SPRING 2022
INTEL’S OHIO CHIP FACTORIES PRESENT STATEWIDE OPPORTUNITIES HUDSON CONTINUES ITS EXCITING DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT PLAN AKRON ART MUSEUM USES TECHNOLOGY TO ENGAGE ITS COMMUNITY
Securing
SUCCESS Security and technology systems manufacturer Diebold Nixdorf’s 160-year journey continues with a new CEO and corporate headquarters.
AKRON-CANTON METROPLEX
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US POSTAGE
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Akron-Canton Metroplex 388 S Main Street, Suite 720 Akron, OH 44311
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Contents
Spring 2022
Photo courtesy DIEBOLD NIXDORF
Columns 4 EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
Intel’s planned chip factories lift state and Metroplex as potential tech hub.
Sectors 28 NONPROFITS
The Summit and Stark County library systems bring digital access to the forefront.
30 HIGHER EDUCATION
Today’s students are learning how to use technology and social media to tell stories within the Akron-Canton Metroplex and beyond.
32 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
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For over 50 years, the North Canton-based company has kept pace with technology and today offers singlesource business solutions.
34 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT The city of Hudson looks to complete Phase Two of its downtown development plan.
Securing Success
Security and technology systems manufacturer Diebold Nixdorf’s 160-year journey continues with a new CEO and corporate headquarters.
38 HEALTH CARE
Akron Children’s Hospital is a part of a growing trend of hospitals expanding their telehealth services.
Features
10
Art Experiences for the Modern World
The Akron Art Museum’s digital strategy welcomes visitors to experience art in new ways.
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Intel’s Ohio chip factories place state in national spotlight
Intel’s new chip factories in Columbus could attract additional economic development throughout the state.
40 ECONOMIC INDICATORS
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EarthQuaker Devices combines music and technology for global success
A quick, graphical look at the home values within the Akron-Canton Metroplex.
Despite international renown, the guitar effects pedal business is dedicated to its hometown of Akron.
Cover photo courtesy DIEBOLD NIXDORF SPRING 2022 \\
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EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
A rising chip factory to lift all boats
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Chamber, businesses that want to open close to the Intel factories will be looking at potential development sites in Akron and Canton thanks to the ease of commuting within the state. Millard adds that the driving distance from Greater Akron to the new Intel plant site is around a two-hour drive – a distance that compares favorably with the traffic standards in other major metro areas, including New York and Chicago. Within the Akron-Canton Metroplex, technology companies large and small have long known of the benefits that come with operating within the state. From Akron’s EarthQuaker Devices, a small business that hand-builds some of the world’s best guitar effects pedals (read more on p. 22), to Diebold Nixdorf, a multinational financial and retail company that recently moved its headquarters to Hudson, Ohio (read more on p. 4), this issue of the magazine explores how the area businesses, hospitals, universities, libraries, and even art museums continue to evolve along with advances in technology. Gelsinger’s vision of Intel’s new Ohio chip factories creating “a new epicenter for advanced chipmaking in the U.S.” is an exciting one and conjures visions of northern California’s Silicon Valley – an area home to some of the world’s biggest and most influential technology companies including Apple, Google, and Meta (formerly Facebook). Only time will tell if the Akron-Canton Metroplex will one day become part of a similarly prosperous hub for technology and manufacturing. However, Intel’s announcement is certainly a step in the right direction and has the potential to create significant opportunities for years to come. Aaron Bennett is a freelance writer based in Cuyahoga Falls.
Photo courtesy AARON BENNETT
On January 21st, Intel made national headlines by announcing plans to invest more than $20 billion to construct two cutting-edge computer chip factories in Licking County, near Columbus. As the largest single private-sector investment in the state’s history, the sheer scale of Intel’s plans is incredible, but perhaps even more impactful is what this deal could mean for further technology-related growth and economic investment throughout the entire state. “Intel is bringing leading capability and capacity back to the United States to strengthen the global semiconductor industry,” said Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, in a press release published by the company. “These factories will create a new epicenter for advanced chipmaking in the U.S. that will bolster Intel’s domestic lab-to-[fabrication] pipeline and strengthen Ohio’s leadership in research and high tech.” To many, Intel’s selection of Ohio as its first new manufacturing site location in 40 years was surprising. Unlike states like California, Texas, Massachusetts, Arizona, Minnesota and Oregon – all of which contain major semiconductor manufacturing hubs – Ohio’s last chip plant closed in the early 2000s. However, as Keely Croxton, a professor of logistics at Ohio State University, explains, Greater Columbus is within a day’s drive of 46% of all U.S. manufacturing facilities and in close proximity to auto-making facilities within the state as well as in Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana. Croxton adds that when a major company like Intel selects a place like Ohio to heavily invest in, it signals to other technology companies that the state is a smart investment. (Read more on p. 16.) According to Steve Millard, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Akron
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REMOTE • OFFICE • COWORKING
YOUR BUSINESS THRIVES
DOWNTOWN Top 10 U.S. Metro Area
388 S. Main St., Suite 720, Akron, Ohio 44311
EDITORIAL EDITOR Aaron Bennett CONTRIBUTORS Aaron Bennett, Abbey Bashor, Patricia Faulhaber, Mark Ferenchik, Amanda Garrett, Karen Hanna, Ryan Lind, Jim Mackinnon, Jessica Sees, William R. Soldan
El Pat rón Teq
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*
Startup • Relocate • Expand
No rth Hig
COPY EDITING Becky Meziere ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR Eugene Jackson 330-705-9228 dschuring@cantonrep.com DESIGN & PRODUCTION PRODUCTION/DESIGN DIRECTOR Craig Rusnak ART DIRECTOR Yogesh Chaudhary
h St. Pa rkl
• • • • •
et
OH SNAP
Photo La
$1.2B in public and private investment 600,000 square feet of retail space 3 million square feet of office space Convenient public transit Beautiful urban living environment
b
CALL DOWNTOWN AKRON PARTNERSHIP Site Selection • Business Services info@downtownakron.com 330-374-7676 Nor th si
de Ce lla
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103 S. High St., 4th Floor | Akron, OH 44308 | downtownakron.com *ranking by total development projects, population 200K - 1M, Site Selection Magazine, March 2021 photos: Denzel D. Washington, Shane Wynn, DAP Staff
Akron-Canton Metroplex is made possible with support from:
The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network
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BUILDING The Schipper Ltd. / AES Building Where Group, Akron’s leading companies thrive
Photo courtesy AARON BENNETT
To provide feedback or share a story idea, please contact us at metroplex@gannett.com
VOLUME 2 / NUMBER 1 Akron-Canton Metroplex is published quarterly by LocaliQ, Gannett Northern Ohio. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted © Gannett Co., Inc. 2022. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials.
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Securing S BY PATRICIA FAULHABER
iebold Nixdorf is celebrating 163 years of meeting the needs of businesses and consumers around the world. Its long story of success began when the founder, Charles Diebold, started making bank safes and vaults in Cincinnati. Today, Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) is a world leader in enabling connected commerce. It automates, digitizes and transforms the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world’s top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, the company’s integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of consumers each day. The company has a presence in more than 100 countries with approximately 22,000 employees worldwide. Diebold Nixdorf continually makes news with its strategic business models and its vision for the future. Two recent announcements include having new leadership at the top with the appointment of Octavio Marquez as the company’s president and chief executive officer effective March 11, 2022. Marquez will also join Diebold Nixdorf’s board of directors. Current CEO Gerrard Schmid will remain a board member until his current term expires at the 2022 Annual Shareholder Meeting and will serve as an advisor 4 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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g Success
Photo courtesy DIEBOLD NIXDORF
Security and technology systems manufacturer Diebold Nixdorf’s 160-year journey continues with a new CEO and corporate headquarters.
Diebold Nixdorf’s new headquarters is approximately 70,000 square feet and can house 300 people.
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File/RAY STEWART/The Akron Beacon Journal/The Canton Repository In October of 2019, Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine met with workers at Diebold Nixdorf’s plant at the Hoover District in North Canton.
to the company to help ensure a seamless transition. Another growth-related announcement is the company has moved its headquarters from the city of Green to Hudson, OH. While the company is in the process of finishing renovations to the building, teams of employees have been working at the new location since late October.
