Elected to a second term in November 2014, Auditor Dave Yost continues to build a legacy of fighting fraud and “skinnying down” government. Since 2011, he’s helped to turn more than 100 corrupt public officials into convicted criminals and identified more than $22 million in stolen and misspent tax money. After taking on student attendance data rigging in his first term, Auditor Yost is currently working to bring increased accountability to Ohio’s charter schools. Auditor Yost also helps state government, local communities and schools in becoming more efficient through performance audits, which have identified more than $200 million in potential savings. Yost earned his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and law degree from Capital University. After working as a Columbus Citizen Journal reporter, Auditor Yost then moved into public service as Delaware County’s Auditor and Prosecutor. He and his wife, Darlene, make their home in Franklin County. They have three adult children and three grandchildren.

SPEAKER CHAIR - JUSTIN CANDEA

INVOCATOR - PDG/PP BOB PATTISON

SONG LEADER - PDG/PP BOB PATTISON

GREETER LEADER - PP RICK TAYLOR

  -  Innis Maggiore

  -  Classification:  Positioning Agency

  -  Proposed by:  Dan Matthews

 

During the September 22, 2017, Rotary meeting, PP Dan Matthews (sponsor) introduced our newest member, Rich Dever, to the Rotary Club of Canton.

 

Rich Dever grew up in Malvern, in northern Carroll County, and has lived in NE Ohio his entire life. Graduating from the University of Akron with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Rich also received his MBA from Akron.

 

Rich's career has included work in Accounting and Manufacturing Operations for several large companies, including Sequa Corporation in New York, serving as Subsidiary Controller, Manager of Operational Excellence, and Director of Manufacturing Technology.

 

He has served as Vice President of Operational Excellence at Handy & Harman, and also served on two separate occasions with Timken and Timken Steel, working in New Product and Technology Development, Business Process Improvement and Strategy. In addition, Rich served as Senior Director of Operational Excellence for Stolle Machinery in Denver.

 

He is currently engaged in business consulting, advising and investing in lower-middle market companies, focusing on manufacturing, operations and, selectively, technology investments.

 

Rich has been married to Tricia for 16 years and they have two daughters, Katie and Molly, both at St. Paul School in North Canton.

 

A 32nd Degree Master Mason and member of the Scottish Rite for 20 years, Rich enjoys reading a variety of subjects, including business books, history and some classics. An occasional fisherman and golfer, Rich mostly likes to spend time with his daughters, watching them develop in local theater, horsemanship, science competitions and taekwondo.

 

Dan states "Though Rich says he is not that interesting, I personally find someone who has traveled to many countries and continents around the globe to be quite interesting".

 

Photo: (l to r) PP Dan Matthews, President Amanda Tietze, New Member Rich Dever

The 3rd Annual Canton Rotary "Oktoberfest" was another HUGE success! A recap of this year's event will be provided to members in a few weeks. As for the hundreds who attended the event, we had very positive feedback, with some saying, "This was the best one yet".

 

To plan this event took many, many hours on the part of the amazing Oktoberfest committee! A HUGE thank you to those members, who include: Oktoberfest Committee Co-chairs Craig Young and Rob Roland, along with committee members Dave Beule, Jordan Pitzer from the Canton Brewing Company, Rick Taylor, Dan Fuline, Kim Kroh, Bruce Hale, Bob Matthews, James Boggs, Lynn Hamilton, Paul White, Drew Pelger, Tony Pierce, Jim Blake, Justin Candea, Bill Maddox, Rebecca Marchino, Don Peterson, Raquel Raderchak, Dave Roberts, Bruce Schorsten and the hardest working non-Rotarian, Office Administrator Lauri Coy.

 

This event could not have been possible without the many sponsors and volunteers. Our sponsors consisted of: The Canton Repository, WDJQ, Sol Harris Day Architecture, Young Truck Sales, Home Savings, The Canton Brewing Company, Sysco Foods, Day Ketterer, Canton Chair, PBS Animal Health, Biery Cheese, Miller & Co., Frito-Lay, Paragraphics, Farmers National Bank, Davies Drug, Medicine Center Pharmacy, Beese Fulmer, Sherwin Williams, Quonset Hut, Furbay Electric, JayMac Body & Frame, Young Truck Leasing, Sirak Financials, Abbott Electric, Lamiell Funeral Home, Westfield Bank, Smith Barta & Company, Consumers National Bank, Carpe Diem Coffee Shop, Scott Talbot Salonspa, Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health, Julz By Alan Rodriguez, Harold Ziegler, Jr., Lynn Hamilton, Bob Pattison, Dan Jonas, Craig Young, Don Sultzbach, Joe Niamtu, Kim Kroh, Bob Carr, Brian J. Blake, M.D., Terry Barry and Keith Lindsey, Drew Pelger, Frank Fleischer, Chris Burt, Mark Rojek, Dan Fuline, James T. Boggs, Justin Candea, Curt Werren, Jim Blake, Virginia Neutzling, Amanda Tietze, Michelle Mullaly, Rick Huetter, Tony Pierce, Dean Wallace, Ernie Schott, Jim Thomas, Scott Sandrock, Dave Ewing, Dr. Chuck Smith, Mark Clendenin, Greg Luntz, Dale Holwick and Rick Taylor.

