Akron-Canton Metroplex Magazine: Fall 2022 issue

Akron-Canton

12 Entrepreneurs Get Boost From Local Agency

Summit Medina Business Alliance provides resources to help people develop business plans, access other resources.

Family-Run Family Fun

Sluggers & Putters in Canal Fulton brings joy to families from the Akron-Canton region and beyond.

24 Collaboration in the Garage

Small business startup ideas and entrepreneurship is alive and well and at the heart of students coming together at Walsh University.

Columns

2

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

The Akron-Canton Metroplex represents a supportive place for entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses.

4 GUEST COLUMN

Celeste Brown, founder of Defining Enterprises, LLC, believes now is the time for aspiring entrepreneurs to take the leap and make their dreams a reality.

Sectors

30 NONPROFITS

TomTod’s programming empowers middle school students throughout the AkronCanton Metroplex.

32 EDUCATION

Young innovators receive guidance and resources from LaunchNET at Kent State University.

34 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Specialty market and deli provides high-quality food and a friendly atmosphere to AkronCanton Metroplex residents.

35 HEALTHCARE

Klein’s Pharmacy’s three locations strive to provide personal touch.

36 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Shale oil money, new power plant help build multi-school complex in the village of Carrollton.

38 TOURISM

The Akron Zoo is an ideal destination for education and exploration.

40 RESOURCES

Check out this helpful list of small business resources beneficial for seasoned entrepreneurs, as well as those just getting started.

Photo courtesy KEVIN WHITLOCK

It is not the critic who counts

From a young age, Tim McCully had a passion for business and entrepreneurship. He recalls delivering newspapers at age 12 and the satis faction he felt from showing up and doing the work. As an adult, childhood trips to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and memories he shared with his family over games of mini golf and gokart racing compelled him to build Sluggers & Putters, (read more on p. 18), an amusement park in Canal Fulton, which has enjoyed more than 30 years of success.

Another small business owner, Celeste Brown, founder of the multi-faceted company Defining Enterprises, LLC (read more on p. 4), remem bers growing up in a family that often talked about entrepreneurship, but it wasn’t until a chance encounter with an out-oftown airport cosmetic vend ing machine made her real ize that the Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) might benefit from something similar.

I’d imagine many of us have had a few business ideas throughout our lives. Perhaps they were the natural byprod uct of a passion or hobby, or maybe the eureka moment came following the comple tion of a tedious task. In any case, it’s quite likely that for whatever reason, you did not go through with this idea. Instead, you let it go, releasing it back into the ether.

The data supports your decision. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Dynamics, 20% of all small businesses fail in their first year. By the fifth year, this number bal loons to 50%. If you somehow make it to your 10th year in business, you have a 70% chance of failing.

It’s for this reason that in some ways, starting a small business can be seen as an almost heroic act—one in which the entrepreneur keeps mov ing forward despite the challenges and pitfalls that are nearly assured.

In this issue of the Akron-Canton Metroplex Magazine, we celebrate a few of our region’s small businesses and highlight programs like TomTod, (read more on p. 30), Kent State Uni versity’s LaunchNET (read more on p. 32) and Walsh University’s Nolan Family Center for Innovation (read more on p. 24) that are help ing develop the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.

You’ll also learn about the amazing work of the Akron Small Business Center (read more on p. 12) and CAK’s brand new Business Catalyst Program (read more on p. 6) that encourages the success of disadvantaged and minority-owned businesses by providing terminal space at a spe cial trial rate.

The Akron-Canton Metro plex has long been an area supportive of business and entrepreneurship, and this issue features a selection of resources (read more on p. 40) locally and beyond that can either help take an exist ing business to the next level or help a burgeoning entre preneur take their first steps.

Starting and maintaining a small business is not easy. But for those who commit and accept the responsibili ties, they are often rewarded with a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Small business owners are those who, in the words of former U.S. President Theodore Roos evelt, are “actually in the arena,” and “if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

For those with business aspirations that just won’t go away, I invite you to let the metroplex be your arena.

Aaron Bennett is a freelance writer and editor based in Cuyahoga Falls.

Photo courtesy AARON BENNETT

388 S. Main St., Suite 720, Akron, Ohio 44311

EDITORIAL EDITOR Aaron Bennett

CONTRIBUTORS

Abbey Bashor, Aaron Bennett, Bruce Brown, Celeste Brown, Karen Hanna, Erin Siegferth, Kelsey Davis, Patricia Faulhaber COPY EDITING Becky Meziere ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATORS

Eugene Jackson ejackson1@localiq.com

Mindy Cannon 330-614-6699 mcannon@localiq.com DESIGN & PRODUCTION

GANNETT DESIGN CENTER Jeremy DeLuca Kyle Slagle Rebecca Boneschans Lake Ashley Rogers

Akron-Canton Metroplex is made possible with support from: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network

AES BUILDING

Where Akron’s leading companies thrive The Schipper Group, Ltd. / AES Building

To provide feedback or share a story idea, please contact us at metroplex@gannett.com

VOLUME 2 / NUMBER 3

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.

THANK YOU

From the beginning, the mission of this magazine has been to both promote the incredible businesses within the Akron-Canton Metroplex, and to explore some of the many reasons why many of us are happy to call this region home. From reporting on Diebold Nixdorf’s recent construction of their new headquarters in Hudson, to exploring how our area nonprofits and universities are helping grow the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, my sincere hope is that readers have gained a new appreciation for the exciting developments taking place in our own backyard.

While this, unfortunately, represents the final issue of the magazine, the story of the Akron-Canton Metroplex continues, and it’s up to us to help to write its pages.

You define you

BY CELESTE BROWN

In early 2019, I had a self-revelation that “You Define You,” meaning it’s my responsibility to define my life for myself, and I will not let others’ expectations for my life determine my path.

That self-revelation is what jump-started my entre preneurial journey. The first thing I did was post positive “I Am” affirmations on my bedroom wall, where I look at them, to this day, as my own inter personal daily motivation.

In 2020, I was sitting in a fast-food restaurant drivethru with my significant other, Lamar Lester, and we had a conversation about how dirty the parking lot was. At that moment, the first business idea under the Defining Enterprises umbrella, Defining Lots, came about, and in June 2020 I registered with the State of Ohio as a sole proprietor.

Later in 2020, I saw a cosmetic vending machine in an airport and thought that there was nothing like it in Northeast Ohio. After doing some research, I learned that the vending industry is expected to grow to $9 billion by 2024, and automated retail is the new trend in vending. Gone are the days of vending machines just being snacks, gum and pop. Automat ed retail machines allow almost anything to be sold from them, and my original idea was to turn a snack vending machine into a beauty vending machine. In June 2021, I restructured the business into Defining Enterprises, LLC.

It is interesting how I became the first business to be part of the Business Catalyst Program at the Akron-Canton Airport (CAK).

On a whim, I took a chance and reached out to the CAK through a link in one of its marketing emails sent to my inbox. I talked about how a busy air port would be a great location for a beauty vend ing machine. Not really anticipating a response, I received one the following day asking to schedule a meeting to discuss the idea.

CAK was, in fact, looking to bring something simi lar to its terminal , and my timing was just right. We talked about my idea, but the airport was look

ing for a more high-end automated retail machine to enhance the customer experience. Ultimately, CAK said if I could present a business plan that could meet the needs for a high-end machine that enhanced the customer experience, and carry not only beauty items but travel-size accessories, it would be inter ested in working with Defining Enterprises.

Long story short, I was able to meet their needs with a machine that also included HD digital adver tising space. From there, Defining Essentials™ Auto mated Retail Machines was born.

In February 2022, we placed our first two Defining Essentials Automated Retail Machines in the airport, one on the pre-security side and a second on the post-security side.

Before I had a business, I did not know that there were so many opportunities available for start-up and small businesses to take advantage of in the AkronCanton Metroplex area. Outside of the Business Cata lyst Program at CAK, my business has received sup port from both Summit and Stark County agencies. The Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, Bounce Innovation Hub, Western Reserve Community Fund and Stark County Minority Business Association have also been great resources.

I believe the time is now if you are interested in starting a business. So many free resources are available to help guide you through the process of whatever type of business you would like to start. Go for it and remember, You Define You! You can do it.

I invite you to visit www.definingenterprises.com to learn more about Defining Enterprises, including Defining Lots, Defining Essentials Automated Retail Machines, shop Y D Y 3D mink lashes and how to advertise your business at the Akron-Canton Air port on the HD digital advertising space on Defining Essentials machines.

Celeste Brown is the founder and CEO of Defining Enterprises, LLC.

Photo courtesy CELESTE BROWN

Aspiring entrepreneurs living in the Akron-Canton Metroplex are well-served thanks to an abundance of resources and a supportive community.

As food prices soar, hunger can rise.

This fall, 1 in 7 individuals may struggle with hunger.

Photo courtesy KEVIN WHITLOCK

Celeste Brown and Ren Camacho posing in front of Brown’s Defining Essentials Automated Retail Machine which sells beauty products and offers HD digital advertising space.

Akron-Canton Airport is offering prime locations within the airport for small businesses to build and succeed while providing more retail and other services for its passengers through the recently developed Business Catalyst Program.

Location, location, location has long been the mantra for success in real estate. Turns out, it is the mantra for success in small businesses, as well.

What better location to jump-start a small business than inside the Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) where thousands of people and potential customers come through weekly?

Ren Camacho, CAK president and CEO, and Robert Hartigan, vice president of business develop ment at CAK, developed and launched the Business Catalyst Program in the spring.