Ongoing History of Innovation and Continued Growth Throughout the company’s long history, security remains a vital part of its DNA, and is a leading manufacturer of automated telling machines, bankingindustry services and software, pointof-sale technology, industry services and software, drive-through banking equipment, safes and vaults. Founded as The Diebold Bahmann Safe Company in 1859, it was reported that the 878 safes and vaults that survived the Great Chicago, Illinois 6 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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Fire of Oct. 8, 1871, were made by the Diebold company, as reported by Ohio History Central. The company would see continued growth and opened a manufacturing company in Canton in 1872 to address the increase in business. As the company’s reputation grew, so did the company and it would eventually move its manufacturing and headquarters to Canton. The company would become a part of the city of Green when its headquarters moved to a new building close to the AkronCanton Airport. According to the New York Times, in 2015, Diebold Incorporated acquired a German informational technology company named Wincor Nixdorf for $1.8 billion as a cash and share deal. Following the acquisition, the new company became Diebold Nixdorf. “Over a century and a half later, Diebold Nixdorf has become a wellknown and respected provider of services, software, hardware and, as always, security,” says Mike Jacobsen, senior director of corporate communications.
As a driving force in connected commerce for banking and retail, its clients are located throughout the Akron-Canton Metroplex and around the world. With approximately $3.3 billion in annual revenue, Diebold Nixdorf’s success comes from several business operations. It is the global leader in market share of ARMs deployed around the world at 31% and serves the majority of the top 100 global financial institution Additionally, the company employs around 7,300 service technicians and is consistently ranked in the Top 10 list in technology from the International Data Corporation (IDC), a respected global intelligence firm.
Meet the New CEO Marquez joined Diebold in January 2014 and has held multiple leadership roles during his time at the company. With responsibility for delivering 70% of the company’s revenues leading the company’s Global Banking teams, he worked directly with customers to
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Diebold Nixdorf’s move to Hudson gives the company additional flexibility when it comes to recruiting potential employees by placing it in closer proximity to Cleveland.
The inside of Diebold Nixdorf’s new headquarters is modern and filled with natural light. Photos courtesy DIEBOLD NIXDORF
“Octavio is a superb customer-oriented leader and has been integral in driving Diebold Nixdorf’s strategic, operational and financial progress. He is uniquely positioned to lead an exciting path ahead for Diebold Nixdorf.” GARY GREENFIELD, Non-executive chair of the board, Diebold Nixdorf automate, digitize and transform the way people bank. Driving the company’s banking strategy globally, his leadership spans sales and solutions distribution, including Professional and Managed Services. Before joining the company, Marquez served as managing director for the Mexico operations for EMC, a global leader in IT management and cloud computing, and held several leadership roles at Hewlett Packard, including president of HP Mexico. “Diebold Nixdorf has made significant strategic and operational progress during Gerrard’s tenure as CEO,” says Gary Greenfield, Diebold Nixdorf’s non-executive chair of the board. “Under his leadership, the company has grown profitability, gained market share through launching market-leading products, strengthened our leadership bench, entered new markets and successfully executed on a broad-based cost and efficiency program. I want to thank Gerrard for his leadership and contributions to the company,” says Greenfield.
Greenfield added that Diebold Nixdorf has a strong leadership team, and the board has identified a leader that will help the company continue its trajectory as a world leader in enabling connected commerce. “Octavio is a superb customer-oriented leader and has been integral in driving Diebold Nixdorf’s strategic, operational and financial progress. He is uniquely positioned to lead an exciting path ahead for Diebold Nixdorf,” Greenfield says. Marquez has served as the executive vice president, Global Banking, at Diebold Nixdorf and led the organization’s banking operations in the Americas, after heading the Latin American region for Diebold, Inc. Marquez’s leadership successfully repositioned the business, most notably in Brazil and Mexico for growth and the economic environment. Before joining Diebold Nixdorf, Marquez served as managing director for the Mexico operations for EMC, a global leader in IT management and cloud computing. In this role, he
developed transformational strategies that exceeded revenue and profitability goals while improving customer satisfaction. Marquez also held several leadership roles at Hewlett-Packard in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, sales and outsourcing. As president of HP Mexico, he transformed the company into the largest IT company in the market and in 2011 Frost & Sullivan named him CEO of the Year in Mexico for the IT and telecommunications industry. He has also held several leadership positions with IBM and NCR. Marquez holds a bachelor’s degree in business and finance from the Universidad Iberoamericana, in Mexico City and has a certificate on Corporate Strategy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has completed the Business Bridge Program at Dartmouth College. “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Diebold Nixdorf as we see a growing need for automation and self-service in our retail and banking markets, says Marquez. “I look SPRING 2022 \\
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Souce: Diebold Nixdorf
Diebold Nixdorf by the Numbers forward to working with our talented team to continue innovation, driving profitable growth in areas like Retail, Electric Vehicle Services, Payments and Managed Services, while optimizing performance in our core business through a disciplined focus on cost management. I look forward to creating opportunities for our employees and generating value for our customers and shareholders.”
The New Diebold Nixdorf Headquarters Lisa Radigan is the senior vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer at Diebold Nixdorf. She says the new headquarters is almost complete. “Teams have been working at our new headquarters in Hudson since late 8 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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October,” Radigan says. “Given the nature of the pandemic, we have been deliberate with our return-to-office approach – particularly with our fulltime, in-office ‘anchored’ employee base. The facility is nearly complete, as we are putting the finishing touches on our Customer Experience Center that we expect will be complete in the Spring.” The address of the new facility is 50 Executive Parkway, Hudson, which is located in the Weldon Case Executive business park on Boston Mills Road. The new headquarters is approximately 70,000 square feet and can house 300 people. “Our goal with the new headquarters was to modernize our in-office approach, providing greater flexibility in how we work … where we work …
and how we interact with one another,” Radigan says. “We tried to create flexible, agile work environments more conducive to our new approach of working – maximizing space while unifying spaces to allow for teams to easily work together.” The newly renovated open work environment in Hudson features an inviting two-story entryway, spacious conference rooms and workstations, and several amenities, including a fitness center and an on-site café offering Starbucks and healthy grab-and-go food choices. All of which have been designed to create comfortable and collaborative workspaces that fit the company’s mix of anchored, flexible, and remote workstyles while still maintaining health & safety protocols on-site.
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also owns the company’s facility in North Canton in the Hoover District. The employees who were based in the former headquarters are now either based in Hudson or will be based in the expanded facility in North Canton later in 2022. “The North Canton facility currently houses the North America manufacturing operation,” says senior vice president, hardware development Chris Row. “Later this year, the expanded site will also house the R&D, engineering, logistics and supply chain teams under the same roof as manufacturing in the North Canton facility; this will help leverage their full expertise. We are planning to move into the expanded space by the fourth quarter of 2022.”
Well Positioned for Future Growth
Marquez became the new president and CEO of Diebold Nixdorf.
The move to Hudson is considered an important component of the company’s comprehensive transformation strategy and represents a big part of its real estate rationalization efforts over the past three years. Radigan says: “The new, refurbished facility in Hudson is a good fit as we modernize our footprint to accommodate our increasingly mobile workforce. Consolidating and modernizing our office environment will also help promote operational simplicity and allow our teams to focus on customer centricity. Hudson is a tremendous community, and the facility itself was attractive to us given our real estate needs and the evolving
makeup of our workforce with more remote and flexible employees. Hudson also puts us in closer proximity to Cleveland – which is important for added flexibility for air travel choices between CLE and CAK for employees and visiting customers, as well as recruiting potential employees from a larger talent pool.” While the facility can house up to 300, Diebold Nixdorf plans to have approximately 850 employees “addressed” at the Hudson headquarters. That number represents a mix of anchored, flexible and remote workers. The Diebold Nixdorf building in Green has been sold to Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP), which
Diebold Nixdorf owns over 3,000 U.S. patents with direct operations in nearly 50 countries, with a presence in more than 100 countries and employs 22,000 people globally, with close to 1,200 in Northeast Ohio working in various disciplines. The company’s most recent shareholder letter states that Diebold Nixdorf is “well-positioned to capitalize on the strong demand for our products and solutions as customers continue to desire our market-leading devices, services and software and the market moves toward increased self-service automation driven by consumers.” The company is expanding its banking relationships, meeting the strong demand for its retail self-checkout (SC) products and services; changing the software business from highly customized on-premises software model to cloud-native software; expanding managed services; and meeting the strong momentum of growth in Europe with the services for Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations. With a new incoming CEO and a new headquarters, Diebold Nixdorf is well prepared for continued growth and remains an essential business in the Akron-Canton Metroplex. Patricia Faulhaber is a freelance writer based in Canton. SPRING 2022 \\
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ART EXPERIENCES FOR THE MODERN WORLD
The Akron Art Museum’s digital strategy welcomes visitors to experience art in new ways.
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Photo courtesy THE AKRON ART MUSEUM
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Photo courtesy THE AKRON ART MUSEUM
The Akron Art Museum holds events year-round that bring the local community together.
