Captivating Canines, where customers can get a dog figurine for the pet lover in their life, or Hoover Gardens & Gift Center, with its holiday tropical plants.

Those with a hankering for cookies have several choices, including Schneider’s Bakery, 6 S. State St. “I start making them the week after Thanksgiving,” says Hamler, who bought the German bakery in 1987 after working there since he was 15 years old. “I don’t do them after Christmas.”

By the time Santa Claus has come and gone, local residents and businesses will have given the gift of iced sugar cookies,

Courtesy of Cheryl’s

almond drops, Mexican wedding cakes, orange delights, Springerle, thumbprints, rainbow cookies and black walnut strips, among others. All, Hamler says, are just like “your grandma used to make.”

“It’s a variety of all those cookies in every tray,” says Hamler, who’s wellknown for his holiday cookie trays, which are purchased for parties or individuals, but mostly for gifts.

“I have a lot of corporate people come in for them. I have one customer that buys 50 cookie trays and he gives them to clients.”

Hamler says he sells thousands of his iced butter cookies, the most popular of the bunch, and Christmas-themed petit fours. Also popular are holiday breads, from a braided wreath or fruitcake to Polish nut bread.

“Everybody likes to eat the things you only get once a year. People wait for that once a year, for that special cookie or special nut bread their grandma makes,” he says. “It’s all about the food, man; people like the food.”

At Schneider’s, the food obsession starts at Thanksgiving, when the holiday catering kicks in—from baking pies for Thanksgiving dinners to buns and “gobs of dinner rolls” for Christmas parties.

“We still make our stuff (homemade),” he says of his cakes, doughnuts and holiday cookies. He does carry some items that are purchased frozen, but says that’s only about 10 percent of what he sells. Everything else, including his

holiday treats, “We start from scratch every day.”

“I have a six-person, full-time crew at night,” Hamler says. “If we do get big orders, I bake during the days.”

Of course, special treats are also a staple of Cheryl’s flagship store on McCorkle Boulevard, which offers more than just cookies these days. The company, now owned by 1-800-FLOWERS, has both a retail store with tins, cookie jars and other sweets such as pumpkin rolls and festive candy, as well as a party room that can be booked for holiday festivities and other gatherings. The new store opened in August in an expansion of the company’s headquarters.

Food & Fitness Giammarco’s, 3060 Chandler Court, gives a different taste for the holidays.

In addition to the traditional chicken or salads found on most catering menus, Giammarco’s offers up hearty Italian food for holiday parties—at your place or theirs.

“I’ve already started my holiday marketing,” says Mindy Moore, director of catering sales and events, speaking in September. “We have the Reno Room that seats 60, and then we do off-site catering and drop-off deliveries. We have one room, but I can flow into other rooms if we need to.” The restaurant can accommodate groups up to 100.

Deliveries are limited to Westerville and can serve as many people as needed.

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

17

Giammarco’s books private events in the Reno combined spaces.

LORRIE CECIL

Schneider’s Bakery owner Jeff Hamler will sell numerous cookie trays, breads and other baked goods this holiday season.

18

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

“This is the one time of year that people like to entertain,” says Moore, adding Giammarco’s has quite a few fan favorites. “We’re known for our stromboli.”

For the diet-conscious, Moore says Giammarco’s also offers fare that includes lighter sauces and salads.

And its menu changes seasonally—this holiday, they’re adding festive desserts, Moore says, though the classics never go away. “Cannoli, everybody loves our

cannoli,” she says. “Plus we’ve got our cheesecake and tiramisu.

“I’ve been taking calls all week,” Moore says. “This is the one time of year people will plan ahead: the holidays.

They want their favorite dishes.”

Another venue for holiday parties and catering is Villa Milano, 1630 Schrock Road, which offers a traditional menu and plenty of space. Once you’re done with all that delicious food, head over to Fitness 19 at Schrock and State, where a gym membership is one gift that keeps on giving throughout the year.

“I’ve been in the industry for a while, a few years now, and during the holiday season it’s really busy,” says Andrew Minnick, Fitness 19’s marketing director.

“They buy gifts like memberships (month-to-month), wrap the key fob and give it in a big box.”

Fitness 19 also offers supplements, and a pro shop this fall will sell clothing and fitness items, which make great gifts, Minnick says. Another popular gift at the holidays is personal training, at $25 to $35 per half-hour, which he says is the lowest rate in the area. If you don’t buy for someone else, he says, buy for yourself: Staying healthy during the holidays is the best gift you can give.

“During the holidays, you have people

Courtesy of Giammarco’s

Room, which seats 60 people, but can accommodate parties of 100 by using

who are just trying to maintain—trying to get through their 10,000 Christmas dinners,” Minnick says. “Families are holidays, so it’s more maintenance.”

But even Minnick, who works out seven days a week, knows not everyone hits the gym daily. “I recommend at least four to five days a week. Takes half- to an hour a day,” he says. “Everyone needs activity. It’s great for personal life, destressing and life longevity.”

Plants, Pets & More Also good for de-stressing are plants and pets. At Hoover Garden & Gift Center on Sunbury Road, manager Patti Trott offers a full range of holiday tropicals that are prime candidates for gift-giving, including poinsettias, Christmas cacti and lemon cypress.

Hoover also offers unique gifts in its retail shop, including products from Kringle Candle. It is one of the only local stores to carry the line, according to Trott.

Beyond gift-giving, Hoover offers a full range of indoor and outdoor decorations, Trott says, including live and artificial greenery such as boughs, wreaths, swags and Christmas trees.

Every year, the business offers Elf and Santa packages for tree delivery. With

the Elf package, Hoover will deliver the tree and set it up. With the Santa package, Hoover will deliver the tree, set it up and remove it after the holiday season.

For pet lovers, Captivating Canines, 12 E. Main St., offers gifts for both dog and cat lovers—starting with breedspecific Christmas cards. “It’s time to start thinking about it. It takes a few weeks to get in a specific animal breed if I don’t have it,” says Ron Keller, who bought the store in June 2013. “They need to get those orders in soon. It’s hard to stock for everybody, but I can order more than what I have.”

One of Keller’s best sellers is the “Doogie” figurine, which takes the head of a dog breed and matches it to the body of a chosen profession like a doctor, nurse, accountant, police officer or firefighter, among others.

“We also have figurines of dogs, jewelry and key chains, salt and pepper shakers, which are really neat,” Keller says. “I also have lots of ornaments and little doggie angels and devils, whichever way your dog might be that day.”

Anything the pet lover in your life may want, Captivating Canines has or can order, including signs for different breeds, signs with sayings on them, floor

Luis Biava • Music Director

HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR Sunday, December 20, 2015 | 3 p.m.

McCoy Center for the Arts New Albnay Concert Sponsor:

Musical M usi sica icall hi hit hits ts ffrom ts rom ro m fa ffavorite avooriritite te holiday hol olid lid idaay movies! moviie ies!!

Tickets Just $13-23!

614-469-0939 | www.NewAlbanySymphony.com Media Sponsors:

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

19

“It shows you’re thinking of them and you took the time to do something unique. It shows you know their pet is important, as most pets are, and you took time to come find the perfect gift.”

Ron Keller Captivating Canines owner

mats, dish towels, pot holders and even paw towels to wipe Fido’s feet if he comes in wet or dirty.

“I have some clocks and glass cookie jars. Those come in many different breeds as do the flags, house flags or garden flags,” says Keller, adding sports fans can get their dogs in on the action, too. “We have OSU, Bengals, Browns and Steelers jerseys for your dogs.”