The program has been developed to specifically help small business owners sell their products, while at the same time providing airline passengers with additional access to more retail when in the airport.

The program is getting noticed and gaining steam.

“The intent of the Business Catalyst Program is to encourage the success of micro, small, disadvantaged and minority-owned business enterprises by supplying terminal space at a trial rental rate,” Camacho says. “It is an opportunity for them to sell their prod ucts such as apparel, books and other items in an airport environment. The starting rent is $1 per 30 days for the initial 180 days. After the six months, if the business has been successful, we can talk about doing a traditional con cession contract with them which is typically a three-year contract renew

able each year.”

The program is beneficial for the small business because it eliminates the financial barrier of high rent, and a physical storefront or installation. Plus, being in the program can allow businesses to test various products and services to gauge long-term sales success.

“The program is intended to help local entrepreneurs jump-start a busi ness which could possibly grow into becoming a permanent retailer at the airport,” Camacho says. “The end goal is to increase exposure and grow busi

Defining Enterprises, LLC Pilots the Business Catalyst Program

Camacho says CAK meets with potential businesses to see what the entrepreneur’s business plan entails. Then if it fits the airport environment, he and Hartigan will walk around the interior of the airport with the busi ness owner to evaluate the high-traffic areas to see which space fits best.

ness for program participants, which in turn, will help our region prosper and grow in an equitable way.”

Brown’s vending machine differs from traditional vending machines that sell food and drink. It’s this unique value proposition that sets her apart from her competition.

Photos courtesy KEVIN WHITLOCK

Camacho says the airport traffic is about 70-72% of what it was pre-pan demic. It sees on average 1,000 pas sengers two days a week (Sundays and Thursdays) and more than 700 a day the other five days of the week.

The Business Catalyst Program was piloted with Defining Enterprises, LLC, an Akron-based multi-faceted, female, minority-owned business. The small business produces automated retail vending machines which can be used to offer products ranging from overthe-counter pharmaceuticals to flat irons, with the ability to adapt and

cater to demand. The machines also offer high-definition advertising space.

Celeste Brown is the CEO of the com pany which launched in 2020. She says the company’s modern, high-tech automated retail equipment provides sales solutions for airports, malls, col leges and universities and other hightraffic venues.

In addition to offering the retail vending machines, her company also offers its own branded luxury 3D mink lash line, Y D Y Lashes, which are available in the automated retail machines her company has placed inside the airport and online at www. definingenterprises.com/shop. Brown says her company also provides park ing lot clean-up and snow removal services through Defining Lots.

“In 2020, while traveling out west, I saw a cosmetic vending machine, I liked the concept and thought that there was nothing like it back home in northeast Ohio,” Brown says. “I learned that the vending industry is growing and expected to reach $9 bil lion by 2024. You can sell just about anything from a vending machine. My original idea was to turn a snack vend ing machine into a beauty vending machine. So, in June 2021, I restruc tured the business into Defining Enter prises, LLC, believing that I still had a good business idea.”

The Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) connects travelers to the world through nonstop and easy, one-stop flights.

As Northeast Ohio’s preferred airport, CAK ensures the health and well-being of passengers while providing an easy, convenient airport experience. Keep up to date on all things CAK at akroncantonairport.com, Facebook or Twitter.

The Akron-Canton Airport continues to build new amenities for its travelers to enjoy.

Brown went on to say that she reached out to the Akron-Canton Airport “on a whim” through a link in one of the emails CAK sends out about things going on at the airport.

“I was not expecting to get a response, but to my surprise, I received one the following day asking me to schedule a meeting to discuss the idea. After the initial meeting, I felt like it was an ideal fit. They were, in fact, look ing to bring something similar to the airport, and my timing was just right,” Brown says.

“I was given some direction and asked if I could find a high-end auto mated retail machine to enhance the customer experience and carry not only beauty items but travel size accessories, they would be interested in working with Defining Enterprises,” Brown continues. “Long story short, I

was able to find a high-end automated retail machine to meet those needs and the machines have the added bonus of HD digital advertising space. From there, Defining Essentials™ Automat ed Retail Machines was born.”

Brown sees the opportunity to grow her business in other high-traffic areas. She also sees growth potential in get ting businesses to take advantage of this new HD digital advertising space at a fraction of the cost of traditional TV commercials and billboard ads.

Brown has two retail machines. One is located before security and the other is located after. The items in the machines vary based on the loca tion. The machine on the pre-secu rity side is located outside the rest rooms that are across from TSA and the machine on the post-security side is located in the gated area across from

the business center.

The right location, the right space and the right product mix are impor tant to the success of any small busi ness when working with the Business Catalyst Program.

“There are other airports and malls with similar programs,” Hartigan says. “The Short North Arts District in Columbus has a program called TENSPACE where they rotate small business setups every eight weeks. Airports look for ways to connect to the communities they serve and that is what our program is about. We want the entrepreneur and the customer to come in curious and leave inspired.”

Hartigan went on to say that if a com pany is making money by the end of the six-month trial period, then it would be a good indication that product(s) are what the passengers need and can

Photos courtesy CELESTE BROWN

Celeste Brown, Lamar Lester, Lea Brown and Ren Camacho enjoying themselves at a Defining Essentials Automated Retail Machines Mixer held last July at the Akron Canton Airport. Lea and Lester are members of the Defining Essentials team.

now purchase without leaving the airport. Passengers typically look for a variety of items when in the airport such as music, food, vending machine items, art, books and magazines.

Camacho, Hartigan and Brown all agree Brown’s business is a good fit for the airport traffic. Brown says, “I am a big believer that you have to first visualize what you want in order for it to become reality. It all started from my belief that what others think of you does not matter. It’s what you believe about yourself that matters the most and “You Define You.”

“That is also how our branded lash line came about. Again, in doing my research, I found I could create my own branded lash line. What better way to do it than within the You Define You theme of the business, and Y D Y Lashes was created. We currently carry six styles in our collection. We also carry our signature Y D Y Lash Glue and Y D Y Beauty Blender.”

Camacho says they are in the process of talking with three other businesses that have reached out to them about the Business Catalyst Program. Disad vantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Women Business Enterprises (WBE) are highly encouraged to apply.

“We encourage businesses that are curious and think outside of the box and think of doing business differ ently to contact us and we can take a look at their business plan to see if the company and product is a good fit. We have had a few companies that don’t fit such as those selling knives or cigars,” Hartigan says.

To learn more, or apply for the pro gram, interested parties may reach out to Robert Hartigan or visit the website at www.akroncantonairport.com/ home/business under the Opportuni ties tab.

“I am honored to be the first female and minority-owned company to be working with the Business Catalyst Program,” Brown says. “The oppor tunity to establish my business in an airport environment has been a blessing. Traditionally, it is difficult for small businesses to do business with an airport of any size. This oppor tunity has allowed me to network with

professionals that I may not have had access to otherwise to position my business for future growth opportuni ties.”

With the positive energy generated by the Business Catalyst Program, she says she believes there is plenty of potential to expand her partnership within the airport in multiple ways.

“Plus, eing the first company to be a part of the program will allow me to share my experiences and be an example for the companies that will follow. My advice to small businesses looking for a location is to not be afraid to research locations that you deem might not be a good fit at first glance.  Learn to be led by your spirit and you will be guided to the perfect location for your business,” Brown says.

Patricia Faulhaber is a highly pub lished, award-winning freelance writer who has written on topics such as busi ness, industry, marketing, nonprof its and education for local, regional and international publications and online content.

Celeste Brown posing in front of her Automated Retail Machine.

I am honored to be the first female and minorityowned company to be working with the Business Catalyst Program. The opportunity to establish my business in an airport environment has been a blessing.”

Celeste Brown, CEO of Defining Enterprises, LLC

BY KAREN HANNA

Somewhere on the road between Parma and Kent, Jo Simmons found her inspiration to start a new business, and free resources from the Summit Medina Business Alliance would help put her on her way. Simmons, who opened Universe Luxury Waxing Center on State Route 59 in Kent in April, used to drive well out of her way for the services she now offers.

Jo Simmons, owner of Universe Luxury Waxing Center

“I kind of thought to myself, ‘I really can’t be the only person driving 45-50 minutes just for a waxing service.’ So, that’s when I came up with the idea to open a wax center within Portage County,” she says.

Simmons is just one of the business owners who has accessed the services of Summit Medina Business Alliance to launch and maintain businesses in the Akron area. According to the government-supported agency, 18 new small businesses — defined as businesses with between one employee and 499 — opened between Oct. 1, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2021. (The last period for which numbers are available).

Susan McGann, a certified business adviser for the Summit Medina Business Alliance, which is part of the Ohio Business Development Centers, worked with Simmons to develop a business plan and get her arms around details such as permits and insurance.

McGann explains that a lot of business owners aren’t aware of just how many resources are available to them.

“One of the things that we can do and what I find myself working with people more often, it’s

just a marketing plan, where to spend your time and your effort and your dollars. It’s not enough just to say, ‘I’ll go on social media.’ There’s a strategy. … How will people find your website?

The World Wide Web is so overloaded,” says McGann, who was a one-time entrepreneur and acts as an advocate for small businesses.

Supported by a variety of funding streams, including the cities of Akron and Kent, Summit County, the Ohio Department of Development and the U.S. Small Business Association, the Summit Medina Business Alliance can help business owners navigate common questions and access resources.

As McGann tells her clients, “If I can’t help you directly, I will find someone who can.”

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, that meant helping clients find information about applying for safety nets, such as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program, along with providing consulting on routine business questions.

