Canton Inc. Magazine Winter/Spring 2018

CANTON INC STARK COUNTY, OHIO WINTER/SPRING 2017-18

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CANTON INC WINTER / SPRING 2018 Canton Inc. is an economic development publication produced through a collaboration of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and The Repository.

CANTON REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Dennis P. Saunier President and CEO dennys@cantonchamber.org 330-456-7253 Steven M. Meeks COO stevenm@cantonchamber.org 330-458-2088 Michael P. Gill Vice President for Economic Development, Canton Development Partnership mikeg@cantonchamber.org 330-458-2090 David C. Kaminski Vice President for Public Policy and Energy davidk@cantonchamber.org 330-458-2059 Joanne K. Murray Vice President for Community Events and Sponsorships joannem@cantonchamber.org 330-458-2050 Debbie Busby Director of Membership Development debbieb@cantonchamber.org 330-458-2051 Collyn Floyd Director of Marketing and Public Relations collynf@cantonchamber.org 330-458-2071 Kathy D. Irwin Director of Finance and Accounting kathyd@cantonchamber.org 330-456-7253 Eric Smer Director of Community and Workforce Development 330-458-2302 erics@cantonchamber.org Stephanie Snow Werren Director of Leadership Stark County stephaniew@leadershipstarkcounty.org 330-458-2093

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CONTENTS

COVER & HERE: NEOMED main entrance. PHOTO COURTESY OF NEOMED

08

CEO message

11

Stark County Economics

12

Industrial Land & Business Parks

14

Strengthening Stark

18

Innovation District

22

Working with SCORE

26

Hall of Fame Village Update

30

Craft Brew Scene

34

Updates in oil and gas

40

HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION AT NEOMED

47

Business Excellence Awards

51

Area education, business and economic development resources

58

Parting shot

NEOMED is growing and changing, but patient care is still the top focus.

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CANTON INC REPOSITORY/GATEHOUSE OHIO James A. Porter Publisher jim.porter@cantonrep.com 330-580-8444 Jess Bennett Vice president, magazine division jess.bennett@cantonrep.com 330-580-8474 Kelsey Reinhart Editor, magazine division kelsey.reinhart@cantonrep.com 330-580-8318 CONTRIBUTORS Julie Botos, Patricia Faulhaber, Collyn Floyd, David Kaminski, Alison Matas, Joan Renner, K.A. Spoonhower

2018 Executive Committee

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD James Porter CEO/Publisher, GateHouse Media/The Canton Repository SR. VICE CHAIRMAN Rick McQueen President/CEO, Akron-Canton Airport VICE CHAIRMAN Joseph J. Feltes Partner in Charge Canton Office, Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC VICE CHAIRMAN Dr. Jay Cershen President, Northeast Ohio Medical University VICE CHAIRMAN Todd J. Hawke Principal GDK and Co-President, Jackson Township Board of Trustees VICE CHAIRMAN Geoff Karcher President, The Karcher Group VICE CHAIRMAN & CORPORATE SECRETARY Amanda Sterling Vice President—Auditing & Transactional Services, TimkenSteel Corporation TREASURER Mark Wright Chief Financial Officer, Aultman Health Foundation

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IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRWOMAN Judith E. Barnes Lancaster Attorney at law PRESIDENT Dennis P. Saunier President and CEO, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Steven M. Meeks Chief Operating Officer, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Connie Cerny Recording Secretary, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce

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AD INDEX 02 AULTCARE

37 AULTMAN HOSPITAL

03 THE BELDEN BRICK CO.

39 ADVANTAGE HOME HEALTH SERVICES

04 SARTA

46 AULTCARE

05 DEHOFF REALTORS

49 DOWNTOWN CANTON

06 SCORE

49 DELL GROUP

06 USA QUICKPRINT 07 STARK SAFETY COUNCIL 09 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

50 OIL & GAS 53 NAI SPRING 53 MEALS ON WHEELS

10 HUNTINGTON BANK 13 PUTMAN PROPERTIES INC.

55 LEADERSHIP STARK COUNTY 57 YSTARK!

25 GERVASI VINEYARD

59 FARMERS NATIONAL BANK

25 SELINSKY FORCE 29 NORMAN ECKINGER INC.

60 CANTON REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

33 MERCY MEDICAL CENTER For information about how to advertise in this publication, please contact Jess Bennett at jess.bennett@cantonrep.com or 330-580-8474.

CANTON INC is published by GateHouse Ohio Media, 500 Market Ave. S, Canton, OH 44702, 330-580-8300.

CANTON INC is protected by federal copyright law, which gives the publication exclusive rights to reproduce or authorize reproduction of its materials.

CANTON REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS EMIL ALECUSAN Vice President & CFO Brewster Cheese

DR. JAY GERSHEN President | Northeast Ohio Medical University

RODNEY REASONOVER Chief Executive Officer | Stark County Community Action Agency

KATRINA BARTON General Manager Belden Village Mall

MICHAEL R. GRAEFF

ROBERT E. ROLAND, ESQ. Managing Partner | Day Ketterer, Ltd.

GREG BROKAW Sales and Service Manager Consumers National Bank, Jackson-Belden Office DAVID CEMATE Sr.Vice President and COO Mercy Medical Center AJAY DAS Vice President–Strategy & Business Development | The Timken Company R. ERIC DELLAPINA Head of Commercial Banking Eastern OH Market | KeyBank CHRISTOPHER DiLORETO Superintendent | Jackson Local School District WILLIAM F. DOWNEY Executive VP Corporate Affairs Kenan Advantage Group MIKE GALLINA Vice President Outreach Services AultCare

T. MATTHEW GREGORY Executive Vice President Gregory Industries, Inc.

JOSEPH D. SCHAUER Vice President | Schauer Group, Inc.

RICK HULL Regional President Home Savings Bank

DR. DENISE A. SEACHRIST Dean & Chief Administrative Officer Kent State University at Stark

DR. PARA M. JONES President | Stark State College

BRUCE M. SOARES Managing Partner | Black McCuskey Souers & Arbaugh

DR. DAVID A. KING President | Malone University BRADLEY R. McKAIN Division Manager Ohio Refining Division | Marathon Petroleum Company, LP FRANK MONACO Managing Partner Four Fifteen Group MICHAEL MOORE Managing Director, Finance & Controller | FedEx Custom Critical STEVEN O. PITTMAN Managing Principal - Akron and Canton Offices | CliftonLarsonAllen

TRACY STEVENS External Affairs Manager Dominion East Ohio JOHN M. TUCKER Attorney at Law | Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co. LPA BRANDON T. WEHL Chief Executive Officer | Portage Electric Products Inc. MARK WRIGHT Chief Financial Officer | Aultman Health Foundation CATHY WYATT Owner | Carpe Diem Coffee Shops

CEO MESSAGE

CANTON INC

ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION AND CONNECTIVITY COMING TO STARK

H

CantonIncMagazine.com

EAD 25 MILES NORTHEAST FROM DOWNTOWN CANTON, AND SITUATED ALONG RURAL ROUTE 44 IN ROOTSTOWN TOWNSHIP (POPULATION: 7,000) IS A SURPRISING SIGHT TO BEHOLD: A BUSTLING, STATEOF-THE-ART, 120-ACRE MEDICAL CAMPUS. In recent years, Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) has exploded in growth, now offering three colleges, five research areas, 2300+ teaching faculty, a wellness center, and 239 on-campus apartments, all of which serve over 900 medical, pharmacy and graduate studies students.

While much has changed and evolved at NEOMED, the university is steadfast in its mission to bring wellness and access to health care to the medically underserved. Our cover story explores how despite its growth, NEOMED still places patient care as its top focus.

A conversation that began two years among seven organizations has expanded into a broader civic group comprised of Stark County businesses, government and non-profits. Their efforts to date have resulted in a report entitled “Strengthening Stark: A Call for Economic Transformation” as well as the commission of a countywide economic development plan. Learn more about the group’s plans on page 14.

Downtown Canton is getting closer to the launch of an “innovation district” which would provide a 10-block area access to the fastest internet speed in the world. At 100 gigabits per second, it’s 1,000 times faster than what we have in our homes.

This issue takes a look at why ultra-fast internet speed could be a huge business development draw for downtown.

Did you know that small businesses have access to free business advice and over 80 workshops annually? The Canton SCORE Chapter, led by active and retired business executives, offers these services and more, year-round. Read about their programming, as well as their partnership with the Canton Regional Chamber, on page 22.

This issue also explores: the latest on Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village; Stark County’s big craft beer scene; and updates on the oil and gas front.

We’re honored to begin our seventh year of producing Canton Inc. and share stories about the unique business and community strengths of our region. We hope you’ll read on to discover why Canton/Stark County is an exciting place for your company to do business.

08

Dennis P. Saunier President and CEO Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce

James A. Porter Publisher and CEO The Canton Repository

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CANTON INC ECONOMICS

STARK COUNTY

ECONOMICS

INCOME AND MAJOR COST OF LIVING INDUSTRIES

$47,137

Median home value:

$122,900 Median rent:

$680/MO. Cost of living:

16.4% LOWER than U.S. average

Unemployment rate:

4.7%

(national average is 4.4%)

HOUSEHOLDS Canton population 71,323 Stark County population 373,612 Median resident age 41.8 Age 17 and younger 21.7% Age 18 to 64 59.8% Age 65 and older 18.5% Households 150,385

WORKFORCE Total workforce: 185,600 Average commute: 22 minutes

(NON-FARM)

Education and health services:

19.2%

Manufacturing:

15.6%

Trade, transportation and utilities:

18.8%

Professional and business services:

8.8%

Leisure and hospitality:

11%

Government:

11.7%

PARKS & TRAILS

Other:

14.9% EDUCATION

High school attainment:

90.0%

College attainment:

21.9%

Graduate or professional degree:

7.5%

WEATHER

Average January high:

33 degrees

Alliance Community Hospital Aultman Hospital Canton City Schools City of Canton Heinz North America Mercy Medical Center Nickles Bakery Synchrony Financial Stark County government Stark State College Sugardale Foods The Timken Co. TimkenSteel Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Average July high:

82 degrees

Stark County Park District includes:

8,000 acres of land

100+

miles of walking/bicycling trails and

31

miles of equestrian trails, in addition to the parks maintained by cities and townships

14

parks in addition to the parks maintained by cities and townships SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau, Ohio Department of Development, NOAA and the National Weather Service, Stark Parks, U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics), Forbes.