I
BY ABBEY BASHOR
n a society that has accelerated its use of digital platforms, it’s not surprising that educational and cultural institutions are looking to do the same and how visitors interact with art museums has become more innovative than ever. At the Akron Art Museum (AAM), digital strategy is a critical component that guides how visitors are reached. Seema Rao, Deputy Director and Chief Experience Officer at AAM, has taken charge of implementing this strategy for the past two years. “My focus is
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really thinking about the experience of the visitor, whether they’re on-site or remote,” she says. With a professional background in art history and museum digital content, Rao helped finalize the Museum’s online strategy with her team in February of 2020. One of those early changes involved a rollover of the website, which entailed a complete conversion from a Black Box System to WordPress. Rao explains that this allowed the museum to make cost-effective improvements on its own timeline. “We decided that we wanted our
digital to be engaging, informative and surprising,” she says. “Those were our three big words and our strategy meant that we had to put ourselves in places to do those things with the [right] infrastructure.” The upgraded website has several new features. Pages like an “AAM at Home” link to stories written about various art pieces and video embeds that feature everything from gallery explorations to instructional videos. The museum’s YouTube page in particular features On Process video talks from regional artists, as well as a host
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of other playlists that are now accessible to website visitors. AAM’s online database is also undergoing an upgrade, with about 70% of its collection having been specially photographed and digitized thus far. With more than 7,000 objects reflecting modern and contemporary art since 1850, the process is being completed as quickly as possible while maintaining the integrity of each piece. Digitizing the collection requires specialized photographic work, all while the collection continues to grow in number. Rao explains that while completion of this effort will always be a moving target, it’s also a necessary one. “It was a major initiative of mine that people should have universal access to our collection, even if they’re not physically on-site,” says Rao.
Social Media Expands Art Appreciation When it comes to the social media side of AAM’s digital strategy, Rao explains that differentiation on each platform is key. While the museum’s Facebook page is used to keep local audiences informed and encourage them to visit in person, its Instagram account is aimed at providing a snapshot of the collection to a more national audience of museumgoers. AAM’s real social media centerpiece, however, is its budding TikTok account. With more than 7,000 followers and half a million likes, ‘@akronartmuseum’ on TikTok meets online users where they are when it comes to the latest app phenomenon. Most of AAM’s TikTok videos feature Rao answering questions about museums, describing different techniques used by artists and discussing various gallery pieces. This is all done with an easy, conversational and often humorous tone that welcomes the viewer to learn more. Rao explains that although the videos might appear informal and based on the latest trends, their execution has a great deal of strategy behind them. The goal, she says, is to expand art appreciation and when possible, connect it to the collection at AAM.
“TikTok is predicated on this culture of being informal and surprising,” Rao says. “So for art museums, the challenge is that [this] is exactly the opposite of artwork.” In the nine months of planning its strategy, AAM staff arrived at the conclusion that in order to succeed digitally, the Museum needed to understand how it could best serve its audience. “We had to see ourselves as being in a positive situation in Akron in that we aren’t necessarily a community that has a lot of art museums and people aren’t necessarily aware of what’s happening at museums,” explains Rao. “We had to take that as an opportunity. Instead of trying to compare ourselves [to other institutions], we needed to think of ourselves as giving people what they want through art appreciation.” Being able to both encourage people to visit in-person and to engage in art online is important for AAM, and having a variety of platforms to accomplish this is especially valuable. “Now that we are looking at a hybrid world, we’re excited for the things that digital will give us onsite, and we’ve been really excited about
what digital has given us offsite.”
Collaborating with the Local Community Katelyn Evans, community engagement specialist at AAM, oversees onsite programming and supports off-site offerings like the Akron Art Library and Art Mail projects. During the height of the pandemic, she was involved with a virtual program called “Cocktails with the Collection,” which paired drinks with artwork from AAM’s collection and concluded with a specialty demonstration for participants. Now, she says, the program will translate to an inperson event with Baxter’s Speakeasy, a local Akron bar, designing a cocktail based on an exhibition. Evans continually finds ways to tie the community’s needs and interests with unique experiences that the Museum can offer. From coordinating the Midwinter Tunes program, which brings in local musicians to perform at AAM’s galleries, to interviewing artists for the Relief podcast, Evans
As part of the museum’s digital strategy to reach visitors, it runs a TikTok account with an impressive amount of engagement.
Photo courtesy THE AKRON ART MUSEUM
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Photo courtesy THE AKRON ART MUSEUM
When it comes to providing educational content online, Rao says the decision to use YouTube specifically was intentional. “We chose YouTube because we felt like it was the lowest common denominator,” she explains. “At a time when educators and learners were kind of overwhelmed, we felt like it was a good boon to make it as easy as possible [for them].” This approach to providing easily accessed educational content speaks to the kind of asynchronous learning that allows for flexibility no matter time or place. Rao points to this as being beneficial for anyone teaching remotely or for art teachers, who might be limited in the amount of time they spend with students each year. “We’re now able to be part of people’s curriculums in a way that K-12 educators can have these resources as they need them,” she says.
The Akron Art Museum holds events year-round that bring the local community together.
knows that meaningful art programming happens when the larger community is involved. “It’s important to feel like you’re genuinely a part of a process [or] project to have a strengthened relationship and support to the arts,” she says. “Having the arts reflect its community is a sustainable practice.”
Accessible Art Education Accessibility and educational outreach continue to be priorities for the Museum as its digital strategy takes shape. AAM’s Relief podcast is one such resource for curious art learners. Back for its second season, Relief is a weekly show that features artist interviews and conversations among Museum staff. Each episode discusses a different topic, such as “Nostalgia” or “Joy” or “Process.” Listeners get to know some of the people behind-the-scenes at AAM, while also being introduced to regional artists and their work. Rao describes the podcast as a “labor of love” that involves working on a longer, rather than immediate, timeline. A 14 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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handful of staff members work on the show on a consistent basis, helping to choose topics, schedule interviews, record and edit. “We put a lot of thought into the questions we ask artists,” says Rao. “We want it to look like a casual conversation.” With a small, but loyal audience, the show is meant to be an opportunity for finding reflection and comfort in art talk. “We purposefully try to be engaging, like buddies who are just talking about art,” says Rao. “It’s supposed to sound almost like you’re sitting in a coffee klatch or a book club with your friends” In terms of more traditional education, virtual and in-person tours are offered for schools to participate in each Tuesday. There are a number of lesson plans and pre-recorded videos available on the website for educators to supplement classroom learning. One especially exciting program is funded by GAR Foundation’s Essential Experiences initiative, in which every Akron Public Schools fourth-grade student is able to visit AAM during a field trip. “We’re no longer bound by the distance of a bus,” says Rao.
Centennial Celebration This year, the Museum celebrates its centennial anniversary as an art institution. Like the City of Akron, it has evolved alongside the region it exists within. Rao reflected on this idea while working on the Museum’s upcoming centennial programming. “I was looking back at some things about Akron in the 20s. I thought about how this was a booming city, one of the fastest-growing cities in America. And at that moment, they thought, you know what we need? Art.” For Rao, understanding Akron’s commitment to establishing a place for art then reflects a similar desire to sustain places of art history in the city today. “The growth and wellness of a city is, in part, about having places where you can rejuvenate your thoughts, be with your community, make meaning and be surprised,” she says. “I think that the Akron Art Museum has always been a place for [people] to convene and think and connect. And I’m excited for the next 100 years of that.” Abbey Bashor is a freelance writer based in Akron.
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Intel’s Ohio chip factories place state in national spotlight Intel’s new chip factories in Columbus could attract additional economic development throughout the state. BY MARK FERENCHIK, AMANDA GARRETT and JIM MACKINNON (Columbus Dispatch Reporters Mark Williams and Jim Weiker contributed to this article.)
INTEL’S TWO MASSIVE computer chip factories are a major win in Ohio’s push to resurrect its status as a national and global manufacturing center. “It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Ohio,” says Ryan Augsburger, president of The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. The factories — where average yearly wages are expected to hover around $135,000 — clearly are a boon to Licking County in suburban Columbus. But it also could be a springboard for manufacturing growth in Northeast Ohio and other areas of the state, says Ethan Karp, president and CEO of the 16 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, or MAGNET, that serves Akron and Northeast Ohio. “To the outside world, Intel is coming to Ohio, not Columbus,” he says. “So they’ll be saying if Intel is building there, maybe we should be considering it, too, because Ohio is doing something right.” Karp says the the high-profile mega project could have far-reaching echoes, including: • State lawmakers rethinking support and policies for manufacturers, including training, with a concentration of manufacturing jobs.