Keller also offers cat and dog food and treats as well as harnesses and leashes. He also can create T-shirts depicting about 200 different breeds. “I can put them on anything from a child’s small to an adult 3X,” he says.

One of his best-selling Christmas gifts is a magazine cover. “Like Dog World or Dog Fancy, I can put their picture right on it. Just email me a good photo and I put it on and send it back,” Keller says.

“Most of the stuff here is breed-specific.

So if you have a standard mutt who’s a mixed breed, you can always make him famous and put him on the cover of a magazine.”

It may seem a little extravagant for a pet, but it’s a great gift for an owner who considers his pet part of the family. “It shows you’re thinking of them and you took the time to do something unique,” Keller says. “It shows you know their pet is important, as most pets are, and you took time to come find the perfect gift.”

There are plenty of other gift options in Westerville, from making a donation to a charitable organization in someone’s name, to purchasing a spa package for the lady in your life at Michael David Salon in Uptown Westerville—hair, nails, massage or all three. And if you’re really stuck, Allen’s Jewelers, Gold Star Jewelers, Morgan’s Treasure and others offer a wide variety of unique jewelry, watches and trinkets for that someone special.

Happy shopping.

Steph Greegor is a freelance writer.

20

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

Shop Local Fresh, modern and eclectic

Suprising and fabulous decorative accessories, gifts and furniture.

Stop in Amish Originals in Uptown Westerville to discover that unexepected, beautiful, perfect gift.

From contemporary to funky, custom to classic, Amish Originals has a delightful selection for a stylish home this holiday season.

AMISH ORIGINALS FURNITURE COMPANY 38 N. State St., Westerville (614) 891-6257 www.amishoriginals.com

Give the gift of fitness

Fitness 19 offers memberships for only $1 to join.

Low month to month payments, personal training, unlimited classes, kids room and a family-friendly environment make Fitness 19 Westerville’s best place you can afford to get fit!

FITNESS 19 WESTERVILLE Corner of Rt. 3 & Schrock Rd. (Next to Kroger) (614) 899-1919 www.fitness19.com/centers/westerville

Holiday plants

For the green thumb in your life!

Wide variety of poinsettias, Christmas cactuses, miniature indoor gardens, herbs and more. Stop by and shop our wide variety. Don’t miss our Buy One Get One sale on Dec. 19 and 20!

CIMINELLO’S 567 Lazelle, Road, Westerville (Near the corner of Sancus Blvd & Lazelle Road) www.ciminellos.com

a special advertising feature

Unique Local Holiday Gifts

and much more in

Holiday Gift Guide

Uptown Westerville

A Hoover Gardens’ Christmas Tree Package

Take the work and hassle out of finding the perfect tree for your home Elf Package: Delivery and set up of tree in a stand only $45, plus cost of the tree – ten ft. tree or taller $50.

Santa Package: Delivery and set up of tree in a stand. Also includes pick up and recycling of tree after Christmas, only $70, plus cost of the tree. – ten ft. tree or taller $80.

Westerville’s Rock Shop

Something Special Shoppe has great gift ideas for everyone!

Something Special Shoppe has great gift ideas: rocks and minerals, tumblers and equipment, books and crystals, jewelry, beads and supplies. Find a variety of truly unique local gifts. Open Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

shopuptownwesterville.com facebook.com/UptownWestervilleMerchants

HOOVER GARDENS 182 N. Sunbury Rd. Westerville (614) 568-0603 www.hoovergardens.com

50’s, 60’s, 70’s Mid Century Fun!

SOMETHING SPECIAL SHOPPE 185 Old County Line Rd., Westerville (614) 891-9796 www.rockshopohio.com

Give the gift of dancing

Holiday Special: Buy a Fred Astaire gift card and be entered to win a $50 dinner gift card Private and social dance lessons including Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country, Hip Hop, Zumba and more!

Top instructors guide students of all skill and experience levels to enjoy the pleasure of dance.

Gift cards available for individuals or couples.

FRED ASTAIRE WESTERVILLE 1091 Eastwind Dr., Westerville (614) 890-9790 www.fredastairewesterville.com Background photographs courtesy of Gary Gardiner. www.Garygardiner.com

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

21

Building Business

Gemini Place

Polaris Parkway

Sancus Blvd.

3 Africa Road

71

N. Cleveland Ave.

Polaris Fashion Place

Worthington Road

750

County Line Road

W or th ing to n-G ale na

Ro ad

Lazelle Road

Main Street ILLUSTRATION BY ANNIE STEEL

Big Success, Small-Town Appeal An array of amenities and infrastructure helped spur development in the Polaris area.

Despite a few growing pains, it shows no sign of slowing down.

By Kitty McConnell

22

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

I

t’s 7 o’clock on a Tuesday night, and business is bustling along North State Street where Westerville’s main drag intersects with Polaris Parkway. The traffic is mild but steady as residents and nearby office workers stop into the area’s bars, restaurants and grocery stores for the night’s victuals. It wasn’t long ago that this thriving mixed-use corridor on Westerville’s northern border was once farmland with little more than a few houses and chicken coops dotting the landscape.

On this warm September evening, a lone plow sits in a field to the south of Polaris at Worthington Road. On the northern side of the street, bulldozers and construction equipment sit beside a new road being laid, poised to continue their progress in the morning. Signs bearing the logos of Daimler, Casto, DTZ and Polaris Real Estate Co. mark nearly every plot between here and State Street.

It’s been more than 20 years since development began at what central Ohioans now refer to simply as Polaris. Since then, the Polaris area—which spans Columbus as well as Westerville—has become one of the most successful mixed-use commercial and retail centers in central Ohio.

In the early 1990s after N.P. Limited Partnership built the Polaris Parkway infrastructure and interchange with Interstate 71, a few forward-looking businesses built office space on the sprawling acreage west of Westerville.

It was dubbed the Polaris Centers of Commerce. Bank One (now Chase) opened its corporate center in 1996 and others followed.

In the mid-1990s, much of the clientele for restaurants and bars in the area was the seasonal business of concertgoers who flocked to Polaris

Building Business Amphitheater, later renamed Germain, during the summer. With the development of Polaris Fashion Place in 2001 and surrounding office parks, the area began to reach its potential as a thriving mixeduse development.

“In terms of the infrastructure of the businesses we have in place here, you’ve got a good mix of private corporations, as well as a retail and food-service infrastructure that supports that,” says Drew Vennemeyer, president of Quandel Construction Group Inc., who works at the Worthington Road office of the Pennsylvania-based construction and engineering firm.

“Being a resident myself, it’s tremendously convenient,” says Vennemeyer, who moved to Westerville with his family in 2002.

Many Quandel employees enjoy a relatively short commute from their homes in Westerville, Worthington or Powell. “There’s quite a few of us who come from a few miles of the office. With the ease of access to get onto the highways, it’s great to be able to get people in. We don’t have the lengthy commute that I was used to Downtown,” he says.

Vennemeyer joined Quandel three years ago. The company, which has 16 offices in six states, was among the first corporate tenants on Westerville’s side of the Polaris area nearly 13 years ago when the office was built. “You think about the development that’s taken place around us in that time, it’s unbelievable. And it continues,” he says.

The Polaris location is convenient not only for employees who live north of Columbus, but also for Quandel’s clients throughout Ohio.

“Minus some traffic, with the close proximity of I-71 and I-270 to our

office, you can get around town and to other cities in Ohio pretty quickly,” Vennemeyer says.