For McGann, who’s taken graduate-level classes in marketing, accounting and human resources to maintain her certification, the work

“Her enthusiasm for what she does and the way she inspired me and made me feel like I was capable of doing it, she let me know that I had a very reliable business consultant on my side. That helped me through it. With her just being so great, it gave me the courage to actually leave insurance and go into entrepreneurship.”

is so much more than administrative minutiae.

“During the early stages of a pandemic, I felt like I did as much mental health counseling as I did business counseling,” McGann says.

Simmons and fellow Kent-based entrepreneur Ayham Abuzeid praise McGann for being their champion.

“Her enthusiasm for what she does and the way she inspired me and made me feel like I was capable of doing it, she let me know that I had a very reliable business consultant on my side,” says Simmons, who sold insurance before opening her waxing center. “That helped me through it. With her just being so great, it gave me the courage to actually leave insurance and go into entrepreneurship.”

FILLING A VOID

Like Simmons, Abuzeid met with McGann weekly before he opened his first business. And like Simmons, he says his inspiration came from seeing an unmet need in the community. At the time, in 2014, his then-wife had a pinched nerve and had to travel to see a chiropractor.

Abuzeid, a full-time instructor of English at Kent State University, didn’t know about chiropractic medicine then, but he already had an itch for entrepreneurship.

“So, I started learning about it, and I got interested in the idea and started doing homework, asking questions,” he says.

With “a little bit of belief in chiropractic medicine, but also the passion for business,” he started studying the potential competition and working out a business plan.

Armed with that information, he took part in a seminar offered by the Summit Medina Business Alliance, where he first met McGann. His chiropractic business would eventually employ 10 people.

McGann has continued to help Abuzeid on a number of businesses since, as he’s tried his hand at real estate, translation and food service. A partner in a food truck business, Abuzei celebrated the expansion of his Tahini Mediterranean Cuisine to a sit-down space in September inside Kent State’s Rathskeller.

As the descendent of business owners in the textile industry in Syria, Abuzeid first came to the U.S. in 2006. He acknowledged he had a lot to learn to get started.

Passion for entrepreneurship — rather than the mission of the business itself — drives him.

“I was owning a business in a totally different country, different language, different people, different culture, different rules,” he says.

MORE ABOUT THE SUMMIT MEDINA BUSINESS ALLIANCE

The Summit Medina Business Alliance has an office in Akron, with a satellite in Kent, though certified business adviser Susan McGann says she does a lot of work while on the road—visiting her small business clients.

To learn more about help available to small businesses with between 1 and 499 employees, call the alliance’s Akron office at 330-375-2111 or visit Summit Medina Business Alliance SBDC (summit4success.com).

The small business alliance helped him navigate in an unfamiliar place.

He believes anyone could run a business but concedes getting started takes a certain mindset. But he cautioned against seeing financial gain as the sole measure of success. If a person’s passion is to run a business, simply trying is one mark of having made it.

“You might say, ‘Well, but you might do it, and it might fail.’ Yes, but guess what? Failure is success as well. … If it failed, you will learn all the lessons that led to its failure,” Abuzeid says .

He classified all his businesses as successes, including his translation service, which he closed after fulfilling his first large contract.

The work got too onerous, he says.

He’s also sold the chiropractic business, though he now owns the building and rents it back to the staff member who bought it.

SPREADING SUCCESS

Small businesses’ success sends ripples through the community, according to McGann.

Money spent locally stays local, and that helps everyone, she says.

“There’s that local multiplier, and the people that you deal with, you see at the grocery store, you see them around town, at the bars at night, wherever. They use that money to support charity, the high school football team, that sort of thing,” she says.

Simmons, whose waxing center has four suites and employs three people, already sees it. She’s drawing customers from the local community who, just like her, didn’t want to make the long drive anymore.

As a business owner, she says she takes pride in customer service.

“I have a lot of college kids that come to me and they tell me, ‘Jo, you’re so close to the school. I don’t have a car. This is my second year at Kent State, and the first time I didn’t have anyone to wax,’ ” Simmons says. “Even if it’s just eyebrows or your arms or your chin or your lip, they’re literally going through class with a little insecurity because they don’t have a car to drive 45 minutes.”

Abuzeid, who’s invested in seven properties so far, says a house he’d bought with some trepidation back in February already has turned into his biggest real estate success. He had dozens of applicants for the rental property, many with the kinds of characteristics landlords crave — high credit scores, no pets, few kids.

But he offered the lease to a single mom who was facing imminent eviction elsewhere.

“I gave the house to a lady with five kids aged from five years to 14 years. And you know what that means, right? More traffic on every door, on every closet, on every toilet, on everything. But to me, I was really happy. I was very happy. I told her, ‘All I want is for you to take care of the house.’ This has made me really really genuinely happy, knowing you are making an impact,” Abuzeid says.

McGann says a lot of new entrepreneurs start

Jo Simmons launched her business, Universe Luxury Waxing Center, thanks in part to the services provided by the Summit Medina Business Alliance.

Jo Simmons’ Universe Luxury Waxing Center is located on State Route 59 in Kent next to GameStop.

slow, with a side hustle. Others jump in with both feet, as Simmons did.

Generally, she advises them to start small and pay attention to the numbers.

“What’s your monthly net? How much do you rent? How much are your utilities going to be? Think about any seasonality of your business. … How are you going to survive the leaner months?” she says.

Just as Simmons and Abuzeid tried to address unfilled niches, would-be entrepreneurs should consider what role their business concept might fill and ask themselves, “How is my business different?” McGann says.

Taking the plunge takes a special type, she adds.

“I think you can teach accounting, and I think you can teach other types of things,” McGann says.

But entrepreneurship?

“I’ve seen many people put their houses on the line. I’ve seen people quit their jobs when

they have three kids and a wife to support. Because that’s what they want to do. Because they — as one of my clients told me — ‘If you have a crutch, you will use it, and I don’t want to have a crutch.’ ”

For Simmons and Abuzeid, the risk is worth it.

The two agree that the best advice they gave to prospective entrepreneurs was “believe in yourself, and go for it.”

And with the free resources available through the Summit Medina Small Business Alliance, no one needs to do it totally alone.

“That was very nice and very relieving to know that there are people who actually want you to succeed, and this is the core of the mission statement of their department at the Small Business Administration,” Abuzeid says.

Karen Hanna is a freelance writer based in Cuyahoga Falls.

Abuzeid’s food truck is a part of his larger Tahini Mediterranean Cuisine restaurant, which recently expanded to include a sit-down space in Kent State’s Student Center.

Abuzeid has used resources from the Summit Medina Small Business Alliance for many business ventures.

PHOTOS COURTESY AYHAM ABUZEID

FAMILY-RUN FAMILY FUN IN THE METROPLEX

The park’s F-22 Raptor Go Karts are a visitor favorite.

BY ERIN SIEGFERTH

The McCullys dreamed of creating a place in their community that would give families a place to experience joy and nostalgia all summer long.

So in 1992, they officially opened Sluggers & Putters in Canal Fulton with three classic attractions for family entertainment centers in the 90s: batting cages, a golf driving range and an 18-hole mini golf course.

Today, the park is still owned and operated by the McCully family. It offers more than 20 rides and attractions for all ages. The Dodge’em Bumper Cars look like NASCAR cars. The Flying Chair Swings take kids and adults soaring through the sky. Little ones can take a trip around the tracks on the El Paso Railroad. For a break from the sun, visitors can win prizes playing the classic pinball machines and giant PacMan in the arcade.

The park is also beautifully landscaped.

“My background is in landscape design and horticulture,” Tim says. “I’ve probably got 20,000 perennials growing in the ground, 20 different types of

hostas, 10 different types of ornamental grasses, so this place is landscaped to the hilt.”

It also incorporates nursery rhymethemed props from the original Mother Goose Land in Canton, which are found throughout the Adventure mini golf course. For children, these props are a fun addition to their mini golf game. For some adults who remember Mother Goose Land, the figures are a nostalgic nod to the past.

It is clear that Tim and his family take great pride in every inch of the

park, from the beautiful scenery to the friendly, personal customer service ethic that Tim says sets them apart from the competition.

“I’m not an absentee owner,” Tim says.

That’s putting it lightly. Tim has his hands in every part of the park, from behind the scenes details to engaging with guests on a personal level every day.

“I’m sort of like the old Billy Joel song,” says Tim, “I am the entertainer.”

The covered pavilion within the park is used as an event space and the large TVs inside provide visitors with a great space to watch their favorite professional sports teams.

Tim McCully has a professional background in landscape design and horticulture, and he has used this experience to keep Sluggers & Putters lush with beautiful flowers, trees and grasses.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BUCKEYE DRONE

It’s About the People

Skyler McCully, Tim and Rhonda’s son, is Vice President of Sluggers & Putters. During the school year, he teaches at Alliance Middle School. He spends his summers at the park, managing daily operations, talking to visitors and working behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly.

For Sluggers & Putters, running a small business is a big undertaking. Everything that goes into the park is operated by Tim, Rhonda, and Skyler, and the dedicated employees they carefully train.

“There’s no other team,” Skyler says.

The McCullys manage everything, including hiring and training, scheduling, paying bills, marketing, social media, booking groups, and tending to everyday park tasks. During the summer months, Skyler says it’s not unusual for him to work 10 to 12 hour days.

This year, the park’s seasonal employees peaked at a staff of around 90 people. The seasonal staff is mostly high school and college-age students. For many, the park is their first work experience. The park helps develop the upcoming workforce, instilling a strong

work ethic and sense of responsibility that students can carry with them throughout life.

