Huron County Growth Partnership Inspires Shared Responsibility for Community Growth at Annual Event
Event featured updates from Huron County Growth Partnership staff and Team NEO CEO, Matt Dolan
Monroeville, OH – Nearly 200 people packed the room at Monroeville Village Barn where Huron County Growth Partnership, including its Board of Directors and staff, provided remarks and made awards to businesses and leaders from the community.
Huron County Growth Partnership refers to itself as a “Public-Private Partnership” and has a mission to empower businesses to thrive, communities to grow, and opportunities for prosperity. Exploring this mission was one of the focuses of this annual event.
Board President John Lendrum of Norwalk Concrete Industries opened the evening thanking Partnership staff – Executive Director Sarah Ross, Project Manager Kayla Cross, Membership Manager Kelly Mann, Economic Development Coordinator Troy Parks, Land Bank Coordinator Judy Lykins, and Office Manager Melissa Hiltbrunner – and noting that much success has been achieved in the two years since the Huron County Growth Partnership aligned local economic development entities.
The program proceeded with Ross and Cross sharing examples of accomplishments, strategies, and partnerships from the past year. The duo focused on the desired outcomes named in the mission statement – thriving businesses, growing communities, and opportunities for prosperity. They implored the diverse audience to invest in the mission. The anecdotes and case studies shared left those in attendance feeling a shared responsibility for community growth.
Cross, who has been with the organization for four years, noted her passion for the mission by sharing,
“a rising tide raises all ships. We believe that when one business grows, we all grow with it”.
Cross then went on to share a powerful example of how the Growth Partnership managed the project for the recent Extol of Ohio expansion. Extol was awarded the “Business Achievement Award” for their $6M+ investment in Norwalk. Cross explained that through repeated business retention & expansion visits with the company and coordination of various support agencies, HCGP was able to help land this win in Norwalk, Ohio as compared to any other community.
Ross also shared examples of Huron County Growth Partnership’s work to empower businesses to thrive and communities to grow. Her highlights featured long-term projects including a partnership with Geotrac Foundation for a “Foreign Direct Investment Mission”. After over a year of planning, in late May, Ross & Cross travelled with Team NEO’s Mindy McLaughlin and Christine Nelson, two professionals recognized across the state of Ohio and the entire US in leading in economic development, travelling to Greater Milan in Italy and Greater Zurich in Switzerland. They conducted 15 business meetings and came back with 6 qualified business attraction leads. The highlight of the mission for Ross was visiting the headquarters of the Sealcore Network in Bergamo, Italy. Sealcore recently completed a $5M+ investment in the North Central Ohio Industrial Park. On behalf of the City of Norwalk, Huron County, and all local stakeholders, Ross & Cross were able to thank the company’s owners in person for their investment and demonstrate the level of service and partnership the company will receive when doing business in Norwalk, Ohio.
Ross stated that,
“at the same time we were representing a growing & thriving community abroad, we were working hard at home to ensure that our community is actually growing”
and went on to detail how over the last two years her team, along with many partners including City of Norwalk, Team NEO, and JobsOhio, structured a $12M natural gas improvement project. More information will be shared on this project at a groundbreaking ceremony later this month.
Cross closed the program by speaking to the various initiatives that the Growth Partnership hosts to provide opportunities for prosperity including but not limited to – the Business Advisory Council, Youth Leadership Council, Winter Leadership Series, Business Advising & Succession Planning, and more. Information about all these program can be found at huroncountyohio.com.
The Huron County Growth Partnership also hosted Matt Dolan, CEO of Team NEO, for remarks. Team NEO is the regional economic development agency and network partner for JobsOhio in the 14-county region of northeast Ohio. Dolan left the room feeling inspired to act and lean in to private economic development efforts -those of HCGP, of Team NEO, and of JobsOhio – a unique outside-of-state-government model or economic development. His message was clear, that by aligning efforts and marketing our region, we all grow.
To continue the excitement and celebration of growth and progress, the Growth Partnership presented awards.
Kayla Cross presented Robin DeGraff, Owner of Extol of Ohio, with the Business Achievement Award. Many long-term employees of the Extol family were featured in their award video, one stating,
“Forty years of building relationships with our customers and our vendors has kept us focused and has enabled us to send our products around the globe”.
Shawn Pickworth, Village Administrator of the Village of New London, Vice President of the Huron County Land Bank, and board member of HCGP presented the “Entrepreneurial Spirit Award” to Bruce Tanner and Katie Snook, Co-Owners of The Coffee House of Plymouth. The co-owner’s remarks captured the essence of the award with Tanner saying,
“When you remodel stuff in a small town and you fix stuff up in a small town, it makes a bigger impact, and that’s important”,
and Snook saying,
“It’s a terrifying thing to go from being comfortable in a job that you know like the back of your hand into something that’s new, but I just want my kids to see that there’s no reason to be afraid to do what they want to do… in good reason.”
Bryson Hamons, City Manager of the City of Willard and HCGP board member presented Don Graham with the “Pushing the Envelope” award. Graham had droves of supporters, employees, and mentees in the room as Hammons introduced the award with personal remarks that had the room laughing and crying. Hammons highlighted Don & his wife Kathe’s philanthropy, friendship, and leadership. Among the many titles and positions held by Don, one accomplishment that was mentioned several times was the completion of the Willard clocktower revitalization project.
All of the award videos can be viewed on HCGP’s YouTube Channel.
Zach Jones, President & CEO of Janotta & Herner and Vice President of the Huron County Growth Partnership board closed the evening, encouraging all in attendance to stay in touch with a staff or board member and to think about which piece of the mission – empower businesses to thrive, communities to grow, and opportunities for prosperity – they can help accomplish.
This event was made possible by sponsorships from Donald Graham & Associate, Janotta & Herner, Norwalk Concrete Industries, Extol of Ohio, Team NEO, Durable Corporation, Payne Nickles & Company, OHM Advisors, First National Bank, Flickinger Insurance, and in-kind sponsor The Village Barn.
Huron County Growth Partnership’s final events for 2026 are for members of the organization including a breakfast on Wednesday, November 4th featuring a speaker on, “Generations is the Workplace – Shaping the Future Together” and a “Holiday After Hours” on December 3rd.
About Huron County Growth Partnership
The Huron County Growth Partnership is a non-profit, public-private partnership that facilitates business and community growth through economic development and chamber of commerce activities and services. The Growth Partnership aims to grow the community and economy, support businesses, secure resources for and make a name for Huron County. If you are interested in expanding your existing business into or starting a new business venture in Huron County, please visit the website at www.huroncountyohio.com.