CantonIncMagazine.com

Median household income:

MAJOR EMPLOYERS

11

BUSINESS PARKS

CANTON INC

CantonIncMagazine.com

INDUSTRIAL LAND AND BUSINESS PARKS

12

AKCAN INDUSTRIAL PARK Location: Green, Ohio Acres available: 50 Highway access: I-77 Zoning: Light industrial Rail access: No Development contact: Dan DeHoff, DeHoff Realty, 330-499-8153

CANTON INDUSTRIAL PARK - WEST Location: Canton, Ohio Acres available: 12 Highway access: I-77 Zoning: Light Industrial Rail access: No Development contact: Tim Putman, Putman Properties, 330-495-0600

ALLIANCE COMMERCE PARK Location: Alliance, Ohio Acres available: 75 Highway access: U.S. Route 62 Zoning: Light/heavy industrial Rail access: Yes Development contact: Jim Stout, Coastal Pet Products, 330-821-2218

CENTRAL WARNER COMPLEX Location: Canton, Ohio Acres available: 33 Highway access: U.S. Route 30 / I-77 Zoning: Light Industrial Rail access: No Development contact: Tim Putman, Putman Properties, 330-495-0600

CANTON CENTURY PARK Location: Canton, Ohio Acres available: 68 Highway access: I-77 Zoning: Heavy commercial Rail access: No Development contact: Bryce Custer, 330-966-8800

EASTRIDGE COMMERCE PARK Location: Canton, Ohio Acres available: 88 Highway access: U.S. Route 62 Zoning: Light industrial Rail access: No Development contact: Bob DeHoff, DeHoff Development, 330-499-8153

ELM RIDGE INDUSTRIAL PARK Location: Canal Fulton, Ohio Acres available: 55 Highway access: State Route 21 and I-77 Zoning: Light industrial Rail access: No Development contact: Ken Schalmo or Fred E. Etheridge, Schalmo Properties Inc., 330-854-9396

FORD PROPERTY Location: Canton, Ohio Acres available: 75 Highway access: U.S. Route 30 Zoning: Heavy industrial Rail access: Yes Development contact: Rafael Rodriguez, 330-438-4129

HARTVILLE INDUSTRIAL PARK Location: Hartville, Ohio Acres available: 6 Highway access: State Routes 43 and 619 Zoning: Light industrial Rail access: Some potential Development contact: Mayor’s office, village of Hartville, 330-877-9222

CANTON INC BUSINESS PARKS

MASSILLON REPUBLIC Location: Massillon, Ohio Acres available: 300 Highway access: State Route 21 and U.S. Route 30 Zoning: Heavy industrial Rail access: Yes Development contact: Massillon Development Foundation, 330-833-3148

MILLER I Location: Massillon, Ohio Acres available: 125 Highway access: State Route 21 and U.S. Route 30 Zoning: Heavy industrial Rail access: Yes Development contact: Ray Hexamer, Massillon Development Foundation and Miller Family Trust, 330-833-3148

MILLS BUSINESS PARK Location: Canton, Ohio Acres available: 51 Highway access: I-77

Zoning: Light industrial Rail access: No Development contact: Dan DeHoff, Canton Commerce LLC, 330-499-8153

STARK COUNTY FARM Location: Navarre, Ohio Acres available: 300 Highway access: U.S. Route 30 Zoning: Light industrial Rail access: Yes Development contact: Bob DeHoff, DeHoff Development, 330-499-8153

NOVA EAST Location: Massillon, Ohio Acres available: 25 Highway access: U.S. Route 30 Zoning: Light industrial Rail access: No Development contact: Dan Spring, 330-966-8800

Call our team of professionals for all your real estate needs!

Tim Putman 330-495-0600

Wick Hartung 330-495-0601

Steve Marcelli 330-327-5834

Jim Bednar 330-417-9034

PORT JACKSON Location: Jackson Township, Ohio Acres available: 19 Highway access: I-77 Zoning: Light industrial Rail access: No Development contact: Lisa Gould, Akron-Canton Airport, 330-668-4000

STEIN INDUSTRIAL PARK Location: Canton, Ohio Acres available: 17 Highway access: U.S. Route 30 at State Route 43 Zoning: I2 Heavy Industrial Rail access: No Development contact: Tim Putman, Putman Properties, 330-495-0600 Looking for more information, or for details about industrial buildings and service sector properties? Contact Michael P. Gill, vice president for economic development, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce at 330-458-2090.

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4065 Fulton Dr. NW, Canton | 330.498.4400 | info@putmanproperties.com | www.putmanproperties.com

STRENGTHENING STARK

CANTON INC

A

GROUP OF CIVIC LEADERS IS SEEKING SUPPORT THROUGHOUT STARK COUNTY FOR A SMARTER, MORE COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORT. The group wants to encourage the creation of jobs in areas that will have the greatest impact for the good of all.

After working behind the scenes for many months, the group has issued a status report on the county, called “Strengthening Stark,” and it has commissioned a countywide economic development plan. Such a plan has never existed. All this leads to a prediction: 2018 could be quite a year.

So here is the back story.

A little more than two years ago, the leaders of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, The Canton Repository and the Stark Community Foundation decided to begin a conversation.

Invited to that conversation were the leaders of a few other major organizations in Stark County: the Pro Foot-

STRENGTHENING CantonIncMagazine.com

BY DAVID KAMINSKI

14

STARK

CANTON INC

ball Hall of Fame, United Way of Greater Stark County, the city of Canton and the Akron-Canton Airport. Except for the foundation and the newspaper, all of the organizations recently had completed strategic plans.

The initial question for the group was whether they could identify common goals within those individual plans. If so, could they find ways for the five organizations to help each other pursue those common goals?

Before too many months passed, it became apparent to this group that the common ground was economic development. If the organizations in Stark County could work together in new ways, could they be more successful in helping businesses to grow and create more jobs to lift the community?

A lot has happened since then.

The original group expanded to include other business interests and other governmental representatives.

It commissioned the economic development plan for the county, it published “Strengthening Stark” and it began engaging the community in discussions of where Stark County is in economic development and where it could be.

STRENGTHENING STARK

“The good news is that we are working toward a larger, broader collaborative effort among our organizations and governments. We are looking at what opportunities we have in the community, both for business and for improving life in the community,” said Dennis P. Saunier, president and CEO of the Canton Regional Chamber.

“Jobs are the backbone of stability and growth for the community, as well as being the primary measure of economic development. Job growth will result in lower rates of growth for social services, those services typically funded by the United Way campaign. Job growth also can help reduce antisocial behavior,” Saunier said.

“Strengthening Stark” evokes questions about how the community can improve its wealth, its education, its opportunity to attract businesses and grow jobs.

“People’s first reaction to ‘Strengthening Stark’ is wanting to know more. They say, ‘I didn’t realize that.

I did not know that. What can I do to help?’ ” said Ray Hexamer, president of the Stark Economic Development Board. “It has been great. That is how I hoped Stark County would react. You are more concerned when people don’t react,” Hexamer added.

“THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE ARE WORKING TOWARD A LARGER, BROADER COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AMONG OUR ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS. WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE IN THE COMMUNITY, BOTH FOR BUSINESS AND FOR IMPROVING LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY.” CantonIncMagazine.com

—DENNIS P. SAUNIER, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE CANTON REGIONAL CHAMBER

15

STRENGTHENING STARK

CANTON INC

CantonIncMagazine.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF STARKCF.ORG

16

“When I spoke to our board about the opportunity to take part in paying for and publishing the ‘Strengthening Stark’ report, I told the board that we would be successful in this investment if this white paper changed the community conversation around the issue of economic competitiveness,” said Mark Samolczyk, president of the Stark Community Foundation. “It is doing just that.”

The civic group has no charter, no officers, only a facilitator. He is Chris Thompson, formerly with Fund for our Economic Future in Cleveland and now principal with Civic Collaboration Consultants. Yet it is taking action. Along with helping Thompson to draft the report, the civic group engaged a consultant to do an economic development study for Stark County.

The consultant is JumpStart, along with an affiliated private firm, Innovation Economy Partners. For more than a decade, JumpStart has offered funding and other assistance to startup companies throughout Northeast Ohio. Along with Innovation Economy Partners, it has developed a service that helps communities with business retention and expansion.

The $150,000 plan for Stark County is being paid for by the Stark County Port Authority. The plan is expected to outline economic development challenges, identify ways to address those challenges and define ways to measure success.

The deliverable date is in July.

“But we’re not waiting for a monumental document that changes the world. We are working along the way with help from the consultants to improve business retention and expansion calls,” said Hexamer.

Typically, a business retention and expansion call involves a visit by a chamber of commerce or other economic development organization. After preliminary research, the caller conducts a structured interview with the business leader to identify ways in which the business can receive help to solve growth problems or expand its operations.

“We are looking at ways that all of our partners (among them, several chambers of commerce throughout Stark County) can use their resources to talk to more businesses,” Hexamer said.

“I think the work that Ray is doing right now in con-

CANTON INC

junction with JumpStart is creating a playbook so that we are asking the same questions. We are expanding the database so we know where the best targets are for business growth. I think these are the nuts and bolts of economic development,” said Samolczyk.

The civic group has talked frequently about the relatively low total funding devoted to economic development in Stark County. It totals a few million dollars a year, not enough to go on the road to sell Stark County opportunities in other cities, or launch sophisticated marketing campaigns, or even to regularly acquire land for development.

“Current levels of funding are inadequate to reach our potential in job growth through attraction and retention. We are not eliminating a public funding option,” said Saunier.

However, many of the participants in the civic group recently were able to take an expensive step in acquiring land for business growth.

In the summer of 2016, six local foundations pooled resources to purchase the former Stark County Farm, 327 acres in the village of Navarre and Perry Township, for $2.25 million. The six investors are the Stark Community Foundation, Hoover Foundation, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Massillon Development Foundation, DeHoff Family Foundation and Gessner Family Foundation. They have organized themselves under the title Stark Board of Trade, and their plan is to develop a Class A industrial park for economic growth and job creation.