One such employee is Jamie Goldman, a junior at the University of Toledo. She has worked at the park for the last four years, since 2019.

Goldman is a finance major, who plans to work in healthcare administration. She says the ability to earn more responsibility and work in a customer-facing position at the park has been beneficial to her growth and an important part of her experience.

“I worked really hard my first year, trying to be a ride attendant and be

“There is no ‘corporate.’ It’s us.”

Among the park’s many attractions is the El Paso Railroad, a miniature train for little ones to enjoy.

friendly, and it paid off,” she says. “Then I got rewarded by, okay, let’s move you into the ticket booth, you can start off with sales there.”

Goldman enjoyed being the first face people saw when they entered the park.

In 2022, the McCullys gave Goldman even more responsibility, but this time more behind-the–scenes, including monitoring inventory, managing birthday parties and working with school groups.

As Goldman looks toward graduation and the start of her career, she reflects on how working at Sluggers & Putters has given her skills for the post-graduate world, including maintaining a worklife balance and managing interpersonal dynamics within a work environment.

This will likely be Goldman’s last year at Sluggers & Putters as she starts to look for internships in her field of study. Over the years, she has developed affection for the park itself and its regular visitors.

“It started out as my first job,” she says, “And now, it’s one of those places on my last day I left and I cried and I was like, ‘I’m gonna miss this place.’”

Canton and Beyond

Skyler says his parents were inspired by their trips to Myrtle Beach, known for its fun activities like mini golf. He says Tim and Rhonda noticed a void of similar attractions in the Canton area.

Now, the park provides a variety of benefits to the region: summer fun for families, a high-quality, hospitable event location, early employment opportunities for high school and college students, and economic stimulation for the entire Akron-Canton Metroplex.

Sluggers & Putters attracts out-of-town visitors and locals alike, and according to Tim, yearly attendance for the park ranges from 55,000 to 70,000 visitors.

In keeping with the City of Canton’s ongoing mission to support its small businesses, the Parks and Recreation Department has brought children to the park each year for summer camp since 2004. Additionally, the park has a partnership with Visit Canton, the Stark County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.

With a beautiful covered pavilion that seats up to 500 guests, the park is also a popular destination for company picnics, birthday parties, field trips and other special occasions. Sluggers

& Putters makes booking these special events simple. The park handles all the moving parts, including setup, check-in, catering, announcements and cleanup.

“It’s effortless,” says Tim. All the company has to do is pick a menu and arrive at the park ready to have a great day. He estimates that each summer, the park hosts between 40 to 45 corporate outings, ranging from smaller groups, to larger ones over 500 people in size.

Additionally, guests can then enjoy a variety of activities, whether they want to relax and watch a game on one of the pavilion’s multiple 72 inch TVs or enjoy many of the park’s other attractions.

Because there is something for everyone, Sluggers & Putters enjoys many repeat visitors for corporate events and picnics, including the likes of M.K. Morse, GOJO Industries and YWCA USA.

Adapting With the Times

A lot has changed during the 30 years Sluggers & Putters has been in operation, and in order for the park to stay wellmaintained, it continues to evolve in order to keep up with public tastes and preferences.

Tim says knowing when to add and subtract attractions has been key to the park’s continued success. He says it is important to be able to admit mistakes in order to correct them. If a ride or attraction isn’t performing well, a wise business owner has to be willing to replace it with something more fitting.

“That’s why we’re still here,” Tim says. “We just keep putting money back in the park and make it nice and beautiful and a great place for families to come and have fun, that’s what it’s all about.”

As a result of this mindset, Sluggers & Putters is thriving—and it looks a lot different now than it did in 1992.

The park that began with batting cages, a driving range, and mini golf now offers over twenty rides and attractions. New ones include Ohio’s largest laser tag field, a classic Scrambler, and Flying Chair Swings.

A big draw for out-of-state tourists is Stark County’s only roller coaster, The Lil’ Dipper.

The McCullys acquired the coaster from Cincinnati’s Americana Amusement Park when it went out

Among the park’s two miniature golf courses is an Olde’ Skool Golf that features a unique color scheme and music from the 1960s.

of business. The Lil’ Dipper is Ohio’s second oldest roller coaster.

“We now have a roller coaster in the park,” Skyler says, “we’ve gotten a following with the American Coaster Enthusiasts organization.”

The Lil’ Dipper counts for coaster credits, meaning American Coaster Enthusiasts travel to Sluggers & Putters just to add the historic ride to their lists.

Of course, not all changes are within the McCully family’s control. The park had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and the regulatory restrictions that came with it. Following state-issued closures beginning in March of 2020, Ohio theme parks reopened in late June of 2020 as one of the last industries to be cleared for reopening.

Skyler says in the summer of 2020, he talked to a lot of parents who were overjoyed to see their children finally having fun again for the first time in months.

Before the pandemic, Skyler says Sluggers & Putters already adhered to strict sanitation and cleanliness policies. The idea of providing a safe, clean environment was nothing new.

Sluggers & Putters served as a safe, outdoor activity. Visitors from within driving distance especially enjoyed the park as a low-risk, high reward family trip, avoiding the need for a plane ride but maximizing the fun.

“Last year, 2021, was probably one of our best years as far as the numbers go,” says Skyler.

As Tim looks toward the future, he feels strongly that park ownership and management will remain in the family. He plans to stay involved in some aspects, like scheduling special events, while passing off much of the day-to-day responsibility of running the park to Skyler.

“I’ve owned businesses since I was 19 years old—I was a paperboy at the age

of 12 or 10,” Tim says.

Tim’s business sense and work ethic have made an impression on Skyler.

“My mom has a college degree, my dad just has a high school education,” Skyler says. “As a teacher, I always talk about with my kids, if you want to be a business owner, you’ve just got to work hard, it comes down to that work ethic.”

When asked what advice he has for aspiring entrepreneurs within the Akron-Canton Metroplex, Tim explains that once you find good people to work with, it’s essential to hang onto them.

“Find and hang on to good people!” Tim says. “The right people will be passionate about working with you, help to clear up headaches, and work to allow your business to grow within your terms.”

Erin Siegferth is a freelance writer based in Chicago.

Battle Creek Ohio is Ohio’s largest outdoor tactical laser tag field and can be enjoyed by up to 35 players at a time.

The Garage invokes the atmosphere of a start up company, and is intentially designed to promote collaboration and problem-solving.

BY PATRICIA FAULHABER

Many students at Walsh University in North Canton believe if companies like Amazon, Apple, Disney and Google can get their start in a garage, then why can’t they too start compa nies in a garage that can become some of the world’s most successful?

Such thoughts have become the foundation of a student-directed business incubator at Walsh Universi ty, where students have the oppor tunity to develop skills they need to be ready for the entrepreneurial, global and dynam ic workplace of tomorrow. And, they are doing it all from an actual garage located on the Walsh campus called The Garage: Nolan Family Cen ter for Innovation.

The location soon became the spot for students to meet to discuss startups, entrepreneurship and problem solv ing and it all began with four students attending Walsh who came up with an idea to start a business. While brainstorming, the four met at the library and quickly realized that the quiet environment was not suitable for discussions about innovation and starting a business.

Next, they tried to meet and work in the cafeteria with hopes of hav ing a more relaxed place to bounce thoughts off of each other but found that the location was too loud to foster

new concepts. The dorm rooms also turned out to be unrealistic to work on such projects.

They would eventually find an old garage on the Walsh campus. Josh Ippolito, Andrew Chwalik, Matt Stro belt, and Iagos Lucca went to then President Richard Jusseaume to see if they could use that location. The answer was yes.

Michael Dunphy is the Vice Presi dent for Academic Affairs at Walsh University. He oversees all aca demic functions of the University. The Garage: Nolan Family Center for Innovation is men tored by those in the DeVille School of Business, which Dunphy also over sees.

“The Garage is a student-run entre preneurship pro gram,” Dunphy says. “The mantra for students who are part of the Garage has been ‘Designed for Stu dents, by Stu dents.’” In that spirit, the mis sion is to devel op and encour age students (regardless of year of study, major or background) to pursue innovation and problem solving with an entre preneurial mindset.”

Participation and membership at the Garage are purely extracurricu lar. The time commitment required to start a business and problem solve at the Garage is above and beyond that

Photo courtesy WALSH UNIVERSITY

Small business startup ideas and entrepreneurship is alive and well and at the heart of students coming together at Walsh University.

“The mantra for students who are part of the Garage has been ‘Designed for Students, by Students.’” In that spirit, the mission is to develop and encourage students (regardless of year of study, major or background) to pursue innovation and problem solving with an entrepreneurial mindset.”

Michael Dunphy Vice President for Academic Affairs at Walsh University

of the students’ coursework. Dunphy says, the number of students involved depends on what is happening there.

“We have our annual Entrepreneur ship Week with our Business Pitch Competition, and we regularly have 50-plus students. For our weekly open Garage programs, the regular members would attend (10-15 students). For our 3D Printing Certification Class we’ve had classes as big as 20-plus. For site visits (Flexjet, Ninja Hub, Hyland)we’ve had 50-plus students join us,” Dunphy says.

For the Students, By the Students

The focus for students while in the Garage is to be supportive sounding boards for innovative ideas. The stu dents consider themselves a commu nity of people seeking to innovate; and problem solve. Students get involved in a number of ways. Dunphy says there is a Garage Block Party at the beginning of every semester to recruit new members.

