CEOs You Should Know - Mansfield

Jim Cutright is the President and CEO of the Ashland County Community Foundation.  The organization now in their 30th year making grants and scholarships to benefit the Ashland community. Jim, better known as "Cutty", is in his 13th year in the role and has been living in Ashland for the last 45 years. Cutright was born in Mansfield, attended Plymouth High School and is a graduate of the Universit...

Andrew Schraedly is co-owner of Charles Mill Marina and Pleasant Hill Marina in North Central Ohio.  Charles Mill is on the east side of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill Marina is located in Perrysville. Each location docks about 300 boats, mostly pontoon boats and they offer rentals, along with sales and service. Andrew's father and grandfather started the business back in 1972  Andrew has been co-own...

Joe Reep is the president of Comfort Control, which is a full service heating, air conditioning, plumbing and fireplace contractor.  The company was started in 1980 by Joe's parents, Jeff and Joy, and is based out of Ashland, plus a 2nd location in Wellington.  Comfort Control has close to 40 staff members and their service area is roughly a 40 or 45 mile radius from Ashland. The business has cust...

Nate Shultz is the CEO of the Spreng-Smith Insurance Agency, which is based in Ashland. The company is a full service independent insurance agency and got started in 1950. 2025 is a big year as they are celebrating their 75th anniversary. They offer commercial insurance, along with home, auto, life and health insurance too. Nate has been the CEO since 2016 and overall has been with the company in...

Julie Schwartz is the executive director of the Ohio Bird Sanctuary, which is located on Orweiler road in Mansfield.  The organization is a wildlife rehabilitation center, as they take in 500 to 600 birds a year, along with education for area schools. Annually, 12,000 people make their way through the Ohio Bird Sanctuary, which got started 37 years ago and has a tree house classroom and hiking tra...

Jeff Downs is the president of MHS Industrial Supply in Mansfield.  The company, located near the airport in the industrial park on Sawyer Parkway, is family owned and is a distributor of Industrial supplies to businesses in a 40 mile radius. MHS got started back in 1940 and helps local manufacturers keep going with products and services like sandpaper, nuts, bolts, water, safety supplies, boots a...

Brian Hawk is the owner of FreshAire CPAP & Supplies, LLC, which is based out of Wooster. The company started 9 years ago in 2016 and serves people from Wayne, Medina, Holmes, Ashland and Richland Counties. FreshAire CPAP & Supplies, LLC, is locally owned and operated medical equipment supply company focused on Sleep Apnea.  Learn more about Brian and his company on the podcast. You can vi...

Aaron Bates is the CEO of Whitcomb & Hess CPAs & Financial Advisors, which is based in Ashland, Ohio - serving clients locally in Mid-Ohio, and all over the United States.  The company was founded in 1983, and has continued to guide clients at any stage of their life to plan, grow and thrive.  Whitcomb & Hess has 27 employees and offers business planning, tax, wealth management, accoun...

DeLee Powell is the president of Baker's Collison, Glass, and Service Centers, which is located on Fifth Ave in Mansfield. The company was started by DeLee's parents in 1953 and it has continued to grow over the years.  DeLee bought the business in 2008 and they provide basically everything from collision repair to brakes, A/C and more. Baker's even has a complete glass center at their location. L...

Robin Ganzert, Ph. D., serves as president and CEO of American Humane, the country’s first national humane organization and the first to serve animals, whenever and wherever they are in need of rescue, shelter or protection. She is the executive producer of the acclaimed documentary, Escape from Extinction, narrated by Dame Helen Mirren, and its follow-up, Escape from Extinction Rewilding, which f...

Terri Wood is the co-founder, and CEO of Hot Shots Shooting Center.  The company was established in April of 2024, and is located on Baney Road in Ashland. Terri ,and her business partner, also own and run Classy Chassis in Ashland.  Hot Shots has 4 indoor ranges, and offers indoor simulation shooting ranges. Wood said, they offer education and training for the public, all ages and skill levels, p...

Dawn Wisdom is the board president, and interim director of the Raemelton Equestrian Center.  The organization is a 501(c3) non-profit organization that was started back in 1995 and is located on Trimble Road in Mansfield.  There are 17 horses at Raemelton, which has students that range in age from 2 years old to adults, and serves 130 individuals per week. Dawn was born in the Cleveland area, lat...