• Ohio, still the third-largest manufacturer in the U.S., might shake off its unfair stigma as a Rust Belt for manufacturing and earn a new reputation as a pioneer in high-tech production. • New generations of Ohioans, whose parents and grandparents were shattered by the loss of plant closures, might once again see manufacturing as a solid career choice. “This is high profile, and people will see you can make an absolute boatload of money doing this job,” Karp says. “It will start changing how people think. It’s like the antidote to Lordstown (GM plant) leaving.”
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Workers assemble a travel trailer Nov. 15, 2019, at Airstream’s Jackson Center, Ohio, factory, its largest expansion in its history.
File/FRED SQUILLANTE/Columbus Dispatch
What makes Central Ohio a good location for the Intel plant? In many ways, Intel’s selection of the Licking County site highlights the state’s strengths during a pandemic that’s revealed supply chain weaknesses that have troubled everything from automakers to grocery store chains. Greater Columbus is within a day’s drive of 46% of U.S. manufacturing, says Keely Croxton, a professor of logistics at Ohio State University. And that makes sense for a plant that makes semiconductors since there are automaking facilities in Ohio, Michigan,
Kentucky and Indiana. “A chip is a small component into what makes a car, but it’s the one everybody is talking about,” Croxton says. “I think there are lots of logical reasons why Central Ohio, the state of Ohio, is a good location.” When a large company selects a place such as Ohio, it gets people thinking of Ohio as a manufacturing hub, she says. They’re not just thinking about Silicon Valley, she says, but also Ohio as a place for technology companies to invest. “This is about reshoring an entire industry that we almost lost that sup-
ports everything we make in this state, from washers and dryers to cars,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted says. And recent events during the pandemic have highlighted issues existing in our supply chain, especially when production is coming from overseas, Croxton says. “Particularly with semiconductors, it’s a national security issue.” Croxton says. “The pandemic has delivered the largest opportunity for American manufacturers in the last half-century by spotlighting our country’s overreliance on foreign goods. Strategic investments in targeted sectors — including
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Farms, small forests, and rural homes dot the 3,100 acres of Licking County’s Jersey Township that is likely to be annexed into the city of New Albany.
Photo DORAL CHENOWETH/Columbus Dispatch
“This is about reshoring an entire industry that we almost lost that supports everything we make in this state, from washers and dryers to cars.” - Lt. Gov. Jon Husted the semiconductor industry — are a matter of national security,” Augsburger says. “While investment in facilities is critical, an equal emphasis must be placed on workforce skills and available labor. Fortunately, Ohio has a 18 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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head start in this area, as well—including a statewide network of industry sector partnerships and state support for industry-recognized credentials.” Edward “Ned” Hill, an economics professor at Ohio State University, says Intel’s decision shows the com-
pany believes that Central Ohio can attract the technical talent it is after. “The schools in all of Ohio can produce the talent they need on an ongoing basis,” he says. In Northeast Ohio, Karp says, MAGNET is stitching together a plan to make
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Other highprofile manufacturing projects in Ohio Intel is not alone with its interest in Ohio. “Ohio has been and is going to continue to be a manufacturing state,” Augsburger says. Other recent high-profile manufacturing projects in Ohio include: l Exercise equipment maker Peloton says it will create 2,174 jobs as part of a $400 million facility in Wood County south of Toledo to make bikes and treadmills starting in 2023. l Steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs invested $1 billion into its hotbriquetted iron facility in Toledo. That was completed in 2020. l Cleveland-based paint maker Sherwin Williams is building a 36-story headquarters tower on that city’s Public Square. l Biotech company Amgen broke ground in late 2021 on a $365 million pharmaceutical packaging facility near Intel’s site in New Albany. It will employ 400. Northeast Ohio the No. 1 place in the U.S for manufacturing education. “We are trying to make sure we have pipelines of people into manufacturing that is unparalleled,” he says. Despite decades of plant closings and jobs losses that have hurt Ohio communities large and small, manufacturing remains a vital part of the state’s economy. In fact, the value of the state’s manufacturing output has never been higher, says Jamie Karl, managing director of communications services for the Manufacturers’ Association. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Ohio manufac-
turing’s gross domestic product was more than $118.3 billion (annualized) in the third quarter of 2021, a record high, up from $116.9 billion in the second quarter and $112.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019, before the start of the pandemic. Karl says 670,000 workers are employed in manufacturing in Ohio now. That’s 30,000 fewer than before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020. “You’d think it reflects poorly on industry,” Karl says. But that’s not the case, he says. “The job postings are out there. The applicants are not,” he says.
l American Nitrile is spending more than $100 million to convert a Grove City warehouse into a facility to make latex-free gloves for health care and other workers. l SK Food Group announced in November that it plans a second Columbus-area food plant on the Far West Side that will employ more than 300 workers. l The Jackson Center travel trailer maker Airstream, recently opened its largest expansion in its history.
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Those numbers are still far below from what they used to be decades ago. Ohio’s manufacturing employment peaked in 1969, at 1.48 million. Greater Columbus’ manufacturing employment was 120,660 in 1973, Hill says. By 2020, the number had fallen to 73,908. Zach Schiller, research director at the left-leaning Policy Matters Ohio, says that while Ohio ranks third in manufacturing employment in the U.S., behind only California and Texas, it still hasn’t even regained the jobs it lost during the pandemic, let alone the tens of thousands lost before that.
We had a million manufacturing jobs 20 years ago,” Schiller says. Having a strong manufacturing sector remains a worthwhile goal for the state, he says. “Let’s actually experience a more substantive revival,” he says.
Can Northeast Ohio benefit from Intel? Northeast Ohio businesses should find benefits from the project, says Steve Millard, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Akron Chamber. “There should be lots of opportunities,” Millard says. But it is “super early” to know for
sure what kind of impact the Intel complex will have, he says. “We don’t know exactly their needs,” he says. Karp says it’s likely Intel already has a well-established relationship with existing suppliers. The bigger opportunity, he says, may be associated businesses. Computer component companies, for example, might want to locate in Ohio where Intel is doing so much business. “The real win is to have those companies take a first, second, third or fourth look at Ohio,” Karp says. The Greater Akron area is about a two-hour drive to the Intel plant site,
Photo DORAL CHENOWETH/Columbus Dispatch
A logger works on removing soft Maple trees from a farm that is part of the 3,100 acres of Licking County’s Jersey Township that is likely to be annexed into the city of New Albany. JobsOhio and other development agencies are hoping for a huge computer chip factory to be built somewhere on the 3,100 acres.
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Millard pointed out. By traffic standards in many major metro areas, including New York and Chicago, that’s not a lot of driving time, he says. Any local smart technology manufacturer in this part of Ohio will see opportunities with and in the new Intel plant, Millard says. Businesses that want to open near the Intel factories will also be looking at sites in the Akron and Canton area because of the ease of commuting in the state, he says. “There is so much they [Intel] are going to need. They will be like a little city,” Millard says.
In making its site selection, Intel would have been looking at any area that has large tracts of land available to develop, he says. “This is a megasite, a thousand-plus acres. Those are hard to find,” Millard says. He says he did not know that anyplace in Northeast Ohio “lost” in Intel’s decision to build near Columbus. But he says it’s a “tremendous win.” “It’s a super exciting opportunity for the state of Ohio,” Millard says. The semiconductor [factories add] to that manufacturing legacy, says Gov. Mike DeWine.
“This is a huge signal to the country and the world about what’s going on in Ohio today,” DeWine told The Dispatch in March. “We remain a manufacturing state, and we’re looking to the future.” That so much of the chip production has been shipped overseas is a national security issue that needs to be addressed, DeWine says. “I’m very proud Ohio is going to be a part of the solution,” he says According to the National Association of Manufacturers, producers in Ohio account for 16% of the total economic output in the state, employing 12.74% of the workforce. The average annual compensation was $78,108 in 2019. In 2020, Ohio’s manufacturers exported $40.5 billion in goods. That was 90% of all goods exported from the state. Hill says durable goods production — of which computer chips are a part — make up 6.9% of the national gross domestic product but 9.4% of Ohio’s. “We are right in the middle of the durable goods manufacturing belt,” Hill says, including aircraft components and appliances. Alison Goebel, executive director for the Greater Ohio Policy Center, a nonprofit group that pushes for urban revitalization in the state, says the state has a long history of manufacturing and innovation. “Certainly the location benefits it,” she says, including the large interstate highway network, rail lines and proximity to deep water ports. “That all makes sense.” Also, extreme weather events aren’t as dramatic as in other parts of the country, she says. Columbus also has cheaper electricity prices than a state such as New York, where Intel says it had considered. “We have the history and the knowhow of how to make things here,” Goebel says. This story was originally published in the Akron Beacon Journal on January 22, 2022. This version has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Mark Ferenchik writes for The Columbus Dispatch. Amanda Garrett and Jim Mackinnon write for The Akron Beacon Journal.
