Category Archives: Community

Join Us For A Backyard BBQ!

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It’s the height of summer and we’re ready for some fun! That’s why we are hosting a Backyard BBQ in Ashville. The Pickaway County Banking Center will host this free event from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday. It will take place behind our bank at 26 E. Main St. in the heart of town.

Bring the entire family and your appetite because we’ll have free food, lemonade and ice tea as well as door prizes. There will also be free bounce houses for the kids. While they play, you can visit with our bank staff and executives from the VCNB Financial Family.

Ashville Branch Manager Kati Maple explained the purpose of having this event. “We are having this backyard bbq to show appreciation to our customers and introduce ourselves to anyone who is not familiar with our bank,” Maple said.

We hope to meet community members and to visit with customers so stop by and enjoy a free evening with your family and our VCNB family!

Local Business Spotlight: Blystone Farm

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We understand that being a small business owner is tough. That’s why we plan to spotlight a different business each month to help you learn about unique businesses in your own back yard. 

WP_20150707_10_30_51_ProIt’s summertime in Ohio and the season for sunshine, swimming pools and family gatherings is upon us. That means perfect weather for grilling out! And if you’re looking for a place to pick up fresh, local meat to throw on the grill and fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables to pair it with, look no further than Blystone Farm in Canal Winchester.

Blystone Farm is a historic, four generation family farm that has taken eating local to a whole new level. Herds of commercial sheep have been raised on the farm through the years. Then, eleven years ago, Joe Blystone had a brainstorm. Seeing opportunity in Franklin County and surrounding areas, Blystone led the charge in opening an on-farm meat processing facility.

“The idea to bring back the old time butcher shop really started with the growing ethnic community in Franklin County,” Joe said. With lambs and goats being raised at the farm already and the development of the butcher shop, Blystone Farm found their niche in their ability to “provide a high quality fresh meat product to the immigrant and refugee community, with respect to their religious need.”

Opportunities for expansion accompanied the operation’s success. The family farm took on pigs and cows and began laying plans for expanding the shop. Joe’s wife Jane was welcomed into the family business in 2010, bringing expertise as a baker and experience as a business owner.

The building was expanded and the Blystone Farm Retail Market was developed into what it is today – a one stop shop for fresh, local meats, fresh baked bread and pastries, local seasonal fruits and vegetables, craft beer and more, including locally made condiments such as Blystone Farm branded sauces and seasonings.

Nearly all of the meat available at the shop is processed on-site from all Ohio raised livestock. The only exception is grass-fed, naturally-raised buffalo meat used in their bison burgers, sent straight from The Wild Idea Buffalo Company in South Dakota.

It doesn’t stop at the butcher shop and bakery though. Customers with special occasions can place custom orders including half and whole animals for events like a hog roast. In fact, custom orders are gladly accepted and prepared for customers with specific needs.   And, as an added bonus, the outdoor table seating and in-house deli at the shop offer visitors a chance to sit, relax and have a sandwich at lunch while overlooking the beauty of rural farmland.

Word has begun to spread about quality products and service in the expanded shop and rave reviews are rampant on social media. “We’re starting to see folks stop in from further out than Lancaster, Fairfield County, and Franklin County” which is what the primary customer base was in the past, Joe explained.

So the next time you have a hankering for a bison burger or a fresh baked pie, you’re planning a hog roast, or you feel like impressing your guests with local brewed craft beer and a porterhouse steak, stop by Blystone Farm in Canal Winchester. At Blystone Farm, it’s always the season for quality food and drink!

Want to know more? Visit their website or follow Blystone Farm on Facebook!

Cell Phone Courtesy For Everyone

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We are busy, busy, busy and always on the go. That means we do more with our phones than ever before. But are you always courteous with your phone.

As of January 2014, the Pew Research Center reports that ninety percent of American adults have cell phones. That means that most of us are walking around with devices in our pockets that give us the gift of communication anywhere we go. Given that so many of us have embraced the technology, we couldn’t overlook the opportunity to talk about polite phone usage during Cell Phone Courtesy Month.

Rather than talk about what not to do, we prefer to focus on the positives. Here are some do’s.

Do Be Present In The Moment
Out with friends? Having dinner with your family? Enjoy the time you have with loved ones and engage in conversation with them! Chances are, whoever is trying to call or message you can wait awhile.

Cell phone courtesyDo Silence Your Phone
Respect the people around you by using your phone’s silent or vibrate mode and let calls go to voicemail during public events like movies and plays or during work meetings. You don’t want to miss out on what’s happening around you or distract others with your conversation.

