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www.toledobiz.com february 2014 Vol. 30, No. 2 • $1.75

best of Lake erie Westpage 6

2014 National engineers Weekpage 29

Best of Lake Erie West...............................6

Development News.....................................2

Finance & Tax............................................20

Meeting, Banquet, & Conf. Facilities......17

Professional Homes..................................14

Real Estate.................................................32

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LAKE ERIE WEST

SITE SELECTION TOOLKIT • PREMIER INDUSTRIAL PROPERTIES WWW.TOLEDOBIZ.COM

Fulton County Processing, a steel service center offering slitting and pick-ling of steel, is expanding its Delta facil-ity. The company’s current facility is ap-proximately 240,000 square feet and lo-cated on State Route 109.

According to Jeff Kunkel, general manager, the expansion project includes the addition of 82,000 square feet, the in-stallation of a four-tank pickling line, and expansion of the company’s rail capacity.

Kunkel noted that this expansion will

fulton County Processing investing $20M in DeltaCompany expanding facility with 82,000 sf addition

Leadership and involvement from the private sector are critical require-ments for economic development suc-cess. Most communities have some level of economic development involvement from private sector professionals. How-ever, previous articles in Toledo Busi-ness Journal (TBJ) have documented how a number of cities and regions around the country have transformed their economies and their quality of life as a result of a higher level of leadership and involvement from business profes-sionals in their communities (Economic

Killing ideas and initiative from the private sector

A new hotel is being constructed in Findlay. The Hilton Garden Inn began construction in October 2013 and is ex-pected to open by October of this year.

Doug Steinke, part owner of S&S Management, the management and de-velopment company for the property, stat-ed that the total investment in the proj-ect will be $11-$12 million. The owners of the hotel are George and Shirlee Whit-son, Whitson Hotel Investors.

“They’ve been in Findlay for a long

Hilton Garden Inn to provide upscale meeting facility$12M hotel to be located in Findlay

Grand Rapids Township is con-structing a new fire station. The $1.35 million project is under way and completion is anticipated for June.

Eric Flora, fire chief, stated that the fire station will not include sleeping quarters and is strictly vol-unteer. Currently, the Grand Rapids

Grand rapids twp building $1.35M

fire station

(…continued on page 37)

(…continued on page 32)

(…continued on page 17)

(…continued on page 12)

Development Best Practices and other TBJ articles at www.toledobiz.com).

The level of involvement of private sector professionals in regions that include Indianapolis and St. Louis was the critical factor in the economic and community transformation of each.

Ideas and initiative from private sector professionals were vital to the development process in these com-munities.

In northwest Ohio, actions by The Blade and its publisher and editor-in-

2014

12 · TOLeDO buSINeSS JOurNaL · february 2014 DeVeLOPMeNT NeWS

chief, John Robinson Block, have had a major impact.

These actions that employ the daily newspaper in an effort to damage an indi-vidual’s name and reputation continue to contribute to many private sector profes-sionals avoiding the use of their time and resources for visible community develop-ment efforts.

The actions of the daily newspaper following a proposal from Dock David Treece and the business that includes his father and brother are simply a recent example. The proposal involving Toledo Express Airport has received significant coverage in The Blade. The way that this coverage was conducted has sent a loud and clear message to the private sector. The message: Avoid surfacing ideas and plans that you believe will advance de-velopment at Toledo Express Airport or other areas in the community unless you are prepared to deal with an attempt to have your name and reputation publicly smeared in the daily newspaper.

This editorial does not examine the merit of the proposal put forward by members of the Treece family.

This editorial does examine the ap-proach taken by The Blade and Block aimed at discrediting the proposal be-fore ever reviewing the project’s formal business plan, attempting to damage the

Killing ideas and initiative from the private sector…Continued from page 1

Treece family name and reputation, and, in essence, sending a strong message to Toledo public sector leaders that they dare not approve this deal.

Why would any community want to discourage ideas, suggestions, and plans put forward by businesses and their pro-fessionals aimed at critical development areas for the region?

Whether the idea does or does not have merit is not the issue.