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Photo courtesy EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
EQD was awarded the 2019 Exporter of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
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EarthQuaker Devices combines music and technology for global success Despite international renown, the guitar effects pedal business is dedicated to its hometown of Akron. BY WILLIAM R. SOLDAN
S
tarting a small business is risky. It’s a game of odds, in which the odds are often unfavorable. So when Founder and President of EarthQuaker Devices (EQD) Jamie Stillman, and his wife, Vice President and CEO Julie Robbins, transformed their hobby of selling Stillman’s home-built guitar effects pedals into something bigger in the early 2000s, success was far from guaranteed. In fact, according to a 2012 report from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, only about two-thirds of new businesses survive past the two-year mark, with only about half
making it to five years. As grim as that sounds, these survival rates invariably start to improve over time if companies can persevere through those first few years. Interestingly enough, Stillman and Robbins did not initially set out to start a career selling guitar effects pedals. “We didn’t realize we were starting a business at first,” says Robbins, who has a background in finance. “It was really just a hobby that turned into a full-time job.” Beyond their passion and Robbins’s professional experience, they did not have much to work with, either. “EQD started with no outside capital or true business plan,” she says. “We learned as we
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grew. And it wasn’t until a few years in that we were able to develop the infrastructure we needed to support our growth.” That growth has yielded positive returns, with their output garnering them the Small Business Administration (SBA) Exporter of the Year Award in 2019. The SBA grants this to one business annually, so EQD earning such a competitive award is a remarkable achievement. However, just last year, the company, like many others throughout the Akron-Canton Metroplex, had to confront the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a 2021 issue brief by the SBA’s Office of Advocacy, “Along with illness and death, the pandemic brought widespread economic disruption. Businesses closed and unemployment surged to levels not seen since the Great Depression.” But Stillman and Robbins found a way to adapt. While EQD did experience disruption during the initial lockdown, the company was able to shift production so that its team could remain employed. In a 2020 video posted to the company’s YouTube channel, Stillman and Robbins, along with members of their staff, discuss how they worked from home, setting up makeshift shops in their basements and garages. When the lockdown ended, however, everyone’s safety was still a top priority, and most of them continued their home production, while a skeleton crew returned to the warehouse. There, they would do the jobs that could not be done from home—such as running their CNC machines and industrial printers—and prep supplies to drop off to the at-home staff. But despite the complications of having to modify their approach, business remained steady. In fact, since the start of COVID-19, demand for EQD products has increased, says Robbins, who partially attributes the demand to people having more time to indulge in their favorite hobbies. “With guitar pedals being relatively low cost, with a high payoff in terms of enjoyment and inspiration, I think people chose to pick up a few new pedals,” she says. Yet there have been challenges. “Supply chain issues are causing major problems for us,” says Rob24 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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bins. “We have had to invest more in inventory than ever before, frequently having to find substitutions and navigate delays.” The pandemic has also prevented them from doing the things they love, she says, and the psychological impact of isolation has taken a toll. “It’s difficult not being able to perform and watch live music, travel, and have in-person events and meetings,” she says. Nevertheless, Stillman and Robbins have remained steadfast, facing their business adversities with poise and determination, and their quick thinking and flexibility has allowed EQD to continue thriving.
Exceptional Quality and Creativity With a name like EarthQuaker Devices, even a seasoned musician unfamiliar with the brand might assume the company specializes specifically in distortion pedals and the various gritty effects favored by hard rock and heavy metal bands. And while EQD was born with the creation of the Hoof Fuzz—an original design engineered by Stillman after successfully repairing a broken overdrive pedal—the company’s array Photo courtesy EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
of products is anything but limited. “There’s such a vast versatility that each pedal offers,” says Editor-in-Chief of The Raw Alternative magazine, Rick Polo. “I think it’s because they’re handmade, which allows no two pedals to be exactly alike.” Polo, who’s also a member of the Youngstownbased bands Heck Vektor and Baroque Monody, has been a big fan of EQD for years. “Their devices were a big part of Baroque Monody’s early sound,” he says. “And with Heck Vektor, currently working on our second album, I have four of their pedals in heavy rotation on the record.” Seth Miller, operations manager for Schecter Guitar Research in Los Angeles, and member of the bands Jail Weddings and Gabriel Hart and the Fourth Wall, echoes Polo’s praises. “It must have been 12-13 years ago, when I first got into boutique pedals,” Miller says of his first experience with EQD. “Discovering their pedals could be so specific, yet leave the possibilities endless, was pretty eye-opening.” Their versatility, he says, “seems to come from the open-minded, creative disposition of their staff and designers.” EQD also offers competitive pricing on its full range of products, so cost should not be a limiting factor for customers. “The pricing is reasonable,” Miller says, “so the cost of entry isn’t going to hurt.” But more importantly, he adds, “is their build quality and level of creativity are exceptional.” In addition to the affordable cost, EQD also offers a lifetime warranty on all its devices. According to its website, the company, “will repair or replace any device we manufactured at any time as long as we are still in business.”
Business to Business Partnerships
The Hizumitas™ Fuzz Sustainar is one of EQD’s many wellregarded products.
EQD is nothing if not a mark of integrity and values, which can be seen not only in its philosophy and mission statement (the latter of which explicitly expresses its emphasis on “ethical, domestic manufacturing”) but also throughout the relationships the company forms with other businesses
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and within the Akron-Canton Metroplex community as a whole. “EQD remains devoted to supplying small businesses across the region,” says Polo. “Several family-owned music shops carry EQD, and the company hosts an annual expo, allowing musicians to sample their products and drawing attention back to community-based small businesses.” This devotion to working with suppliers goes beyond the region as well. In addition to carrying EQD products, says Miller, “We’ve done industry swaps with the EQD staff over the years. They’ve always been great to work with.” In Kent, Bent Tree Coffee Roasters even created a signature EQD blend in honor of the company. Ryan Brannon, co-owner, says he and Stillman went to high school together and have been good friends and collaborators ever since. “After high school, we started a band, Party of Helicopters,” says Brannon. They both shared the entrepreneurial spirit, as well. Bent Tree opened in 2011, and in the early days “Julie from EQD reached out with the idea to create a custom blend to send out to their customers and brew up for their team,” says Brannon, who thought it was a great idea. “We’ve been supplying them with regular shipments ever since, and it’s now a staple on our retail shelf in downtown Kent.”
Hometown Pride, Worldwide Reach A further testament to EQD’s values is that the company has remained committed to its roots. Its reputation and remarkable reach precede it at every turn, with a clientele consisting of local bands, globally touring acts, and gear dealers worldwide, but Stillman and Robbins continue to run business in the region that reared them, despite their ever-growing popularity making relocation possible. “It’s fantastic they’ve remained in Akron,” says Polo. “It’s without a doubt helped the area make a name for itself.” With so many major recording acts using their products, he says,
Photo courtesy EARTHQUAKER DEVICES EQD gives its workers the ability to build its products from their homes.
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Photo courtesy EARTHQUAKER DEVICES In September 2019, the street where EQD is headquartered was renamed to EarthQuaker Drive in its honor.
“artists as diverse as Dinosaur Jr., Paramore, Adrien Belew from David Bowie and King Crimson, among countless others, it’s certainly attracted these names to the area and encouraged them to indulge in the greater local arts, entertainment, and dining opportunities as well.” 26 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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Though not a local, Miller agrees. “I’m a huge proponent of companies and individuals nurturing their local economy,” he says. “EQD seems extraordinarily progressive.” This progressive nature, coupled with EQD’s visibility and growth in the last decade, Miller says, is “invaluable in
terms of shining a light on Akron.” Reflecting on hometown dedication, Brannon says, “EQD’s decision to stay in its hometown is inspiring.” Bent Tree grew alongside EQD, he says, and “it’s exciting to see how far both businesses have come. Over the years, touring with Jamie, we learned a lot about communities, how important they are, and how people investing in them pays off.” When asked about their decision to remain in Akron, Robbins explains that EQD is committed to the local community. “Our pride in Akron and care for our community is a big driver in how we do business,” Robbins says. “We’re committed to providing good jobs with fair pay and benefits, contributing to local causes, and supporting local music.” Although EQD’s in-house, built-byhand method of manufacture makes churning out assembly-line quantities more difficult, quality is the magic word here, and it speaks for itself. As does its variety and versatility. Whether you’re a veteran player looking to add something new to your arsenal or a newbie wanting to build a personalized pedalboard from scratch, EQD has you covered. The company stands by its products, displaying transparency and integrity every step of the way. In doing so, EQD has shown that no matter how it evolves, commitment to its customers, its city, and its creative vision are top priorities. With top-notch quality, a great reputation, and a price point that won’t break the bank, EQD has proven it’s on its way to becoming increasingly influential for future generations of musicians. Their story is a testament to the strength and tenacity of those living and doing business within the AkronCanton Metroplex. EQD doesn’t shy away from its hometown roots and keeps its pride on full display because, simply put, “Akron is home for us,” says Robbins. “We never even thought of leaving.” William R. Soldan is a Youngstownbased writer and the author of five books, most recently, the novel “Undone Valley.”
