- Consumers National Bank wins Small Business Administration award.
- The Maintenance Company celebrates 20 years.
- Wacker prioritizes sustainability, reduces paper use.
- TDI recognized for warehousing.
- Hyatt Place celebrating renovations.
Bloom Hill Farm has added a second location to expand its agritourism, "you pick" events and now offers overnight stays in a rental cottage in Lake Township.
Owners Shannon and Judd Allen purchased the approximately 15-acre property at 1818 Lake Center St. NW last fall. A new, pick-your-own tulips event in April debuted the second site, which is about a mile north of the main farm at 10475 Hoover Ave. NW.
"At our home farm, we did have 'you pick' events for the last couple years, and they were getting pretty large," Shannon Allen said. "We were having some parking issues. There were some growing pains there."
The main location will still have a flower stand, but most public events will occur on Lake Center Street. In addition to more growing space, the site has a large barn and cottage, which was renovated and listed on Airbnb.com.
"It's kind of like an eclectic, floral-inspired cottage," Shannon Allen said.
It's available to rent year-round but, because it overlooks the flower field, likely will be most popular when flowers are in bloom July through September. She said they're still exploring potential uses for the barn but plan to use it for workshops and markets.
A list of upcoming events can be found under the "Visit us" section at bloomhillfarm.com.
"We're going to have fun over there doing all kinds of things for our public customers to come enjoy that are all flower related," Shannon Allen said.
Coinciding with the expansion, Bloom Hill Farm hired three people through the temporary agricultural workers visa program to help with field and harvest work. They joined a staff of two full-time employees ― in addition to the Allens ― and part-time bouquet makers who work July through September.
The Maintenance Company celebrates 20 years
The Maintenance Company, a Lake Township property management business, celebrated its 20th anniversary in January.
Bryan Baugher, Chris Stafford, Lee Murphy and Lynn Rinehart founded the company in 2004 to repair and maintain commercial and residential properties. The aim was to "provide quality customer service with a personal touch" and streamline operations, according to the company.
In 2005, the founders moved from a garage into a professional office space. After continued growth, the company moved again in 2015 to its present location at 8286 Cleveland Ave. NW.
"TMC’s next chapter has yet to be written," according to the company website. "By leveraging our seasoned and experienced personnel to offer national services with a hometown feel, we have an exciting opportunity to keep expanding our operations and reach in the industry, while continuing to enrich our involvement and commitment to our community."
Consumers National Bank wins Small Business Administration award
Consumers National Bank ― which has 22 locations in Stark, Summit, Carroll, Columbiana, Jefferson and Mahoning counties ― received the Top Small Community Bank Lender Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration's district office in Cleveland.
“We appreciate these lenders’ commitment in providing services and SBA-backed loans to the small businesses in northern Ohio who otherwise would not have been able to obtain the funding they needed,” John Turner, the district director, said in a prepared statement.
Consumers National Bank has 11 commercial lenders in its service area. It's the sixth time the bank has won the award, which recognizes small business lending performance during the 2023 fiscal year.
Scott E. Dodds, the bank's executive vice president and senior loan officer, said the Small Business Administration's support and products "play a vital role" in helping local businesses access credit.
"Nationwide, community banks originate over 50% of small business loans," he said in a prepared statement. "Utilizing the SBA’s programs where appropriate, we look forward to leading the way to economic growth throughout northeast and east central Ohio."
Wacker prioritizes sustainability, reduces paper use
Wacker Chemical Corp. in Green, which produces silicone rubber compounds for global markets, has committed to achieving "climate neutrality" or net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 as part of the global "Race to Zero" initiative.
The company recently announced several goals to improve its environmental impact, which include reducing certain greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and ensuring 90% of Wacker products "make a neutral or positive contribution to sustainability" by 2030.
“Wacker is strongly committed not only to supporting sustainability at a local level but to helping the planet achieve improved sustainability through the solutions we bring to life and how we conduct business,” Timothy Sloan, the company's regional manager of environmental health, safety and security, said in a prepared statement.
The Green site has a recycling deposit that collected 156,000 pounds of materials last year. Wacker also began reducing its paperwork last February, resulting in a 30% reduction of paper and printer emissions.
“We are working to move some of our other paperwork to digital platforms, such as new employee orientation sheets, contractor orientation sheets, training signoffs, safety check sheets, and safe work permits," site leader Jake Miller said in a prepared statement. "These should be implemented by the first quarter of 2025, which would help reduce another 10% of our paper consumption.”
TDI recognized for warehousing
Total Distribution Inc., a subsidiary of the Peoples Services logistics company, has been recognized as one of the top dry storage and refrigerated warehousing firms. The Canton-based company operates warehouses in seven states outside of Ohio.
Transport Topics, a weekly trucking and logistics publication, recently released its 2024 Top 100 Logistics Companies and rankings for specific third-party logistics markets.
Total Distribution ranked seventh for refrigerated storage with three warehouses and a total cold storage space of 2.5 million cubic feet. The company placed 26th for dry storage with its 45 warehouses and 10.1 million square feet of space.
“This honor reflects our team's dedication to excellence and customer service," Doug Sibila, chief executive officer of TDI, said in a prepared statement. "We're committed to delivering the best possible experience for our customers."
Hyatt Place celebrating renovations
Hyatt Place Canton at 5421 Whipple Ave. NW held a ribbon-cutting Tuesday to celebrate its reopening after renovations.
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