“We ask those interested in mem bership to come to two or three open events and then submit a short appli cation with their name, background, skills, interests, and, if applicable, new business ideas,” he says.

Some of the other events and activi ties held at the Garage include:

• Open Garage every week where interested students can visit and learn about the projects that the

regularly attending students are working on and the activities that take place there.

• Every semester, there is the 3D Printing Certification Program where students have open access to the 3D printer and are led by a local SME on how to use the 3D printer.

• Every spring, there is an event to increase awareness of the Garage on campus during Entre preneurship Week which could include: a business pitch com petition; guest speakers; a com pany site visit; or a hackathon where a group of people would get together in a room, be given a problem as a prompt, and be given a set amount of time to come up with solutions.

The Garage usually gets a mix of various sources for projects. Students come with a very specific project or problem in mind. For example, a biochem student that used the Garage specifically to work on a 3D model of a particular fuel cell he and his class mates were trying to redesign.

“Some projects are brought to us by external stakeholders. There was a project brought to us by Ameri can Greetings Company, where they wanted to explore new ways to attract a ‘younger demographic’ to purchase and use greeting cards,” Dunphy says.

“This brought in some students that were interested in being employed by American Greetings and marketing and management students. The students

have worked for small and large busi nesses in the area and are here to serve our community as needed in addition to coming up with their own business ideas and solutions,” he adds.

Local Company Projects

Local businesses have reached out to students at the Garage to have their projects worked on, including the Biery Cheese Company.

“They were rolling out a new cheese product to compete with Bel Brands Babybel® personal cheese wheel. The students ranged from marketing, social media, graphic design and psychology to study the trends in purchasing, con sumer behavior, ad placements and the effects of color and design on packag ing. They created a mini-consulting team and presented their findings and recommendations on go-to mar ket strategies for Biery’s new cheese wheel,” says Dunphy.

Another project was for Aultman Hospital, which needed some assis tance in determining how to get its employees vaccinated without losing too many man-hours of productivity. With the assistance of Aultman’s IT staff and Walsh’s students from mar keting, management and nursing, they designed an app-based process flow chart that created an optimal time frame for employees to receive their vaccinations and eliminate the bottle neck effect of employees trying to sign up for vaccinations at random times.

Endless Possibilities

Dunphy agrees the possibilities are endless for The Garage: Nolan Family Center for Innovation.

“In addition to serving the commu nity, the next Google or MacIntosh could be one idea away and I don’t put it past our very talented students to make that happen,” he says. “We just want to encourage all Walsh Univer sity students from all majors to come to a Garage event and check out what’s going on in the innovation center. It’s a great experiential learning oppor tunity to hone one’s entrepreneurial skill set.”

The Garage is stocked with computers and equipment students can use to work on their entreprenurial projects.

at The Garage

Nolan Family Center for Innovation

AUSTIN FANTIN President

Fantin, a finance major, wants a job where he can enjoy the work, crunch numbers, and still interact with people on a regular basis.

He decided finance was the perfect major that offered all three.

“I will be starting out as a financial analyst at MarshBerry, which is an investment bank in Woodmere. I interned there this past summer and thankfully received a full-time offer,” says Fantin, who plans to graduate in December. “When I started thinking about finance, I wanted to get experience in the field. They were looking for a Director of Operations on the leadership team at the Garage.

“Some of my best experiences have been meeting with aspiring entrepreneurs and hearing the excitement in their ideas. There is no better feeling than sitting in a room with multiple people bouncing around ideas to grow or start a business and hearing all the innovative and original thoughts thrown around.

“From these collaborations, I have learned how creative people can be and how wide people’s knowledge can span. I have quickly learned that this wide breadth of thinking comes out most in an environment that breeds collaboration.”

On top of that, in order to advise businesses, Fantin says he needed to know what he was talking about as well which led to outside research on all aspects of business. Finally, through the Garage, Fantin was introduced to Ripple (a start-up working to solve the world water crisis) and helped with their finances and accounting.

“Since I am not an accounting major, this introduced me to an entire other side of business that I would not have taken classes on. Being completely student-led while being effective in jumpstarting businesses makes it unrivaled for the experi ence,” he says.

SPROULL

Director of Operations

Sproull, a senior accounting major says, “I took CCP (College Credit Plus) classes in high school. During a regular introduction to accounting class, my professor told us that ac counting was the language of business, and this sparked my interest and I decided to pursue the field.”

He was recently offered a position as a Tax Consultant at Deloitte Tax LLP and is planning a career at Deloitte.

“When I was a freshman, I attended the Garage Block Party and met the Garage leadership team. I was inspired to join due to the spirit of entrepreneurship and professional business connections. All it took for me to join the Garage was to simply volunteer and state my interest in the organization. I started as the Director of Entrepreneurship in January, after only five months of being at college,” Sproull says.

Sproull believes his time at the Garage has been advanta geous. He has had the opportunity to meet a plethora of local business gurus, serial entrepreneurs and networking geniuses.

“Each of these were as unique as the last,” he says. “From them I have learned three major lessons. From Ted Swaldo, the importance of listening to your customers and addressing their needs. From Eric Belden, I understood that it is who one knows that will help you get far ahead. And lastly, Terry Nolan has taught me that having a strong support system at home is the basis from which a great career is launched.”

MICHAEL

Photos courtesy WALSH UNIVERSITY

MADELINE WEISBURN Director of Community Engagement

Weisburn has a passion for creat ing strong communication net works. She has interests in design ethics and technology development, which serves her well as a marketing major with minors in corporate communi cations and history.

“I job shadowed in a number of fields, ranging from adminis tration to teaching to consulting. My favorite experience was following the VP of Community Engagement at a local hospital. After that, I decided I wanted to go into marketing to more in tentionally connect businesses and consumers,” says Weisburn, who will be graduating in December.

She is thinking she will look for a full-time position in marketing analytics. She is also a freelance harpist on the side and plans to continue that occupation, as well.

“I have two goals for my future career: the job I do or create has to be about making a difference in the world, and a job where I can continually learn,” Weisburn says.

“At the end of my sophomore year, Austin mentioned he was go ing to be the president of the Garage and that he was working to build the leadership team. He said that I would be a great fit as the Director of Community Engagement,” Weisburn says.

“It has been the best group I’ve ever been a part of. I have really developed my professional skills through the space. As a leader, I have worked with many people in the community and in ad ministration and acting as a liaison for students. When people walk through the door, I want to give them every opportunity to succeed in whatever capacity they choose. There is an under standing in the space that we can all teach each other. I love that. I’ve learned that I am never done learning.”

She describes the space as “having whiteboards on all the walls.” Weisburn says she writes all over them, all the time.

“I think ideas no matter how big or small are worth sharing and receiving feedback on. There is something to be said for getting your hands dirty and building a business from the ground up. The exposure to energetic, young entrepreneurs is emphatic; the positivity is contagious,” Weisburn says.

JOE KNOPP

Director of Entrepreneurship

Knopp, a finance major, feels he is a start-up junky. He has started three businesses all before the age of 20.

One of those businesses is WATR, short for We Are The Ripple (WATR). It is an organization dedicated to doing good in the world by lever aging high-quality products to solve real-world problems.

“In the last 18 months, we’ve been able to drill 20 wells and give 50,000 people clean water in Uganda through the sale of our Ripple water bottles,” says Knopp, who is graduating in May.

Knopp got involved in the Garage his freshman year when he entered the local Shark Tank pitch competition. He felt the Garage offered a space where he could bring together other students for product market fit testing and build out his ideas, processes and plan on the dry-erase board walls.

“The Garage is an experimental learning area on campus where students collaborate and grow their own general business knowledge through hands-on learning experiences and conver sation with one another. For instance, Madeline would leave marketing questions for others to answer throughout the week,” Knopp says.

“Overall, The Garage was a core piece of my time at Walsh Uni versity and I would recommend becoming involved in the space whether you’re a student, faculty member or local business.”

Madeline Weisburn, Sara Miller, Austin Fantin and Michael Sproull outside of The Garage: Nolan Family Center for Innovation.

Photos courtesy WALSH UNIVERSITY

Middle School Power

BY BRUCE ADAMS

After working as a middle school youth pastor for eight years, Joel Daniel Har ris recognized the significant challenges and untapped potential that this group of preteens and young teenagers face on a daily basis.

“Middle schoolers are early adoles cents who are changing physically and socially, and searching for their iden tity while they develop cognitively and become more abstract thinkers,” Harris says. “A lot of the time, middle school ers get a bad rap because they can be challenging and awkward. The phrase, ‘you’re acting like a middle schooler,’ is not a compliment. But when they are acting like that, it is developmentally appropriate.”

Wanting to make a positive impact on more middle school students, Har ris founded the nonprofit organization TomTod Ideas (www.tomtodideas.org) in Canton in 2012. The youth devel opment group was launched in Stark County to create programs for middle schoolers.

TomTod’s mission is to empower middle schoolers to explore and launch ideas with empathy and imagination, and to help their community thrive. It does this by challenging middle school ers and encouraging them to make dis coveries, ask questions and learn some thing new about their communities.

The nascent organization had only 76 students in its first full calendar year in 2013, but has been growing steadily since, especially after expanding its programming into Summit County four years ago. In 2021, about 1,500 middle schoolers went through its various programs, and projections for 2022 are more than 2,000 students, according to Harris.

Successful programming, committed partners and a growing professional

staff that now numbers 10, spurred this steady growth and filled a gaping need.

