Ada experienced several business changes in 2019. Here is a list of many of those stories covered in the Icon. Among the major influencers in several of these stories is Ada Area Chamber of Commerce, which includes nearly 100 members, its greatest-ever membership total.
January
Brian and Kelly Clum purchased 3 Brothers Pizza from Rod and Linda Dysert in January. By coincidence, the Dyserts have three sons, hence the name, and the Clums have three sons, so there is very little change in the business name. The phone number remains 419-634-0100.
Reichert's Clothing Store was the Ada School "Bulldog Business of the Month for January.
February
OTC Markets Group Inc., this week announced Liberty Bancshares Inc., the holding company for Liberty National Bank, headquartered in Ada, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Liberty Bancshares were previously privately-held.
The OTCQX is the top tier of the three marketplaces for the over-the-counter trading of stocks.
Liberty Bancshares begins trading under the symbol “LBSI.” Financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company are on www.otcmarkets.com.
The Ada Area Chamber of Commerce named 302 Carryout as its outstanding business of 2018. Family owned for 32 years, Beth Gossard, store matriarch, says, "They're just good kids," referring to her business partners and adult children, Mara, Mona and Marlin.
March
3 Brothers Pizza, 105 S. Main St., Ada, opened for lunch seven days a week and added new items to the menu, according to Brian Clum, new owner. Clum, along with his wife Kelly, purchased the pizza restaurant from Rod and Linda Dysert at the beginning of the year.
Ada McDonald's Restaurant is the Ada school Bulldog Business of the month for March.
May
L and L Designs opened earlier this spring at 4171 State Route 235, with an official ribbon cutting by the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce on May 15.
Owned by Lynn Rainsburg and LaDonna Roys of Kenton, the shop offers antiques and vintage décor and florals, custom design services and repurposed furnishings.
A $10,000 grant from Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative to the Hardin County Chamber & Business Alliance (HCCBA) will help Hardin County villages and the City of Kenton participate in strategic planning sessions. The grant will enable the HCCBA to hire a consultant to facilitate a strategic planning session as well as conduct individual meetings for each municipality or Community Improvement Corporation.
"To my knowledge, nothing like this has been in place previously," said Jacqualine Fitzgerald, HCCBA's Director of Economic & Community Development. "This establishes a vision for economic development that can be used as a driving force for each village."
The Ada Public Library is introducing Student Library Cards this month. The cards allow children to check out up to five items and will be fine free. The goal of this new program is to encourage more youngsters to come and check out the library.
Wilson's Football Factory is the Ada school Bulldog Business of the month for May.
June
Abbie Linden joined The Inn at ONU, Ada, as its culinary chef.
Linden said that she will focus on adding creative additions to the menus, including modern twists on classics, providing a delicious and fun dining experience for all. The Inn is a full-service luxury hotel set on the campus of Ohio Northern University. For more information, please visit innatonu.com or call 419/772-2500.
Century 21 Sunway Realty offers free hot dogs and lemonade at the Ada office, 208 N. Main St., from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Thursday from June 19 through Aug 1.
July
Rhonda Crouse represents the Ada area as a new realtor with King Thompson Realtors.
Streamline Insurance opened their new office at 220 North Main Street on July 19. Streamline Insurance, headed up by Amanda Morrison and Mark Southward, is an independent broker offering home, auto, life commercial and farm insurance, as well as retirement planning.
August
Ada Physical Therapy, 1200 S. Main St., Ada, which opened earlier this summer, held an open house and ribbon cutting on Aug. 21.
Tracy Scalfaro, MPT, business owner, said that Ada Physical Therapy offers massage and physical therapy.
Ada's third-annual Made in Ada Wilson Football Festival held on Aug. 24. Since Ada’s Wilson Sporting Goods factory makes the footballs used in the Super Bowl, the “Made in Ada Wilson Football Festival” celebrates the village of Ada’s connection to the biggest football game of the year.
September
Ohio Northern University alum and ONU faculty adjunct Ronda Lehman was named president of Mercy Health's Lima market. Lehman served as president of the Mercy Health — St. Rita’s Medical Center since March 2019.
Lehman will oversee operations, quality, service and growth goals for the Lima market, which includes Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center and the various outpatient services.
Ada's community center ReStore, 210 N. Main St., changed its name to Beatitudes. Robert Kanzig, center director, said, "We chose the name after significant discussion. We believe it represents who we are and what we are trying to do."
Cole Motor Sales, a four-generation-owned Ada family business closed its doors on Sept. 20, according to Cathy Cole. “The Cole family and employees would like to say a big ‘thank you’ for your business, past and present for the past 113 years. You came in as a customer and left as a friend,” she said, adding that it has been an honor and pleasure to serve the community and surrounding areas.
October
Everhart Trucking selected as the Bulldog Business of the month for October.
November
Two 1992 Ada High School classmates, Troy Erickson and Billy Watterson, using the name Ada Boyz Holdings, LLC, intend to develop a distillery with a bar and restaurant and a greenhouse for growing hemp on a site in the Ada industrial park, bordering State Route 81.
The distillery, bar and restaurant project may take from two to three years to develop, according to Erickson, as the project is still in the infant stage.
December
Bruce Neely, funeral director and owner of Hanson-Neely Funeral Home of Ada and Alger, has announced his retirement after serving the Ada community for nearly 46 years.
Scott Allison, who has served as a funeral director with Hanson-Neely since 2004, will assume ownership of the funeral home. Allison, an Ada native, joined the funeral home in June 2004. He and his wife, Arlene, are parents of three children. He is a 1993 Ada HS and Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science graduate and is a licensed funeral director and embalmer.