Saunier calls this an “aggressive collaboration” for the betterment of the community.

“The good news for the business community is that there are people who want to think bolder and larger than ever before. In this competitive world, we need to think smarter, utilize community resources and funds through an aggressive development plan that highlights areas of significant opportunity and growth,” Saunier said.

“We have developed a level of trust,” Samolczyk added, “that has allowed us to have tough conversations that we should have had a long time ago.”

STRENGTHENING STARK

RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE “STRENGTHENING STARK” REPORT 1. Stark Economic Development Board should coordinate with its partners on the development and implementation of a shared economic plan for Stark County.

2. The shared economic plan for Stark County should focus on job creation, job preparation and job access.

3. Job creation strategies should focus on helping existing companies within targeted industries achieve their growth potential.

4. Support for the Stark Entrepreneurship Alliance should expand and be sustained to increase the number of young, growing companies in Stark County.

5. Job preparation and economic development initiatives should be integrated.

6. Infrastructure improvements and other investments should be targeted to enhance existing job hubs in Stark County (locations where high concentrations of employment exist) and make the jobs more accessible to all residents.

7. Stark County should invest more resources into economic development activities.

8. All organizations and institutions that care about the future of Stark County need to identify how they will help sustain the long-term implementation of the shared economic plan for our community.

17

INNOVATION DISTRICT CANTON INC

EXCITEMENT BUILDING FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE INNOVATION DISTRICT CantonIncMagazine.com

BY PATRICIA FAULHABER

18

CANTON INC INNOVATION DISTRICT

“BRINGING TECHSAVVY PEOPLE TOGETHER, ESTABLISHING AN INCUBATOR AND ACCELERATOR FOR STARTUP COMPANIES COULD ALL HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE HIGH-SPEED CONNECTIVITY.”

cause of that experience, we are handling the connectivity, which should be available by midyear 2018.”

Agile Networks is located on Market Avenue N in the innovation district. It provides its customers with connectivity services including internet. The company works with public safety and government offices in all 88 counties in Ohio and has customers spread throughout the Midwest.

“As an entrepreneur who knows what it takes to grow a company from zero to 100, I realize how important the need for high-speed connectivity is to companies doing a lot of data processing and development. We can help light up all the buildings in the district with what I would call better than Google Fiber City connectivity and allow that to happen in a cost structure that fosters innovation and development,” he said.

Quillen said the project currently is going through engineering and design from a technology perspective to make sure it satisfies the needs and requirements of the buildings for the tenants to take advantage of the connectivity. He said if a company wanted to move into the district today, access to the high-speed network could be made available.

THE EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING Three of the tech-based companies contributing to the excitement level for the innovation district are Goquire, Inc., Mountain Ethos and startup entrepreneur Scott Meier.

CEO and founder of of Goquire, Inc. Dennis Warner believes the creation of an innovation district has the potential to

CantonIncMagazine.com

F

OR THE CITY OF CANTON, and especially the downtown innovation district, the adage of “build it and they will come” has been rewritten to “they have come to help build it.”

The city of Canton, Agile Networks, the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and young professionals and entrepreneurs who have an expressed interest in the innovation district are working together to create an unprecedented level of excitement for the district.

In addition to having access to internet speeds of up to 100 gigabits, the innovation district means the growth of an ecosystem. Today’s work world is trending toward ecosystems in which professionals work communally for shared resources, personal networking, sharing of ideas and collaboration.

Incubator and accelerator opportunities will help startups grow.

Plus, development of a technology hub in downtown has the potential to stop and reverse any brain drain from happening in the city and the county.

Mike Gill, vice president of economic development with the Canton Regional Chamber, said, “Bringing tech-savvy people together, establishing an incubator and accelerator for startup companies could all happen because of the high-speed connectivity.”

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Agile Networks Kyle Quillen said his company has been working on getting the connectivity component ready for those businesses considering moving into the district.

At the core of the innovation district is the ability to access a high-speed network called OARnet (the Ohio Academic Resources Network).

“Agile Networks is a telecommunications provider. Plus, we have a deep relationship with the state of Ohio and —MIKE GILL, VICE PRESIDENT OF ECONOMIC work daily with OARDEVELOPMENT WITH THE CANTON REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE net,” Quillen said. “Be-

19

INNOVATION DISTRICT CANTON INC

“THE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET IS A TOOL THAT WILL DRAW TECH COMPANIES TO MOVE INTO DOWNTOWN. THE 100-GIGABIT SPEED IS 1,000 TIMES FASTER THAN WHAT’S IN MOST HOMES AND UP TO FIVE TIMES FASTER THAN A GOOGLE FIBER CITY. IT’S THE CULTURE OF DOWNTOWN THAT WILL BUILD THE ECOSYSTEM WHERE TECH COMPANIES CAN WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD NEW OPPORTUNITIES.”

CantonIncMagazine.com

—CHRIS CUTTER, OWNER OF MOUNTAIN ETHOS

20

bring a lot of tech companies together in one area. He’s excited to be downtown and on the frontlines of a surge of new techrelated companies relocating to the area.

Goquire is an internal peer-to-peer marketplace for organizations such as hospitals and universities where coworkers and classmates can buy and sell used goods to each other. Warner said the service offers a safer platform than commercial online marketplaces because users will be a trusted group of people.

“The spark and excitement created by the development of the innovation district has the potential to bring together tech workers and other support types of companies and freelancers such as programmers, copywriters, designers and digital marketers,” Warner said.

“Many are already working remotely in the county from local coffee shops and home offices. I’d like to see a hub where we can all come together and work off of each other’s energy and ideas. It will make Stark County more appealing to a younger generation and attract younger workers and business owners,” he added.

Chris Cutter is the owner of a digital agency called Mountain Ethos. It’s a web development company that helps clients across the United States achieve a digital presence.

Cutter also has started several high-growth companies and recently launched a GPS-based app called “CantonSmart” in collaboration with an organization called TomTod Ideas that encourages entrepreneurship in middle schoolers. The app directs visitors in downtown to different museums, restaurants and shops. An expanded product will be called “CitySmart” and will include curation.

“I spend a lot of time downtown, and I like the live, work and play attitude and culture there,” said Cutter.

He added, “The high-speed internet is a tool that will draw tech companies to move into downtown. The 100-gigabit speed is 1,000 times faster than what’s in most homes and up to five times faster than a Google Fiber City.

It’s the culture of downtown that will build the ecosystem where tech companies can work together to build new opportunities.”

Scott Meier calls himself a serial entrepreneur. He recently left a senior user experience designer position with a large Midwest technology company to start up a company to add his list of successful businesses he’s started over the past six years.

He believes the same as Warner and Cutter that the ecosystem is what will make Canton attractive to other tech-based companies and freelancers.

“Canton has the desired resources such as a lower cost of living, the Akron-Canton Airport, which is a great resource to travel from and a downtown with arts, restaurants and events to attract freelancers and other

CANTON INC INNOVATION DISTRICT

THE INNOVATION DISTRICT EVOLVES State Rep. Kirk Schuring wrote and sponsored HB 233, which took effect in August 2016. The bill requires innovation districts to have access to a high-speed broadband network with download speeds of at least 100 gigabits.

Innovation districts have to be located within a Downtown Redevelopment District (DRD), which would include one or more buildings that require rehabilitation. Developing an innovation district is a way to attract technology-oriented businesses and to support economic growth.

Canton City Council recently approved a 10- to 12-block area from Cleveland Avenue NW to Piedmont Avenue NE, starting at Sixth Street NW to Second Street NW on the west side and Fifth Street NE to Tuscarawas Street E on the east side as the innovation district.

“Having access to OARnet is having access to the fastest internet speeds in the world,” Schuring said. “The speed of the internet is what makes this project so impactful. Now we can offer people in high-tech industries a business accelerator/incubator where they will have access to data that travels at the highest speeds available and the ability to do data analytics at a level that most others won’t be able to do.

“Canton is moving full speed in preparing to launch the district and will become the first to do so. I’m excited to see the

district evolve and looking forward to the synergy created by the ecosystem,” Schuring said.

TECHNOLOGY LEADS THE WAY Warner, Cutter and Meier said there is big a demand for software engineers, programmers, systems administrators, database administrators, web developers and IT managers, which trend as higher-paying jobs.

Meier said, “We can’t train people fast enough to meet the demand for software engineers.

The more jobs like that we have here, the more successful we’ll be. The people in those jobs will be living and working here and will lift the community up.”

Cutter feels that the innovation district can help reduce the brain drain and people leaving the area and will contribute to economic development in the area. He said it should have as much impact on the culture in Canton as the ArtsinStark movement has had.

“I’ve talked to many people I know in the tech industry, and the energy and excitement level for the innovation district is resounding. They love everything being brought to the table, giving it a real shot at success,” Cutter said.

Warner added there is a movement in the Midwest to attract more tech companies, and he feels that movement along with the innovation district will benefit Canton.

Excitement continues to build as the innovation district is quickly becoming a reality, and with the launch date getting closer, Quillen said, “Soon, there will be a ribbon cutting to officially announce that the innovation district is open for business and ready to rock and roll.”

CantonIncMagazine.com

entrepreneurs,” Meier said.

Meier added, “The high-speed internet is one of the critical components of attracting specific types of business such as those that use a lot of data or companies that do a lot of peer-to-peer video feeds. Having a support structure in place for entrepreneurs to help each other is also important, and I’m confident it can be done here.”

All three grew up in Stark County. They all moved away from the area to attend college and/or work for technology companies. And, they’ve all returned because they want to be a part of downtown’s growth and become a part of their Stark County communities.

In addition to tech companies, city and county offices also will benefit from having access to a high-speed network.

“For our offices, it means increased speeds for better data sharing with entities outside of the county. Plus, there’s a cost advantage of having higher network speeds,” said Stark County Auditor Alan Harold.

Harold has met several tech company owners that have an excitement level “off the scale” for the innovation district project.

He added it will impact Canton in several ways such as attracting more companies to downtown and enticing more people to live downtown.