Do Respect Service Workers
It’s a busy world for you and for the people around you so be respectful of time. Don’t make service workers wait or feel ignored while you carry on a conversation. Store clerks and wait staff will be the first people to tell you they don’t enjoy listening to your conversation while they wait to wait on you.

Do Maintain Your Privacy
Be aware of your surroundings and avoid discussing confidential information or private information in public. You never know who may be in hearing range. Besides, do you really want a lot of strangers to know the details of your recent root canal? Along those lines, keep your emotions in check and avoid having an argument where others can hear.

Do Use Your Indoor Voice
People tend to speak more loudly than normal on their cell phone and sometimes don’t realize how distracting the added volume is to others.

Do Be Discreet
If you need to take a call and you are with a group, excuse yourself and find a quiet place to have the conversation. When possible, stay in place and send the person a text to let them know when you will return the call.

Do Focus on the Road
Be responsible when you’re behind the wheel. Don’t text or place calls when driving. Need to make a call? Pull over for a few minutes. It’s better to be a little late for your destination than to cause an accident with your distracted driving.

Do Watch The Volume
If you’re watching a video or listening to music on your device, try earphones to avoid distracting others.

Respect Rules
While you may love your phone, there are some places that do not welcome your mobile devices. Respect posted signs at places like hospitals, dentist offices or government facilities where usage is restricted.

We know you love your phone! We love our phones too! However, as usage becomes more prevalent, we all need to focus on being good users. What are your thoughts on this topic? We would love to hear from you! Post a comment today!

Local Business Spotlight: Unlimited Diesel Performance

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We understand that being a small business owner is tough. That’s why we plan to spotlight a different business each month to help you learn about unique businesses in your own back yard.  

Tucked away down a quiet wooded lane just outside the Village of Bremen is one of the most unique businesses imaginable. But odds are you don’t even know they exist unless you’re from the Bremen area or you have a thing for diesel engines.

If you are among their legions of enthusiasts, you know that Unlimited Diesel Performance, Inc. is one of the best in the nation at what they do.

The business was born from a friendship between two former classmates who had a passion for working on diesel equipment and trucks. That was eleven years ago and the result has been phenomenal. Now Unlimited Diesel not only works on vehicles, they operate a booming mail order business for parts and have a successful injection shop.

Partners Nate Bailor and Ben Burnworth said they started out as just a couple of guys tinkering on their own vehicles – a hobby really. Then other people started bringing vehicles by their garage.

One thing led to another and before they knew it, both had quit their jobs and were self employed full time. Ben had previously worked for his father’s construction company and had cut his teeth working on his dad’s diesel equipment. Nate, with a vocational school background in automotive, had worked for other automotive shops.

Today they work on all kinds of trucks, specializing in Ford diesel engines, and filling to capacity their large garage on Logan-Thornville Road.

They are known for quality repair work, routine maintenance and performance work in their garage. The mail order part business is also hugely successful as they ship parts all over the nation and the world. “We have shipped parts all over – as far away as Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, even to Australia,” Nate explained.

Unlimited Diesel is currently among just a handful of businesses that they say do their line of work, extremely well, especially in the injectors field.

What sets them apart from the competition? They say it’s a combination of things, beginning with a lifetime warranty on injectors that is good for as long as the customer owns the vehicle. That squashes the one, two and five year warranties typically offered by the competition.

Ben also pointed out that their return rate on this warranty is so minimal they are confident their work is solid. “We take a different approach to it that may cost us a little more but we believe the product is worth it,” Ben said.

The pair were also quick to point out that some trade secrets result in superior work.

For fun, they are building a truck of their own they expect to take to truck pulls this summer. They will compete in the 3.0 class of a Central Ohio circuit, believing their unique build of chassis will give them a leg up on the competition.

But the two are interested in more than just chassis and injectors and diesels. They are good hearted , small town boys who seem to truly care about the community. In fact, they support the Cordle Cares Foundation, which raised $30,000 in 2014 to assist other non-profit organizations in Fairfield County and to provide scholarships to local students. Nate serves on the board and the business supports the organization through events like Bowling With Buckeyes which is coming up on July 11.

Career experts recommend doing something you love so that you never have to work a day in your life. When asked if it is still fun for them, the two agreed that it is. “We try to have as much fun as we can and we are still enjoying it,” Nate said.

Ben added, “It’s a dream come true. Not too many people can go to work every day and be happy.”

They try to make their employees happy as well, working to keep morale high and even taking the group to lunch in Lancaster every Friday.