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Say No to Local Hunger.
Help Feed Families.
Please donate today to help feed local families. Join those who won’t allow families to choose between essentials like food and electricity. Every $5 you give can help feed a family for nearly a week. akroncantonfoodbank.org/harvest
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NONPROFITS Photo courtesy THE STARK COUNTY DISTRICT LIBRARY
The Stark County District Library contains technology for all ages to enjoy.
Bridging the Digital Divide The Summit and Stark County library systems bring digital access to the forefront. BY ABBEY BASHOR
Libraries have long been societal equalizers that offer people of all backgrounds the opportunity to connect and learn. While books may be the most commonly recognized currency exchanged at libraries, these institutions have continued to expand the range of services and types of resources available to their patrons. The Summit and Stark County library systems are committed to serving the public in this way. Between the two, there are hundreds of thousands of registered cardholders who borrow several million items each year and these activities are largely facilitated by the expertise of dedicated staff. 28 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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The Akron-Summit County Public Library (ASCPL) is comprised of 19 locations, with one Main Library in downtown Akron and 18 branches throughout Summit County. Brett Neff, the downtown services manager at Main Library who oversees the public service divisions and programs, says that a common thread among many of the services offered is digital access. “People consume media in different ways these days,” he says. “[Through the library], we can offer them ebooks and digital audiobooks, as well as lower-tech stuff like checking out a VCR player or a 16mm film projector. It’s an example of technology being both
forward-thinking and backward.” ASCPL’s TechZone stores modern technological equipment that patrons can use for free or at little cost. Now in its sixth year, the TechZone was originally developed out of funding from a Knight Foundation grant that also established the library’s Microbusiness Center. The TechZone is currently selffunded according to Neff, who adds that some of its equipment includes 3D printers, vinyl printers, garment printers, recording studios and a green screen room. “Our normal user base is a real mix of people,” he says. “It’s everyone from a casual user, to someone techie wanting to learn something new, to an artist or entrepreneur or small business owner.” Many of these services can be accessed simply by having a library card. Ryan McCoy, Technology Director at ASCPL, says that any Ohio resident can apply online for quick access to databases and resources. “We’ve made the online library card
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application as accessible and automated as possible for instant online access,” he explains. “And we even have staff monitoring for any delays [that may occur].” McCoy notes that some of the most helpful databases patrons can access include LinkedIn Learning and BrainHQ, which allow users to complete training or learn new skills from the comfort of their own homes. A number of other offerings from ASCPL include access to the Summit Memory collection, which hosts documents and photos from several community partners, as well as the Dial-A-Story service and the ability to schedule virtual meeting rooms using the library’s Zoom business account. Neff says that all of these services speak to ASCPL’s larger mission of enriching people’s lives. “Our priorities are about providing lifelong learning, meeting spaces, programs for all ages and information that our customers are looking for. And that touches people’s lives in different ways, I think.” McCoy makes a similar point. “A very common theme in all of this is accessibility,” he says. “We want to be something for everyone. Soon we’ll be implementing our Library on the Go project, which will expand access to the library’s resources by installing kiosks offering physical and digital materials to riders of Summit County’s
The Akron-Summit County Public Library’s TechZone stores modern technological equipment that patrons can use for free or at little cost. Photo courtesy THE AKRON-SUMMIT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
METRO RTA. [It will] offer an innovative way to access digital and physical library resources.”
Stark County District Library Offers 24/7 Support for Metroplex Residents With 10 locations of its own, the Stark County District Library is a 24/7 digital branch that serves nearly 2 million visitors each year. Its continuous digital access means that Wi-Fi is available in and around its buildings for visitor use at all times. Reliable internet access isn’t the library’s only helpful digital feature. According to Brad Sayre, Director of Technology at SCDL, computers across branches see heavy use. “We’re definitely reaching a large portion of the community via public PCs,” he says. “They aid in recreation, education and self- or professional development.” Whether patrons are using these computers in-person with a full-service library card or remotely signing up for an eCard, they’re able to access a host of online databases, ebooks and streaming services. Visitors can access many of these same services through the Stark Library app, which also allows for renewing items and registering for events. On-site at SCDL’s Main Library, the
Maker Studio is available for use. This space welcomes creators of all skill levels to gain hands-on experience with equipment like 3D printers, advanced sewing machines and a grommet machine. “We also have A/V conversion equipment that converts slides, film and video to digital,” says Sayre. “Things of that nature to help with memory preservation.” One program in particular has helped local college students navigate the technological challenges of the pandemic. Through a federal Emergency Connectivity Fund grant, SCDL purchased 300 Chromebooks and paired them with 300 hotspots. “These have been circulated to students at Kent State University at Stark who might not otherwise have access to internet devices,” says Sayre. Another exciting SCDL development comes out of its Re|imagine plan, which is designed to enhance physical building space and upgrade technology. As Sayre explains, the project involves upgrades to: A/V equipment in meeting rooms, “selfcheck” machines and the RFID checkout process. In libraries, RFID kiosks can identify several individual objects at once rather than through the use of barcodes. “For the community and patrons, I think [this] leads to a lot of efficiency,” says Sayre. “For the library in general, it means we can check in items quicker and turn that inventory around to get it back into the hands of someone who needs it.” Whether by rearchitecting networks or improving technology infrastructure, the tech team at SCDL is committed to implementing services that benefit the community. “At Stark Library, we’re really trying to establish ourselves as a community space that is a safe, inviting place to be,” says Sayre. “Whether they’re a student, entrepreneur, business owner or working professional, there’s an area for them here to do what they need and have access to resources while they’re at it.” Abbey Bashor is a freelance writer based in Akron.
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HIGHER EDUCATION Photos courtesy KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Area Universities Training the Next Generation of Storytellers Today’s students are learning how to use technology and social media to tell stories within the Akron-Canton Metroplex and beyond. Students in Kent State’s Emerging Media and Technology class have the opportunity to learn how different technologies can enhance their ability to tell engaging stories.
BY KAREN HANNA
The voice and tone of tomorrow’s area businesses and organizations are being set today, as universities within the Akron-Canton Metroplex prepare students to use emerging technologies for roles in PR and marketing. Instructors at the University of Akron, Walsh University in North Canton and Kent State University say they’re getting the message across: Using social media as a professional is a little different than among friends. But, in a lot of ways, the purpose is the same–to create community. “What we’re really seeing now in the trend is this increased personification of organizations, so this abil-
ity to make a company feel like a person when we’re interacting with them on social media,” says McKenna Vietmeier, an associate professor of instruction in the University of Akron’s School of Communication. For students who came of age alongside social media, learning to craft a professional voice means honing new skills. With so many platforms, the opportunities are endless—meaning organizations are giving more leeway
“You kind of balance what it is that you want to do with what it is that you think the audience needs.” JACQUELINE MARINO, a journalism professor at Kent State. 30 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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to earlier-career professionals who know how to make a connection. “The entry-level PR job was to be chained to a desk and write press releases, essentially, trying to get things placed in the media,” says Mark Rogers, director of the communication program at Walsh University. “And now much more, our students are going out, and their jobs are updating the social media sites and writing content for the social media sites for the different businesses and, in some cases, making video or podcast or audio content.” “We talk really succinctly about brand management and how brand voice can come through across all of these different channels of communication, so how do we write differently for a website versus how we write for an Instagram video versus how we present ourselves in a TikTok video?” Vietmeier says. At Kent State University, which is known for its journalism program, stu-
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dents get a grounding in telling stories well; what they do with their education varies greatly. Some will take jobs at newspapers, but others will land positions in PR, government or nonprofit organizations, says Jacqueline Marino, a journalism professor at Kent State. No matter their career path, writing skills still are fundamental, she and Rogers say. Marino recited a catalog of technology tools and social media sites students in the program tackle as they prepare for careers. They include Adobe Photoshop, as well as software to create 360-degree videos. Apps for making timelines and graphs. Programs for editing podcasts and sound recordings and websites to track trending topics. Even artificial intelligence, virtual reality (VR) and gaming technologies have a role to play in the stories people and businesses are creating to capture emotion and exchange information, Marino says.