“That kind of growth will produce a greater investment in employment and real estate making for a stronger local government,” added Harold.

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SCORE CANTON INC

Working with

SCORE

CantonIncMagazine.com

BY JOAN RENNER

22

A

CANTON INC SCORE

FTER STEPHEN M I C H A E L S OPENED HIS EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS FRANCHISE IN 2015, LIFE BECAME A BLUR. “I work so much I don’t slow down to actually work on my business,” Michaels said.

Anthony Chirumbolo, CEO of Custom Utilicom, worried that the company had outgrown its management structure after it grew from seven to 52 employees in 13 years.

“We’ve had some opportunities in the past that we have not been able to capitalize on,” Chirumbolo said.

Both men found common ground—and solutions—through the Small Business Growth Network.

WORKSHOPS AND CLIENT SESSIONS SCORE holds workshops on common business issues and offers personal counseling. Canton SCORE held 87 workshops and 721 counseling sessions in 2017.

Clients historically have been companies just starting out.

“We try to get them to see the reality of

CantonIncMagazine.com

PARTNERSHIP The Small Business Growth Network is a partnership between the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Canton SCORE. SCORE, an affiliate of the Small Business Administration, pairs small businesses and nonprofits with retired executives who share their experience and advice.

Canton’s chapter—named National Chapter of the Year in 2016—has about 42 counselors who advise small business owners in Stark, Tuscarawas, Harrison, Carroll and Holmes counties.

The partnership is described as a win-win by all participants: SCORE gained access to clients for their volunteer services, and the Chamber gained a service for the small businesses that make up roughly 80 percent of its more than 2,000 members.

“Why have two organizations running parallel?” asked Dennis Saunier, Chamber president and CEO. “Instead of us trying to re-create what SCORE is doing, we reached out to them.”

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SCORE CANTON INC

“It was really beneficial to talk with someone outside of our business,” he said. “They could see it with fresh eyes.”

what they want to do,” said outgoing SCORE chairman Ed Messerly.

SCORE has counseled more established businesses since partnering with the Chamber.

Zachary Glass learned about SCORE at a Chamber event. The sales and marketing manager for Seifert Companies wanted to draw up a formal business plan that covered three distinct companies in two states.

“We were always working to get more business. We hadn’t had the time to actually write it and get it down on paper,” Glass said.

Chirumbolo had a similar problem at Custom Utilicom.

“For the longest time, we just kind of

would sit here internally and discuss what needs to happen,” Chirumbolo said. “We didn’t have a real action plan.”

Chirumbolo worked with SCORE counselors John Dilworth and Tom Bender, both Goodyear retirees.

Under their guidance, Chirumbolo has hired more supervisors, increased management ranks and reworked the management structure.

“They helped us focus our attention on what we needed to do to grow,” he said.

Glass and company president Tim Seifert worked with Dilworth to improve the mission statement, identify key performance indicators and write a business plan that is “a living document that gets referred to,” said Glass.

GETTING TOGETHER The next step for the Small Business Growth Network is a series of forums that will bring four to six noncompeting businesses together up to six times a year.

The inaugural forum was held in September. Glass, Chirumbolo, Michaels and Terry Miller, COO of Tegrey Family of Coatings, each brought one issue they wanted to work on.

Glass said each representative was given about five minutes to present his challenge. Then that representative sat aside, watching the others brainstorm solutions.

“I think you get a lot of insight being removed from the situation,” Glass said.

“I got a lot more out of it than if I were sitting with the group and involved with the discussions.”

Michaels, of Express Employment Professionals, felt the time was well spent.

“They gave me a lot of good advice on letting go of stuff,” said Michaels.

He put that advice into practice—just in time. When interviewed in November, he was preparing to take an eight-week leave of absence for back surgery.

“Had I not gone through the seminar a few months ago, I probably would be a hot mess today,” he said.

For information about SCORE, the small business forums or the Small Business Growth Network, call 330-2443280.

SCORE/Small Business Development Center:

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

CantonIncMagazine.com

TEGREY FAMILY OF COATINGS, INC.

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Founded 1997 CEO: Peggy Miller COO: Terry Miller Service: Painting, power-washing and cleaning company.

Terry Miller approached SCORE to make sure his advertising dollars were spent efficiently, said SCORE counselor John Dilworth.

SCORE ended up learning a great deal from Miller and his wife, Peg-

gy, Dilworth said. “They are on the cutting edge of everything,” he said.

“They are fanatics about quality.” tegreypainting.com

POWER CLEANING & MAINTENANCE INC.

Founded 1976 President: Robert A. Cazzolli, Sr. Vice President: Robert A. Cazzolli Jr. Service: Cleaning, painting and maintenance services for clients in manufacturing, commercial and food processing sectors.

SCORE counselors Tom Bender and Mike Johnson helped the company improve their online presence, producing a more “message-rich” content and making their site easier for clients to find. “If you sort of get too comfortable, it’s very easy for you to lose your scope of focus,” said Cazzolli Jr. said. “SCORE helped us get back on track.” powercleaning.net

STABLE SUPPORT SERVICES

Registered as nonprofit in 2017 Owner: Loree Stubblefield Service: A nonprofit that provides traditional, alternative and equine

therapy for veterans, children, families and those with special needs at Stable Solutions Farm. For years, owner Loree Stubblefield has merged her background as a social worker and a riding instructor on her Washington Township farm.

SCORE counselor Vera Burton helped her register as a nonprofit.

“It was helpful,” said Stubblefield.

“They could help direct you or help you locate the resources you needed to take that next step.” stablesolutionsfarm.com

UPCOMING SCORE WORKSHOPS SCORE and the Chamber are planning a multipart workshop called “Simple Steps to Growing your Business,” aimed at helping small businesses develop a strategic plan. The workshop has not been scheduled yet, but below is a list of workshops SCORE is offering this winter. There is a $10, nonrefundable fee for each workshop. Participants will be given directions and classroom locations when they register.

To register, call SCORE at 330-244-3280 or visit canton.score.org.

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CantonIncMagazine.com

HOF UPDATE CANTON INC

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CANTON INC HOF UPDATE

HALL OF FAME VILLAGE UPDATE

CantonIncMagazine.com

BY ALISON MATAS

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HOF UPDATE CANTON INC

DEVELOPERS HAVE ACQUIRED MUCH OF THE PROPERTY NEEDED TO BUILD THE REMAINING ELEMENTS ENVISIONED FOR THE ESTIMATED $800 MILLION VILLAGE.

T CantonIncMagazine.com

HE SOUTH STANDS OF TOM BENSON HALL OF FAME STADIUM OPENED THIS SUMMER, GIVING HUNDREDS OF VISITORS THE CHANCE TO WATCH THE HALL OF FAME GAME FROM A SUITE OR ROOFTOP LOUNGE. The renovated 23,000-capacity stadium was built in less than two years, with the west end zone and south stands—which include fan plazas, locker rooms and luxury seating—finishing in 10 months.

The completed construction at Benson Stadium is the most visible aspect of Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, and the reopened stadium renewed national interest in plans for the project. Developers have acquired much of the property needed to build the remaining elements envisioned for the estimated $800 million Village. Most buildings have not broken ground.

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THE STADIUM Benson Stadium’s south stands seat 12,835 and offer options besides traditional-style theater seats: A club level has premium seating for nearly 1,000, and the club behind it can accommodate up to 500 at a bar and buffet. The next level up houses the press box and suites, and the roof of the stands is an openair lounge. The west end zone has party terraces

above the theater seats where groups can congregate during events.

The stadium was dedicated during enshrinement week, and a 9-foot statue of New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, who contributed $10 million to the project, was unveiled.

Financing documents filed with state economic development agencies showed the private project was expected to cost $137 million, but developers have said the price tag soared above $150 million.

An east end zone will be added to the stadium, and a permanent scoreboard is expected to be built into the wall of the Village’s planned Center for Excellence.

After hosting this year’s Hall of Fame Game, enshrinement and Concert for Legends, the stadium was used for local football games, a marching band competition and the Ohio High School Athletic Association football championships.

OTHER PLANS Ground broke for an estimated $135 million fourstar hotel and parking garage in April, and crews began moving dirt later in the year.

Three more youth fields—for a total of eight—are expected to open in the spring.

Other elements planned for the Village but not constructed are an arena with convention space, a Center for Excellence, a virtual reality amusement area, retail and restaurants and a player care center.

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CRAFT BREW CANTON INC

CRAFT BREW CantonIncMagazine.com

SCENE

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The business of brew is big in Stark County, which has seen six breweries open or announce plans to open since 2014. Craft beer represents an economic impact of $2.67 billion in Ohio—read on to learn more about the breweries who contribute to that revenue here in Stark.

This was previously published in the October 2017 issue of About magazine.

1,373,041 Barrels of craft beer brewed in Ohio in 2016

#4

Rank among the states in craft beer production

$510 million

Economic impact increase 2014-2016

#7

Rank among states in economic impact

15,000+

Jobs supported by the craft brewing industry in Ohio

CANTON BREWING CO. Owner: David Beule Brewmaster: Aaron Swink The story so far: Before 2014, when Canton Brewing Co. came back to life, Canton was the second largest city in Ohio without a brewery. The space on Third Street and Market N is based on the history of the five breweries that were in Canton before Prohibition. They drank Canton Brewing Co. beer the night professional football was founded in Canton.

Future plans: We are going to market our new Canton room in the Speakeasy for team-building meetings during the day and office parties at night.

More on the new brewmaster: Aaron Swink is from Central Coast Brewing in San Luis Obispo, California. He received multiple gold medals from the Great American Beer Festival and one World Beer Cup gold medal. He’s going to bring West Coast style to Canton, Ohio.

120 Third St. NW, Canton drinkcantonbeer.com

SANDY SPRINGS BREWING CO.

Owners & Brewmasters: Andy & Amanda Conrad Year Started: November 2017

The story so far: We have been homebrewers for the past 10 years.

While traveling out West for our jobs, we saw the trend and positive impact that craft breweries had on their communities. The original plans were for our brewery to be in the old 1800’s T-Barn on our family farm in Minerva.

Unfortunately, it burned to the ground, so we spent the next several years planning

254

(61 new in 2017 so far!)

