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From little to big: Below fulfilling childhood dream

By
Dock David Treece
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Duane Below. Photo by Paul Nelson

Growing up in the small town of Britton, Mich., Duane Below was the little brother with big dreams.

The youngest of seven with four brothers and two sisters, Below was the baby of the family who was seldom indoors growing up, an active child who frequently played on the fields and stayed in the gym until they kicked him out when it was time to lock up. He managed his brother’s junior high basketball team as a third-grader and always talked about wanting to pitch in the big leagues.

On July 20, 2011, Below wasn’t so little anymore; it was the day the baby brother made his big league dream come true, taking the mound as the starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, his favorite baseball team growing up.

“As soon as I took the mound the first time, I felt like I belonged,” Below told Toledo Free Press from spring training in Lakeland, Fla., recounting his major league debut against the Oakland Athletics.

“But my mind said as I threw my first pitch, I was like, ‘Just don’t throw it to the backstop.’”

Though the Tigers lost 7-5 that night, Below didn’t throw his first pitch to the backstop. Instead, he recorded a no-decision in a solid outing against Oakland. In five-plus innings,
Below threw 51 strikes in 77 pitches, allowing three runs (one earned) and five hits as he struck out two batters and walked another for an ERA of 1.80.

When Lester Oliveros came in to relieve Below in the sixth inning after he surrendered a homer to Hideki Matsui, the Detroit crowd — which included many family members and friends — gave him a standing ovation as he left the field.

“It was exciting. I’ll never forget it,” Below said.

While that day marked the culmination of a lifelong journey to play in the majors, Below is not content to let it be his only day in the sun. Not after how hard he’s worked to have the chance to be a mainstay on the Tigers roster. Below was a three-sport athlete back home in Britton, a town of approximately 700 people that sits off M-50 between Tecumseh and Dundee.

But the 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefty was not heavily recruited out of Britton-Macon High School in 2004 and did not have any college offers. He ended up playing for Blissfield American Legion, where he was discovered by Lake Michigan College (LMC), which offered him a scholarship.

“I liked it out there, so I ended up going out there and having two good years,” Below said of the school in southwest Michigan. “It was my freshman year when I realized that there’s a possibility [of going pro].”

Following his freshman year at LMC, Below signed to Central Michigan University in the early signing period. After reaching the regionals in a solid sophomore campaign at LMC, however, his big league dreams started to come to fruition and, by June 2006, CMU was in the rearview mirror.

“In June, my brother [and I] went to Chicago for the Tigers-White Sox game because that was the second day of the draft,” Below said. “We knew I was going to get drafted, we just didn’t know what round and what [pick]. But my brother was like, ‘You’re not going to go in the first day, so let’s go to the Tigers game on the second day.’

“We were just driving in downtown Chicago, and I got the call while we were in the car.”

Detroit drafted Below in the 19th round of the 2006 amateur draft. By 2007, he was the team’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year and Single-A West Michigan’s Pitcher of the Year after he tied for a Midwest League-best 13 wins and led the league with 160 strikeouts.

As he was working his way up the ranks of the Tigers organization, however, Below’s progress came to a halt in 2009.

Just 10 days after being assigned to Double-A Erie from Single-A Lakeland on May 15 of that season, Below landed on the disabled list for the rest of the year. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm and required Tommy John surgery.

“That was actually the first time I’ve ever been hurt to miss a game,” Below said. “The only time I missed a game was [because of] my mom’s rules for the grades, and I missed one week; that was during football season. But I never missed a game due to injury.”

Before he left to have the procedure done, Below received some words of encouragement from teammate Mike Hollimon.

Hollimon told Below to make the best of it and work his tail off. That way, if he didn’t come back at least he would know he tried, and if he did, he’d be that much better.

“I’ll never forget it,” Below said of Hollimon’s words. “I’ve got to give him credit as well.”

Comeback

Below came back strong in 2010, finishing second on the Erie roster with 103 strikeouts. His big break came last season, when he started 18 games with the Mud Hens before Detroit called him up in late July.

At the time of his callup, Below had a 3.13 ERA and was tied for second place in the International League with nine wins.

“It was great,” Below said of his time with Toledo. “The fan base is unbelievable there. They come out and support you. Just being able to have a park of that caliber and the fans that support you no matter what, and being able to be that close to home and having support in my family.”

Below credited the combination of that atmosphere along with the tutelage of Mud Hens pitching coach A.J. Sager for helping prepare him for the majors, where he started two games for the Tigers in 2011 and spent the rest of the regular season as a reliever.

Since December, Below has been in Lakeland preparing for the upcoming season, where he is competing for the fifth starter spot in the rotation with the Tigers. It just wouldn’t be like Below to not get a head start on spring training.

Below made it to the big leagues, but he’ll always be the active little brother from Britton.

“I just figured getting down here early, giving myself the best opportunity to make the team, I felt it was to be here in Lakeland and working with the staff that’s here,” Below said.