“Middle schoolers are an underresourced group that often gets leftover programming that’s not developed specifically for them,” Harris says. “We think their perspective is valu able and necessary to the community. Middle schoolers are at a transition stage between childhood and adulthood. Elementary school students are kids, while high school students are youthful, and you can engage with them as adults. Middle schoolers are in between. We want to meet with them where they are.”

During programming, middle school students meet community leaders, explore organizations and learn about the

TOMTOD IDEAS

BY THE NUMBERS:

Students in 2013 calendar year: 76 Students in 2022 calendar year (estimate): 2,000+

2022 Summer “Camp What If” attendees: 300+

Cost to students and parents: $0 2022 budget: $550,000

TomTod’s programming empowers middle school students throughout the Akron-Canton Metroplex.

Joel Daniel Harris is a former youth pastor turned founder of the nonprofit TomTod Ideas, where he advocates and facilitates community engagement for middle school students. He is pictured here with his wife, Joy.

assets and challenges that exist. They cre ate ideas and work in small groups to narrow down and research ideas.

“We tweak the curriculum year [after] year, but there always are new things happening in the community and new ways to help them grow,” Harris says. “We try to bring an array of partners each year. The format is the same year to year, but organizations are different.”

Helping Kids Navigate a Difficult Time

Denise Seachrist, dean at Kent State University at Stark, says TomTod fills a need.

“Our society spends so much time on early childhood education because we know how important that is,” she says. “Adults work closely with high school students transitioning to college. But sometimes we don’t pay enough atten tion to middle school students and their ideas. Middle school is so hard and can be such an awkward time. The highs are so high and lows are so low. Some are

socially awkward, while others are quite mature. But middle school students are filled with great ideas. We want to help TomTod tap into that magic that is inside middle school students.”

KSU Stark is one of several TomTod partners that provides resources so the nonprofit can conduct its programming. TomTod does not own or rent any real estate, so all of its programs are con ducted at various locations throughout the Akron-Canton Metroplex. Program ming is conducted in schools, libraries, parks, community centers, businesses and institutions of higher education, such as KSU Stark.

More than 300 middle school students attended TomTod’s recently completed summer camps, known collectively as Camp What If. They were done in vari ous locations in partnership with the cities of Akron and Canton, North Can ton City Schools, North Canton Public Library and Plain Local School District. All students attended for free.

“Our funding comes from three pri mary sources,” Harris says. “Program

revenue provides 40% of our budget. It’s from programing partners, such as school districts or community partners or organizations that want to provide students with opportunities, but can’t do it on their own.” Programming part ners often include libraries, cities and municipalities.

Foundation support and grants account for about 35% of the nonprof it’s budget, while donors and charitable support from businesses, organizations and individuals contribute 25%.

“We are adamant that we are available for all middle school students,” Har ris says. “Across every demographic, middle school students are all going through immense change and need empowerment and need to have their voices heard. We will bring together kids that might not otherwise inter act with one another. As a society, we are good at dividing ourselves. But we want all middle school students to come together, explore their community, share ideas, dream and create together.”

Year-Round Community Building

There are several different avenues that TomTod uses to reach middle school students throughout the year.

“Our four core programming opportu nities consist of school year classes and clubs, summer camps, community col laborations and project-based mentor ing, which happens year-round,” Harris says. “We want to join with other orga nizations and do meaningful work with them. We are happy and excited to work alongside our partners.”

Seachrist says TomTod is taking on a noble mission to help middle school students, which at the same time can benefit the communities they live in.

“Stark County is getting older, poorer and smaller,” Seachrist says. “This isn’t sustainable. We need to tackle big prob lems with creative solutions. How do we attract younger people? When students graduate, how do we keep them here or attract them to come back?”

“One way to do that is to reflect on what is great about the community and what can make it even greater.”

Adams is a freelance writer based in Northeast Ohio.

TomTod Ideas programming opportunities consist of school-year classes and clubs, summer camps, community collaborations and project-based mentoring. An estimated 2,000 middle school students will attend TomTod Ideas programming in 2022.

Bruce

LaunchNET Program Plants Seeds of Entrepreneurship in the Metroplex Region

Young innovators receive guidance and resources from LaunchNET at Kent State University.

BY ERIN SIEGFERTH

Where do college students turn when they have a great idea? At Kent State University, students know to knock on an advisor’s door at the LaunchNET office.

The Kent State University Launch NET program is part of the broader NEO LaunchNET program, made possible by a grant from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.

Kent’s program is one of five Launch NET programs in the initiative, joined by programs at Baldwin Wallace Uni versity, Case Western Reserve Uni versity, John Carroll University and Lorain County Community College.

Since 2012, NEO LaunchNET—orig inally affiliated with Blackstone Chari table Foundation—has helped launch more than 4,400 ventures.

Getting Off the Ground

Kent State LaunchNET Director Zach Mikrut views LaunchNET advi sors as an entrepreneur’s first point of contact.

During an initial consultation, he explains, advisors listen to understand their client’s inspiration, the problem they’re solving, their target market and their competition. From there, advi sors and clients create a plan of action for the venture.

That plan of action may look like a series of advisor meetings, help secur ing legal and accounting assistance or connections with other entrepreneur ship resources like Cleveland’s Jump Start or Akron’s Bounce Innovation Hub.

“We’re that stepping stone,” Mikrut says. “We’ll help them with the plan, but then we’ll help them connect with

that next resource so we’re not just leaving them hanging.”

In addition to one-on-one advising for student entrepreneurs, LaunchNET also holds workshops and events in collaboration with campus partners, like hackathons and pitch competi tions.

During pitch competitions, Mik rut says, students are not limited to pitching innovative ideas. They are also welcome to pitch themselves, as if selling their personal skills to an employer.

LaunchNET also provides young entrepreneurs opportunities to learn from experts in relevant fields. For example, during one workshop, vis iting lawyers discussed intellectual property law and business formation.

Black Women Bosses

Black Women Bosses is a cohortbased, 10-week entrepreneurship and leadership program within Kent’s

LaunchNET program.

LaunchNET Kent State Assistant Director Tabitha Messmore consulted with former client and colleague Ali cia Robinson, founder of nonprofit Limitless Ambition, to create the pro gram in 2020.

“I noticed that I had a lot of clients who were young Black women who were in similar spaces of wanting to solve very real problems for students on campus,” Messmore says. “I want ed to connect them and help them cre ate some community around entrepre neurship.”

Messmore saw a need for a program that went beyond the skills taught in most entrepreneurship programs.

Black entrepreneurs are underrepre sented among business owners in the United States, largely due to historical precedent, lower access to capital and lower access to markets.

“From having these conversations with students, I know how much of entrepreneurship really happens

LaunchNET clients collaborate to create a business model for their venture.

between your ears,” she says. “You can go learn the skills…but a lot of it has to happen in feeling like you are an entre preneur, and having the confidence to talk about it, and confidence to ask for a sale, things like that that really a lot of the more traditional entrepreneur ship programs just don’t address.”

Self-care and community creation are key principles of Black Women Bosses.

Messmore says many of the women in the program focus on lifestyle busi nesses. In that case, she says, “You are your business. If you don’t take care of you, you will not have a business.”

The cohort style of Black Women Bosses means that the group spends 10

weeks deliberately creating a support ive community, in addition to work shopping their entrepreneurial ideas.

Messmore says after a few weeks, she notices the women rallying each other in times of doubt and providing the kind of support that sustains longterm entrepreneurial sustainability.

Black Women Bosses works to reduce the intimidation factor in the entrepreneurship world. For example, rather than a pitch competition—a mainstay in many entrepreneurship programs—Black Women Bosses maintains the valuable experience of pitching while removing the competi tive element.

“We’re not gonna compete with each

other for money,” Messmore says. “As long as you come to the classes and do the work and show up, you’re all going to get the same amount of money.”

Fostering the Entrepreneurial Mindset

For Mikrut, entrepreneurship holds multifaceted value for the Akron-Can ton Metroplex.

“Entrepreneurship can support the region and the economy through actual startups and other freelancing activi ties,” he says. “But…it’s important to have that entrepreneurship mindset no matter what field you end up in.”

An entrepreneurial mindset benefits students across the board, whether they gain primary income from a busi ness venture, continue with a side hus tle, or bring creative problem-solving to their future workplace.

Erin Siegferth is a freelance writer based in Chicago, Illinois.

LaunchNET workshop on getting your business started and how to prioritize tasks.

Five Years In, Business is Better Than Ever for Yoder’s Bulk Foods & Deli

Specialty market and deli

BY KELSEY DAVIS

Located on Cleveland Avenue on the border with North Canton and Plain Township, Yoder’s Bulk Foods & Deli celebrated its five-year anniversary in April. The small, locally-owned mar ket specializes in an expansive selec tion of bulk food items, and Amish meats and cheeses.

I caught up with co-owner Rachel Coblentz to learn more about the store.

Q. Where did the Yoder’s name come from? Is it a family name?

A. “The name Yoder is actually my aunt’s last name. She and my mom opened the store together five years ago. They wanted something that was more common than our last name, and that invoked the feeling of it being a store that would carry more ‘Amish’ goods. Three years ago, my aunt decid ed she no longer wanted to be a part of the store and sold her half to Diana. So despite being named Yoder’s, no Yod ers work here (now).”

Q. How did you get the idea for the market?

A. “The store was originally Diana’s idea. She has experience in the food service industry and thought that North Canton had nothing that we offer.”

Q. I see you offer many items from Amish Country. What do you offer, what are some of your most popular items and where are your products sourced? Do you offer homemade goods?