Growth Spurt The steady growth along Polaris Parkway in the city of Westerville is no accident. In addition to quick access to major highways and Port Columbus International Airport, several key factors contributed to business development in the city’s northwest sector: zoning decisions made by Westerville City Council; transit and infrastructure improvements (those already completed and in progress); and a proactive Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce.

“I’ve seen the Westerville chamber be more engaging than many chambers I’ve worked with in the past,” says Vennemeyer. He says the chamber, led by President and CEO Janet Tressler-Davis, “gets out in front of the issues to help businesses.”

With the growth of the Polaris corridor, the chamber has been keeping up with a tremendous shift in the quantity, size and types of businesses it serves. “Now that we have a nice group of businesses there, there are still nice businesses to come,” Tressler-Davis says.

The Polaris connection to Westerville began in 1995 with the North Westerville Plan. Westerville annexed 941 acres on its northwest edge—acreage which was carefully designated for multiuse and commercial development—from Blendon, Genoa, Orange and Sharon townships.

The Westar business and commerce district eventually resulted from the annexation; $30 million in public infrastructure funding allocated in the late 1990s

File/Craig Holman, The Columbus Dispatch

ABOVE: This 2005 aerial photo shows the Germain Amphitheater parking lot in the foreground, looking west over Interstate 71 toward Polaris Fashion Place and the new Gemini Place interchange.

BELOW: This Nationwide Children’s Close to Home Center, 433 N. Cleveland Ave., is one of four facilities the health-care provider has opened in Westerville since 2003.

“The Cleveland Avenue location works great because it is accessible to I-71 and also the 270 corridor.”

Patty McClimon senior vice president of strategic and facilities planning for Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Courtesy of NationWide Children’s Hospital Westerville365 | Fall 2015

23

Building Business

“In terms of the infrastructure of the businesses we have in place here, you’ve got a good mix of private corporations, as well as a retail and food-service infrastructure that supports that.”

Drew Vennemeyer president of Quandel Construction Group Inc.

was used to extend Cleveland Avenue, Polaris Parkway and County Line Road, according to the city of Westerville.

The Westar area is now home to manufacturers, IT companies and healthcare providers. Among the companies with a presence in the Westar district are Emerson Network Solutions, Liebert, Exel, MAC Tools and the ABB Group.

The crown jewel of the northern corridor was announced in late 2014: an eight-story Marriott Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center with 20,000 square feet of event and meeting space.

The hotel will be located on the 62-acre tract known as Westar Place (formerly Altair), situated south of Polaris Parkway between Cleveland Avenue and Africa Road.

The area along Cleveland Avenue from Polaris to Mount Carmel St. Ann’s hospital, just north of Schrock Road, is widely known as the Medical Mile.

The stretch is home to many medical offices and service providers, including OhioHealth’s Westerville Medical Campus and three Nationwide Children’s Hospital facilities.

24

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

Joshua A. Bickel

Drew Vennemeyer heads the local office of Quandel Construction Group Inc. (left) at 8181 Worthington Road, which the company has occupied for nearly 13 years.

“The Cleveland Avenue location works great because it is accessible to I-71 and also the 270 corridor,” says Patty McClimon, senior vice president of strategic and facilities planning for Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The pediatric health-care provider’s first Westerville office opened in 2003; today there are four Nationwide Children’s satellites in Westerville, including a Close to Home Center at 275 W. Schrock Road as well as the

neighboring Westerville Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center, 584 County Line Road W.; Close to Home Center, 433 N. Cleveland Ave.; and the hospital’s only remote surgical center, 455 Executive Campus Drive.

It’s beneficial for Nationwide Children’s to be in such close proximity to the Westerville Community Center and the youth sports facilities centered in the northern part of the city, McClimon says. “From a pediatric

perspective, we want to be where the families are.”

Family-oriented amenities and a strong school district are among the quality-of-life factors that help attract diverse businesses to Westerville’s commercial districts. Employees based in Polaris offices also benefit from the area’s retail shops, chain restaurants and local eateries. Popular Columbus-based restaurant groups including the Rusty Bucket and the Wine Bistro have located in the corridor, as have longer-tenured establishments such as Wendell’s Pub, which opened in 2001. “They’ve increased the capacity of their lunchtime service because of the business traffic we have,” Tressler-Davis says.

As the growth around Polaris continues, she says the chamber is working to provide services to both small businesses and large companies alike. “We’re reaching out to understand what they need,” she says. Many of the companies locating at Polaris have broader needs than smaller businesses, given their national and international reach.

Workforce Needs As the Polaris corridor and the Medical Mile have attracted more technologyrelated employers, workforce development has become a pressing concern. The chamber’s efforts related

Birthday Parties

create play Explore Ages 7 months - 7 years 43 E. Home St. | Uptown

614-890-PLAY

zenkidzplaycafe.com

ZenKidzplaycafe@gmail.com

$20 OFF

Book Now! Present This Ad Offer Expires December 31, 2015

Dough Boys PIZZERIA doughboyswesterville.com

• Pizza • Deep Dish • Calzones • Subs & More

$5 OFF

Purchase of $30 or more Expires 12-31-15 DOUGH BOYS

10 E. Main St. | Uptown

614.818.BOYS

Red Bank Barber Shop OUR GOAL IS GREAT SERVICE AT GREAT PRICES

Call us at 614-794-9741 Stop by or visit us on the web: redbankbarber.com

Try our new “Red Bank Plus” ONLINE SEATING Sign in before you leave your office or home Our staff has over 150 years of experience. We believe in the hometown Barbershop.

A place for people of all ages. Ladies, we have three staff members to handle all your needs.

Stop in! You’ll be glad you did!

Full Line of Cut and Color Services for both Men and Women WE ALSO OFFER STRAIGHT RAZOR SHAVES WITH HOT STEAM TOWELS AND AN AFTERSHAVE TREATMENT ALL FOR $20

Conveniently located at 7001 Sunbury Rd. (at the intersection of Maxtown & Sunbury Rd.) Open Mon.-Thurs. 7:30am-6:30pm •Fri. 7:30am-5:00pm • Sat. 7:00am-3:00pm

Now Accepting New Patients Visit our website at conleyfamilydental.com Like us on Facebook Lisa J J. Conley Conley, DDS

54 Westerview Dr., Westerville, Ohio 43081

General Dentist

“I think the most important thing about that Polaris area when you’re talking about workforce development is to have a pipeline, and for students to see what the opportunities are.”

Stacia Edwards associate vice president of academic affairs for Columbus State Community College

614-794-3629

.

Club.. s n o i L .... rville ..

Weste resents P

’s e l l i v r e West t alent!

Go T

Saturday d November b 14, 2015 - 7:00 PM Westerville Central High School

Tickets: Adults $10.00, Under 12 & Seniors $8.00 Available from Lions, Performers or At the Door For info. Call (614)901-0947 Westerville365 | Fall 2015

25

Building Business to postsecondary and professional training have evolved along with the growing corporate community.

“Our attention to workforce hasn’t changed, but the needs have changed.

We now have businesses with jobs that we cannot fill,” Tressler-Davis says. To meet the needs of the growing IT and health-care presence near Polaris, the chamber reached out to local educators to find a solution.

Tressler-Davis convened meetings between chamber members, the Westerville City School District, Otterbein University and Columbus State Community College’s Westerville Center to discuss how to create effective workforce development programs.