Ideas, including those put forward by private sector professionals with re-sources, are a source of the fuel needed to spur debate, conversation, networking, meetings, modification and improvement of the ideas, and other interaction that re-sults in the creation of development plans and action-oriented initiatives for their implementation.

How quickly will other private sec-tor professionals in the Toledo area come forward with project proposals for Toledo Express Airport or other community de-velopment needs that may subject them to what the Treece family has had to endure?

Killing ideas and initiativeIn an column published in The Blade

on November 19, 2013, the newspaper’s Keith C. Burris stated: “When I asked former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner what he thought of the proposed private takeover of Toledo Express Airport, he had a good one-word answer: ‘Outrageous. . .’

“The whole thing is, indeed, outra-geous. And it is disturbing that it got this far . . .

“I th ink the deal is dead but, just to be sa fe, let’s drive a stake through its heart.”

B u r r i s d i d no t sha re w it h The Blade readers that part of Fink-beiner’s solution for Toledo Ex-press Airport was to move the deaf population in the area to this loca-tion. The former mayor’s proposal

was successful in obtaining a great deal of attention from across the US and over-seas that was highly negative for Toledo and its image.

Why did Burris use Finkbeiner as an expert on airport management and then not disclose this information to readers?

Burris made these statements without having ever examined the formal business plan for the Treece proposal.

On December 10, 2013, The Blade published another column by Burris titled “Treece boys not ready for prime time.” In this column Burris stated, “I am trying to come up with the right comparison for the Treece Boys – Dock, and his sons Dock David and Ben . . .”

“Mini Madoffs?“Music men, as in Prof. Harold Hill

of The Music Man?”(…continued on page 13)

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february 2014 · TOLeDO buSINeSS JOurNaL · 13

Burris knows that Dock Treece is 63 years old. Calling him a “Treece Boy” is highly disrespectful and certainly not professional. His use of the word “Boys” to describe Dock David and Ben Treece was also done in a fashion that personally denigrates these individuals. The term “Boys” was used in a negative fashion by The Blade in articles and even in the bold headlines to these stories about the Treece proposal concerning Toledo Ex-press Airport.

As our readers know, Bernie Madoff is a convicted felon who stole hundreds of millions of dollars from investors. Pro-fessor Harold Hill in The Music Man was a con artist.

Burris characterized members of the Treece family, who put for-ward a proposal involving Toledo Express Airport, as comparable to a felon and crook, and a con artist.

Journalistic responsibilityDoes Burris have even one piece of

evidence or documentation that supports his characterization of the motivations and actions of the Treeces as being comparable to the criminal activity of a convicted felon and crook, and a con artist?

As a responsible citizen, is there information that Burris should share with local or federal prosecutors and the newspaper’s readers that supports any pos-sible allegation of criminal felony activity involving the Treece business proposal for Toledo Express Airport that would make members of this family comparable to Bernie Madoff, as was put forward in The Blade?

Or is it proper that The Blade issue a visible retraction of these statements?

Have any members of the Treece fam-ily considered involving a libel attorney in their efforts?

Members of the Treece family have advised that part of their motivation for their airport project is to be able to help the community.

Would such a legal examination of The Blade’s statements made about mem-

…Continued from page 12

Killing ideas and initiative from the private sector

bers of the Treece family and the possible consequences of this examination provide an important service to the community?

Might such a legal examination be ini-tiated by any member of the Treece family, or by the next private sector professional again treated in this manner?

Personal attacksPutting forward a business proposal

for an airport facing a desperate situation and then being compared to a convicted criminal and a con artist and having this

appear in a daily newspaper is not something that many private sector professionals want their family, friends, neighbors, relatives, cus-tomers, suppliers, associ-ates, and others to see.

How quickly will other business professionals step forward to offer proposals and re-sources to reduce the large losses that

could threaten the survival of the airport if these losses resume?

Burris made these statements about the personal character and motivations of the Treece family members, again without having reviewed their formal business plan.

The Treeces did make a decision not to share the business plan with The Blade or its staff members.

The Blade has devoted significant space to this issue in a clear effort to de-stroy any possibility of such a deal.