 

The volunteers which helped in the areas of set-up, beer pouring, ticket sales, pop/water, ground crew, food/grill, entertainment and radio interviews were: Jack Barkan, Scott Barwick, Mayor Thomas Bernabei, Jim Blake, Theresa Blocher, James Boggs, Karen Brenneman, Becky Callahan, Justin Candea, Becky Clark, Mark Clendenin, Dennis Dent, Shawn Dougherty, Dave Ewing, Paul Feaser, Tim Franta, Dan Fuline, Denny Fulmer, Tim Furbay, Kurt Goodenberger, Bruce Hale, Lynn Hamilton, Rick Huetter, Dave Hursh, Kim Kroh, Bill Maddox, Bob Matthews, Dan Matthews, Suzette Matthews, Michelle Mullaly, Amy Mustafaga, Bob Pattison, Drew Pelger, Nick Perini, Don Peterson, Tony Pierce, Anne Richards, David Roberts, Mark Rojek, Rob Roland, Dave Schrade, Jeff Scott, Dan Spring, Fritz Spring, Jim Thomas, Amanda Tietze, Dean Wallace, Curt Werren, John Werren, Stephanie Werren, Paul White and Craig Young.

 

The proceeds from Oktoberfest will benefit the Canton Rotary Charitable Fund, which helps fund our many local charitable efforts throughout the year: Summer Food Backpack Program for Canton City School students; RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards); Interact Club; Rotary Scouts; Junior Achievement; the Philomatheon Society; Habitat for Humanity ECO; American Red Cross (Canton); Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; scholarships for Canton City School students; Stark County Public Library; Canton Symphony Orchestra; Canton Calvary Mission; First Tee of Canton; and more.

 

To view photos from this year's event, please follow this LINK.

Story By Lori Steineck

Repository staff writer

 

Canton - More than a dozen volunteers worked under a sunny sky Saturday morning to develop a "pocket park" at 19th Street and Edwards Avenue N.E. They were taking part in the Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio-initiated neighborhood enhancement program that includes creating a park in the center of the neighborhood of about 800 home, a neighborhood that can be completely revitalized, said Aaron Brown, director of Habitat's Neighborhood Investment.

 

Mayor Thomas Bernabei and members of the Rotary Club of Canton volunteered to help, with the goal of assembling benches in the pocket park, as well as trash receptacles, a bicycle station, decorative planters and a community bulletin board.  The pocket park is in the central area of the neighborhood, which reaches from 25th Street N.E. to the north, Royal Avenue to the west, Harrisburg Avenue to the east and 16th Street to the south. 

 

About 300 families will benefit from the revitalization, including the homeowners on opposite corners of 19th Street N.E. where, Brown said, the county's public bus service operates bus stops. SARTA is moving the bus drop off to the pocket park. "When I told the man (who lives at one corner), he smiled. He's pretty happy. Nobody's going to be sitting on his lawn anymore waiting for the bus to come," Brown said.

 

Already owned by the city of Canton and the Parks Department, the $40,000 pocket park is privately funded. The Rotary Club of Canton and the Canton Joint Recreation District each provided $15,000 grants, the Belden Brick Co. provided the bricks at no cost and the city is providing two LED light posts. The park is just one part of Habitat's Renewal Project, a four-year project costing about $3.5 million for the Harrisburg-Royal neighborhood, according to a news release from Habitat.

 

Brown said the neighborhood boasts a home ownership rate of about 64 percent, while the average throughout the city is 51.4 percent. He told the crowd gathered that what that percentage says about the neighborhood is, "People want to stay in this neighborhood. There are a lot of families. There are a lot of elderly folks who want to age in place." 

 

"We are building new homes, preserving homes and helping existing home-owners fix up their houses," he said, adding that with revitalization efforts, the agency hopes their work will increase property values.

 

Follow this LINK to view all photos of Canton Rotarians volunteering at the Pocket Park on Saturday, September 23, 2017.

 

The following Rotarians worked very hard on Saturday. They are as follows: PP Craig Young, Phil Lattavo, Steve Fettman, Shawn Dougherty, Bob Matthews, PDG/PP Bob Pattison, President Amanda Tietze, Mayor Thomas Bernabei, Scott Barwick, Vice President Mark Rojek and Office Administrator Lauri Coy.

At our weekly meeting on Friday, September 22, 2017 President Amanda Tietze welcomed the 62 members and 6 guests to the meeting. President Amanda then thanked Rotarian Dale Holwick for providing ice cream for everyone to celebrate his 92nd birthday taking place on Sunday, September 24th.

 

Rotarian Dennis Dent provided the Invocation.

 

Secretary Suzette Matthews welcomed the following guests to the meeting:  Lisa Aurilio (speaker); Shelly Brown, Brian Hollingsworth (guests of PP Fritz Spring); Sara Baldoni (Youth Exchange Student); Latricia Buchanan (guest of PP Dan Matthews); Rich Dever (new member of PP Dan Matthews).

 

The "Happy Bucks" news was then provided by the following:

PP Dan Matthews then took to the podium to introduce the newest member to the Rotary Club of Canton, Rich Dever (*see story above)

 

Rotarian/Host Father Mark Clendenin then welcomed the Rotary Club of Canton's Youth Exchange Student for this year, Sarah Baldoni. Sarah comes to us from Italy and is now attending Jackson High School and participating on the Varsity Volleyball team there.

 

Vice President Mark Rojek welcomed the speaker for the day, Lisa Aurilio, from Akron Children's Hospital.

 

President Amanda then concluded the meeting with the following announcements:

The following Rotarians turned in a makeup during Friday's meeting:  PP Dan Fuline (Military Family Advisory meeting); Jerry Ortman (Plain).

 

The following Executive Board/Trustees will receive a makeup for attending the Board meeting on Tuesday, September 19, 2017: Amanda Tietze (by telephone), President Elect Michelle Mullaly, Vice President Mark Rojek, Secretary Suzette Matthews, Treasurer Tom Clevenger, Sergeant-at-Arms Robert Matthews. Trustees were: Steve Fettman, Kurt Goodenberger, Bruce Schorsten, Bruce Hale, Drew Pelger, Don Peterson, Frank Fleischer, Bill Liber, Jeff Scott and Parliamentarian Bob Pattison.