“We’re kind of knee-deep in the process right now of identifying a systemic approach to how Columbus State and Otterbein might serve as their partner,” says Steve Dackin, superintendent of school and

community partnerships for Columbus State.

There are currently 102 Westerville students enrolled in College Credit Plus classes at Columbus State. Those classes prepare students to leave high school with college credit or professional training that will help them enter the workforce. Otterbein guarantees admission for students who earn associate degrees through Columbus State’s Preferred Pathways program.

Those associate-degree “pathways” are aligned with baccalaureate programs in advanced manufacturing, business logistics, IT and health-care fields.

“I think the most important thing about that Polaris area when you’re talking about workforce development is to have a pipeline, and for students to see what the opportunities are,” says Stacia Edwards, associate vice president of academic affairs for Columbus State.

“I think anytime that the employer has

“Small businesses are just as important as the large ones. That diversity is what makes Westerville unique.”

Janet Tressler-Davis president and CEO of the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce

Ikea plans to open a store at the site of Germain Amphitheater, which closed in 2007. Seen here in June 2014 is a remaining pile of rubble and hill of weeds.

ODOT will build a road connecting Gemini Place and Worthington Road through the middle of the property.

FILE/ADAM CAIRNS, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Breaking More Ground Other significant developments are emerging along Polaris Parkway, including: •M ount Carmel Health System and HealthSouth Corp. are partnering on a 60-bed, 60,000-square-foot inpatient rehabilitation hospital off Executive Campus Drive, near Cleveland Avenue and Polaris Parkway. Construction on the facility, which is located north of Mount Carmel St. Ann’s hospital, is expected to begin in late 2015 with completion in 2017.

• J ust outside of Westerville, the Germain Amphitheater site will be transformed into a 354,000-squarefoot Ikea store beginning next 26

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

spring. Construction is expected to start this fall on a related $11.5 million extension of Gemini Place to Worthington Road. Ikea’s target opening date is 2017.

•A Kuhn Volkswagen dealership is coming to a 7-acre site at the northeast corner of Polaris Parkway and Worthington Road.

•A n eight-story Marriott Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center will be the “centerpiece” of the city’s 62-acre Westar Place development south of Polaris Parkway between Cleveland Avenue and Africa Road.

access to education and training close to where they’re located, it is desirable to them,” Edwards adds. Columbus State’s Westerville branch opened in 1982 and expanded in 2003.

There’s much to be desired about operating a business near Polaris, but there are drawbacks, too. Traffic congestion along the corridor is a concern that companies big and small have raised to the chamber.

In response, Tressler-Davis has convened city and business leaders, representatives from the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission to discuss infrastructure improvements.

The Central Ohio Transit Authority is also finalizing plans for the Cleveland Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Route, which will transport commuters from downtown Columbus to Polaris Parkway and Africa Road.

At the end of the day, Westerville wants to keep its small-town charm while enjoying the tremendous business growth around Polaris, Tressler-Davis says. “Small businesses are just as important as the large ones. That diversity is what makes Westerville unique.”

Kitty McConnell is an associate editor for Columbus CEO.

“Getting the product there on time is big, as well as getting them what they need without back orders. We try very hard to make sure our customers are happy.”

Jim Gundling owner, Capital City Millwork

Jim Gundling stands in the showroom at Capital City Millwork, which he started in 1997.

Branching Out Capital City Millwork cut its teeth on high-end jobs for single-family homes.

After some post-recession tweaks, broader offerings helped grow the business.

By Steph Greegor PHOTOS BY CHRIS PARKER

C

raig Tuckerman says his nearly 20-year relationship with Jim Gundling, owner of Capital City Millwork, boils down to three words: trust, convenience and friendliness.

“It’s a gut feeling. You just trust him; he’s sincere. He seems like the guy next door you want to have a beer with,” says Tuckerman, who owns Tuckerman Home Group, a 25-yearold custom builder headquartered in downtown Columbus.

Capital City Millwork, at 173 Heatherdown Drive in Westerville, supplies products including doors, woodwork, flooring and hardware to residential and commercial builders, renovators, developers and homeowners.

“One of the reasons I went with him is the same reason I’m still doing business with him: I trust him. I trust his guys. And they trust me as Westerville365 | Fall 2015

27

Rotary/ WARM Holiday Food Drive!

Westerville Rotarians are collecting non-perishable food on Saturday, December 5th. Donations will benefit the Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM), a non-profit organization that helps families in need in the Westerville School District year round.

Grocery bags will be delivered to many area homes on Sunday November 29th with instructions for pick-up on Saturday December 5th at 9am.

Donations will also be received at our partnering Kroger stores located on Schrock Rd. and Maxtown Rd. on Saturday December 5th from 9am to Noon. Look for collection trucks in the Kroger parking lots, and Rotary volunteers.

Our WARMest holiday wishes to you and your family!

For more information please visit www.warmwesterville.org 614.899.0196

Westerville: 444 North Cleveland Ave. Ste. 210 Westerville, Ohio 43082 Dublin: 4335 W. Dublin-Granville Road Dublin, Ohio 43017

28

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

a client,” says Tuckerman, who builds approximately 15 single-family homes per year in a mix of traditional and contemporary styles. “I consider him a part of my team and I like to think he considers me a part of his as well.”

That sense of camaraderie is one reason Gundling’s business, started in 1997 with his brother, Mark, has stayed afloat through the ups and down of a roller-coaster economy. Mark now works for a different company and Gundling runs Capital City Millwork with an advisory partner, who prefers not to be named.

“We focus a lot on the service aspect,” says Gundling, whose 4,000-squarefoot showroom boasts a huge selection of interior products from doors and spindles to crown molding and wainscoting. Most of his millwork and moldings are Amish-made at an offsite mill, though some wood products, doors, hardware and the like are purchased from manufacturers. A limited number of exterior products, such as columns and shutters, are offered as well.

“We have the largest inventory in our warehouse than anyone in Ohio, by far,” Gundling says.

The business also has 63,000 square feet of warehouse space filled with an impressive selection of stock for customers building single-family or

Capital City Millwork 173 Heatherdown Drive Westerville 43081 614-939-0670 columbusmillwork.com capitalcitymillwork.net

multifamily living spaces. The large inventory is part of Gundling’s plan for customer retention.

“Getting the product there on time is big, as well as getting them what they need without back orders,” says Gundling, who says repeat customers such as Tuckerman are key to his business model. “We try very hard to make sure our customers are happy.”

Michele and Steve Snowball of Westerville got rave reviews from friends about Gundling when the couple started their first custom build. “They just had such a great reputation,” says Michele. She and Steve previously had done prefabricated builds, which offered limited interior selections. So they thought Capital City Millwork’s inventory was ideal for their new home in Lewis Center.

She says Gundling and outside salesman Dan Laird met her and her husband at the door and walked them through every choice. “They had a great selection for the look we were going for, which was unique,” Michele says of the wainscoting.

Capital City Millwork also provided the handrail for the Snowballs’ curved staircase. “Their customer service made it so easy to help us hone in on what we were looking for,” she says.

Reclaimed lumber is becoming a popular product in the building industry.

NEXT ISSUE Post-recession Revamp Not long ago, individual homeowners couldn’t just walk in to Capital City Millwork and pick out what they wanted.

The Great Recession, which saw the loss of more than 8.7 million jobs nationally, forced Gundling to revamp the way he did business.

“We changed our entire business model because we had to,” he says. “We started out just doing high-end custom millwork, which was supplied to singlefamily residential homes. After the recession, we do everything.”

