Owners of Wheelies on Mulberry, Josh and Terri Schlabach, join the podcast to share their inspiring story of believing in each other, taking risks, and starting a bike shop for our community that has also blessed their family in unexpected ways. Listen to episode 50 of the Real Change Wilmington Podcast, "Wheelies on Mulberry Bike Shop (with Josh and Terri Schlabach)", on your favorite podcast player below: 🍎 Apple: bit.ly/rcwp-apple 🤖 Google: bit.ly/rcwp-google 🟢 Spotify: bit.ly/rcwp-spotify 🎥 YouTube: bit.ly/rcwp-youtube 😎 Website: bit.ly/rcwp-website

Kenny Upthegrove, of Washington Court House, became the director of Wilmington Parks and Recreation, effective July 8. Previously, he was the senior program director at the Washington Court House YMCA. A graduate of Washington Court House, Upthegrove earned his bachelor’s of science degree in sports administration from the University of Cincinnati in 2021. He joined the Washington Court House YMCA in 2021 as the program director before being promoted to senior program director. He was named the Ohio YMCA’s Rookie of the Year in 2022. Submitted by Dana Dunn, freelance contributor.

In May of 2024, Jake Schmidt, owner of Smitty's Detail Shop at 1187 West Main Street, opened Schmidt's Automotive (at the same location) to create a 'one-stop-shop' for Wilmington car owners to receive total vehicle care under one roof—including exterior ceramic coating, mechanical repairs, custom suspensions, and even window tinting (coming soon). Adding the mechanic side of the business was an idea that Jake had for years, but was patiently awaiting the right team to help him. “Jake, 6 years ago, tried to get me to work with him... I wish I would have done it sooner. It's probably been one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life," stated Tyler Kuhbander, current Manager of Schmidt's Automotive. Throughout his entire life, Jake has always had an entrepreneurial mindset and a persistent attitude toward obtaining success. "[As a kid] I asked myself how millionaires and billionaires become millionaires and billionaires, and I realized that the same traits that those guys have [is] just the same as I was naturally... and that's being dedicated and committed in everything that you do". These key aspects of his values and personality were put to the test directly after purchasing Smitty's in February 2020, just 2 weeks before COVID. "No income in the business would have depleted us because I went into the business with little money." But, Jake's persistence passed the test, and he began to offer sanitation services, which kept his business afloat throughout the pandemic. Now, Jake and Tyler aim to offer services that most Wilmington residents would have to drive almost an hour to receive. The main goal of the automotive shop is to establish trust in a field that can typically be deemed as untrustworthy. "We're just trying to show the community that you don't [have] to be scared [of] going to an automotive shop," stated Jake. To learn more about Smitty's Detail Shop call (937) 383-3990. To learn more about Schmidt's call (513) 800-6417.

Brodie is a gentle giant. At 9 years old, he is as friendly and playful as a dog half his age. Brodie will make a wonderful companion for anyone comfortable being the center of attention. His vaccinations are up to date. Adoption fee is $100. Want to meet Brodie or his friends? Visit pawshumane.weebly.com .

💇‍♀️✂️🥂 Congrats to Salon 92 owners Doughlena Irwin and Ashlee Cupp who celebrated their grand opening today with the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce! The name “Salon 92” has significant meaning to Doughlena in honor of her late sister who was born on this day in 1992. We are proud of Doughlena and Ashlee for taking the risk to venture out on their own and start their own business in Wilmington! Salon 92 accepts walk-ins and offers haircuts, coloring, and head spas. Call (937) 768-1253 or visit 712 S. South Street!

Jacob Schmidt and Tyler Kuhbander from Smitty's Detail Shop & Schmidt's Automotive, join the podcast to share their story of opening a one-stop automotive shop, focused on five-star service and convenience. “We're just trying to show the community that you don't [have] to be scared going to an automotive shop. Come on in, [and] let us show you what we're about. Let our prices speak for themselves. Let our service, [and] our five-star reputation show you that you have nothing to worry about.” - Jacob Schmidt Listen to episode 49 of the Real Change Wilmington Podcast, "Smitty's Detail Shop & Schmidt's Automotive (with Jacob Schmidt & Tyler Kuhbander)", on your favorite podcast player below: 🍎 Apple: bit.ly/rcwp-apple 🤖 Google: bit.ly/rcwp-google 🟢 Spotify: bit.ly/rcwp-spotify 🎥 YouTube: bit.ly/rcwp-youtube 😎 Website: bit.ly/rcwp-website

Executive Director of The Clinton County Port Authority (CCPA), Alex Beres, recently announced plans to reopen the organization’s second runway on the other side of Airborne Road after receiving a 3.5 million dollar grant from the Ohio General Assembly. This will mark the first time the runways will be operational since DHL left Wilmington in 2009. Alex stressed how new runways can cost “hundreds of millions of dollars”, so the CCPA wanted to be “good stewards” of our community’s existing runway and apply for grants to make repairs. According to Alex, the second runway should be operational by 2026 and provide benefits like: Development opportunities to attract new businesses Redundancies so aircrafts can still land during runway repairs Dedicated runways for specific aircrafts, such as drones CCPA also recently received a $493,000 grant from ODOT for improvements to the ‘Localizer’ on their 10,000-foot runway. Alex said this piece of equipment helps aircrafts land in all types of weather conditions—which is a huge benefit to Amazon during their busy holiday seasons. “Usually we average just a half a million dollars in grant funds a year”, said Alex. “This year we are already at 4 million dollars and still going… We could get to a point at the end of the year where we have more grant dollars than the whole time CCPA has been running the airpark.” Alex appreciates our community’s support for the projects. “A lot of times Clinton County gets sidelined… Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati can pull down so many dollars. So it’s nice to have people take the time to [call the statehouse and] say, ‘this is important.’” Learn more at ChooseClintonCountyOH.org .