Much has happened in eleven years and they say business has been good. However, Ben and Nate agree that they could benefit from a larger facility and more employees. “ We would love to expand someday. More space, more people would allow us to take on more work,” Nate explained.

Unlimited Diesel is located at 408 Logan-Thornville Rd NE, Bremen. Call them at 740.569.1319 or find them online at www.unlimiteddiesel.com or on Facebook.

Summer Responsibility: Kids and Chores

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Assign chores based on abilities. Making the bed is a great chore for any tween.

Assign chores based on ability. Making the bed is a great chore for any tween.

Summer is the perfect time to teach your kids responsibility by having them do chores. Along the way they will also pick up valuable life skills they can carry with them as they grow up. You may think your child is too young to do housework or that you would prefer them to “just be kids” instead of worrying about chores. All the same, you might be surprised at how much even your youngest child can do and what an impact a little responsibility can have on their life.

Before you start there are some things to think about. First of all, never treat chores like a punishment. You want your kids to take pride in even the smallest job they complete and to not view this work as a hardship to endure.

Here are some other tips to starting your child on the right foot when it comes to chores.

Assign based on abilities – Every member of the household has something to do. For your littlest kids, it may simply be putting away their own toys and putting dirty laundry in the hamper. A five year old might make their own bed, put away clean clothes and help you make their lunch. Older kids might help with laundry, do dishes, help cook or set the table.

Teach teamwork – Assign chores to everyone in the family and teach your kids how much easier it is to keep up with work around the house when everyone contributes. Also identify ways they might work together to finish a job even quicker. For example, one child might wash dishes while the other one dries and puts them away.

Try to make it fun – Let’s face it. Most of us spend a lot of time every day cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, maintaining vehicles and doing other types of household work. You will be doing your child a great service if you teach them to find ways to enjoy doing this kind of work. Make it a game, tell stories, listen to music, dance – do whatever you can to make the chore seem less like drudgery.

Create quality time – Refer to the point above. If your kids are young, they may need some adult supervision. But instead of making it feel like supervision, try to make it time well spent teaching your kids and having fun together. For example, a four year couldn’t do laundry by themselves. However, they do know their colors. Make a game out of sorting colors and whites together!

Relax your standards – Your daughter may not make her bed perfectly every time and your son may put away glasses with spots on them. That’s why you need to relax your standards a bit, accepting everything will not be done perfectly every time. Take the opportunity to teach them how to improve their skill and don’t get angry when it isn’t perfect.

Be specific – Break down a job into steps to make it easier for your child to understand and complete.

Create a routine – Kids respond well to a little structure in their day so create some kind of routine for them to follow. For example, they should make their bed when they get up or load the dishwasher right after dinner. Give them a daily chore and request that it be done at an assigned time every day.

Reward good performance – Tell your child when they do something good. Consider giving your kids an allowance for their work or create a chores chart that offers a reward for so many jobs well done. Children tend to respond well to praise and to rewards. They are just like the rest of us – they perform better when they feel appreciated. If they are earning money for their work, remember to teach them some good money habits along the way. Need inspiration? Read more on this topic here.

One more note, if your kids are cleaning, make sure they are not handling toxic cleaning products. Look for kid-friendly products that are safe for the skin and body.

Local Business Spotlight: Venue 62 For Your Next Event

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We understand that being a small business owner is tough. That’s why we plan to spotlight a different business each month to help you learn about unique businesses in your own back yard.  

Distinctive. Unique. Historic. Full of character. . .

These are all terms used to describe Venue 62, Grove City’s up-and-coming boutique event space.

Located in the heart of Grove City’s Town Center, Venue 62 opened for business last Spring. Originally financed, purchased and renovated in 2010 to house owner Matt Yerkes’ software company, the idea of having a food-service business in part of the building was always part of the long-term plan.

After seeing the facility in person, one can certainly see that the building’s rich history and character are an integral part of the Venue 62 experience.

The historic brick building dates back to at least the 1920’s, when it was a drug store and stood next door to an automotive dealership. As we know, times have certainly changed in the last century. This fact is demonstrated by the new car prices ranging from $319 to $645 that are still painted on one of the exposed brick walls inside the venue.

When it came time for renovations, Yerkes had a vision that came, in part, from seeing a small section of exposed brick along the wall. “What if we exposed the entire wall?” he wondered. It was only later, after many hours of labor, that the new car prices of yesteryear would be uncovered.

