Webinar: Tourism in Ohio: What’s Happening and Where are the Opportunities
Wednesday, September 13th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Get an update on travel trends within the state and among our potential visitors. We’ll spend extra time talking about cultural and heritage tourism, including its importance, what these types of travelers are seeking and how to get their attention. Closing out the webinar, we’ll talk briefly about two opportunities for Ohio communities – America 250 Ohio being celebrated in 2026 and the potential of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks inscription to the World Heritage List in September.
About our presenter:
Melinda Huntley is the executive director of the Ohio Travel Association (OTA), a nonprofit organization that provides support for museums, attractions, visitor bureaus, retail shops, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses wanting to attract travelers. OTA advocates for smart policies that increase travel in Ohio, produces the state tourism conference, keeps the industry informed on market trends and news, and provides professional development. It also produces Heartland Travel Showcase, a 14-state regional meeting place for buying and selling group tours. With career experience in public relations at Cedar Point, running a CVB along Lake Erie and helping communities develop heritage and outdoor experiences through OSU’s Ohio Sea Grant College Program, she has a unique understanding of opportunities for businesses and communities of any size. She is a Commissioner for America 250 Ohio which will be celebrated in 2026 and serves on multiple national and statewide task forces and boards, including those focused on World Heritage designation, trail development, and educating our youth.
Webinar: Crowdfunding Vibrant Communities
Wednesday, September 27th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Crowdfunding is the process of gathering a community to provide financial support for a project within a set period of time. Patronicity’s crowdfunding platform specializes in community-based projects that empower communities to transform and invest in themselves. Learn how crowdfunding can help your organization to fundraise, build publicity, and engage your community.
Patronicity will share crowdfunding best practices and some of their favorite community projects to inspire you, your organization, and your community. Attendees will receive access to Patronicity’s Crowdfunding Strategy Guide to help you build a community crowdfunding campaign.
About Patronicity
Patronicity uses crowdfunding as a catalyst for placemaking and community development, connecting granting organizations and patrons with hyper-local changemakers in order to build more vibrant communities. Patronicity’s vision is to empower changemakers to build healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities and revolutionize placemaking by democratizing funding. Learn more at www.Patronicity.com.
About our presenter:
Maddie Miller manages Patronicity’s digital marketing and communications. She is passionate about sharing the company’s purpose-driven mission to build vibrant communities. She has over five years’ experience leading digital marketing strategy for nonprofit arts organizations and design firms. Outside of her work at Patronicity, she is a visual artist, competitive disc golfer, and arts and active transportation advocate.
Webinar: Restoration Housing
Wednesday, July 19th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Throughout the US, affordable housing is reaching crisis levels for many Americans. Yet vacant homes often sit for years without intervention and many are demolished to be redeveloped without a plan for their immediate redevelopment. What can be done about these issues?
Founded in 2014, Restoration Housing is a community-based, nonprofit developer focusing on the historic preservation of neglected architectural resources for the social benefit of low-income communities. At the core of everything Restoration Housing does is the belief that all people, regardless of circumstance, deserve to live in strong, healthy communities and dignified housing – the catalyst being the reinvestment in our historic built environment.
About our presenter:
Isabel Thornton is the Executive Director of Restoration Housing, which she founded in 2014 out of a passion for historic preservation and affordable housing. She received a BA in Architectural History from the University of Virginia and an MHP and MPL in Historic Preservation and Urban Planning from the University of Southern California.
She serves on the Real Estate Development Committee for Community Housing Partners and the Blue Ridge Interagency Council on Homelessness. She is also a board member for Carilion Medical Center.
Isabel lives on a farm in Botetourt County with her husband and four children.
Webinar: Facade Enhancement Programs
Wednesday, August 2nd – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Join us for a discussion on downtown facade enhancement programs. The Façade Enhancement Program is a City of Tiffin reimbursement grant that was established in 2014 and provides a 50 percent match of funds for eligible exterior improvements on residential and commercial structures within the downtown historic district, up to $10,000.
Presenters
Aaron Montz, President & CEO of the Tiffin Seneca Economic Partnership (TSEP), will speak about the history of the program and how it was started in Downtown Tiffin.
Donna Gross, Downtown Tiffin Main Street Manager, will discuss her involvement with assisting building owners in the application process. She will share “before and after” photos of completed façades in the historic district.
Dan Brickner, City of Tiffin Zoning Inspector, will describe the Architectural Board of Review (ABR) approval and reimbursement process for the grant.
