Our Time to Shine!

Lorain County is celebrating its Bicentennial in 2024, and nothing brings people together like a birthday party 200 years in the making. It’s Lorain County’s time to shine!

Lorain County has always been a good location to set up shop for entrepreneurs and a haven for those who want to work hard and make a better life for themselves and their families. 200 years ago, it was obvious that being located on a Great Lake was great for industry, but now we also know that it is great for tourism and the dollars that our 23 miles of lakefront can attract. We are within an eight-hour drive of major metropolises including Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, NYC, Boston, and Toronto.

We have great schools, affordable housing, city living, country living and lakefront living! Ohio’s local, regional, and state economic focus has made the perfect storm of attraction and growth, and our state is becoming known as a great place to locate for businesses and residents alike.

I cannot tell you how many times this past year I have heard from elected officials, business owners, and community leaders that “this is Lorain County’s time.” What does that mean? It means we are on the precipice of something great, something defining, something generational. It means we will attract a great business to call Lorain County home. Maybe we will see a major expansion of one of our local businesses. Could be in one of our sites on the lake, or on I-90, or perhaps I-480, or in one of our townships or villages. Regardless of where it’s located, it is a game changer-attracting jobs, keeping our emerging workforce of young people here in Lorain County earning good wages, buying a house, and raising a family!

Our school systems are working hard to show our businesses that they are listening to their needs. Our economic development organizations are working in concert with one another to make sure they are providing potential businesses with the necessary brick-and-mortar needs but also the talent pipeline needs. Our workforce development organizations are continually looking to include our historically underserved populations, so no one is left out of the potential economic impact. 200 years ago, Lorain County was where opportunity and potential resided and the same is true for 2024! I hope that this time next year, we are celebrating “Our Time” and the huge win that is coming our way!

Anthony (Tony) Gallo, President, Lorain County Chamber of Commerce

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Van's Tire started out in the Wadsworth community over 30 years ago. Joshua Baughman took over the Wadsworth location in September of 2013 and updated the name to Van's Auto Service & Tire Pros. The North Ridgeville location was the second to open in September of 2016. Since then, Van’s has grown to over 13 locations, with the newest location being on Detroit Road in Sheffield, OH.

Van's specializes in personalized auto service and tire sales, taking great pride in making sure each customer walks away happy and totally satisfied with their service. With every visit, we provide a Digital Vehicle Inspection with pictures which helps us give an honest and transparent assessment of each vehicle. We are a full-service shop capable of handling engine and transmission repair, suspension work, alignments, brakes, oil changes and other preventative maintenance.

Stop by or call us Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 6:00pm or on Saturdays from 7:30am to 3:00pm at select locations. Visit us at www.vanstirepros.com!