Gundling continues to supply highend builders, but he’s added multifamily units, student housing developers, renovators, remodelers and individual homeowners to the fold. “We supply locally and all over the country,” says Gundling.

In addition to broadening his customer base, Gundling also broadened his product line to create a business model that had many legs. “We sold anything we could think of related to the industry,” he says. “It was a good thing, because the business has grown and expanded.”

One of his favorite supply opportunities is when he gets to do a historic renovation. “We did one in Lancaster; it was 250 years old,” he says.

“We put it back into its original condition using what would have been the existing woods on the property.”

Gundling, who ran a chain of grocery stores before opening Capital City Millwork, says his business has seen more than 30 percent growth year over year, every year since 2009. Though he declined to divulge sales or revenue figures, he says that rapid growth has been challenging.

“Growth is hard to manage,” says Gundling. “It went so fast. We had to make sure that we added employees and that they were trained well enough,

Westerville365 will focus on homes and gardens in the winter edition in anticipation of spring.

Our Building Business feature will focus on small businesses.

Space close: Tuesday, Dec. 15 Materials close: Tuesday, Dec 29 Delivered: Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016

Call (614) 583-5793 for advertising information and submit your events at Westerville365.com

Coming to Westerville this Fall!

It’s more than just popcorn… it’s pure happiness!

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

29

Top right: The 63,000-square-foot warehouse includes a large selection of lumber.

Bottom right: The business sells a variety of interior and exterior hardware.

knew the product line and knew the system so we didn’t do a disservice to the customers.”

Gundling says his team has spent the last 18 months reorganizing the company and compartmentalizing various functions, including the additions of an estimating department, delivery vehicles and updated software.

“We’re ready for a bunch of growth now.

Throw anything at us,” he says.

‘It’s Like Family’ Growing from zero employees and 1,200 square feet in 1997 to 35 employees and 67,000 square feet of showroom and warehouse space—and surviving the recession—is due in part to the company’s location, Gundling says. “It’s centrally located, so people from anywhere in central Ohio can get here,” he says.

He says he works closely with the city and is impressed with the work it is doing to open up the streets and exits for more businesses in Westerville. “The freeway access is great for people coming here for deliveries.”

Tuckerman says Gundling’s passion for what he’s doing translates into better business for Tuckerman Home Group, making him more competitive. “In custom building, we have to take educated risks in some of the things we do, whether it’s the product or the style of the home,” he says. “It seems like every single time I step foot in Gundling’s showroom, there’s something new and unique.”

Tuckerman appreciates that Gundling and his crew are always on the lookout for the next big thing. “If somebody walks in a home I’ve built, they’ve got to remember it,” he says. He cites wrought-iron spindles as an example of an item that helped him gain a competitive edge years ago. When they came into popularity, Capital City Millwork was one of the first to offer them. “If I don’t differentiate myself, they’re not going to buy my house.”

And while customer service and competitive pricing are key to Tuckerman’s continued loyalty to Gundling and crew, the down-home feeling also keeps Tuckerman coming back.

“It’s like family over there,” Tuckerman says of the staff he knows by name, including General Manager Alina Adrian, Office Manager Carrie Hampshire and his outside sales rep, AJ Panzone.

“That’s not something I believe you can fake, and it shows up in the service and products they provide.”

30

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

Steph Greegor is a freelance writer.

Ryan M.L. Young

Self sits on a bench outside the Westerville Community Center, parts of which she helped design.

Arts P &

Phyllis Self helped boost the city’s cultural and recreational offerings. Instead of moving south when she retired, this civic leader stuck around and stayed involved.

Rec

BY PAMELA WILLIS

By Pamela Willis

hyllis Self laughs, eyes shining and dark curls bouncing, as she recalls wearing green makeup and an evil grin as the Wicked Witch of the West two years ago.

“My whole life, I wanted to play that wicked witch,” she says.

The 2013 Westerville community theater production of The Wizard of Oz was part of the “Year of the Arts” celebration, which Self coordinated as president of the Arts Council of Westerville and recreation operations superintendent for the Westerville Parks and Recreation Department.

“Phyllis is so well-organized,” says Westerville City Council member Kathy Cocuzzi, who co-chaired the Year of the Arts. “Her enthusiastic approach to planning made everything so much fun.

The proof was in getting 20-plus different arts-related groups to work together for an entire year of art displays, community

concerts, theatrical offerings, musicians and dance groups.”

These days, Self is still a fixture on the local arts scene, though in a more part-time capacity. Self, 63, retired in June 2014 after 14 years as the city’s recreation operations superintendent. She’s a member of the arts council, holds a part-time post as executive director of Leadership Westerville and is also on the Senior Center Advisory Board.

A Leadership Westerville event in March had Self dressing up again—sans green face—donning the beads and bangles of a 1920s flapper. The temperance-themed “Party Like It’s 1920” featured a jazz band and a debate on the “evils of liquor.”

“We wanted to reflect Westerville’s history of temperance, so we had visitors knock on a door to enter a secret speakeasy,” she says. “We served what we called ‘mocktails’ instead of real cocktails.”

The fundraiser benefited the Leadership Westerville Scholarship Fund.

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

31

Globe Trotting Kettering “the best thing I ever Self’s turn as the iconic witch came did.” naturally, after spending time in the “Westerville is such a special theater as a teenager. Although she place and the people here have was born in St. Louis, her father was so much heart,” she says. “It in the military, so the family moved has been such a blessing to often. During her teens, she lived work here.” near Wright-Patterson Air Force She says Stowers called her Base in Dayton. a “fashionista” during one of She soon caught the theater bug her first projects, the opening and auditioned for Theater West, one of Everal Barn. “I wore a white of the first African-American theater dress and heels as I tromped programs in Ohio, and became a around in the mud around the paid actor from age 15 through her barn,” Self says. freshman year at the University of Stowers, now an adjunct Dayton. “I played all kinds of parts,” instructor for the University of Self says. “But I did not sing. I do Florida, laughs when she recalls not sing.” that day. “I think that may have After earning a bachelor’s degree been her first day on the job,” in education, Self married into the she says. “We were all in military herself and began to raise construction boots and Phyllis two boys, Malcolm and Byron, was in a white suit.” while living in Izmir, Turkey, then Self brought experience and Okinawa, Japan. creative ideas to Westerville, It was in Izmir, where she worked Stowers says. “The thing so as a preschool teacher, that Self wonderful about Phyllis is her began a career in recreation, when passion for quality and her a military recreation supervisor passion for programming,” was sent back to the United States. she says. “Phyllis is one of FILE/Paul Vernon Someone had to step in and take the top-notch programmers in Self, portraying the Wicked Witch of the West, over. “No way was I about to take the country. She is innovative rehearses a scene from The Wizard of Oz for an over that position, but they needed and creative and always looking August 2013 community theater production. someone, so once I was doing it, I for new ideas or changing old loved it,” she says. ideas so that they look fresh Mary Anne Seidl, then head of and new.”

Air Force Morale, Welfare and Recreation, became a mentor. “Throughout my Career Capstone life I’ve had some wonderful mentors,” Self says.

Self helped design areas of the Westerville “Mary Anne took me under her wing and I learned Community Center. The new $20.21 million everything I ever had to know about recreation. facility opened in November 2001 at 350 N. She challenged me every step of the way.”