Number of craft breweries operating in Ohio

88

Number of known breweries in planning

5.1

gallons per adult Craft beer consumption per capita in Ohio

#11

Rank among states in craft beer consumption

and looking for the perfect location. We then met a couple who owns Minerva’s first gas station who also was very interested in the idea of a brewery coming to town.

Our taproom will be the combination of historical gas station as well as every piece of wood we were able to salvage from our barn.

Look for awesome live music on the weekends and lots of cool events during the week.

Local artwork will be featured throughout the brewery, including tables to purchase from our friend and general contractor Ross Blair.

232 N Market St., Minerva sandyspringsbrewery.com

CantonIncMagazine.com

CRAFT BEER

BY THE NUMBERS

CANTON INC CRAFT BREW

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CRAFT BREW CANTON INC

SHALE BREWING CO.

MAIZE VALLEY BREWERY

Director of Brewing Operations: Jason Gasper-Hulvat

Brewmaster: Jake Turner

Partner / co-founder: Jim Williams

CantonIncMagazine.com

Year Started: 2014

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The story so far & what’s to come: Shale Brewing Co. started out of a passion for easy drinking brews shared by co-workers who started homebrewing together. That passion grew to starting a nano-scale brewery turning out batches of Roughneck Red one keg at a time.

As demand grew, it was clear bigger equipment was needed to keep up. Partnering with a local brewery to produce some larger batches, Shale began the work of building out its production facility. This summer saw the installation of a 10 bbl brew house and the addition of an experienced commercial brewer to lead production on the new equipment. Setup of the bottling line is complete with plans to roll out bottles of three additional core brands in the coming month to complement our Roughneck Red. 715 Second St. SE, Canton shalebrewing.com

Year Started: Brewery started in 2014 The story so far: The brewery has grown a good bit since starting on Labor Day in 2014. We went from a glorified homebrew setup that could brew about 10 gallons of beer at a time and brewing on that three times a day, four to five days a week, to installing our current brewery, which is a Deutsche Beverage Technology 15-barrel system. In the early days, we only had a few beers on tap at a time because of our small system.

I couldn’t brew enough to keep up with demand. Now, our brewery system has capabilities that will scale very well for us for years to come.

Future plans: At the time of this publication, we will have run our first few batches of beers into cans. We’re partnering with the mobile canning operation called Iron Heart to can a couple of our regular beers to be made available for purchase at grocery stores, bars and restaurants. It’s pretty exciting for us to be able to continue to make our beers more widely available through Northeast Ohio. I think the plan now is to continue to grow to service more accounts in the state.

Hopefully, we’ll be adding some more fermentation tanks in the near future.

6193 Edison St. NE, Hartville maizevalley.com/beer

MUSKELLUNGE BREWING CO. Owner & Brewmaster: Frank Estremera Year Started: 2016 The story so far: My girlfriend introduced me to homebrewing in 2009, and I have been playing with the idea of starting a brewing company for several years. I decided to start the long journey in 2014 and started working with SCORE in Cincinnati. In 2016, I decided to move, as I felt that there was a better opportunity to expand the independent craft brew market in Canton. I fell in love with downtown Canton, and I decided to lease a space on the corner of McKinley Avenue and Fifth Street.

Being in pharmaceuticals sciences for more than 15 years and my strong science and statistics background, I developed the recipes for my beers on tap, and also wrote my brewing program in Microsoft Excel to set up my formulas and predict the beer color as well as monitor the manufacturing process. I plan to open with the following beers on tap: Kölsch, Cream Ale, Roggenbier, Scotch Ale, Stout, Porter. I have other recipes that will be on tap on a rotational basis.

425 Fifth St. NW, Canton muskellungebrewingcompany.com

CANTON INC CRAFT BREW

ROYAL DOCKS BREWING CO. Brewmaster: David Sutula The story so far: Royal Docks Brewing Co. was founded in 2014 and opened its taproom, brewery and kitchen in Jackson Township in September 2015. In 2016, it began distrib-

uting beer on draft, and in May 2017, RDB became the first Stark County brewery to release beer in cans: Tanglefoot IPA, Pendragon RareWit and Yardarm IPA. The first two years of business have seen incredible growth, including the release of its first 16 oz. can, Leatherhead IPA, at Cleveland Browns’ FirstEnergy Stadium.

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RDB also has received many local awards.

Future plans: The brewery will release an additional six beers in cans: Vlad the Impaler, a 13.1% Imperial Stout; Baba Yaga Coffee Porter; Hoptopod IPA; +44 Brown Ale; London Signature Pub Ale; and

Yuletide, a spiced holiday ale.

RDB also plans to open another brewery in Jackson Township in February 2018, and is looking to add taprooms in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Akron beginning in 2019.

7162 Fulton Dr. NW, Canton docks.beer

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UTICA UPDATE

UPDATES IN OIL AND GAS CantonIncMagazine.com

David Kaminski | Photos by Debbie Busby, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce

34

CANTON INC

Plastics product manufacturers Andy Pierzynski of Little Tikes and Bart Stuchell of Sare Plastics being interviewed by Stan Glover of Zeiger Industries. needed it, but that is changing. If drilling rigs in Ohio are a good sign of activity, the Baker Hughes rig count for Ohio stood at 29 in mid-November, compared with 15 in the same period of 2016.

The big natural gas pipelines coming through Ohio—the $4.2 billion Rover and the $2.1 billion NEXUS—are opening up new markets for Ohio Utica natural gas, which will encourage more drilling. Meanwhile, the pipelines will CantonIncMagazine.com

I

n a move that coincided with President Trump’s late-autumn trip to Asia, China Energy Investment Corp Ltd. announced its intentions to invest $83.7 billion in shale gas development and chemical manufacturing in West Virginia over the next 20 years.

Some people ask, “Is shale ever coming back?”

Answer: It never left, only slowed down a little. And it’s gaining momentum again.

Drilling declined a couple of years ago, in part because Ohio lacked the pipelines to get gas to markets that

UTICA UPDATE

35

UTICA UPDATE

CANTON INC

CantonIncMagazine.com

Paul Boulier of Team NEO discussing tri-state cooperation to develop downstream industries.

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generate hundreds of millions of dollars in local property taxes for schools and other units of government.

Drilling is considered the upstream part of the shale business. The pipelines are referred to as midstream. Then there’s downstream, a wide avenue of opportunity. Downstream relates to the use of the Utica Shale energy to create long-term economic opportunity in the region.

Downstream is the construction of electricity generation plants that will burn gas rather than coal. Several are under construction in Ohio. Downstream is the expansion of manufacturing because of the abundance of economical energy.

Downstream is the conversion of the Utica gases into materials that can be used to create other products. Examples: — Shell Chemicals’ decision to build a $5 billion ethane cracker in Beaver County, Pa., which will convert ethane, a Utica gas, to ethylene, a material that can be converted into plastics for tens of thousands of products.

— U.S. Methanol’s decision to build two and maybe as many as five plants in West Virginia that can convert natural gas to methanol, which can be used to create

products such as gasoline, antifreeze and, once again, plastics.

Downstream is the business that counties along the Ohio River in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are courting.

River transportation is important to the construction of petrochemical plants because the components that make up these plants are so enormous. Barge shipments are part of the mix that delivers finished products to industrial customers.

Utica Summit V, an annual downstream conference produced by the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, Shale Directories and The Canton Repository, gave its audience an update on developments in Utica downstream. It was held in October at Walsh University.

It’s no wonder that Chinese energy interests are wanting to invest in the tristate area near the Ohio River. The price of ethylene as a plastics feedstock is about 2.3 times more expensive in China as it is in the United States ($769 per ton compared with $321 per ton, at a recent point in time), according to research compiled

by TopLine Analytics of Philadelphia.

Furthermore, one half of all investments in U.S. manufacturing construction is in petrochemical plant construction.

The U.S. petrochemical industry was devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Much of that industry is located along the Gulf Coast. Flooding put petrochemical plants out of commission, which “crippled the foundation of U.S. plastics production,” according to Fortune magazine’s website in September. Speakers at Utica Summit speculated on whether other petrochemical producers would follow Shell’s lead by investing in the Ohio River Valley, a safer location when it comes to devastating weather.

As evidence of the August hurricane’s disruption, Andy Pierzynski of Little Tikes, the worldwide toy manufacturer

Tim Jameson of Ariel Corp. revealing the secret behind Ariel’s manufacturing quality and employee loyalty.

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UTICA UPDATE

38

CANTON INC

based in Hudson, Ohio, said the hurricane shut down his Houston-based raw materials supplier until December. Raw materials prices spiked 25 percent.

Pierzynski and Bart Stuchell of Sare Plastics in Alliance were interviewed on their manufacturing perspectives at Utica Summit V by Stan Glover of Zeiger Industries in Canton, a maker of machine tools for the plastics industry.

To encourage other ethane cracker investments, experts believe the region needs an ethane storage hub. Underground storage of ethane would ensure a constant supply of the gas. Paul Boulier, a vice president for business development with Team NEO, which is an affiliate of the JobsOhio economic development entity, told the Utica Summit audience about efforts

by Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to find desirable geological formations for ethane storage.

Meanwhile, David Hooker, president of Mountaineer NGL Storage, discussed his company’s plans to construct an underground ethane storage facility in a salt dome near Clarington, in Monroe County, Ohio. His investors work with Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and are prepared to spend as much as $150 million to develop the project. (NGL stands for natural gas liquid, a classification of gases that have more carbon atoms than methane and are found in abundance in the Utica Shale.)

Boulier told the audience that the Utica region is an ideal place for production of petrochemical materials from Utica gases because there are more than 17,400 petrochemical and downstream manufacturers within a 400-mile radius. He talked about the NGLs that are being piped out of the Ohio River region for processing elsewhere. Boulier would like to see the region capture those resources by being able to turn them into manufacturing products here.

That point was reinforced by James

Bryce Custer of NAI Spring Realty in Canton, a leading Utica Shale commercial real estate agent in Ohio and West Virginia.

Cooper of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers trade group.

He translates Utica energy into sustainable manufacturing jobs if a petrochemical hub can be developed in the region. But the clock is ticking.