“It’s mainly from my rehab. When I was here, I was working out and I was in the best shape, and [the] arm’s ready to go to start the year.”

 

 

Mud Hens ticket sales returning to pre-recession levels

By
Brandi Barhite
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Erik Ibsen is assistant manager for ticket sales for the Mud Hens. Toledo Free Press photo by Joseph Herr.

Mud Hens ticket sales are keeping pace with last season’s, according to Erik Ibsen, assistant general manager of ticket sales and operations.

Approximately 285,000 tickets have been presold for the Mud Hens season so far — slightly ahead of the past two seasons.

“It had been higher before the economic downturn, but we are heading back to those ranges we were in previously,” Ibsen said.

By Opening Day, 300,000 tickets are expected to be bought, which is consistent with last year and includes everything from game plan ticket packets to group reservations.

“Ticket sales are really going great. You can tell the season is around the corner,” he said. “The weather hasn’t hurt, probably has people thinking about it.”

Ibsen said the 27 suites leased on a multiyear basis are sold out. Last year marked the 10th season in the ballpark, so many of the suites were up for renewal.

“Just about every organization did come back to us,” he said. “We are in a great situation. The corporate community has supported the ballpark since before it was built.”

The four party suites that can be rented on a game-by-game basis are also keeping pace with previous seasons. These suites are used for surprise parties, reunions and when companies want a suite for their employees, but don’t need it every game.

“In the course of a season, we rent out more than 200 times per year. We still have availability if people are interested in that,” Ibsen said.
Last year, 214 were rented, a suite record, and 99 percent of the suites were filled after Memorial Day.

Speaking of records, Ibsen would like to set a new one.

Elliston native and “American Idol” runner-up Crystal Bowersox helped set an attendance record of 13,200 when she performed at a game on May 14, 2010. The second largest attendance record was made Opening Day on April 16, 2009, with 13,100 fans. Many of the 10 games with the highest attendance are from Opening Days, Ibsen said.

“We are hoping to be right in line and the fact that Opening Day is on a Friday this year, [attendance] should be in that 13,000 range,” he said.

Justin Hemminger of Columbus, who graduated from St. Francis de Sales High School in 1997, is returning to Toledo to see the home opener. He has attended every Opening Day game since 2002 when the new stadium opened. “My family’s from Toledo originally,” he said. “It is a heritage thing, a hometown pride thing.” The stadium seats 8,943, in addition to picnic areas and standing room-only locations. Most Fridays and Saturdays, the ballpark attracts at least 10,500 people, Ibsen said. In 2011, the Mud Hens ended the season with a total attendance of 549,438 and have boasted 5.5 million in the first 10 years at Fifth Third Field. One reason the organization does so well with ticket sales is its commitment to affordability, Ibsen said. Opening Day tickets are $13 for seats and $10 for standing room. Regular season tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for children 12 and younger. On fireworks nights, tickets are $9 for everyone. Ibsen said the regular season ticket price has increased just $1 in the past decade.

“Minor league baseball prides itself on family fun entertainment. There are a lot of activities for family, friends and companies,” he said. “The blueprint has to be affordable.”

Attendees range from families, younger friends and teens and empty nesters on date nights.

“We really run the whole spectrum as far as people, which is another reason the affordability is so important,” he said.

Last year, the team attracted 139,296 attendees through group sales, down from the record of 143,226 established in 2007. The largest groups in 2011 were ProMedica, YMCA, First Solar and HCR ManorCare.

Online ticket sales keep growing as well.

“The technology makes that a huge part of our business. We sell about 60,000 tickets online and that has increased each year,” Ibsen said.

New for this year are mobile apps for iPhones and Droids to purchase tickets.

“The idea with the technology is to make the purchase easier,” Ibsen said. “Not having to wait to get to the ballpark to see if it is a sold-out game, not even having to wait to get home to your computer.”

For more information, visit www. mudhens.com and click on Tickets.

Famous Chicken, country musician among special nights for Hens in 2012

By
Erik Gable
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Famous Chicken and a host of other mascots were among the added attractions at Hens games in 2012.

Baseball may be what draws crowds to Fifth Third Field every spring and summer, but it’s far from the only attraction that will be offered during the 2012 Mud Hens season.

Michael Keedy, manager of special events for the Mud Hens, said fans of country music will want to turn out on June 2, when Jonalee White and the Late Nite Drivers will perform before, during and after the game.

The following week will bring the Zooperstars to the field June 8. Dubbed the “Sultans of Silly” by BusinessWeek, this troupe of inflatable mascots includes wackily named characters like Alex Frogriguez, Clammy Sosa, Nolan Rhino, Cow Ripken Jr. and Donovan McCrabb.

Rockin’ Ray and the Amazing Skyy Dogs, a troupe of canine entertainers, will perform June 23.

This will be followed on June 24 by Team Autograph Day, in which the whole team will be available to sign autographs for fans before the game.

