25 minute read
FOOD & DRINK Crow’s Catering in Amherst offers easy solutions for dinner.
Dinner is Served
Crow’s Catering’s homecooked-style meals to go make dinner easy.
By Linda Feagler Planning for mealtime can be an endless challenge. But Ryan Crow is ready to come to the rescue.
The owner of Crow’s Catering in Amherst says food is more than mere sustenance. The chef and his team of seven take pride in creating dishes from scratch that are beautiful, delicious and good for you.
“We start with the best possible products — raw vegetables and proteins — and let them speak for themselves by taking their natural flavors, enhancing them and cooking them properly,” he says.
In addition to a robust catering service that includes themed options for backyard barbecues, Italian buffets and brunches, Crow creates chef-inspired dinners that can be ordered and picked up from his kitchen. On Friday evenings at 6 p.m., he posts the menu for the following week on the company’s Facebook page, and also notifies the 2,000 customers who’ve requested to be on his email list. Those wishing to purchase meals — which include a protein, starch and vegetable — can email their order, along with the day they’d like to pick it up, by 10 a.m. Monday.
Favorite fare includes beef lasagna, smothered chicken and pork cutlet dinners. Sides, including green beans, cabbage and noodles, and mac and cheese, are also available along with desserts featuring pineapple upside down cake and seasonal homemade ice cream and pies.
“You won’t find us doing a lot of crazy stuff,” Crow says. “We’re not into foams or different steams or smokes. Our main focus is taking traditional comfort food, which is what everyone wants, and making it a little bit healthier.”
A native of Alpena, Michigan, the chef credits his grandmother with not only teaching him how to cook, but also introducing him to the culinary concepts he never strays from.
Crow went on to earn an associate degree in culinary arts and occupational studies from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Upon graduating, he accepted a position at Cameron Mitchell Restaurant in Columbus, quickly moved up the ladder to sous-chef, and helped launch the firm’s dining establishments around the country, before moving to Cleveland to work with Michael Symon and become the chef de tournant at Lolita in Tremont.
“Working with Michael Symon and his chefs really opened up everything for me,” Crow says. “I went from knowing how to cook to really finessing and building layers of flavors. Michael introduced me to great ideas I never would have thought of.”
It was in 2013, while serving as head chef at Bonbon Bakery and Cafe in Ohio City, that the desire to start his own company sparked. Small catering jobs he was asked to orchestrate bloomed into wedding-reception dinners for 300 people. Ten years later, Crow’s Catering became a reality.
“As we scouted locations, the building we’re in became available in Amherst,” Crow says. “The town reminds me a lot of Chelsea, Michigan, where I spent a lot of my childhood. It’s a small town but close enough to highways and big cities.”
The chef also appreciates the support he’s received for his business.
“When I came here, I walked around town, knocking on doors and handing out flyers for my company,” he recalls. “The community welcomed me with open arms. We take pride in making great food for good people. My customers love it because they can just stop by, lift the lid and dinner’s done.”
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Thank you to our membership.
Over the past 2 years, we have worked hard to promote and support our Lorain County businesses despite the turbulent and changing business environment. The Chamber and our partners will provide a renewed focus on economic development and workforce opportunities for all segments of our community in 2022. We look forward to helping our members Innovate, Recover and Advance in this new normal as we accomplish this
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LORAIN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
226 Middle Ave., Fifth Floor Elyria, OH 44035 440-328-2550 – loraincountychamber.com
Intel Invests
in our future
Lorain County will be at the heart of the investment and training poised to transform the entire state of Ohio. By Linda Feagler
January 21 was a red-letter day for Lorain County.
After much speculation and anticipation, Intel announced that the American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, would be investing more than $20 billion in the construction of two new leading-edge chip factories in Ohio.
Lorain County Community College President Marcia Ballinger couldn’t be happier about Intel’s plans to launch what company CEO Pat Gelsinger calls “The Silicon Heartland” in the Buckeye State.
“We’ve been waiting for this moment,” she says. “What we’ve done at the college over the last 10 years has positioned us so well to be part of that driver of talent development around the semiconductor industry for our region. We’ve been working with employers to look at semiconductors and chip fabrication, and how we can prepare students to compete in that world, and ensure that employers — especially in the supply chain throughout Ohio — have the talent they need.”
Lorain County Community College (LCCC) began laying that groundwork in 2008, a year Ballinger describes as a “big inflection point” — the time when the world started to become acquainted with the new age of digitalization.