A. “Out of all of the things we have in the store, the most popular is the deli. We get most of our deli items from Troyer Cheese or Walnut Creek Foods. Everything in our deli is sliced fresh; it is never pre-sliced. We do make our own ham salad and chicken salad, and they are very popular.

“We carry a big variety of jarred

goods like jams and pickles, for exam ple, that are privately labeled for us.

“We get baked goods from several bakeries in Amish Country and breads from Ideal Bakery in Lakemore.

“Some things we have that are not found in most grocery stores: We get nuts from C.J. Dannemiller, a company from Norton that roasts their own nuts. We have a large selection of their nuts, and they’re very good quality. We have a large selection of Albanese gummies and different candies. We have a large selection of spices. We try to carry things that are high quality and not found in stores around where we are.”

Q. Anything else you’d like to share about Yoder’s?

A. “I think what sets us apart from other stores is our work ethic. We own the store, but we’re there every day working. If you come and visit us, the person cutting your meat and cheese is one of the owners.

“And because we are the owners and have high standards, we want every thing to be perfect for you. We put a lot of hard work into trying to make the store run smoothly. We have our moments, but I’m very thankful to be able to work with my mom every day. She has always been a great example of what a hard worker and a strong woman is like.”

Yoder’s Bulk Foods & Deli is at 8600 Cleveland Ave. NW in Lake Township, and is open 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mon day and Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. For more information, find Yoder’s Bulk Foods & Deli on Face book.

This story was originally published in the Canton Repository on June 22, 2022. This version has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Kelsey Davis writes for the Canton Repository.

provides high-quality food and a friendly atmosphere to Akron-Canton Metroplex residents.

Photo courtesy KELSEY DAVIS

Rachel and Diana Coblentz, daughter and mother and co-owners of Yoder’s Bulk Foods & Deli in Lake Township share a laugh behind the deli counter.

Caring Treatment

Klein’s Pharmacy’s three locations strive to provide personal touch.

BY KAREN HANNA

Whether seeking COVID-19 vaccines or help with chronic mental illness, the individuals who place their trust in Klein’s Pharmacy are more than just patients.

“They’re family,” pharmacist Ann Klein says.

“We just take great pride and treat every single person as family. That’s our cardinal rule. Every customer has to be treated like you would want your mom treated. And if that doesn’t hap pen, [this is] not the right place for you to work,” says Klein, who along with husband Barry Klein, co-owns the pharmacy chain started by his father in 1966.

There are two locations in Cuyahoga Falls, anchored by the store at 2015 State Road, Suite A, and one in Akron that serves a diverse population. Two of the pharmacies specialize in caring for people with complex needs. Clus tered near Akron’s North Hill neigh borhood, the pharmacies serve a wide cross-section, including immigrants.

“We’ve been a staple in the commu nity for 50-plus years at this point in time,” Barry Klein says. “We always strive to know our patients [and] take good care of them. And it sounds cliche, but you have to look out for people.”

Commitment to Mental Health

A pharmacist since 1980, Barry Klein feels special responsibility for helping to address the impact of ill ness and addiction in the community.

He’s seen it firsthand. In 2000, he and staff members were working at the Cuyahoga Falls storefront when a young man seeking drugs held them hostage before tragically ending his life.

No one else was hurt.

The 19-year-old was suffering, Klein says. “He was self-medicating, I feel, his depression with opioid narcotics. So, he had gotten himself in a bad spot.”

Klein’s experiences both before and since have helped him to relate.

“I never thought twice about people having mental health issues because I was exposed to it at a young age. It was just another disease state. But, when I got to pharmacy school, we were [in] downtown Columbus and [would] see people with mental health issues, and my classmates were afraid. It was an eye-opening experience. It’s like, ‘They’re just sick. They have an ill ness, just like diabetes,’ ” says Klein, a graduate of The Ohio State University.

Founded: 1966

Employees: 44, including eight full-time pharmacists and a part-time pharmacist

Number of patients: 7,500 per month, at all locations combined

A staunch advocate for the Nation al Alliance on Mental Illness, Klein now talks to lawmakers about the importance of access to healthcare, and about how a nexus of problems, including homelessness and poverty, affect his patients.

Building Relationships

A commitment to meeting patients’ needs is the bedrock of Klein’s three locations, which employ 44 staff mem bers, including eight full-time pharma cists and one part-time.

For patients with special needs, staff prepare color-coded medication packaging that makes clear what’s to be taken and when.

As an independent pharmacy chain, Klein’s has a unique opportunity to reach patients on a more personal level, those who work there say.

For the Kleins, knowing they’ve made a difference is the ultimate reward.

Barry Klein says he has seen patients grow up and bring in children of their own. He’s gratified by the opportunity to tend to their physical and mental health needs.

“Because of what we’ve been able to do with medication adherence, our patients in the mental health space are living longer, because they’re access ing primary care, they’re getting med ications to treat all their conditions, including mental illness,” he says. “And they’re living a longer, better life. So very proud of that.”

“We know we’ve saved lives,” Ann agrees. “We know we have.”

Number of COVID vaccines

administered: About 10,000, and growing

Number of prescriptions filled per month: 30,000

Locations:

Klein’s Pharmacy

2015 State Road, Suite A, Cuyahoga Falls

Klein’s AssureMed Solutions

2015 State Road, Suite B, Cuyahoga Falls

Klein’s Pharmacy No. 4 co-located in Community Support Services, 150 Cross St., Akron

Hours of service (main location): 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays

Karen Hanna is a freelance writer based in Cuyahoga Falls.

Barry and Ann Klein, co-owners of Klein’s Pharmacy.

Boom Time Development

BY BRUCE ADAMS

A boom in shale oil production almost 10 years ago helped the small village of Carrollton, Ohio, build a new school complex to replace aging buildings without raising taxes on the ballot.

Residents in the Carrollton Exempt ed Village School District now have a new middle school and high school at the same complex, and a new elemen tary school will soon be built at the same site.

Carrollton, the county seat of Carroll County, is located 22 miles southeast

of Canton and has a population of 3,310, according to Hometownlocator. com, which gathers and reports U.S. Census Data information. The median home value is $174,228 and the aver age home value is $221,348.

The village was established as Cen treville in 1815, but after it became the county seat of the newly formed Carroll County in 1834, the name was changed to Carrollton. It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. His tory runs deep in the community as

evidenced by its historical buildings, such the McCook House, and by its two annual festivals, an homage to the Colonial and Pioneer eras.

Although there aren’t any large employers in the village, the agricul tural-based economy features several small retailers in town and some light manufacturing, according to Village Administrator Mark Wells. Many of the local retail stores are operated by village residents who show they believe in their small village by invest ing in it.

“Business owners who live here are

Carrollton’s McCook House is a historic museum honoring the McCook family, who served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Photos courtesy CARROLL COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Shale oil money, new power plant help build multi-school complex in the village of Carrollton.

proud to provide good products and good value in their businesses,” Wells says. “This is a friendly town. I grew up in (nearby) Malvern and I received a very warm and inviting welcome when I moved here 33 years ago.”

Thirty-three years of living in Car rollton is what some in this village consider a “short-timer,” he jokes, because many residents can trace their ancestors back for multiple gen erations.

Two New Schools with One On the Way

But one relative newcomer who has been afforded the opportunity to drive a lot of positive change is Carrollton Exempted Village School Superinten dent David Quattrochi. He has a doc torate in education from West Virginia University and a deep background in education, including 12 years as a school superintendent, 10 of which have been in Carrollton.

Quattrochi says he was attracted to the position in Carrollton due to the village’s potential.

“When I arrived, the newest school building had been built in 1954, and the oldest was more than 100 years old,” he says. “The commu nity had not passed a levy since 1977. There was a lot of room here for aca demic growth and new facilities.”

Since his arrival, the school board built a $43 million complex for grades 6 through 12 without passing a new tax levy. Much of that was raised through an enterprise agreement with Carroll County Energy, which provides $1.3 million per year for 30 years to the schools, he says. A $22-million elementary school will be built at the same complex. Quat trochi credits the school board and county commissioners for supporting efforts to build the much-needed new school complex.

Carroll County Energy is a 700-mega watt natural gas-fired electric genera tion facility 2.5 miles north of Carroll ton. It is a privately held company that

CARROLLTON MAIN EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS

The Algonquin Mill Festival is an annual event that celebrates the pioneer era of the 1800s, according to Anna Bolanz, executive director of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Bureau. It features a steam-powered flour mill and sawmill, an old-time print shop, one-room schoolhouse, horse-drawn wagon rides, antique cars and tractors, and antique tools, engines and machinery. Multiple vendors sell a variety of food, products, handmade items and hand-crafted items. It is held in the fall four miles south of Carrollton on State Route 332.

The Great Trail Arts & Crafts Festival is an annual event held two weekends at the end of August and beginning of September on State Route 43 between Carrollton and Mal vern. It is a celebration of Colonial America and its French and Indian influence with an emphasis on American folk art with contemporary and country crafting. It features battle re-enactors in colonial-era garb; fiddlers and Scottish pipers and clog dancers; a live bison herd; and a Storybook Craft Village with handcrafted gifts.

Atwood Lake and Leesville Lake are recreational areas for boating, swimming, fishing and camping with vacation cabins and a public beach. Atwood Lake is west of Carroll ton and Leesville Lake is southwest of town.

was made possible due to the shale oil boom that hit Carroll County and other communities in eastern Ohio in 2014. The $800-million plant began com mercial operations in late 2017.