Cleveland Ave. After 10 years in that job, Self and her family As she sits in the Teen Scene room, Self points moved back to Wright-Patterson, where she out a colorful, curved couch, the dance floor, pool “Phyllis is so saw an advertisement for a part-time recreation table and large-screen televisions. “A lot of the well-organized. programmer in Kettering. She took that job furnishings were my idea,” she says. “I wanted in 1986 under Jody Stowers, then the city’s some things that would pop in color.”

Her enthusiastic recreation superintendent. “I found another The 96,600-square-foot community center approach to strong mentor in Jody,” Self says. “I have been so has something for everyone, including a large planning made fortunate to work with independent women who gymnasium, pool complex, climbing wall and everything so challenged me and helped me learn so much.” fitness room with state-of-the-art equipment. “The much fun.”

After her daughter, Jennifer, was born, Self community needed a place to gather and come took on the full-time program supervisor position. together,” Self says.

Stowers left Kettering to become parks director During Self’s tenure with the city, the Kathy Cocuzzi in Westerville.

Westerville Parks and Recreation Department City Council member In 1999, Self joined her former boss in was awarded three National Recreation and Park and Year of the Arts co-chaiR Westerville. “I was divorced by then and my Association Gold Medals. She retired because “it daughter was in sixth grade. And Jody told was time.” me there was a lot of recreation opportunity “I was lucky enough to work 35 total years in in Westerville.” recreation,” she says. “It was wonderful to see all She shakes her head as she recalls her first the different aspects—from military recreation look at the city. “I’ll never forget driving around to working for municipalities. Working for the Westerville, seeing how quiet it was—it was a dry military gave me a good background in ethics and town, then—and saying, ‘Are you serious?’ ” she in learning to manage resources.” says. “It was on the cusp of everything happening, Retirement was supposed to mean a chance to though. I told Jody once that, ‘I bought into live in sunny Orlando. “I love Disney World. I’ve your dream.’ ” been to Disney World 20 times,” Self says. “I also Self says her career in Westerville exceeded wanted to spend more time with my children and her expectations. She calls the move from have time to travel.”

32

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

At Tutor Doctor: Students progress at their own pace free from peer pressure and embarrassment.

When intimidation and fear of failure are removed, students suddenly become comfortable, confident and eager to learn.Students have affordable, professional, one-on-one, individualized tutoring services in the comfort and privacy of their own home.

FILE/Lorrie Cecil

Call now for your FREE consultation.

Westerville Parks and Recreation Department leaders and staff gather outside the community center in October 2013 to celebrate receiving a National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal.

One son, Byron, lives nearby, but Malcolm is in Chicago. Her daughter, who interned twice at Walt Disney World, followed in her mother’s footsteps and recently accepted a job as recreation supervisor in the city of St. Cloud, Fla. Instead of moving, Self opted to stay put. “Leaving Westerville would have been the biggest mistake of my life,” she says. “Staying here has been a true blessing. I just could not let Westerville go.”

So she became immersed in Leadership Westerville, the arts council and senior center events, including Leadership Westerville’s Service Day in May. “We had 131 volunteers and were able to complete 53 jobs for seniors and people in need,” she says. “Some people needed windows cleaned or gardens started. One woman just needed someone to move a microwave to the dumpster.

“Each volunteer said they got more out of the service day than the seniors.

It does the heart good to be of service.”

The arts council vision includes more public art. “The public art has brought a sense of place and space to Westerville,” Self says. “People are able to look at and enjoy art in a natural setting.”

Jan Fedorenko, curriculum coordinator for the Westerville City School District and an arts council member, worked with Self for more than seven years at arts council events and on an exhibition for VSA Ohio, a group that bridges art and disability. “Phyllis is one of those rare folks who has strong

leadership, yet can play as a team member,” she says. “She is insightful about managing new ideas and has a positive presence in everything she is involved in.”

Self says she loves promoting events such as the Arts Alley on 4th Fridays in Uptown Westerville. “We have working artists in a designated space, with handson art activities and often a community art piece for people to work on.”

Writing is another passion. Self wrote newspaper columns for the city that ran in ThisWeek Westerville News & Public Opinion and scripts for the Senior Center’s Underground Railroad programs. She also helped to promote African-American history as part of Ohio Chautauqua events held in Westerville.

She says people in Kettering originally questioned her move to Westerville, which didn’t seem as diverse as larger cities. “I don’t see color, really,” Self says. “I think you have to be openminded and have acceptance for all people. I wanted a place where my daughter would have the very best schools and I found that in Westerville.

“I have also found people here to be very accepting,” she says. “I think people will treat you the way you treat them.”

Her part-time positions allow flexibility for frequent road trips. “The older I get, the more important family is,” she says.

“For me, it is all about my family.”

Pamela Willis is a reporter for ThisWeek Community News.

www.hometutorscolumbus.com 614 942-3700

Wvl365

@WVL365

Westerville365

Exclusive content online,

Westerville365.com Westerville365 | Fall 2015

33

Participants work on their art at the Sept. 1 Sip & Sketch at Meza Wine Shop.

Painting with a Purpose Meza Wine Shop’s popular Sip & Sketch events draw a crowd and benefit local arts programming.

By Kitty McConnell PHOTOS BY CHRIS PARKER

U “Our goal was to support artists. The other piece was to support local businesses and have a partnership.”

Jan Fedorenko Arts Council of Westerville member 34

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

ptown Westerville is buzzing on a fall-like evening as couples walk hand-in-hand into shops, students gather around the ice cream parlor, and men and women in relaxed business attire march into the restaurants lining the main thoroughfare.

All the action can be seen from the window benches of Meza Wine Shop on North State Street.

On this first Tuesday of September, pairs of friends and small groups of women mingle at Meza. The wine steward, Bruce Benedict, pours reds and whites while guests select their easel stations for the night’s Sip & Sketch event. The twice-monthly wine tasting and painting class attracts Otterbein University students, Westerville-area professionals and local retirees. On

this evening, the roughly 15 attendees were women of all ages, though men are certainly welcome to join. The Arts Council of Westerville presents the event, hosted by the amiable Meza staff.

Event organizer Jan Fedorenko helps newcomers find their easels and welcomes return sketchers. As the room fills, Fedorenko makes sure everyone has their wine and their palettes before kicking off the evening.

“You will be surprised how unique your ideas are. … And the wine helps you feel a little better,” Fedorenko tells the room of amateur painters, allaying any insecurity about their abilities. She encourages them to relax and let the wine loosen their creativity. She’s good at getting laughs from the women. “If I drink three glasses, I think I did really good the next day!”

Grace Evangelical Lutheran… reaching out with the love of Jesus to grow disciples and serve our community… welcome to worship with us on Sunday mornings. Listen to messages founded in faith that proclaim challenge and hope for the future. Sing, pray, celebrate with families of all sizes, learn what it means to serve others in a hurting world, and at the heart of it all, praise God!

Sunday Worship Services 8:15 & 11:00am Bruce Benedict pours a glass of wine for Vanessa Serratore.

home of Little Blessings Preschool

100 E. Schrock Road, Westerville, OH 43081

Sip & Sketch

614-882-3026 office@grace43081.org • www.grace43081.org

Presented by Meza Wine Shop and the Arts Council of Westerville 6:30-8:30 p.m. the first Tuesday and third Wednesday of each month

Where Quality Meets Value!

$25, registration required 614-259-3101 or vinomeza@gmail.com mezawineshop.com

Fedorenko, the former principal of Hanby Arts Magnet School in Westerville, manages educational outreach for the arts council. She founded Sip & Sketch three years ago, inspired by similar art-and-canvas events she saw during a vacation in Holden Beach, N.C. At the time, she thought the newly opened Meza would make the perfect host.