“If we don’t get this done in the next 10 years, somebody else is going to do it.”

Bryce Custer of NAI Spring Realty in Canton told the audience about challenges that his Ohio River landowner clients are facing in attracting an industry that is used to the flat lands along the Gulf Coast, not the hills of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The private investments in Ohio shale energy have been massive, as Utica Summit V patrons learned during a presentation by Andrew Thomas, executive in residence at the Energy Policy Center at Cleveland State University. He and his research colleagues have created a well-researched compilation of upstream, midstream and downstream investment in Ohio from 2012 to 2016.

Considering the Shell ethane cracker is not in Ohio and the Rover and NEXUS pipelines were not completed in 2016, the Cleveland State survey still comes up with $54.8 billion in investment in Ohio during that fiveyear period.

The conference concluded with a good-news story about workforce.

Tim Jameson of Ariel Corp. in Mount Vernon, Ohio, represented the largest manufacturer of compressors used in the energy industry. The “secret sauce” behind Ariel’s highly qualified and loyal workforce is, “We never lay anyone off,” he said. Instead, in slow times, they invest in further training and development of their manufacturing team at facilities in Mount Vernon and in a machining laboratory that Stark State College has developed.

Utica Summit V was the 17th major oil and gas business seminar produced by the Canton Regional Chamber since 2012. The Chamber’s 2018 program is being developed and will be announced soon.

CantonIncMagazine.com

NEOMED CANTON INC

40

Health care and education at NEOMED

BY JOAN RENNER AND K.A. SPOONHOWER | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NEOMED

LEFT: NEOMED main entrance, TOP: Chris Vinyard, Ph.D., Anatomy Lab Instructor, MIDDLE: Dana Peterson, Ph.D., Anatomy Lab Instructor, BOTTOM: Jesse Young, Ph.D. Lab

CantonIncMagazine.com

CANTON INC NEOMED

41

NEOMED CANTON INC

I

CantonIncMagazine.com

n her first year of medical school, Renee Brumbaugh’s most memorable experience wasn’t in a lecture hall or a lab.

It was in the living room of a married couple in Alliance.

Brumbaugh was their “health coach,” a Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) student assigned to the couple through an Alliance Community Hospital program.

One patient had diabetes and was legally blind. His wife had dementia.

“It’s not just, ‘OK, you’re sick. I’m going to give you medicine,’ ” said Brumbaugh, who visited the couple every other week. How could the man know what medicine to take? How could the couple travel the short distance to the hospital?

Brumbaugh worked with nurses, social workers, family members, pharmacists and pharmacy students to find solutions to these problems.

“You get to see the inside of what the patient’s life is like,” she said.

This intense focus on partnerships, patient-centered care and serving the underserved permeates NEOMED’s entire program.

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PARTNERSHIP NEOMED was founded as the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) in 1973 to help address a shortage of primary care physicians in Ohio.

TOP: The Village at NEOMED, BOTTOM: Watanakunakorn Auditorium COM students with Professor Peter Leone

The school added a pharmacy program in 2007 and a graduate school in 2009.

The school originally was run by three universities: Kent State University, University of Akron and Youngstown State University.

Most medical schools partner with a primary teaching hospital. NEOMED, built on a farm in rural Rootstown, had to build partnerships to provide the necessary training for its students.

Today, a small army of medical professionals throughout Northeast Ohio serves

as NEOMED clinical faculty.

The medical school nurtures affiliations with more than 20 hospital partners throughout the area, including Stark County-based Mercy Medical Center, Aultman Hospital and Alliance Community Hospital.

NEOMED partners with dozens of area pharmacies, and its graduate students work with six health departments in four counties, including the Canton City and Stark County health departments.

“We like to say that partnership is in

CANTON INC NEOMED

TOP: Kammeron Brissett, Clementina Aiyudu and Sarah Richards in Watanakunakorn Auditorium, BOTTOM: REDIzone

our DNA,” said Rich Lewis, vice president for external affairs.

A GROWING FOOTPRINT Thanks to this DNA, the school has added 535,000 square feet of facilities in four years, more than doubling the campus size without a dime of state capital budget funds.

In 2014, the school opened the $84 million NEOMED Education and Wellness (NEW) Center, built in collaboration with Signet Enterprises and Integrated Wellness Partners.

The NEW Center offers students and area residents a Summa Health wellness center, a Ritzman pharmacy and the first primary care physician to practice in Rootstown in 100 years.

Additional business partnerships funded a 339-unit, $37 million, on-site student housing complex and the $45 million Research and Graduate Education Building.

The research building connects to The Timken Foundation of Canton Innovation Corridor, which houses the Research, Entrepreneurship, Discovery and Innovation Zone.

METHODS CHANGE, NOT MISSION The physician shortage that led to NEOMED’s founding has not abated.

An estimated 1.3 million Ohioans lack access to primary care, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Shortages are concentrated in rural or urban areas and affect the poor and minorities the most.

NEOMED has stayed focused on addressing this shortage, even though it has meant changing its methods.

“We shifted from being a medicine college run by three universities to being an independently run public medical college with three colleges of its own,” said Roderick Ingram, NEOMED public relations and marketing director.

It has partnered with other universities, including Cleveland State University and Hiram College.

The school no longer admits students after only two years of undergraduate work at partner universities.

NEOMED’s goal is to attract students from urban and rural environments who are likely to return home as physicians.

“Students at NEOMED are for and from Ohio,” said Ingram.

Brumbaugh, for example, is a first-generation college graduate so rooted in her community that she commutes to NEOMED from her home in Leavittsburg.

First-year medical student Stephen Grossi is another example. The Ohio State University graduate plans to return to his hometown of Waynesburg after earning military retirement with the Navy.

Both Grossi and Brumbaugh are part of the school’s Rural Medical Education (RMED) Pathway.

RMED students work with mentors in rural clinics and complete service projects focused on issues such as mental health and addiction medicine.

“My community has been a major factor in my life,” Grossi said. “Giving back to them is the end goal.”

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The REDIzone® is a medical technology incubator, created by a gift from the Timken Foundation of Canton, where fledgling medical technology companies work in university space, use university equipment and tap into the expertise of university research faculty.

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NEOMED CANTON INC

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TOP: Standardized patient, students and instructor at the Wasson Center, BOTTOM: Denise Inman, Ph.D. Lab

Service Scholarships.

Brumbaugh is one of the recipients.

She will receive tuition, plus an annual stipend of $15,000. For every year she receives the scholarship, she commits to work a year in a rural Mercy community hospital after her residency.

The David and Inez Myers Foundation Scholarship offers a similar opportunity for Cleveland State University graduates who agree to work in underserved urban communities in Northeast Ohio.

These are just two of the education for service scholarships that NEOMED offers through various partners. Scholarships in general have increased to 615 throughout the school’s comprehensive campaign, called “Shine On,” which started in July 2012 and will run through June 30, 2018.

Nearly 50 percent of NEOMED’s graduates chose careers in primary care.

To help, NEOMED’s regional partner Mercy Health System—operating in Cincinnati, Lima, Lorain, Springfield, Toledo and Youngstown, Ohio and Kentucky (mercy.com)—provides qualified students with Mercy Health Education for

THE NEOMED FACTOR AuBree LaForce enjoys much of what makes NEOMED stand apart. Like Brumbaugh, she is a recipient of the Mercy scholarship and is thriving in the RMED Pathway.

The Vermillion, Ohio, native is one of three students recently selected by the National Rural Health Association to

DOING THE MATH Commitment is one thing, but student debt is another.

NEOMED tuition averages $40,000 a year, including fees and books.

Debt can pressure even the most committed students to pursue careers in more lucrative subspecialties instead of rural primary care.

CANTON INC NEOMED

attend national policy hearings in Washington, D.C., this spring.

Although she is only in her first year at NEOMED, she participated in the Health Coach program while at the University of Mount Union.

“It was definitely the best experience I had when I was an undergrad,” LaForce said.

She recalled explaining a “no-sodium diet” to the patients she coached.

“They didn’t know sodium was salt,” she said.

For LaForce, the patient’s perspective is front and center.

“So much of health care is that relationship you build with them and the trust that you build with them,” she said.

Listening to LaForce radiate optimism as she talks about a future in pediatrics, listening to Brumbaugh speak about advocating for her elderly grandparents, listening to Grossi lament the closing of Waynesburg’s only grocery store, it’s hard not to wonder how NEOMED attracts such patient-focused students.

Does the school screen applicants for a special factor, or is it something students absorb from the school’s culture?

Ingram says it goes both ways.

NEOMED’s emphasis on education for service attracts students who are committed to returning to their underserved communities.

“That is who we are,” he said. “The students want that.”

This, then, is the goal, the point of NEOMED, of all the partnerships, programs and buildings: To export in each student the focus on the patient and the desire to serve the underserved.

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LEFT: Hans Thewissen, Ph.D. Anatomy Lab, ABOVE: Wasson Center Observation Booth, BOTTOM: MDL Classroom

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H3664_Winter_CI18 Accepted 120102017

CANTON INC

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

BY DAVID KAMINSKI

Each spring, the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards program recognizes privately held businesses that demonstrate growth, quality services and community involvement.

The Chamber is accepting nominations for the 2018 Business Excellence Awards through January 22, 2018. Keep deserving companies in mind and nominate at cantonchamber.org.

What constitutes a deserving company? That question is best answered by examples. Here are the 2017 Business Excellence Award winners.

The 415 Group is a certified public accounting and business consulting firm named for April 15, the annual federal tax filing deadline. The firm was established in 1981. Its significant growth has led it to three different locations, each larger than the previous, for its team that now numbers 60 people. In 2016 alone, it grew 25 percent. At the

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Leaders of the businesses that won 2017 Business Excellence Awards from the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce are: (front) Brad and Clay Cheyney of Bair’s Powersports; (second row) Sam Falletta of Incept and Brian Spring of Brookwood Management Co.; (third row) Dick Kiko Jr. of Kiko Co. and Dan Spring of Brookwood; (back) Frank Monaco of 415 Group, David Grabowski of Standard Plumbing & Heating and Bill Lemmon of Brookwood.