Webinar: Preparing a Successful Bid for State Capital Budget Dollars
Wednesday, August 23th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC), the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), and Heritage Ohio will host a webinar, “Preparing a Successful Bid for State Capital Budget Dollars” to assist local changemakers in understanding the capital budget process. GOPC’s Director of Strategic Engagement, Jason Warner, OFCC’s Grants Administrator, Jessica DeLong, and Heritage Ohio’s Executive Director Matt Wiederhold will provide communities with a “101 on the Capital Budget,” as well as case study examples of small communities utilizing capital budget dollars for thoughtfully-planned projects, including their planning steps and process to secure funds.
About Jason & Jessica:
Jason Warner
As the Director of Strategic Engagement for the Greater Ohio Policy Center, Jason brings over 20 years of experience working in and around Ohio state government to representing GOPC at the Ohio Statehouse, advocating for the issues and policy positions central to the organization’s mission, as well as overseeing the organization’s strategic communications operation.
Jason is a 2001 graduate of the University of Akron where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in American Political Science. He also holds a certificate in Applied Politics from the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. A member of the Ohio Lobbying Association since 2016, Jason is a certified lobbyist, possessing in-depth knowledge of legislative, executive and regulatory procedures along with the rules, regulations and ethical standards to which all lobbyists must adhere in Ohio.
Jessica DeLong
Jessica DeLong, Grants Administrator for the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, has a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Ohio State University and has served the State Ohio for the past 13 years.
Webinar: Strengthening Your Business Community: The Importance of Regular Check-Ins
Wednesday, June 28th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Join us for an informative webinar on the importance of regular check-ins with your business community to ensure the health of your local economy. As a Main Street director, it is crucial to support and strengthen the businesses in your community by regularly checking in with business owners to understand their challenges, successes, and needs. In this webinar, Justin from Urality will explore why check-ins are important, how check-ins can impact your long-term success as a Main Street, how to conduct effective check-ins, and the tools and processes that will make them an essential tool for your economic development. Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your business community and ensure the success of your local economy!
About Justin:
Justin Copenhaver is the CEO and Founder of Urality, a technology company dedicated to improving community and economic development. With a 20-year technology background in enterprise SaaS, GIS, and Augmented Reality, Justin has spent the last five years working closely with main streets and business improvement districts (BIDs) to utilize technology to improve both community based marketing and economic development initiatives.
Webinar: The History of Color
Wednesday, May 17th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Join Sherwin-Williams as they explore the company’s manufacturing history and the technological developments that have influenced how we use color to brighten the world around us. Our hosts will share what went into the development of color offerings throughout the decades and the major influences for each time period that directed the color trends that defined generations of homes and businesses.
Webinar: The Historic Summit Station
Wednesday, June 14th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Columbus’s legendary Logan’s Off Broadway, Jack’s, Jack’s A Go-Go, or Summit Station (it was known by all of these names) served as a haven for lesbians, trans, queer and their friends for nearly four decades. On June 10th, patrons of Summit Station will dedicate Central Ohio’s first LGBTQ+ Ohio Historical Marker outside of the former bar. Join us to hear from Julia Applegate, one of the community leaders that helped make this marker possible to learn how the marker application process morphed from quest to memorialize lesbian life into a documentary focused on preserving this important community her story, We will also be sharing how the Ohio History Connection’s Gay Ohio History Initiative (GOHI) is hoping to spark a memorialization of LGBTQ place-based history across Ohio in the coming years.
Presenters
Julia M. Applegate is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Julia holds a Masters of Public Health and a Master of Arts in Women’s, Sexuality and Gender Studies from The Ohio State University and has 25 years of teaching experience. In addition to teaching she has served as a public health professional, an HIV/AIDS activist, a barista, swim coach, storyteller and most recently an aspiring filmmaker. She lives with her wife of 21 years, two kids, three cats, one leopard gecko and a ball python in the Glen Echo neighborhood of Columbus.
Ben Anthony is the Manager of the Community Engagement Department at the Ohio History Connection. Ben’s background in community trust building, Asset-Based Community Development and equity inform his team’s work to catalyze and empower marginalized and historically excluded Ohioans. Before joining the Ohio History Connection, Ben worked across Ohio as a community and political organizer. Columbus is now home for his wife, three incredible children and two cats. A lover of all things Ohio and the outdoors, Ben is an Ohio State and Columbus Blue Jacket fan who will sneak away to go backpacking whenever he finds the time.
Lunch & Learn: Access to Capital & Resources for Small Business
Wednesday, April 27th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Join Tim Kehoe, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives at ECDI to learn more about small businesses resources and programs available through ECDI.