Reader reactionSome of the published Letters to the

Editor of the Blade provide insight into reactions from readers to the newspaper’s treatment of the Treeces. On December 8, 2013, Bob Cowan of Sylvania wrote a let-ter that was published with the headline- Bullying of Treeces is hurtful to area. The letter stated, “Your Dec 1 editorial “Air piracy” is a continuation of the Blade’s bullying style. It is not only old, but also to the point of being quite destructive of the city. . .

“People and business are not welcome in Toledo because of The Blade’s contin-

Toledo Express Airport

(…continued on page 38)

As healthcare decisions become more centralized farther away from you and your providers, it is critical that you become more educated on your care and coverage. With the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) much of healthcare planning and best practices will be based on data driven reporting and less on individual valuations.

So here’s a top ten New Years Healthcare coverage list:

Roemer Health Insurance representatives are standing by: 419-475-5151Please visit: www.Roemer-Insurance.com or www.toledobbb.org

10 Healthcare Resolutions

It’s your health – don’t assume someone will notice or someone will take care of it for you – confi rm it!

#1 Confi rm it, don’t assume that just because you signed up, sent a check, or have cards that you have coverage. Call your agent!

#2 Go online and sign on to your plan’s secured member web-site; Keep your healthcare information secure.

#3 Read your policy –it could save you thousands!

#4 Understand defi nitions: deductible, co-insurance, co-pay, out of pocket maximum; in-network vs out-of-network just to name a few.

#5 Confi rm your providers are in the network. Out-of-network visits can be very expensive.

#6 GET a primary doctor BEFORE you get sick, new patient ap-pointments are hard to get when you’re sick.

#7 MAKE an appointment! Most plans cover routine visits at no cost. You’ve paid for the routine care visit in your health in-surance premium.

#8 Think ahead, if you know you will need a specifi c service call around and get location, appointment rules and pricing before you see your physician.

#9 Sign up online or by phone with your health insurance carri-er for their health programs. It can help guide you painless-ly to the questions you should ask and answers you need.

#10 Write questions down, your routine visit is like a team sport; you and your physician’s offi ce are the key players. They may be the coach, but you know your strengths and weak-nesses. Bring family history, current medication (including non-prescription supplements) to your appointment.

38 · Toledo Business Journal · February 2014

ued good-old-boy approach to any new ideas or players in northwest Ohio.

“Unfortunately for Toledo, people continue to vote with their feet.”

On January 8, 2014 another published Letter to the Editor of the Blade was written by Edward Popkoski of Toledo. He stated, “Dock Treece’s family de-serves credit, not criticism, for ag-gressive, oppor-tunistic business acumen and profit seeking in its plan to run Toledo Ex-press Airport. . .

“Ideally, the Treeces should be rewarded with outreach and cooperation in investigating the business model to determine whether their ideas have merit.

“Anything less is a disservice to the creativity, courage, and performance cre-dentials of all area businesses.”

Regional impactWhy are Toledo Blade and its pub-

lisher and editor-in-chief, John Block, placing such significant effort into kill-ing this proposed business deal involving Toledo Express Airport without having ever even reviewed the formal business

…Continued from page 13

Killing ideas and initiative from the private sector

plan for the project?In the past, Toledo Business Journal

investigated other actions undertaken by Block and his newspaper (Personal Ven-detta Exposed Series at www.toledobiz.com). Each time, these investigations exposed the real story behind Block and the Blade’s actions.

In each case examined, the informa-tion that the Blade provided to its readers did not include Block’s true motivations and certainly did not share that he was using the newspaper to conduct personal vendettas against community leaders who did not follow the direc-

tion he gave.W hat a re the

true reasons behind the efforts by Block and the Blade con-cerning the Treece

proposal for Toledo Express Airport?Of significant importance, what influ-

ence does such treatment by Burris, Block and the Blade have on others in the private sector who might provide ideas and re-sources to assist economic and community development?

Is there a way that community and private sector leaders can come together, at this time, to assist in addressing issues raised that have an impact on the region?

Jerry Miller, CCIMMiller Diversifi ed Realty Corp.3410 Briarfi eld Blvd., Ste. AMaumee, OH 43537

419 / 867-9119 x 102419 / 392-6835www.millerdiversifi ed.com

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