“We didn’t have a crystal ball, but we were very intentional about our strategic planning process, and engaging our stakeholders in it,” she says. “And what we found was that there was an intensive need to have training in a facility that would cut across industry sectors. Cloud computing came online, and the iPhone came out. Author Thomas Friedman visited our campus a few years ago, and he mentioned there was only one other time in history where technology transformed the world — and that was when Gutenberg invented the printing press.”
“I believe,” Ballinger adds, “that the semiconductor industry in Ohio is the hope for the future.”
As the largest single private-sector investment in Ohio history, the initial phase of the project is expected to create 3,000 Intel jobs with an average salary of $135,000 per person, 7,000 construction jobs while the factories are being built in Licking County and support tens of thousands of additional support positions for electricians, engineers, suppliers — as well as jobs in restaurants, healthcare, housing and entertainment. Chips made here will power everything from personal computers to jet engines, and the Ohio factory is predicted to become a major component of Intel’s leading-edge manufacturing work.
In a January 23 guest column published in The Columbus Dispatch, Key-
LCCC students, faculty and staff gather to watch Intel announcement on Jan. 21.
van Esfarjani, executive vice president, chief global operations officer and general manager of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Operations at Intel Corporation, wrote, “With the potential to grow to more than $100 billion over the next decade, this investment is an essential part of our strategy to restore U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing — an area where the nation has fallen behind to foreign competitors. … The chips made in Licking County will not only help diversify the region’s economy, but they will also make U.S. supply chains, and the overall economy, more resilient.”
Esfarjani added that the company is looking forward to forging close partnerships with the educational institutions that are vital to providing the talent needed for success.
LCCC is well-prepared to do that. The college is in a unique position within Ohio’s academic landscape because it already correlates with the semiconductor needs Intel’s operation will bring.
“[When we started planning for this day to come], people were asking, ‘Why do you do this?,’ recalls Matt Apanius, managing director of the Richard Desich SMART Center at LCCC. “When Intel lands in your backyard, universities are going to want to support the industry. But LCCC went in the other direction. We said, ‘You know what? This is where we’re going, and we should be ready when the time comes because if we’re not, we’ll miss the opportunity.’ We don’t have to change what we’ve been doing. We’ve been doing it for so many years that we’re essentially already the experts.”
Named after Lorain native and Equity Trust owner and founder Richard Desich, the SMART Center offers backend packaging solutions for companies that manufacture sensors and other silicon-fabbed devices.
With a team that includes LCCC graduates and interns, the Center provides cost-effective technical, facility and equipment resources to startups, multinational organizations and federal agencies developing micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based sensor products. A world-class MEMS development foundry with cleanroom, the SMART Center provides microelectronic packaging, assembly and test capabilities. (SMART is the college’s acronym for Sensors/MEMS Advanced Packaging and Reliability Testing.)
LCCC is the first college in Ohio to offer a bachelor of applied science degree in microelectronic manufacturing. Building on the college’s associate of applied science degree in MEMS — in which students learn how to work in a cleanroom and put sensors in product packages — those pursuing a BS degree develop their knowledge in computer science, electronics, soldering, chemistry and mechanics. They also gain experience with Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and microelectronic design, assembly and prototyping as well as electronics and drafting. Students in this degree program are required to complete an additional 300 hours (600 total; 300 hours are required in the associate degree program) of paid work experience in their respective fields prior to graduation.
“I’m very excited we have these programs up and running,” says Kelly Zelesnik, dean of LCCC’s Engineering, Business and Information Technologies division. “We have a high, high graduation rate, and every student who completes the program has job placement. We service over 80 companies in our region, and that’s going to grow because Intel’s move to Ohio is a signal that’s
going to attract many more companies into the area. With a high employment and graduation rate, Lorain County Community College is well positioned to support the companies that are here, as well as those that are expanding and moving [here].”
LCCC is also the home of the Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE) technology incubator that helps Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs marry sound business practices and ideas. Experienced Entrepreneurs-in-Residence provide professional business assistance to companies through every state of development and connect them with the resources they need for success.
“Intel’s announcement is monumental,” says LCCC assistant professor Johnny Vanderford, coordinator of the MEMS degree program and director of MERIT, the college’s Manufacturing Electronics & Rework Institute for Training lab. “To know that we’ve already been training students in microelectronic manufacturing, wafer fabrication and semi-conductor processes that include sputtering and photolithographic processing, is fantastic.”
Intel’s investment in Ohio made headlines around the world.