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BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

CANTON INC

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Denny Saunier (left) of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Robb Hankins of Arts in Stark present the Business for the Arts award to Sandy Rossetti on behalf of the associates at TimkenSteel. Mrs. Rossetti ran the Arts in Stark campaign at TimkenSteel in 2017.

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time of the award last spring, the firm served more than 1,500 area businesses and more than 2,000 individuals. Its services include business outsourcing for computer and network systems.

It supports more than 50 nonprofit organizations in the region but is most known for its support of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

Bair’s Powersports has its roots in Bair Tractor Sales, established in 1948. As areas within Stark County evolved from agricultural to suburban land, Bair moved into riding mowers and other lawn and garden equipment. Then it offered Polaris snowmobiles. Cloyse and Deloris Cheyney bought Bair Tractor Sales in 1976. Over time, the two lines of business split. Bair’s Lawn and Garden came into the hands of Cloyse and Deloris Cheyney’s daughter, Kim Trusell, and their son, Brad Cheyney, came to own Bair’s Powersports. Bair’s Powersports now operates out of a 21,000-square-foot facility, and Cloyce and Deloris’ grandson Clay Cheyney has become a co-owner. In addition to snowmobiles, it now sells and services Polaris ATVs and watercrafts, Victory and Indian motorcycles and Slingshot three-wheel roadsters.

Brookwood Management Co. is a full-service real estate management company owned by Bill Lemmon and Brian and Dan Spring. It manages residential apartments and senior living communities, commercial office, retail and industrial sites, and golf courses. Its affiliated divisions are Lemmon and Lemmon LLC, a development company, and NAI Spring Commercial Real Estate. Recent growth has centered around its Danbury Senior Living brand, which offers independent living facilities, assisted living and memory care. Its newest and largest facility is Sanctuary Grande in North Canton. Brookwood manages more than 1.5 million square feet of commercial property, 1,600 market-rate apartments and 1,000 senior living units across Ohio. Brookwood encourages and supports

Robert E. Roland, managing partner at Day Ketterer law firm, presents the firm’s $2,000 Business Excellence Award Scholarship to Stephen Kamph from Perry High School. Kamph won the firm’s annual essay contest. The theme in 2017 was “The Reciprocal Relationship Between Business and Government, and its Effect on the Development of the United States.”

its 800 employees as they contribute to the betterment of their community.

Incept is a business contact center that provides clients with frontline sales support. It makes calls, services incoming calls and provides email, social media, direct mail and other interactive services for companies such as Microsoft, Ford and American Express. It is a market leader for the nation’s health care system by being responsible for blood donor recruitment. The organizations it works for make up nearly 80 percent of the blood units transfused in the United States. It has added more than 100 jobs to the local economy in the last 10 years and now has a staff of 300. It has increased revenue by more than 85 percent in the last 10 years. Incept has been the highest rated company from Stark County in five of the last six years in the Workplace Dynamics and the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Top Workplaces awards program.

Kiko Co. is the largest auction company in Ohio. It also is a real estate and asset advisory company. It was founded in 1945

by Russell T. Kiko Sr. and his wife, Coletta. Though it began as a farm auction company that referred real estate listings to other companies, the Kikos’ eldest son, Richard, seized an opportunity for the family by becoming a licensed real estate broker and forming the Richard T. Kiko Agency. As the auction and

real estate business grew so did family involvement. By the 1980s, a third generation of Kikos began to play important roles in the business. Today, the company is owned by 24 first cousins and governed by a board of directors of both family and nonfamily members. Its staff now numbers more than 95. Its business, based on total sales, was $162 million in 2016, a 67 percent increase over five years. Its community outreach includes participation in many charity fundraising auctions.

Standard Plumbing & Heating dates back to 1912 when Herman Grabowsky started a small plumbing company in the basement of a downtown Canton hotel. Four years later, he moved to a building that still houses the company.

Herman’s son Robert succeeded him and, in the late 1970s, Robert’s son David became the third generation to head the company. Also since the late 1970s, Standard Plumbing & Heating gave birth to Sheet Metal Crafters Inc., a company that provides sheet metal installation for all of Standard’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning projects. As an example of the kind of work it does, Standard was a contractor involved in building Tom Benson Stadium at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Its contributions to community life include support of United Way and ArtsinStark.

In addition to these award winners, Stephen Kamph from Perry High School received the Business Excellence Award Scholarship by winning an essay contest sponsored annually by the Day Ketterer law firm. Also, TimkenSteel received the Business for the Arts award from the Chamber and ArtsinStark for its contributions to community arts programs and funding.

Randy Smith of Key Bank and John Tucker of the Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty law firm were chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the Business Excellence Awards committee.

If you know of a privately held business that deserves consideration for a 2018 Business Excellence Award from the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, nominate at cantonchamber.org through January 22, 2018.

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CANTON INC CONTACT INFO

AREA CONTACT INFO Mayor: Alan C. Andreani Alliance Area Chamber: www.AllianceOhioChamber.org Alliance Area Development Foundation: www.AllianceADF.com City of Alliance: www.CityofAlliance.com

CANAL FULTON

Mayor: Joe Schultz City of Canal Fulton: www.CityofCanalFulton-oh.gov Canal Fulton Chamber: www.CanalFultonChamber.org

CANTON

Mayor: Tom Bernabei City of Canton: www.CantonOhio.gov Canton Regional Chamber: www.CantonChamber.org

HARTVILLE

Mayor: Cynthia Billings Village of Hartville: www.HartvilleOh.com

JACKSON TWP.

Board of Trustees President: Todd J. Hawke Jackson Township: www.jacksontwp.com

LAKE TWP.

Board of Trustees President: John Arnold Lake Township: www.laketwpstarkco.com Lake Township Chamber: www.LakeChamber.com

LOUISVILLE

Mayor: Patricia Fallot City of Louisville: www.LouisvilleOhio.com Louisville Area Chamber: www. LouisvilleOHChamber.com

MINERVA

Mayor: James Waller Village of Minerva: www.ci.minerva.oh.us Minerva Chamber: www.MinervaChamber.org

NORTH CANTON

Mayor: David J. Held City of North Canton: www.NorthCantonOhio.gov North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce: www.NorthCantonChamber.org

PLAIN TWP.

Board of Trustees President: Scott Haws Plain Township: www.PlainTownship.com

MASSILLON

Mayor: Kathy Catazaro-Perry City of Massillon: www.MassillonOhio.com Massillon Area Chamber: www.MassillonohChamber.com Massillon Development Foundation: www.MassillonDevelopment.com

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ALLIANCE

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CONTACT INFO

CANTON INC

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS IN NORTHEAST OHIO Akron Art Museum Akron Zoo Cleveland Browns’ FirstEnergy Stadium Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Brecksville Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland Hale Farm and Village, Peninsula PlayhouseSquare, Cleveland Progressive Field (home to Cleveland Indians) Quicken Loans Arena (home to Cleveland Cavaliers) Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, Akron Trumpet in the Land, New Philadelphia University Circle museums, Cleveland Warther Museum, Dover

24 miles 25 miles 61 miles 41 miles 60 miles 34 miles 60 miles 60 miles 60 miles 60 miles 28 miles 30 miles 58 miles 23 miles

LOCAL COLLEGES AULTMAN COLLEGE OF NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES 2600 Sixth St. SW Canton, 44710 www.aultmancollege.edu Phone: 330-363-6347 Fax: 330-580-6654

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KENT STATE UNIVERSITY AT STARK 6000 Frank Ave. NW North Canton, 44720 www.stark.kent.edu Phone: 330-499-9600

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MALONE UNIVERSITY 2600 Cleveland Ave. NW Canton, 44709 www.malone.edu Phone: 800-521-1146

UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT UNION 1972 Clark Ave. Alliance, 44601 www.mountunion.edu Phone: 800-992-6682 NORTHEAST OHIO MEDICAL UNIVERSITY 4209 State Rt. 44 Rootstown, 44272 www.neomed.edu Phone: 800-686-2511 STARK STATE COLLEGE 6200 Frank Ave. NW North Canton, 44720 www.starkstate.edu Phone: 330-494-6170 WALSH UNIVERSITY 2020 E. Maple St. North Canton, 44720 www.walsh.edu Phone: 800-362-9846 | 330-490-7090

EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP STARK COUNTY Leadership Stark County, a department of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, engages and educates Stark County’s community leaders through a range of programs tailored to meet business and community needs. LSC works with community organizations to identify, prepare and position graduates for leadership within these organizations.The result is a core of motivated leaders with a lifelong commitment to community trusteeship. www.LeadershipStarkCounty.org, 330-456-7253.

STARK CTY. EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER The Stark County Educational Service Center is committed to meeting Stark County school district needs by providing quality educational support and services for more than 60,000 diverse, wide-ranging students in Stark County.

StarkCountyESC.org, 330-492-8136.

STARK EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP The Stark Education Partnership Inc. is a nonprofit education-reform support organization in Stark County, crossing the lines of 17 public school districts.

The partnership collaborates with educators, business and community and civic leaders to create and respond to opportunities that will add substantial and measurable value to education. www.EDPartner.org, 330-452-0829.

YSTARK! ystark!, a department of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, is Stark County’s dynamic young professional initiative. The organization works to attract, retain and engage young professionals, ultimately developing an involved and educated workforce for area businesses through programs, networking opportunities and educational engagement. ystark! program highlights include the Twenty under 40! awards and the Fellowship Program with local businesses. www.ystark.org, 330-4567253.

ADOPT–A–ROUTE 90 MINUTES A WEEK IS ALL IT TAKES FOR YOU TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OUR NUTRITIONALLY AT-RISK COMMUNITY MEMBERS. • MOST COMPANIES DRIVE ONCE A WEEK; SCHEDULES ARE FLEXIBLE • DELIVERIES BEGIN AT 11:00AM • ROUTE TRAINING IS PROVIDED • MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT IS AVAILABLE MEALS ON WHEELS OF STARK & WAYNE COUNTIES SERVES 1,500 MEALS A DAY. AND THE NEED FOR ITS SERVICES CONTINUES TO GROW. THE AGENCY IS IN URGENT NEED OF VOLUNTEERS TO HELP DELIVER MEALS. IF YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE IN A POSITION TO DONATE YOUR LUNCH BREAKS AND HELP DELIVER MEALS TO YOUR HOMEBOUND NEIGHBORS IN NEED, PLEASE CONTACT MEALS ON WHEELS AT:

330-832-7220, INFO@MOW-STARKWAYNE.ORG, OR WWW.MOW-STARKWAYNE.ORG.