The best work, Marino says, brings everything together. She points to a capstone project some of her students are doing, documenting the experiences of refugees who have settled in the Akron area. “The students are attacking that on all levels. They’re looking at the history; they’re talking to individuals. They’re capturing audio. I tell them to be prepared to do multiple things, so they would never do an interview without recording it. Some of them who really love video, I mean, there are some students, they’ve been doing video since they were in middle school. … If that’s so, if they see themselves as telling stories in that format, I say, ‘Have the camera going while you do the interview.’ ” But it’s a misconception that Gen Zs are born with a cerebral fusion to the internet and their phones. Coming into the program, Marino said, their skills actually are limited. “Believe it or not, people look at young people, and they just think,
‘Oh, they’re online all the time. They’re on their phones all the time; they must really be good at technology,’ That is not the case. They’re good at what they do online, TikTok or Twitter, or whatever it is; wherever they’re spending their time, they understand that. But they understand it for their own purposes; they don’t really understand it in terms of how they can use it for journalism.” The goal is to teach students a little bit of everything. Learning how to balance all the approaches is part of the challenge, Marino acknowledges. “You kind of balance what it is that you want to do with what it is that you think the audience needs,” she says. She feels confident her students will be ready. “Their skills for storytelling on multiple platforms really set them apart,” she says. Karen Hanna is a freelance writer based in Cuyahoga Falls.
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
The Evolution of GBS Corp. For over 50 years, the North Canton-based company has kept pace with technology and today offers single-source business solutions. BY RYAN LIND
Founded as a print and business document distribution company in 1971, North Canton-based GBS Corp. expanded its services to include filing, storage, and retrieval solutions three years later. Since then, the company has demonstrated a preternatural ability to expand its business as new technologies have reached the marketplace. The company began offering business computing solutions in 1978, an era when many industries were just discovering they had business computing needs. Early partnerships with tech giants IBM, HP and Microsoft allowed GBS to customize industryspecific solutions across multiple sec-
tors, fueling its corporate growth. By the early 80s, the printing company had evolved into a full-suite productivity company. Computing refined the company’s approach to printing. As new sectors warmed to the labor and cost-saving solutions offered by tech, GBS found clients in healthcare, construction, municipality management and connected its clients’ needs to emerging technologies. While the company created, customized, refined, and trained clients to use new productivity tools, its print department expanded into labeling, securing heavyweight clients like GM and Johnson & Johnson. Jeff Merriman, executive vice president and son of GBS founder, Larry Merriman, credits GBS’s corporate foresight to “a commitment to understanding our clients’ business objectives on a year by year basis. We understand the direction of our clients’ business needs in real time,” he says.
A local company with a national reach Though it boasts 30,000 clients nationwide, over 90% of the employee-owned company’s workforce call
Today, GBS offers a wide range of business solutions ranging from marketing and design to warehousing and distribution.
Ryan Lind is a freelance writer based in Hiram.
Photo courtesy GBS CORP.
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Northeast Ohio home. Its partnership with the University of Akron’s Fisher Institute for Professional Selling has delivered a host of local talent and connected UA students with internships. Director of Sales, Jeff Grippando, believes in the importance of his company’s local connections within the Akron Canton Metroplex. “When I walk into Mercy Health, I’m maintaining a relationship that began in the 70s,” he says. This relational culture, borne locally, and commitment to productivity, applied globally, has directed a rebranding of its document management division: GBS BrandConnect. After a four-year search for a creative services company that embraced the philosophies of GBS, it acquired Atomic Wash, a multi-discipline marketing firm based in Georgia and Columbusbased Clark Graphics. The purchases were part of a strategic vision to build a “design to delivery” marketing solution. “By connecting value points in the marketing supply chain, from creative, to print, to warehousing, to distribution, BrandConnect can provide full-scale marketing solutions from our client meetings,” Grippando says. “Our clients are looking for singlesource solutions. For example, they always asked us if we had design services or could provide a marketing strategy. Today, our in-house agency, Atomic Wash, supports all their creative and marketing needs,” says Merriman. On the backend of its services, GBS offers print inventory management, e-commerce management, warehousing, distribution, kitting and fulfillment. Grippando adds, “our sales team can offer a potential client a design partner, we can create files, source solutions, and strategize multiple marketing campaigns,” an on-time, streamlined approach to marketing. For a half-century, GBS has transformed itself to meet its clients’ changing needs. GBS BrandConnect is poised to be the company’s latest successful reinvention. “Give us a call; give us a chance,” says Grippando.
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Hudson residents and visitors gather in the heart of downtown on First & Main Green.
Photo courtesy FIRST & MAIN HUDSON
Historic Hudson Continues to Grow and Develop The city of Hudson looks to complete Phase Two of its downtown development plan. BY JESSICA SEES
When the city of Hudson, Ohio comes up in conversation, many reference quaint and historic downtown center, which hosts numerous local shops, eateries and exciting community events. Situated around its historic clock tower, gifted to the city in 1921 by area native and coal industry tycoon, James W. Ellsworth, the city is one that not only honors its history, but also has an eye to the future. Ellsworth spearheaded many modernizations, including establishing the Hudson Library and Historical Society (in coordination with Caroline Baldwin Babcock), re-establishing Western Reserve Academy, installing under34 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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ground wiring, introducing electrical services, electrical services, paving streets and installing the town’s first water and sewage system. Today there exists a concentrated effort by the City of Hudson to preserve its characteristic charm throughout its downtown additions to respect the historic architecture when implementing improvements. Similar to Ellsworth’s efforts to refresh Hudson’s historic downtown district in the early 1900s, the modern-day City of Hudson maintains and improves downtown development for both residents and visitors to enjoy. In this way, the city has maintained a culture of continuous improvement.
Ongoing Development in a Historic City In September of 2021, the City of Hudson began hearing plans for Phase Two of an ongoing downtown development project over fifteen years in the making. Fairmount Properties, which works in conjunction with longtime residents and local philanthropists Tom and Joy Murdough, began revitalizing downtown Hudson with the addition of the shopping center First & Main in 2004. Randy Ruttenberg and Adam Fishman, principals at Fairmount Properties, work closely with the Murdoughs to discuss critical design decisions for Phase One and Phase Two of downtown Hudson’s development plans. “Tom and Joy stand proud for all things Hudson, and are fiercely committed to providing an experience which represents the charm, character and architecture of their community,” says Ruttenberg. “Adam and I are extraordinarily proud to be their partners.”
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Upcoming Events in Downtown Hudson Hudson Farmers Market DATES: June 4 - Oct 8 HOURS: 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
One of the long-standing events and downtown staples is the Hudson Farmers Market, which opened its doors in 2007. This non-profit market highlights and supports the efforts of local communities, small businesses, artisans, and other various vendors. Visit every Saturday afternoon in the summer season to support your local artisans.
Hudson Bandstand Summer Concert Series DATES: May 30 - Aug 28 HOURS: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. LOCATION: Gazebo Green
Another long-standing summertime event, join your community members for live music on Sunday nights throughout the summer. This festival is hosted by the Hudson Bandstand Committee.
Fun at First & Main DATES: May 24 - Aug 9 HOURS: 10 a.m. to noon LOCATION: First & Main Green
Fun and interactive activities for kids; each month will have a new family-friendly theme that will get kids outdoors. Hosted by First & Main Hudson and held one Tuesday a month from May to August. Full list of dates available on the City of Hudson’s events page.
Summer Music Nights DATES: July 8 – Aug 26 HOURS: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. LOCATION: First & Main Green
Fridays and Saturday evenings from July to August, join your community at First & Main downtown and enjoy free family-friendly concerts. In addition to the live music, there will be dancing, raffles and giveaways.
When Mom needs a little extra care… We’ve got you. Aultman Home Health Care’s team of nurses, therapists, social workers and home health aides will work to meet your individual needs. Allow us to provide skilled nursing, infusion services, social services and therapy services — including home safety evaluations.
We’re your neighbors, your friends and your family.
© 2021 The Aultman Health Foundation
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Downtown Hudson storefronts located across from First & Main Green at the intersection of Village Way and Library Street.