In announcing the company’s intention to invest in Ohio on January 21, Gov. Mike DeWine proclaimed it to be a “great day in Ohio history,” adding that he was initially contacted by Intel on May 3 of last year, and received the good news on Christmas Day. “This is a major win for Ohio,” DeWine said.” And it’s really a game changer, a game changer for our economic future. You know Intel could have put these plants anywhere in the country. In fact, there were 40 states that were competing to try to get these plants and … they chose Ohio. … This victory really builds on our history as a great manufacturing state. Intel joins a growing list of manufacturing companies that have made the decision to come to Ohio or to expand in Ohio. …
“Intel already has 140 suppliers in Ohio. And with this plan, they’re going to add many, many more all over the state. … What makes this announce-
ment truly transformative for Ohio is that from now on any company any place that’s thinking about opening a new plant will simply have to give Ohio a good look. It matters. …
“Intel, of course, will be making semiconductor chips right here. These chips are the tiny brains that are in devices that power everything from the cell phone in your pocket, to your car, to a farmer’s combine to all our consumer electronics and so much, much more. Simply put, chips are the foundation that modern life is really a part of. It’s really what makes modern life possible.
“And let’s talk also for a moment about national security because this is about national security. It’s so vitally important that we make these chips right here in the United States of America. … Let’s go back a little bit, and look what’s happened: In 1990, the United States was a world leader in chip production. It had nearly 40% of the world’s production capacity. But today, that number has fallen to 12%, while countries in Asia have 75% of the world’s chip capacity. Simply put, we must make more products right here in the United States. And there is no better place to manufacture any of them than right here in Ohio made by Ohioans. … We’re within a day’s drive of 60% of the population in the United States and of Canada. …
“Ohioans have always been dreamers. And we’ve always been doers. Intel’s announcement today just confirms that once again, this is Ohio’s time in history. … We have an opportunity to lead once again. Intel’s announcement today is a signal to China and to the rest of the world that from now on our
essential manufactured products in this country will be made in the United States of America. …”
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, also in attendance when the announcement was made at the Midland Theatre in Newark, added that Intel’s Ohio site represents the company’s first major site announcement in 40 years.
“This site is going to be strengthening Ohio’s leadership and research and high technology, and we expect that Intel Ohio will become one of the — if not the largest — semiconductor manufacturing sites in the world over the next decade,” Gelsinger says.
Lorain County Chamber of Commerce President
“… As we looked at and we competed across the world to pick this site, the long and deep history of manufacturing in Ohio was a clear draw for why we wanted to come here — essential industries, from automobiles to chemicals manufacture in Ohio. And so what better place for us to build our next major manufacturing location and be frontier of technology, Ohio. … We are the company that helped put silicon in Silicon Valley. When we moved to Oregon, we established the Silicon Forest. When we went to Arizona, we helped to establish the Silicon Desert. We went to Ireland and helped to create the Silicon Isle. We went to Israel and we helped to establish the Silicon Oasis. And today, the Silicon Heartland begins.”
During his State of the Union Address on March 1, President Joe Biden praised Intel while calling on Congress to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act, designed to make record investments in emerging technologies and American manufacturing.
“If you travel 20 miles east of Columbus, Ohio, you’ll find 1,000 empty acres of land,” the president said. “It won’t look like much, but if you stop and look closely, you’ll see a ‘Field of Dreams,’ the ground on which America’s future will be built. This is where Intel, the American company that helped build Silicon Valley, is going to build its $20 million semiconductor mega site. Up to eight state-of-the-art factories in one place [and] 10,000 new good-paying jobs. Some of the most sophisticated manufacturing in the world to make computer chips the size of a fingertip that power the world and our everyday lives.”
Lorain County will benefit.
Although Intel’s new site will be in Licking County, Lorain County Chamber of Commerce President Tony Gallo, knows Lorain County will reap the benefits.
“I’m excited as I can be about something positive that’s taking place in another part of the state,” he says with a chuckle. “I admit it took me awhile to wrap my mind around it and understand how amazing this opportunity is for us. We have a community college that offers degrees in what Intel needs to hire employees in a location that’s only two hours south of us. I think it’s a really, really good thing for us here in Lorain County, a good thing for Northeast Ohio and a great thing for Ohio.”
Gallo credits Team NEO — a business and economic development organization focused on accelerating economic growth and job creation throughout the 18 counties of Northeast Ohio — and JobsOhio — a nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing Ohio economic development by helping companies seize innovative growth opportunities — with joining him in fostering that inclusive attitude.
“For so long, [civic leaders] were of the mindset that if it doesn’t happen in my back yard, then it doesn’t really matter to me,” he says. “If there’s one good thing that came out of COVID, it’s that we’ve shown that people can work remotely, get education remotely, and do things we couldn’t have done or even thought about doing three years ago, five years ago or 20 years ago. Thankfully, we’ve become so much more than where our borders start and end.”