CONTACT INFO

CANTON INC

CANTON/STARK COUNTY BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES CANTON REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization of nearly 1,900 businesses dedicated to the advancement of the economic, industrial, professional, cultural and civic welfare of Stark County. Since 1914, the Chamber has worked to advance business and develop community through partnerships, programs, services and events to achieve economic growth for Canton/Stark County. www.CantonChamber.org, 330-456-7253.

CANTON DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP The Canton Development Partnership, a department of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, is a coalition of area development organizations and city government that share an interest in downtown Canton’s continual improvement, revitalization, image and quality of life for its citizens.

Partner organizations include the Canton Regional Chamber, Downtown Canton Special Improvement District, Downtown Canton Land Bank, Canton Tomorrow Inc., and the city of Canton. www.DowntownCanton.com, 330-456-7253.

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CANTON/STARK COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS’ BUREAU

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Visit Canton, the Stark County Convention & Visitors’ Bureau, is here to assist you in your travels to our area. Whether you are organizing a tour group, a convention or sporting event,Visit Canton has professional staff members ready to assist in your planning. They service the community by attracting tourists, convention and meeting planners and sporting events to the Stark County area and operating the Visitor Information Center. www.VisitCanton.com, 800-552-6051.

CITY OF CANTON Canton is home to well-known national landmarks such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Wm. McKinley Presidential Library & Museum and national monument, and the National First Ladies’ Library and Research Center. Mayor Thomas Bernabei is aggressively pursuing new companies and businesses to the city. Canton has a wide variety of attributes that make the city a smart location for companies of all shapes, sizes and industries, and the city has programs that provide incentives for business location, relocation or expansion. www.CantonOhio.gov, 330-489-3283.

SHALEDIRECTORIES.COM ShaleDirectories.com is an online directory that connects oil and gas industry operators, their employees and families with local business.

ShaleDirectories.com provides a comprehensive list of local businesses that can serve the E&P companies and oil-field service companies in the Marcellus and Utica shale region. www.shaledirectories.com.

SHALEMART.COM Local source for Ohio shale and other related business directories. ShaleMart.com focuses on providing local resources for the shale and energy worker market. Users are the men and women employed in the shale job industry who need resources and are often new to the area. www.shalemart.com.

SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH NETWORK The Small Business Growth Network brings together the resources, organization, infrastructure and content to allow new and existing businesses and non-profit organizations to create, grow and sustain a vibrant community in the Stark, Carroll, Tuscarawas, Holmes and Harrison county region. www.CantonChamber.org, 330-595-4575.

STARK AREA REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY SARTA provides more than 2.4 million rides a year in Stark County through fixed route and Proline services. Its goal is to ensure that Stark County residents, including employees, students, seniors and disabled individuals, have access to a quality transportation system that is reliable and affordable. www.SARTAOnline.com, 330-47-SARTA.

THANKS TO OUR ADVANTAGE CANTON PARTNERS Thank you to all the members of Advantage Canton, a group of strategic investment partners that support the mission of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce of leading the region in business and community development through collaboration and innovation. Advantage Canton’s economic development program is an investment in creating a stronger local economy which is good for everyone in Stark County.

AultCare Aultman Dominion Energy Hilscher-Clarke Electric Huntington Kenan Advantage Group Key Bank MAGNET

Mercy Medical Center North East Ohio Medical University PNC Bank The Canton Repository Synchrony Financial The City of Canton The Timken Company

AEP Ohio Belden Brick Chase Bank Consumer National Bank Fifth Third Bank Home Savings Bank

Kent State University at Stark M. Conley Company Malone University Stark State College TimkenSteel

For information regarding Advantage Canton, contact Michael Gill,VP of Economic Development at 330-458-2090.

CONTACT INFO

CANTON INC

STARK COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS The Stark County Association of Realtors®, proudly serving the Realtors®, home-buyers and home sellers of Stark County, strives to enhance the ability and opportunity of its members to conduct their business successfully and ethically, and to promote the preservation of the right to own, use and transfer real property. www.StarkRealtors.com, 330-494-5630.

STARK COUNTY BUILDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION The Building Industry Association of Stark County is a nonprofit trade association affiliated with the Ohio Home Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders. Chartered in 1945, the BIA represents and promotes the interests and concerns of the building industry and the community. The organization provides Stark County consumers and businesses with a directory of member builders. www.BIAStark.com, 330-494-5700.

STARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Stark Community Foundation has been the community’s trusted partner in giving for nearly 650 individuals, families, businesses and communities that have created funds to impact the lives of others through the most effective philanthropy possible. Since 1963, the foundation has granted more than $136 million to nonprofit organizations. Stark Community Foundation ranks in the top 10 percent of community foundations in the United States today. www.StarkCF.org, 330-454-3426.

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STARK ENTREPRENEURSHIP ALLIANCE

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The Stark Entrepreneurship Alliance is a virtual network to assist startup, early-stage and small/medium-size companies in the Stark County area. Their goal is to be a single point of entry for companies seeking assistance in their formation, growth and sustained viability. www.starkentalliance.com, 330-543-7637.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT JOBSOHIO

JobsOhio is a private, nonprofit corporation designed to lead Ohio’s job-creation efforts by singularly focusing on attracting and retaining jobs, with an emphasis on strategic industry sectors.

JobsOhio is your ambassador. www.Jobs-Ohio.com, 614-224-6446.

MAGNET

MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, supports, educates and champions manufacturing, with the goal of transforming the region’s economy into a powerful, global player. The organization helps manufacturers adopt innovative techniques, and increase productivity and global access. www.magnetwork.org, 800-669-2267.

BUSINESS RESOURCE NETWORK

The Business Resource Network aggregates resources to bring Stark,Tuscarawas and surrounding county businesses specialized services, funding through grants and loans and staffing options any company can access and use to do business better. www.thebrn.net, 855-669-4726.

SCORE

SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. Canton.SCORE.org, 330-244-3280.

SBDC

The Small Business Development Center at Kent State University at Stark is a fully funded nonprofit organization devoted to helping small businesses grow and individuals start new small businesses through training programs and consultation sessions. www.CantonSBDC.org, 330-244-3290.

MINORITY BUSINESS

The Stark County Minority Business Association fosters development and growth of minority-owned businesses. www.TheABCDinc.com, 330-371-0048.

OHIOMEANSJOBS

OhioMeansJobs, formerly the Employment Source, is northeastern Ohio’s premier workforce development and training center, connecting job seekers with employers by providing numerous resources. www.ESwork.com, 330-433-9675.

REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR FUTURE

The Fund for Our Economic Future is a collaboration of philanthropic organizations and individuals that have united to strengthen the economic competitiveness of Northeast Ohio through grantmaking, research and civic engagement. www. FutureFundNEO.org, 216-456-9800.

JUMPSTART, INC.

Jumpstart provides intensive assistance and service to Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs, and selectively invests in the highest-potential companies. www.JumpstartInc.org, 216-363-3400.

TRADE CONSORTIUM

The Northeast Ohio Trade & Economic Consortium is a multicounty regional economic development partnership that works collaboratively in the region with the goal of attracting capital investment and jobs to Northeast Ohio through the administration of Foreign-Trade Zone 181. www.NEOTEC.org, 330-672-4080.

OHIO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AGENCY

Working with partners across business, state and local governments, academia, and the nonprofit sector, the Ohio Development Services Agency works to attract, create, grow and retain businesses through competitive incentives and targeted investments. www.Development.Ohio.gov, 800-848-1300.

TEAMNEO

TeamNEO serves companies and site consultants by acting as the single point of entry into the 16-county Cleveland Plus region, and then works with counties and communities to ensure seamless attraction into Northeast Ohio. www.ClevelandPlusBusiness.com, 216-363-5400.

CANTON INC CONTACT INFO

STARK COUNTY HUMAN RESOURCES ASSOCIATION

STARK COUNTY SAFETY COUNCIL

Whether you are new to the human resources field or have years of experience, Stark County Human Resources Association is a local star ting point for networking, information, professional development and continued suppor t of excellence in human resources. The organization, founded in 1944, is an affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management. Stark.SHRM.org, 330-451-8670.

The Canton Regional Chamber, with suppor t from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, administers Stark County Safety Council, the No. 1-ranked safety council in the state of Ohio. The safety council provides a forum for safety and health information, education and networking in Stark County, through leadership, innovation, facilitation, programs and suppor t. www.StarkCountySafetyCouncil.org, 330-4567253.

STARK COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY

STARK DEVELOPMENT BOARD

The Stark County Por t Authority helps to provide the Greater Stark County area with an economic development tool for new capital investment, job creation and retention. The organization helps create and preser ve jobs through a wide variety of financing, real estate and foreign trade zone programs. www.StarkCoOhio.com, 330-453-5900.

The Stark Development Board is a private, nonprofit corporation created to help local companies grow and expand. In addition, it actively seeks to attract new business investments to Stark County, one of the most economically viable areas in Nor theast Ohio, as well as to advocate for workforce development. www.StarkCoOhio.com, 330-453-5900.

STARK COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

Stark County Regional Planning Commission improves the quality of life in Stark County and its communities through an effective regional forum characterized by communication, collaboration, facilitation and planning assistance. The organization includes metropolitan planning, community development and engineering depar tments. www.Co.Stark.OH.us, 330-451-7389.

TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATOR ALLIANCE

Housed on the campus of the University of Mount Union,TA2 looks to incubate companies to that of successful enterprises while connecting students to the real-world environment of star tup, early-stage and successful business operations. TA2 accommodates physical and vir tual companies along the star tup and early-stage business development process. www.techalliance2.com, 330-829-6804.

CantonIncMagazine.com

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CANTON INC

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BALASH PIPELINE Pipeline construction near the intersection of Sherman Church Avenue and Riverdale Street on the border of Bethlehem and Pike townships in June 2017.