This only added to the look and feel of the historic building, which includes custom built barn doors on the interior, a trickier project than expected. “We had this idea for these large doors, but we had to be sure to build them small enough to fit through the front of the building,” he said. The doors are used to enclose a middle section that was designed specifically with business meetings and gatherings in mind.

The beams from which interior lights hang were created from lumber that once held up the false ceiling in the building’s pre-renovation years.

The vision and hard work have paid off. Since opening for business nearly one year ago, Venue 62 has played host to numerous wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, bridal and baby showers, luncheons, memorial services, and professional gatherings.

Bookings have steadily increased to the point that Christmas events are being booked eight months in advance. They work to accommodate the needs of their guests to make event planning a smooth experience.

“We have a D5 liquor license, which allows beer, wine, and liquor, and an A2 Occupancy license which allows for nearly 100 guests,” Yerkes explained. The back section of the building was completely renovated to include a brand new commercial kitchen last summer. This allows for an expanded and fully customized menu for events of all types.

And while Venue 62 will provide food and beverages of the customer’s choosing, customers are not tied to using Venue 62’s catering. Food options from outside vendors are allowed for events, which really allows for freedom and creativity when event planning.

The future looks bright for Venue 62 and Grove City’s Town Center. A planned expansion for downtown parking options is in the works, as are development plans for the nearby library, city hall, and various commercial and residential properties in the area.

Since 2010, Yerkes has witnessed a resurgence in the downtown district and expresses great hope for the future. “It’s a great time to be here in the Town Center. We’ve been really pleased to be a part of it,” he said.

Venue 62 is located at 3995 Broadway, Grove City. Visit Venue 62 on Facebook or on their website at www.venue62.com.

Teaching Children To Save

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Thanks to Central Elementary Principal Teresa Snider for hosting us during Teach Children To Save Month!

Thanks to Central Elementary Principal Teresa Snider for hosting us during Teach Children To Save Month!

Every spring our McArthur office sends people into the elementary schools in Vinton County to talk with third graders about saving money. We do this because April is Teach Children To Save Month and because teaching these basic principles to young people is one way to give their personal finances a great start.

Teach Children To Save is a national program that organizes banker volunteers to help young people develop a savings habit early in life. We typically speak to third grade students and their teachers at West, South and Central elementary schools in Vinton County.

We talk to the kids about what a bank does and why someone might need to do business with us. We talk to them about savings accounts, why they might someday want to borrow money and even how a bank does business.

We also tell them a story and help them with a math worksheet, demonstrating how one child saved money for something she really wants while another child spends her money on small items instead of saving for the big goal. At the end of the lesson we talk about whether it is better to be a spender or a saver and then answer all their questions about banks and about that day’s lesson.

It is a thought provoking day for both the students and their banker teachers. We often marvel at the questions these young students ask and look forward to the school visits every year.

Staff from our Friendly Bremen Banking Centers also visit schools in their area for similar programming every spring.

Are you a teacher or a principal? Would you like to have a banker visit your students? Contact us so we may make arrangements!

Free CE Class Offered For Realtors

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We like to find opportunities in our communities to provide services that folks need but maybe don’t expect from their local bank. That is why we regularly host continuing education classes for realtors.

This month we will work with First American Title to co-host “Ethics: Changing with the Times,” a three hour course for realtors in the Canal Winchester area. Shawn Fosnaugh, a Retail Lender at our Canal Banking Center, calls the partnership a “win-win” for everyone.

“We partner with First American Title and sponsor a Continuing Education class two or three times a year. This is a win-win for both the bank and title company, as well as the realtors,” Fosnaugh said.

Fosnaugh explained that the State of Ohio requires realtors to take continuing education courses which can often be expensive. “With the continuing education classes we sponsor, the realtors attend for free, gain knowledge and education on today’s current real estate market and rules and regulations, and get to network with one another,” he said.

At the same time, bank staff and title company staff have opportunity to build rapport and better relationships with realtors serving the community.

The class will feature a lot of group discussion about a realtor’s duty to the public and industry, to clients and customer and to fellow licensees.

Instructors will be Paul Blevins, Vice President/Area Manager and Counsel – Central and Southern Ohio for First American Title and Larry Press, Vice President of Business Development and Branch Underwriting Counsel for First American Title.

“Ethics: Changing with the Times” will be held Thursday, April 23 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Kingy’s Pizza (7470 Hill Rd, Canal Winchester, OH 43110). Refreshments will be served. Sign up today by contacting Shawn Fosnaugh at 614.834.5626 or shawn.fosnaugh@vintoncountybank.com