Photo courtesy FIRST & MAIN HUDSON
With this sentiment in mind, public meetings are held with the City of Hudson in order to gain valuable feedback from community members impacted by this ongoing project. The open houses held in September and October 2021 outlined the proposed Phase Two plans for the Clinton Street & Morse Road area. Proposed plans include the construction of approximately 100 townhomes and a larger 40,000 square-foot Heinen’s grocery store. Meeting attendees were able to visit stations and ask questions to the project team, which is composed of city members and Fairmount Properties representatives. Additionally, the community was able to provide suggestions on ways the city can repurpose the existing Heinen’s building. Citizens unable to attend in-person open houses are encouraged to share their feedback on “Let’s Talk Hudson,” an interactive portion of the City of Hudson’s website where community members can virtually submit their suggestions. After three-and-a-half years of planning and 18 months of construction, First & Main has extended the availability of shops and restaurants along Main Street by 30 businesses. First 36 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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& Main’s 16-acre modern construction blends seamlessly with Main Street’s existing historic architecture, which is a marked difference from the site’s former industrial landscape of Morse Controls. An attractive feature visitors have to look forward to in the warmer months is the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA). In July of 2020, as an effort to adapt to the pandemic, adults within the perimeter of the DORA are free to stroll, shop, dine and attend events while enjoying alcoholic beverages outdoors. “Folks can come and really hang out,” according to Debra Sherman, Marketing Director for First & Main Hudson. “The kids can play on the green while adults have a cocktail and listen to concerts.” The city achieves its goal to drive more visitors downtown by providing space for more than 20 annual events in downtown Hudson. This event circuit is an ongoing group effort from downtown businesses and organizations to encourage the community to patronize local vendors and eateries while enjoying the contemporary additions of First & Main. A dedicated city service staff and community development team work in
conjunction with various downtown businesses and establishments to host all events through the City of Hudson’s website. Rhonda Kadish, Special Events Coordinator for the City of Hudson, works closely with merchants and various establishments to ensure events meant to support community gathering also benefit local businesses, not restrict them. Things like collaborating with local businesses to offer special discounts to event-goers, designating public restroom areas to ease reliance on business restrooms, and encouraging attendees to support local businesses while enjoying events go a long way in making these functions a success for all parties. “I feel like we’re facing the same hurdle every town is with reinforcing to residents our local business owners are neighbors, friends, and classmates,” says Kadish. “I think people have become more aware of the importance of supporting their downtown businesses. We’ve seen that support for local restaurants through COVID, and I’m hoping that continues moving forward.” Jessica Sees is a freelance writer based in Canton.
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3 Ways you can become a Difference Maker Charitable Donation:
Join our staff of Difference Makers:
Join us on Facebook Live:
1 2 3
Make a donation to support C&A’s services and programs that serve 4,400 clients. Donate at: www.childandadolescent.org or by mail: Melissa Coultas Chief Advancement Officer 919 Second St. N.E. Canton, Ohio 44704
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We are looking for: • Clinical Therapists • Multi-Systemic Therapists • Trauma Informed Day Treatment Teacher Send resumes to: recruiting@childandadolescent.org
Join our upcoming Duck Derby to support youth mental health on May 26 at noon. Adopt-A-Duck today at www.childandadolescent.org
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HEALTH CARE
Telehealth Gives Patients More Options and Access to Care Akron Children’s Hospital is a part of a growing trend of hospitals expanding their telehealth services. BY PATRICIA FAULHABER
Doing things from the comfort of one’s home has gone to an entirely new level in recent years. In addition to shopping, working, and collaborating with others, increasingly, individuals have started to take advantage of virtual healthcare services. The telehealth and virtual visits technologies have been helping patients connect with their doctor online over a computer or mobile device for the past several years. It continues to grow in popularity because of its effectiveness and because it is such a great way to provide patients with their health care needs without the need for them to take potential risks traveling to the doctor’s office — a very helpful option especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Sarah Rush from Akron Children’s Hospital is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist specializing in neurooncology for brain and spinal tumors. While Dr. Rush works mostly from the main campus, she is also the chief medical information officer systemwide and the inaugural chairholder of the Marci M. Matthews Endowed Chair in Telehealth. It is reported by Akron Children’s as being “Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation.” The chair holder helps obtain telehealth technology and trains colleagues on its uses. The endowed chair will help strengthen telehealth services while moving the hospital’s efforts in this aspect of health care forward. “One of the most beneficial reasons to use virtual visits is that it turns our care into patient- focused care,” says Dr. Rush. “It allows us to bring services to the patients at a reduced cost of time and travel for them and it lets us provide care that the patients need to them when they need it and where they need it.” 38 Akron-Canton Metroplex
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While the idea of telehealth has spread in recent years, this type of remote care has in fact been used by doctors for decades. According to eVisit, a market leader in virtual care platforms, beginning in the early 1900s, doctors served patients over the radio. Following this development, doctors began sending radiology images via telephone.
Today, telehealth and telemedicine use technology that is smaller in size but much larger in the scope of features.
What Does Telehealth Mean? Telehealth or, as it is sometimes called telemedicine, allows doctors to provide care for their patients without an in-person office visit and is conducted primarily online with internet access using a computer, tablet or smartphone. Patients have access to three different types of telehealth care: • Talk to a doctor live over the phone or over a video chat • Send and receive messages from a doctor using secure messaging, email, and secure file exchange • Use remote monitoring so a doctor
Photos courtesy AKRON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
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can check on a patient at home such as tracking blood pressure The following are among the different common telehealth care options that are discussed between doctor and patient include: •L ab test or X-ray results •T herapy and online counseling •R ecurring conditions like migraines, urinary tract infections or skin conditions • Prescription management • Post-surgical follow-up • Instructions on how to continue care at home Virtual visits are growing in popularity for several reasons. First, there is limited physical contact with others which can reduce everyone’s exposure to COVID-19. Second, virtual visits ensure health care wherever the patient is located – at home, at work
Liz Maseth, a lactation consultant in Akron Children’s Hospital’s Maternal Fetal Medicine Division, conducts a telehealth consultation with a patient via telehealth in 2020.
or even from one’s car. Lastly, the service reduces travel, time off from work and the need for childcare. Additional benefits include reducing the wait for an appointment and expanding access to specialists who are located far away from a patient’s hometown.
Virtual Visits at Akron Children’s Hospital
The atrium of Akron Children’s Hospital’s Considine Professional Building.
Akron Children’s Hospital serves patients from birth to 21 years old and in some cases, it can care for patients up to the age of 26. It currently operates two hospitals, four urgent care centers and 50 primary and specialty care locations in the area. The physicians and specialists there have been using virtual visits for nearly every kind of care delivery except for services such as surgery. While some doctors’ offices began using virtual visits during the pandemic, Dr. Rush says Akron Children’s Hospital was using the technology prepandemic. “Our behavior health physicians have been using the technology as has our Quick Care for sore throats, running noses and other minor complaints and our School Health Services have been using it pre-pandemic,” says Dr. Rush. She added that Akron Children’s has been looking at incorporating a hybrid model of telehealth where there are
in-person visits blended with virtual visits. She said that not every appointment with a patient has to be in-person so finding a way to combine the two ways of seeing patients would be beneficial to all. Dr. Rush says, “The benefits of using the technology are many including expanding access to specialists without having to drive great distances, especially for those with complex conditions that require multiple visits. The convenience of using the virtual has been a huge benefit through the pandemic and in cases such as getting to an appointment through some of the snowstorms we’ve had.” Regardless of a few minor challenges, such as patients needing time to get used to the change and time to learn to use the technology, Dr. Rush believes the technology will continue to make inroads in terms of usage and developing hybrid models for that use. Dr. Rush says: “Using telehealth models in the future will help us keep our patients healthy while decreasing the burden on families of getting patients to their appointments. We have seen physicians and patients rise above the challenges and find unique and creative ways to use the technology and get appointments done.” Patricia Faulhaber is a freelance writer based in Canton.
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ECONOMIC INDICATORS
Home Values Within the Akron-Canton Metroplex Continue to Increase in Value DATA COMPILED BY AARON BENNETT
Carrol County
Portage County
9.4%
Home Prices rose from a year ago
Median Home Sold Price 2021
9.1%
Home Prices rose from a year ago 2021 2020
$230,000
$226,000
2020
$191,000 $165,000
$163,125
$130,000 Jan
Feb
Mar
$176,450 $176,250
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Median Home Sold Price Jan
Feb
Mar
Stark County
2021
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
9.1%
Home Prices rose from a year ago
Median Home Sold Price
$172,500
2020
Apr
Summit County
9.4%
Home Prices rose from a year ago
$187,500
$174,000
2021 2020
$146,250
$165,000
$148,500
$152,250 $140,000
Median Home Sold Price Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
$124,900 Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Source: Year-over-year home pricing data taken Feb 26, 2022 from Realtor.com / Median home sold price data taken March 13, 2022 from Realtor.com
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