Michele Giess is the Superintendent of Richland Newhope.  The organization started back in the 1960's and supports individuals in Richland County who have a developmental disability. They work with other partners in the community and families to support the individual, along with helping them access other services.  Michele has been with Richland Newhope for 35 years, and has been Superintendent f...

Colleen Rice is the executive director of the Domestic Violence Shelter, serving Richland County. Rice has been in the role for just over a year, starting in August of 2023.  The organization started in the late 1970's and has a staff of around 26, some part-time and full-time. In 2023, the organization provided over 7,500 nights of shelter to adults and children, who needed a safe place to stay....

Brady Groves is the director of the Milliron Foundation. The organization has been around for many years, which was established by Grant Milliron.  Grant was a local business owner and philanthropist, which donated to help so many local organizations in Richland County to help with fire stations, schools etc.  Groves shares more about the Milliron Foundation, and Grant's work to help improve the l...

Simon Clark is the head of school at Discovery School in Mansfield. Simon was born in the U.K. and first moved to the US in 2006 to teach in North Carolina. He has caught in various states, and other countries, before coming to Ohio and Discovery School in 2018. Discovery will be celebrating their 50th year in 2025 and Simon shares all about the school, and more about his career in education, on t...

ANNOUNCEMENT: Leadership Transition at NECIC The NECIC Board of Directors is announcing an important leadership transition at the North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC). After eighteen years of dedicated service, Deanna West-Torrence will step down from her role as CEO and assume the title of Founder. Deanna has been a driving force behind NECIC since its inception in 2006 and her l...

Primrose Retirement Community is located on Millsboro road in Mansfield.  Primrose, which has 82 units and 14 villas, opened in 2007 and offers independent and assisted living to seniors in the community. Allison Campbell, Executive Director and Sam Marshall, Sales Manager, share on the podcast about the wonderful food they have at Primrose, along with a movie theater, ice cream parlor, wellness c...

Dennis Riggans is the owner and CEO of  Aire Serv.  The HVAC company, which handles refrigeration, heating and cooling for residential and light commercial, is located on Illinois Ave South in Mansfield. Aire Serv has been in operation since 2014 and serves Richland, Ashland, Morrow, Marion, Huron and as far south as Licking county. Dennis, who was born in the state of Pennsylvania, is married wit...

MANSFIELD, Ohio The Ohio State University has selected Jason Opal as its next dean and director of The Ohio State University at Mansfield, effective Aug. 15. Opal currently serves as associate dean of graduate studies in the Faculty of Arts at McGill University, one of Canada’s leading public research institutions. A scholar and historian of early America and infectious diseases, he is a professor...

Myles Parsons is the Executive Director of Wayfinders Ohio, former known as the Harmony House in downtown Mansfield.  The temporary shelter assists folks who are homeless or are in danger of becoming homeless. The shelter, which can hold 58 people and has two floors, helped over 620 people in 2023. Myles was born in Mansfield, attended Crestview High School and graduated from the Ohio State Univer...

Dr. Melissa McRae is the CEO of Vitality Natural Wellness, which has two locations in Mansfield and Powell. The company was started back in 2007 in Mansfield and is now located on Lexington Avenue in town. Vitality Natural Wellness focuses on many things like gut health, hormone heath, Thyroid and stress management. Melissa was born in Crawford County and knew she wanted to be a doctor since the a...

Matt Weekley is the owner of Weekley Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram in Butler.  The dealership has been around for over 100 years and was started by Matt's grandfather (1921). Weekley's is the oldest Chrysler dealer in the state of Ohio and the 6th oldest in the United States. Matt was born in Mansfield and went to Clear Fork High School, before college at North Central State.  Learn more about Matt a...

Kris Knapp is the new mayor of the city of Ontario.  Kris was appointed to the role on August 1st and is excited to continue working for the city, where he has been the Safety Service Director since 2022.  Knapp was born in Mansfield and grew up in Ontario. He is a graduate of Ontario High School and Ashland College. Kris was a long time teacher and coach at Ontario, along with being an athletic t...

Rich Parron is the owner of Hickory Vines Winery & Venue, which is located in Mifflin Township.  The company has been open for around 8 months and features a total of 27 wines, which 8 of them are made locally. The venue has 3 pavilions, which can be rented for weddings and other events.  Rich and his wife run Hickory Vines Winery & Venue in Mansfield.  Parron was born in New York and shar...