Circle of Support For a $25 registration fee, guests receive painting supplies, two glasses of wine and instruction. The Arts Council of Westerville pays artists $70 to teach the class; profits from the event support council programs.

FURNIT FURNITURE

GALLERY OF EASTON

Special Savings on Holiday Decor And Gifts!

See an array of elegant & eclectic pieces from Century, Hancock & Moore, John Richard, Howard Miller, King Hickory, Durham, Hammary, Bernhardt, Amish & More!

Grolls Furniture Gallery of Easton at 4066 Morse Road, Columbus, Ohio 43230 (off of Stelzer Rd. & across from Kelly BMW)

614-342-8200 www.grollsfurnituregallery.com Westerville365 | Fall 2015

35

See more photos online at Westerville365.com.

“Our goal was to support artists,” Fedorenko says. “The other piece was to support local businesses and have a partnership.”

Tonight’s instructor is a Westerville City School District elementary art teacher and artist named Heather Fredo.

Fredo, a young woman with long brown hair and a calming instructional style, introduces herself and the evening’s theme: “The Sound of Art – Exploring techniques of implementing musical instruments into art.”

Participants work with acrylic on canvas this evening. Each Sip & Sketch features a different theme and medium. Fredo’s theme was inspired by a Westerville Symphony performance she’d seen in August as part of the city’s free Sounds of Summer concert series.

Fredo points guests toward a Color Mixing 101 chart propped against the wine bar. She sends the artists to work with a final encouragement: “Enjoy, have fun and don’t forget your glasses of wine!”

Fredo spends the rest of the night circulating among the artists. She shares stories over the painters’ shoulders, mainly about the antics and creativity of her elementary students. The mood in the room grows convivial as painters step away from their canvases to order a second round of wine.

Popular Pastime Westerville resident Connie Price prefers a sweet Moscato. She began coming to Meza’s Sip & Sketch events last year, drawn by her love of art. Price says she’s “hooked.”

“As time went on, my pictures got better and better,” she says. Price’s Sip & Sketch works are now displayed around her home. The main draw, Price says, is a shared creative experience that can 36

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

be elusive in everyday life. “It’s so much fun to walk around and see the different designs people make.”

A central practice of Sip & Sketch is encouraging participants to use the instruction to tap their own creative urges. This is not a paint-by-numbers class. Instead, Fredo provides a number of different music-themed artworks for guests to emulate.

“It’s really fun to walk around and see what different people are doing. It’s a really relaxed environment,” she says.

The atmosphere is laid-back and informal—except for bartender Benedict, who hustles from the wine bar to the kitchen, where he prepares lush cheese plates and charcuterie spreads for Meza’s guests. As the painters reach for an olive or slice of cheese, they can be heard laughing with each other, enjoying the fun of a mislaid brushstroke.

Sip & Sketch is usually booked solid well in advance, with a maximum capacity of 20 participants. The once-amonth event grew to twice-monthly in 2014 in response to demand. Budding artists can register for Sip & Sketch events, which are held the first Tuesday and third Wednesday of every month, through Meza.

Meza also hosts private Sip & Sketch events, which are popular with corporate clients, Bible study groups and bachelorette parties. Sip & Sketch instructors will work with groups to select a theme for private events.

“I think this type of event truly builds creativity and community,” says Fredo, smiling as 15 different paintings take their final forms on the canvases.

Kitty McConnell is an associate editor for Columbus CEO.

Connie Price puts some finishing touches on her painting.

“This type of event truly builds creativity and community.”

Heather Fredo Sip & Sketch instructor

Instructor Heather Fredo offers advice while looking over artwork.

Library Notes

Social Media Keeps Patrons Engaged

By Tamara Murray

During quarterly Book Fortunes events, readers share titles they’ve enjoyed and librarians “predict” books in their reading future.

S

pending a day at the local library, perusing the stacks for hidden gems or taking in an informative lecture, is one of the many pleasures available to Westerville residents.

Yet busy schedules and life responsibilities often make it difficult to take advantage of the library’s wide range of events and services. Luckily, the Westerville Public Library has an active presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Even the most overloaded patron can partake in the energy and excitement with a simple “like.”

Follow the library and enter a world of author visits, book parties, puppet shows and more.

Patrons who no longer have the luxury of long conversations with favorite librarians about their latest reading adventures can hop online during one of the library’s quarterly Book Fortunes events. Readers share titles they’ve recently enjoyed, and librarians “predict” books in their reading future.

Author Visits If attending a visit from a favorite author is impossible, fans can follow the action through the library’s live-tweeting of the event (#wplauthors). This year, the library already has hosted authors Daniel Handler, Susanna Kearsley, Jacqueline Woodson, Piper Kerman and Daniel Silva.

Live-tweeting has revealed spoilers from yet-to-be-published bestsellers, exposed authors’ quirky writing habits, shared behind-the-scenes photos and relayed witty responses to audience questions.

Some exchanges from those visits on the library’s Twitter page, @westervlibrary:

specific writing ensemble including sweats & comfy socks. #wplauthors

Courtesy of the Westerville Public Library (2)

Youth Services librarian Mickie Stiers cuddles up to The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

• Favorite book I wrote? I find them all shameful. - @DanielHandler #wplhandler #lemonysnicket • Books that ask questions are more interesting than books that answer them. - @DanielHandler #wplhandler #lemonysnicket • One of my ancestors fell off the Mayflower. That’s my family, #rebelrousers and clumsy people.

- @SusannaKearsley #wplsusanna • There’s no wrong way to write, just like there’s no wrong way to read.

- @SusannaKearsley #wplsusanna • Q: When do you stick w/a book or scrap it? A: I need to love the characters in it & I need to get them home. @JackieWoodson #wplwoodson • The last thing I expected on my first day in prison was kindness from other women... - @Piper Kerman #welcomewagon #wplauthors #OITNB • Prisoners love books...the only legitimate form of escape. - @Piper Kerman #welcomewagon #OITNB #wplauthors • @jamiegangel gets @danielsilvabook to describe his VERY important and

Other Status Updates Even frequent library visitors appreciate open communication channels for timely updates. They can find out about area construction and seasonal updates, as well as suggest titles for the collection and provide feedback to the library.

Facebook users, for example, have asked, “Is the drive up open yet?” and “Do you have tax forms out yet this year?”

For anyone who is curious about what’s happening in town, the Westerville Public Library’s social media profiles present a look inside (and outside) the State Street building.

Recent Instagram posts shared a behind-the-scenes costume fitting for August’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar visit, an invitation to weather a 4th Fridays storm by listening to stories indoors at Amish Originals, and a challenge to slither, climb, leap and “swim” with an outdoor story walk.

Followers are encouraged to be spontaneous and take advantage of lastminute opportunities to visit the library for pop-up events such as a celebration of Star Wars and everyday wonders like the lilac bushes in bloom along Starrock Alley.

Last but not least, avid book lovers can browse reading recommendations for science-fiction fans, romance enthusiasts and more via Tumblr and Goodreads.

With all that is offered online, infrequent visitors to the library don’t ever have to feel left out of the action.

Tamara Murray is the web content librarian at the Westerville Public Library. For more information about library services and programs, go to westervillelibrary.org.

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

37

Healthy Living

New Electronics Can Aid or Hinder Good Night’s Sleep

By James P. Fulop, M.D.

M “A good night’s sleep is essential not only to our well-being but also to our survival, as vital as water, food and oxygen.”