The shale oil boom was disruptive to the quiet living enjoyed by many Carroll County residents, but it also provided sudden wealth to landown ers who leased their land for drilling. Carrollton and Carroll County boomed as hotels were built to house out-ofstate workers and infrastructure was developed to accommodate the drill ing and Carroll County Energy.

“While it was being built, it was a great boost to the economy,” Wells says. “We had 700 skilled laborers from outside Carroll County who were

in town and needed a place to live, eat and buy goods and groceries. There was a great deal of revenue that pro vided a big boost to [the] economy.”

Though drilling for shale oil contin ues, the building boom is over. Car roll County Energy employs 22 fulltime site-based workers at the plant, according to its website. The number of hotels in Carrollton has dropped from four to two. And the pace of life in the small village has returned to something that more closely resembles the pre-boom days, although with new schools, parks and a much-improved water system.

Bruce Adams is a freelance writer based in Northeast Ohio.

Offering local artwork and crafts made by approximately 50 Carroll County-affiliated artisans, the Carroll County Arts Center also hosts a wide variety of music concerts and art workshops.

David Quattrochi

Experiencing the Natural World Up-close at the Akron Zoo

The Akron Zoo is an ideal destination for education and exploration.

BY ABBEY BASHOR

For decades, the Akron Zoo has offered community members and people from across the Northeast Ohio region an exciting space to explore the natural world.

After opening as the Akron Chil dren’s Zoo in 1953, it went on to transform from a city-operated zoo to a private nonprofit organization by 1980. What is now known as the Akron Zoological Park has continued to expand not only its natural exhibits, but also its connection to the commu nity it serves.

The zoo’s most drastic era of improvements began in 2000, when

Summit County residents voted to approve a levy that committed $8.1 million per year to the zoo for seven years. That levy was renewed in 2006 and 2013, and in 2020, a renewal with a 0.4 mill increase was passed for a 10-year period. This support provided the means for capital improvements across the zoo’s 77 acres, including doubling the number of exhibits and increasing the number of animals in the zoo’s care by 200% over the past 15 years.

Elena Bell, marketing and PR man ager at the Akron Zoo, says that since that first levy passed, the zoo has

essentially been rebuilt. She explains that with each levy period, the zoo completes strategic plans with com munity members in mind.

“After we pass a levy, we reach out to Summit County residents and ask, ‘What do you want to see in your zoo?’ And then we try to make that happen,” says Bell. “They’re supporting us with their taxes, so we’re going to do our best to give them the zoo that they want to have here in our community.”

Aspects of the zoo that patrons enjoy most are a continued empha sis on educational opportunities and events. When it comes to learning

ZOO

The Barnhardt Family Welcome Center at the Akron Zoo.

Photos Courtesy THE AKRON

about exotic animals and their habi tats, visitors have the chance to visit exhibits such as Legends of the Wild, Komodo Kingdom, and most recently, Wild Asia

After initial planning began in 2014, Wild Asia opened in 2021 as a home to red pandas, white-cheeked gibbons, and the critically endangered Suma tran tiger. The exhibit aims to recreate Southeast Asian jungles and Himala yan forests for its animals, and visitors can learn about the animals and their environments as they walk through.

The zoo is also committed to its outreach among students and com munity members in the area. Autumn Russell is the director of education at the Akron Zoo and points to a num ber of programs that her team has been able to develop with the help of phil anthropic support.

“One program, which was devel oped by our education mission coor dinator, Cory Blackledge, focuses on Social Emotional Learning in early childhood education,” Russell says. “This program has students take the perspective of a new animal at the zoo and the challenges that animal faces, [such as] making friends, personal hygiene, sharing, setting daily rou tines. Each session focuses on a new aspect and features one of the animal ambassadors and how they help the new animal resident learn each con cept.”

Russell also mentions a program for school-aged children that focuses on STEM skills and team building, where students come to the zoo and have dif ferent STEM challenges they need to solve together. Examples of challenges include activities like building a nest to support the weight of marbles and creating a bridge that allows animals to cross a highway.

“I’m also proud of the work we are doing to connect people to animals at the zoo,” Russell adds. “We do a series of tours and unique experiences that allow our guests to get an inside look at the type of work that goes on in a zoo. We commonly hear participants say, ‘I never knew that zoos did this.’ Most often, people don’t realize the com plexity of activities that zoos engage in to support the animals in our care

Young visitors attend Boo at the Zoo.

and support conservation of animals and habitats locally and globally.”

Events for All Ages

An ever-evolving schedule of events is another major draw to visitors.

“Our primary focus with all of our events is reaching out to our commu nity,” says Bell.

For the 21-and-over crowd, Brew at the Zoo welcomes visitors to sample beer and wine while exploring the zoo after hours. The event is held on sever al dates throughout the year, including Oct. 1 and Dec. 8, and has been going strong for the past 12 years. There are also paint nights and in November, a holiday shopping experience that fea tures local vendors.

There are also plenty of activities geared toward families. Boo at the Zoo takes place during the weekends of Oct. 15-30 and welcomes children to dress up in costumes and trick-ortreat at 12 themed stations throughout the park. For people with different abilities who would like to trick-ortreat without crowds and loud noises, Zoothing Boo at the Zoo takes place on Oct. 29.

“A lot of people have to travel hours to get to a zoo, so to have one right here in our backyard is just really special,” says Bell. “We work to be an attraction that serves all of our community. We want everyone to have a place here at their zoo and to feel welcome.”

GET TO KNOW THE AKRON ZOO

The Akron Zoo is home to more than 1,000 animals from around the world.

On many of the zoo’s social media pages, its tagline is: “You’ll come nose-to-nose with more than 1,000 animals from around the world.”

Total attendance in 2021 was more than 386,000 visitors.

The Akron Zoo supports more than a dozen conservation programs across multiple continents.

In 2021, the Akron Zoo received more than $2.5 million in gifts and pledges to support operating needs, capital improvements, educational programming and animal welfare.

The Akron Zoo is open 361 days a year for visitors of all ages, abilities and interests. Akron-Canton Metro plex residents don’t have to look far to make such valuable lifelong connec tions with the natural world.

Abbey Bashor is a freelance writer from Akron.

Resources For Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners

BY AARON BENNETT

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL RESOURCES

U.S. Small Business Administration

Created in 1953, the U.S. Small Business Administration continues to help small busi ness owners and entrepreneurs pursue the American dream. The organization is the only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to small business and provides counseling, capital, and contracting expertise as the nation’s only go-to resource and voice for small businesses.

Phone: 1-800-827-5722 Webiste: www.sba.gov

The Ohio Department of Development

Whether a company is established in the state and looking to expand, a technol ogy company ready to move from the lab to commercialization, or an entrepreneur establishing a new small retail business, the Ohio Department of Development has the resources to assist and grow all businesses throughout the state.

Phone: 1-800-843-1300 Website: development.ohio.gov/

Summit Medina Business Alliance

The Summit Medina Business Alliance provides management training and educa tion, one-on-one counseling and technical assistance to support entrepreneurs and small businesses to start, grow, or sustain their businesses.

Phone: 330-375-2111 Website: Summit4success.com

AKRON SPECIFIC RESOURCES

Mayor’s Small Business Center

Provides information and referrals to entrepreneurs and to those business owners seeking advice on such matters as accessing capital, business plan assistance, or how to improve or expand the real estate they pres ently occupy.

Phone: 330-375-2111 Website: www.akronohio.gov/cms/small_ businesses/index.html

Akron Urban League’s Entrepreneurship Center

The Akron Urban League offers training, technical assistance, professional consulting, access to capital, and assistance obtaining contract opportunities to help business own ers and empower emerging entrepreneurs.

Phone: 330-434-3101 Website: www.akronurbanleague.org/whatwe-do/entrepreneurship/

Greater Akron Chamber

The Greater Akron Chamber provides research insights, advocacy support, exclu sive member benefits, equity and inclusion resources, special events and in-depth strate gies to help businesses grow and prosper.

Phone: 330-376-5550 Website: greaterakronchamber.org/

CANTON SPECIFIC RESOURCES

Stark Economic Development Board

The Stark Economic Development Board positions itself as the one-stop to find all the economic development support available for businesses operating within Stark County. Resources include information on available locations for site development and valuable tools needed to run a successful business. Phone: 330-453-5900 Email: Info@starkohio.com

Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce

Since 1914, the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce has helped businesses thrive, and today offers valuable networking opportuni ties, and a special Small Business Growth Network that brings together the resources, organization, infrastructure and content to allow new and existing businesses and nonprofit organizations to create, grow and sustain a vibrant community within the Stark, Carroll, Tuscarawas, Holmes and Harrison counties.

Phone: 330-456-7253 Website: Cantonchamber.org/businesses

Stark County Minority Association

The Stark County Minority Business Associa tion enhances partnerships between minor ity businesses members and majority-owned businesses to create greater economic impact. Member benefits include business coaching and training, important certification workshops, access to capital and contract opportunities.

Phone: 330-458-2083 Website: www.starkminoritybusiness.org/

The Akron-Canton Metroplex continues to represent a promising and supportive area to transform entrepreneurial aspirations into a profitable and successful business. We invite you to read below for a list of helpful small business resources beneficial for seasoned entrepreneurs, as well as those just getting started!

Aaron Bennett is a freelance editor and writer based in Cuyahoga Falls.

At AultCare, we take you and your family’s healthcare personally. AultCare offers accessible, personalized customer service so you speak to a real person every time you call. With an expansive network of hospitals and providers, you get the care you need the way you want it — because you matter.