Lighting the Fire
Don’t believe the age-old adage that “One person can make a difference”? Then it’s high time you meet Mary Springowski. The Lorain councilwoman-at-large, now serving her third term, single-handedly launched the campaign in 2021 that resulted in Intel’s $20 million commitment to fund construction of two microchip factories in Ohio.
A team leader at Ford Motor Company’s Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 in Brook Park, Springowski became increasingly frustrated last year as COVID-19 led to significant shortages of the imported microchips that are so essential to the U.S. automotive industry.
Workers at the Brook Park plant — which manufactures engines for the Bronco and Ranger, as well as four-cylinder engines for the all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive Explorer — faced periodic layoffs due to a lack of the integrative circuits.
In April of last year, she sent missives to officials at computing companies around the country, explaining the reasons Lorain County would be an ideal location for a new manufacturing plant. Attributes the councilwoman-at-large cited include the county’s easy access to water and highway transportation, the stellar health care system and Lorain County Community College being renowned for its stem technology programs.
Jason Bagley, Intel’s senior director of state government relations, responded the next day: Company CEO Pat Gelsinger was intrigued.
And so it began.
Avon Lake United Church of Christ
Sacred spaces
Learn more about some of the Lorain County church communities that are providing a port in the storm.
By Linda Feagler
Faith. Fellowship. A friendly hand in times of need. Lorain County’s church community provides outreach assistance to all who need it, no matter their race, religion or creed. Here are several examples of extraordinary differences being made throughout the region and the country that originate right here.
Friendship Baptist Church, Lorain
Since 1940, members of Friendship Baptist Church have never stopped tending to the needs of their community. That conviction continues today among the more than 500 parishioners in a variety of ways. The church partners with Mercy Health to provide a parish nursing program that offers free health screenings. When COVID was at its height, members handed out care packages filled with essential masks and first-aid equipment. Lorain City Schools counts on the church for help in fulfilling a variety of needs, including mentoring and volunteering in the cafeteria.
“The major lesson we’re learning as a church family during the pandemic,” says Dr. John Jackson, senior pastor at Friendship Baptist Church in Lorain since 2003, “is to provide faith during times when it seems there is no hope.”
Sacred Heart Chapel, Lorain
Rooted in Catholic and Hispanic cultures since 1952, Sacred Heart Chapel is dedicated to embracing diversity, building unity and promoting justice for all.
“The parish was established as one for Hispanic and Spanish-language people,” says Father Bill Thaden, who’s served as pastor since 1999 to more than 1,400 families. “Now, we’re bilingual because every generation changes the need of English and Spanish. We’re very much a part of the Hispanic community, reaching people where they are in their lives — including in situations of need.”
Part of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a 189-year-old worldwide organization of lay Catholics following Christ’s call to serve the poor, the suffering and the deprived, Sacred Heart members are always at the ready during times of crisis.
“When anyone needs assistance, we’re there,” Thaden says. “Sometimes someone just needs shelter for a few nights or they’re in a situation where they don’t have adequate food. We’ll also get calls from people in the community who are replacing their furniture, and have good furniture they wish to donate. Parishioners pick it up and deliver it to those who can use it.”
The chapel serves as one of the hubs
for Homeless Stand Down, an annual one-day event that takes place throughout Ohio for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Organizations and professionals throughout the county volunteer their time in ways that include giving haircuts, serving meals, providing information about local social service organizations, conducting medical screenings and distributing personal hygiene kits.
Farther afield, Sacred Heart Chapel members have responded to deadly natural disasters in Florida, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
“Hurricane Maria was particularly devastating to our parish,” Thaden recalls. “We had people here who hadn’t been able to contact family members down there for weeks. We turned our gym into a warehouse where people could drop off supplies, including water, nonperishable food items, toiletries, flashlights and generators. The response was so great that we wound up sending 11 truckloads of supplies.”
The destruction left in Maria’s wake resulted in many Puerto Ricans reconnecting with their relatives in Lorain. Some arrived with only the clothes on their backs, and Sacred Heart members worked with local schools to identify where the families were and what they needed. The chapel also hosted an event where they could connect with service agencies; and parishioners transformed one of the chapel’s meeting rooms into a “free store,” where attendees could select clothing and other essentials.
“Whenever something dire is happening in our country, if I don’t take the initiative to help, someone else will say, ‘Father, what are we going to do for them?’” Thaden says. “Our community has become so much more than our parish.” Father Bill Thaden, Sacred Heart Chapel
– Father Bill Thaden
United Church of Christ, Avon Lake
For 126 years, the congregation of Avon Lake United Church of Christ has offered a bastion of support where it’s most essential.