Here are some strategies for improving sleep hygiene: • Go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day, including weekends.

• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and other stimulants several hours before bedtime.

• Develop a sleep ritual that involves meditation, a hot bath, relaxation exercises, a warm glass of milk or other habits that signal it’s getting close to bedtime.

• Keep a regular exercise schedule in the morning or at least several hours before bedtime.

• Avoid naps or keep them to less than one hour no later than midafternoon.

ost people quickly would identify diet and exercise as cornerstones of fitness, but they frequently omit or dismiss a third leg on the stool: sleep.

A flower closes at night so it can open its blooms during the day. The same is true of humans, and all animals for that matter, in regard to sleep. A good night’s sleep is essential not only to our well-being but also to our survival, as vital as water, food and oxygen.

In fact, too little sleep can sabotage our dietary and fitness goals by stimulating our daytime appetite and making us too tired to exercise.

During sleep, our bodies secrete hormones that repair cells and improve metabolism. Sleep sharpens our daytime focus and concentration, manages our weight, improves memory, boosts mood, clarifies thought, prevents accidents, promotes growth in our youngsters and prolongs life.

New studies have linked lack of sleep with raising the risk of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and cancer.

Plenty of research supports the benefits of sleep, yet—given our busy lifestyles—many of us consider sleep to be a luxury more than a necessity. As a society, we are not getting enough of it. Many people don’t know what it feels like to be well-rested.

The National Sleep Foundation, in conjunction with a multidisciplinary panel, recently completed a two-year study in February that updates its sleep guidelines according to age.

Most of us need seven or eight hours of sleep, but sleep needs vary with age. For example, school-age children (6-13) need nine to 11 hours and teenagers need eight and one-half to nine and one-half hours, according to the study.

Yet statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 35 percent of Americans receive less than seven hours of sleep, and 30 percent are trying to get by on six hours or less. It may not seem like a big difference, but the effects of sleep debt exacerbate over time. The CDC has described insufficient sleep as a public health epidemic.

Technology—more specifically, electronics— have helped make it more difficult than ever in this modern age to meet our sleep needs. We have many wonderful and exciting new devices that keep us connected to loved ones and the

outside world, but they promote wakefulness at night by stimulating our minds so the brain finds it impossible to shut down, and by disrupting our natural sleep-wake cycle (called circadian rhythms) with the light they emit.

One of our first recommendations for better sleep hygiene (practices that improve nighttime sleep) is to shut down televisions, computers, cellphones and other devices one hour or two before bedtime and to keep them out of the bedroom, which should be a place that prioritizes sleep.

Our internal sleep-wake cycle takes its cue from the external day-night cycle. Too much light at night miscues the brain to keep us awake. In other words, light alerts us to stay awake.

We have plenty of research that demonstrates the power of light to promote wakefulness, even from small electronic devices. Children seem to be especially susceptible to nighttime light exposure.

Think of technology as value-neutral. It’s how we use it that enhances or undermines our health and well-being.

On the plus side, many people benefit from fitness apps on their phones and activity trackers they can wear that not only track the time they spend asleep each night, but that help define their quality of sleep by recording movement while asleep.

Although certainly not as comprehensive as the responses measured in a sleep laboratory, using these apps and trackers is like carrying a minisleep lab in our pockets.

Patients generally respond favorably to the feedback delivered by the software and gadgets.

While physicians often struggle to have patients accurately keep sleep logs, the tech does that for them. And when patients over time can actually see how much or how little sleep they are receiving, they tend to be more motivated for improvement.

The feedback also gives physicians data to discuss with their patients and a better understanding about what they might need to work on. As an added bonus, these trackers often hold nutrition and exercise information, which helps physicians see how those lifestyle habits may be influencing sleep.

For all their drawbacks, new technology has stirred public interest in the work of sleep physicians and the importance of sleep in our lives.

James P. Fulop, M.D., ABPN, ABSM, is a neurologist who is board-certified in neurology and sleep medicine. He practices at several OhioHealth locations, including OhioHealth Westerville Medical Campus.

38

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

classifieds 614-583-5760 • classifieds@westerville365.com

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

LEGAL SERVICES

n n

n

614.794.0207 • Outdoor Living Spaces • Residential Remodeling • • Concrete & Masonry • Commercial Service • • Swimming Pools •

William L. Geary

n

101 W. .  Â?Â? Â?Â?   ­€ ‚Â?­ ƒ Â

ƒ

www.DiMaggioConstruction.com GUTTERS

PAINTING

TREE SERVICE HAULING & DUMPSTER RENTAL

Hosting a community event?

Invite ThisWeek readers!

With ThisWeek Community News you can reach more than 320,000 readers in central Ohio.

Ask about our weekly classified special sections: Holiday Bazaars Holiday Worship Call (614) 583-5760 or email classified@thisweeknews.com Don’t forget, submit your event for free: Westerville365.com

614-583-5760

classifieds@westerville365.com

Ask how Westerville365 Classifieds can help your business succeed!

Westerville365 | Fall 2015

39

Outtakes

LORRIE CECIL

Fun Photos

E

ach issue, we’re fortunate to have the work of great photographers gracing our pages. Here are a few more pictures we loved while putting together this installment of the magazine.

RYAN M.l. YOUNG

Bobby Wright shows off his new son, Warren Wright IV, to the Otterbein volleyball team, including (from left) Alana KingMendenhall, Lauren Blumberg and Ashton Riffle prior to their game on Sept. 30. Warren’s mom, Monica Wright, is the team’s head coach.

Executive Director of Leadership Westerville Phyllis Self poses for a portrait at the Westerville Community Center on May 15.

CHRIS PARKER

40

Fall 2015 | Westerville365

Jodi Brady (left) and Megan Martin work on their paintings during a Sip & Sketch event held at Meza Wine Shop Sept.1.

CHRIS PARKER

Otterbein women’s volleyball coach Monica Wright in her office before welcoming son Warren to Westerville.

Season’s Greeti carfagnas.com

shopuptownwesterville.com

mountcarmelhealth.com

ng s otterbein.edu

FURNITURE FURNIT

GALLERY OF EASTON

amishoriginals.com

villageatwesterville.com

shirleyspopcorn.com

conleyfamilydental.com

redbankbarber.com

morganstreasure.com

countryview-sunbury.com

westervillesymphony.org

facebook.com/MeritraClinics

westervilledentalhealth.com

newalbanysymphony.net

ciminellos.com

warmwesterville.org

oaklandnursery.com

fredastairewesterville.com

grollsfurnituregallery.com

fitness19.com/centers/westerville

repkids.net

middlefieldbank.com

tutordoctor.com

sunburybigwalnutchamber.com

zenkidzplaycafe.com

grace43081.org

edwinloyhome.com

midlandtheatre.org

Something Special Shoppe hoovergardens.com

westervillelions.org

rockshopohio.com

realdeals.net

doughboyswesterville.com

Do it for you.

Do it for someone you love.

Do it today.

Health experts recommend that all women receive an annual mammogram beginning at age 40. Because mammograms detect breast cancer early, when it’s most treatable. At Mount Carmel, we’re proud to be endorsed by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers for meeting national quality standards. Our dedicated team of breast health specialists provides the highest level of care in screening mammography, diagnosis and treatment. And now, Mount Carmel is the first in Central Ohio to offer Automated Breast Ultrasound - the latest technology in the detection of breast cancer. Call 614-234-2900 or visit mountcarmelhealth.com to schedule your mammogram today.