Listen in over your lunch time to learn about:
- Entrepreneurial education and advising opportunities for new or established businesses throughout Ohio
- Business support programs including Women’s Business Centers of Ohio, Minority Contractor Resource Center, Food Business Incubation, & Social Enterprise Hub
- Small Business Lending programs, who is eligible, and the process for applying
- Training tools and resources available to small business owners
Presenter
Tim Kehoe serves as Director of Strategic Partnerships after joining ECDI in 2015 as Portfolio Manager focused on post-loan technical assistance for ECDI’s lending clients. His career started as an entrepreneur, and experienced both the upside and the risk of starting a small business. He has spent his career working for and with small businesses across a wide range of industries. Combining this experience with knowledge of lending programs proves to be a valuable mix of expertise for entrepreneurs needing guidance and assistance.
Webinar: Preparing for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in Ohio
Wednesday, April 12th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
You don’t have to be a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court to harness the power of a total solar eclipse! On April 8, 2024, we’ll experience total solar eclipse and the darkest path goes right through Ohio. If you miss this one, you’re going to have to wait until 2099!
Join us for this webinar to learn about how this event can generate an economic benefit for your community with watch parties, tourism, and much more. You’ll also hear about potential profit sharing with the sale of specially designed eclipse watching glasses.
Presenters
Amy Pulles has served as president and CEO of Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate since January 2022. Working in concert with a 33-member board of directors, her responsibilities are to coordinate a paid staff of 14 and 3,600 volunteers across Ohio in implementing sight-saving programming to provide direct services to 1,000,000 Ohioans annually and educate millions of consumers about what they can do to protect and preserve their gift of sight. With Prevent Blindness since 2012, Amy has served as Vice President and as Development Director of Prevent Blindness. Previously, Amy held leadership positions with the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Columbus and the American Red Cross. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Ohio State University.
Alan Gunner, President and CEO of Solnomo, the exclusive wholesaler of Prevent Blindness ISO certified solar eclipse glasses, serves in multiple volunteer capacities for Prevent Blindness. Alan began volunteering for the Northeast Ohio Chapter of Prevent Blindness in 2015. He serves as Chair of the Swing Fore Sight Golf tournament in Cleveland as well as serves on the Executive Council for the Northeast Ohio Chapter of Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate. Alan joined the Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate Board of Directors in 2021 and then the Prevent Blindness America Board of Directors in 2022. Alan serves as Vice President, Revenue Cycle Management for AEG Vision, a national 350 location full-service optometry practice organization.
Webinar: Ohio’s First Female Architects
Wednesday, March 22nd – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Ohio has over 4,000 listings on the National Register of Historic Places. Of those, very few are attributed to women architects. In celebration of National Women’s Month, we will look at some of the buildings in Ohio designed by pioneering women architects, as well as other historic buildings outside of our state that were designed by women with Ohio roots. We hope you’ll join us to learn more about this important legacy.
Presenters
Melinda Shah is an architect with Schooley Caldwell who has spent 20 years working on historic buildings for public and private clients. Through this experience, she has gained valuable knowledge of how to work with existing buildings to preserve them while bringing them to life for new and modern uses. She is also experienced at working with the various requirements for buildings listed on historic registries, in districts with design review, and with historic tax credits. She has worked on over 30 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Melinda received both her Bachelor and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Cincinnati, where she had the opportunity to co-op with other design firms and gain significant experience in preservation design. In addition, she received a Certificate of Historic Preservation from the University of Cincinnati.
Amanda Fuson is an architectural designer who has been with Schooley Caldwell since in 2015. She is a graduate of Miami University and has a Master of Architecture and a Master of Historic Preservation degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her role involves architectural design and document support on various projects, including the Hoster Brewery, Newark Arcade, Lakeside, and Perry County Courthouse. Outside of work, Amanda loves to travel and see new places — she caught the travel bug when she lived in England for a year as a child. She is also obsessed with all things history (art, architectural, film, U.S., European…really, any).
Webinar: Certified Local Government (CLG) Grants
Wednesday, February 8th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
This webinar will be to discuss the now open federal fiscal year 2023 CLG grant program. We will provide an overview of the grant program with project examples and will answer any questions that participants would have about potential projects or applications.
Presenter
Adam Eltrich is the Grants Manager for the State Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio History Connection. Adam has been in this role for nearly five years. Prior to working in the State Historic Preservation Office, Adam worked for the City of Columbus, Department of Public Service and the State of Ohio, Department of Commerce. He has an BA in History and Political Science from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, OH and an MA in Public Administration from the University of Akron. Adam resides in Hilliard and is originally from Lorain.