“We take a careful look at what the needs are in Lorain and Cuyahoga counties to see where we can be most useful,” says senior minister Kelly Brill, who has served the 1,000-member Avon Lake UCC since 1995. “We don’t want to duplicate services. Instead, we see ourselves as financial and volunteer support behind the frontlines.”
Since 1979, the church’s Good Neighbor Thrift Shop has featured affordable, gently used clothing and household items, with proceeds supporting nonprofit organizations that include Genesis House domestic violence shelter in Lorain County; Lorain County’s Haven Center, which provides shelter, meals and other services that help families transition into independent housing; Primary Purpose, a long-term residential sober housing program for those recovering from addiction; and Avon/ Avon Lake Community Resource Services, a social-service agency that procures items ranging from eyeglasses to school supplies and food for those in need. Last year, the church community raised $244,000 to support these and other crucial endeavors. Junior and Senior High Mission teams don’t hesitate to volunteer where they can do the most good. Last year, the group partnered with St. Paul Community Church to remove playground equipment that was unsafe at the Ohio City house of worship. The teens are
Kelly Brill, senior minister at Avon Lake United Church of Christ
in the process of raising money to finance a new playground which they hope to install there this summer.
“Whenever there’s any kind of crisis or disaster, the people who are most vulnerable are most affected because they tend to not have as many other sources of support,” Brill says. “And if you’re already homeless, for example, and then there’s a pandemic, it’s going to be worse. If you’re already struggling to recover from addiction, it’s going to be harder. As a result, life has gotten tougher for all of those people, as well as those who work in agencies that are trying to help them. One thing we strive to do at Avon Lake United Church of Christ is bring awareness to the issues affecting our community. We’ve learned that something as simple as saying the words ‘domestic violence’ and ‘mental health’ in church can make a difference and take the stigma away.”
Fields United Methodist Church, North Ridgeville
Fields United Methodist Church has a storied reputation of welcoming all who need support — including those dealing with issues that most of us would find overwhelming. Thursday mornings are no exception. The church’s Memory Café ministry offers a safe, comfortable environment where those with mild to moderate dementia can enjoy the company of others and engage in meaningful art and music activities. For the caregivers who accompany them to the church, it’s a much-needed respite that offers a change in routine, along with the opportunity to meet other caregivers and exchange ideas and experiences.
“When you’re struggling with a loved who has dementia or any other debilitating issue, you think you’re by yourself on an island,” says Dr. Tom Joyce, pastor of Fields United Methodist Church. “But then you have the opportunity to listen to everybody’s stories, and discover they’re pretty much the same as yours. Suddenly, you realize you’re not alone. There are people going through the same journey you are.”
ENGAGE. EVOLVE. EXCEL.
Founded in 1826, the church has a burgeoning membership of 500, including those who participate via livestream services the house of worship has been offering for five years.
Since assuming the pastorship in 2010, Joyce has made sure the ecclesia extends beyond the church’s four walls. Members of the congregation are trained to serve as Stephen Ministers, proving one-to-one care to those in Lorain County and surrounding communities experiencing difficult times in life, including grief, divorce and chronic and terminal illness. Each shares a passion for bringing Christ’s love to people in a time of need.
“Although we’re human, many people feel uncomfortable discussing extremely personal issues with their pastor,” Joyce says. “Like clergy, Stephen Ministers are trained to listen without judgment.”
On Saturday evenings in summer, the pastor holds an open worship service outdoors featuring contemporary upbeat music performed by the church’s praise group, Common Union.
“These are such fulfilling services,” Joyce says. “A lot of people have baggage when it comes to entering a sanctuary. Maybe they’ve been hurt in the past and, as a result, feel uncomfortable going inside. We give people the chance to bring a blanket or lawn chair or listen from their car. When you’re outside, it’s easy to envision God’s house as the universe.”
Joyce and a team of 21 parishioners make it a point to offer assistance anywhere and everywhere they’re needed. Since 2011, they’ve made 11 trips to states devastated by floods, tornadoes and hurricanes in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kentucky, New Jersey, Illinois, North Carolina, West Virginia and Texas. Some members lend a hand in reconstruction efforts. Others offer words of compassion, along with the listening ear that’s balm for the soul in trying times.
“Many years ago, I was playing racquetball with a rabbi,” Joyce recalls, “and he said, ‘You know, Tom, we’re in the same business. We’re both about having people come to know God.’ Fields United Methodist Church offers opportunities for them to do just that. We give people the chance to really know God in relational, intimate terms.”
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