Owner of For The Love Of Ink, Chris Walls, joins the podcast to share story his of opening a family-friendly and community-focused tattoo and body piercing shop. “My morals are basically just, ‘loving everybody and treating people good’. I’m not a perfect man by any means (ask my wife, she’ll tell ya), [but] I do the best I can to treat people right and I think that’s how we built this business—it wasn’t the great tattoos, it was how we treated the people who walked through the door”. - Chris Walls Listen to episode 48 of the Real Change Wilmington Podcast, "For The Love Of Ink Tattoos & Body Piercing with Chris Walls", on your favorite podcast player below: 🍎 Apple: bit.ly/rcwp-apple 🤖 Google: bit.ly/rcwp-google 🟢 Spotify: bit.ly/rcwp-spotify 🎥 YouTube: bit.ly/rcwp-youtube 😎 Website: bit.ly/rcwp-website

A grassroots group of community members met at The Murphy Theatre on August 7, 2024 at 7pm for a public meeting to discuss what it might look like for Wilmington become a Charter City like other cities our size. Tipp City’s Mayor and Clerk of Council attended to talk about the benefits of their city’s charter and answer any questions.

Lee Sandlin with Sugartree Ministries and Jason Stoops with Midnight Auto have had disagreements over the years about handling the homelessness in our community. However, amidst differing perspectives, both find common ground in prioritizing the well-being of local children. The project first took off when Jason viewed a social media post by the Wilmington Democratic Party, gathering school supplies for local youth. This inspired him to do something similar at a larger scale while staying anonymous. “We didn’t want anyone associated with it [in the beginning],” said Jason. Lee’s involvement in the school supply drive has evolved since its first year, from helping gather and distribute supplies to using his community connections to aid its expansion. Last year the group held its largest event at Dove Church, adding live music, face painting, and food service by Amazon to their itinerary. This year, the group plans to add a free family movie the night before the event, hosted by The Murphy Theatre. The event will be held at Dove Church on August 11th, starting at 2 pm. Any family who needs supplies must bring proof of Clinton County residency and their children. Those who cannot attend can contact Jason to make arrangements. Learn more on the Real Change Wilmington Podcast, episode 47.

Owners of Happy Cows Creamery (HCC) at New Horizon Farm in New Vienna, Donald and Jackie Bickel, are preparing Clinton County's last dairy farm to host this year's 'Dinner in the Fields' for Leadership Clinton on Saturday, August 10 at 4pm (tickets are $40–$50 and available at leadershipclinton.org/ditf-2024). Donald and Jackie both grew up showing cows at 4H and county fairs. Donald's father started milking cows 2 years before Donald was born, and moved to their current farm at 1103 Hodson Road in 1969. "I don't know what it's like to not have to get up and worry about cows", said Donald. Jackie, on the other hand, graduated from University of Cincinnati and had a career in advertising before reconnecting with Donald much later over their love for cows. For years, the Bickels only sold their milk to a dairy co-op in West Virginia, but in 2018 Swallow Hill Jersey Dairy in Jamestown, Ohio reached out about selling their farm and processing equipment to them which would allow the Bickels to sell direct-to-consumer. However, due to community support, Swallow Hill ended up not selling their farm, so the Bickels looked elsewhere for equipment and eventually got everything set-up just 1 week before COVID shut everything down. "In some ways COVID was a blessing", said Jackie. The Bickels were able to stay busy during COVID because stores were low on milk and people seemed to enjoy getting out of their houses to visit their new farm retail shop that was deemed "essential". The retail shop also helped save some of the Amish vendors they carried who had to shut down during COVID. Since selling direct-to-consumers, HCC has seen steady growth and even recently received a grant to buy a bigger vat with the hopes of making yogurt and selling milk to Kroger stores that are wanting to promote local goods. "We will be able to do more milk in 3 hours than we could do in 3 day", said Donald. HCC is open everyday 9am to 9pm. Learn more at happycowsatnewhorizon.com .

Jason Stoops and Lee Sandlin join us on the podcast to talk about their upcoming School Supply Drive and the history of the program. This is a great episode for those interested in learning about community resources available during back-to-school time! Listen to episode 47 of the Real Change Wilmington Podcast, "Clinton County Free School Supply Drive (with Jason Stoops & Lee Sandlin)", on your favorite podcast player below: 🍎 Apple: bit.ly/rcwp-apple 🤖 Google: bit.ly/rcwp-google 🟢 Spotify: bit.ly/rcwp-spotify 🎥 YouTube: bit.ly/rcwp-youtube 😎 Website: bit.ly/rcwp-website