“Pink in the Park,” in which players wear pink jerseys that are auctioned off to raise money for the Northwest Ohio affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure returns July 20.

Then, on July 22, fans who show up early can have their pictures taken with Mud Hens players before the game.

The Famous Chicken

The Famous Chicken, a traveling mascot, will perform Aug. 5 during the Mud Hens game against the Rochester Red Wings. Ted Giannoulas has been playing the chicken since 1974, when he agreed to don a rented suit as part of promotional gimmick for a San Diego radio station. Keedy said the chicken has been performing in front of Toledo crowds for more than 20 years, but this will be his first visit to Fifth Third Field.

“He has really become an icon as far as entertainment at sports games,” Keedy said. “He has traveled and performed at every level, for nearly every sports team. He’s very sought after to have an appearance. People are going to be very excited to see him. He’s still a very big draw for people.”

Honoring Casey

The Famous Chicken’s visit will coincide with a weekend devoted to Toledo baseball history. The first 2,000 fans through the gate on Friday, Aug. 3, will receive a bobblehead of Casey Stengel, who managed the Mud Hens before his Major league career, most notably with the New York Yankees.

This year marks the 85th anniversary of the 1927 Mud Hens championship team managed by Stengel, Keedy said.

“We really wanted to celebrate our history and we knew the 1927 championship team would be having a significant anniversary,” Keedy said. “With Casey Stengel being one of the most famous managers in baseball history to have his start in Toledo, that’s something we thought was really cool and a nice way to kick off the baseball history celebration.”

The following night, the team will play in replicas of 1883 jerseys from Toledo’s first professional baseball team, the Toledo Blue Stockings, which existed for only a few years in the 1880s. The jerseys will be sold in a charity silent auction during the game.

Animal acts

Some unusually talented simians and canines will perform Aug. 30.

Keedy said the act, called Team Ghost riders, consists of monkeys riding dogs and herding sheep.

“It’s a lot of fun and people genuinely enjoy seeing them,” Keedy said.

Three heritage nights will celebrate different cultures, with Polish Heritage Night on June 23, Latino Heritage Night on July 22 and Irish Heritage Night on Aug. 12.

Senior days will take place on May 21, June 25 and July 31, all of which are day games. discounted tickets are available for groups of senior citizens.

Veterans Appreciation Night, honoring both veterans and current members of the U.S. Armed Forces, is Aug. 25, with a pregame ceremony, discounted tickets for military personnel who place their orders in advance and other recognitions during the game.

Back by popular demand

In addition, some popular features will return. As in past years, kids can run the bases after every Sunday home game and the traditional post-game fireworks shows after each Friday, Saturday and Sunday game will start May 18.

“That’s something that happens year after year that fans really look forward to,” Keedy said.

Throughout the season, area youth will have chances to learn about baseball from Mud Hens players during the club’s baseball camps. Aimed at youth ages 7 to 14, the camps are part of the Mud Hens’ efforts to work with local groups to give back to the community. other such programs include Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts campout nights, when local scout troops spend a night on the outfield.

“We are a big part of the community, so reaching out and working with these groups is important to us,” Keedy said.

Five camps are scheduled:

  • May 19: A one-day camp will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • June 2: A clinic for children with special needs is scheduled for noon-1:30 p.m. “That camp has really grown over the past four or five years,” Keedy said.
  • June 24: An adult-and-child camp is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • June 19-21 and Aug. 2-4: Keedy said these three-day camps are usually the most popular ones. Jeff Barton, founder and president of Miracle league of Northwest ohio, a baseball league for kids with special needs, said the clinic is a fun experience for the children who take part.

“They love it,” he said.
Barton added that Mud Hens players often volunteer at the Miracle league field during the season.
“They look up to the Mud Hens players and they admire them,” he said.

Participants in all of the camps will receive a T-shirt, a souvenir baseball for autographs and a ticket to a future Mud Hens game.

Register online at mudhens.com/ camps.

For more information, visit www. mudhens.com and click on promotions. All theme nights and promotions are subject to change.

Second-year Hens manager putting pieces into place for 2012

By
Dock David Treece
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Mud Hens Manager Phil Nevin. Photo by Paul Nelson.

The Mud Hens are looking to improve on a tough 2011 season as the team wraps up spring training in manager Phil Nevin’s second year on the job.

“It’s been a great camp,” Nevin said. “We have new leaders in place as far as our minor league director and field coordinator, and they’ve done a heck of a job. The preparation and attention to detail has been smooth for camp. The players have been very receptive to everything and working hard. I really enjoy the people involved here. everybody has come to camp in great shape and ready to go. We’ve added some pieces that will help our Triple-A roster out, mostly on the offensive side, guys like Jerad Head and Quintin Berry.”

Nevin said he is excited about additions to the roster, but there are still some questions about who will be with the team.

“We still have some major decisions going on with the roster,” he said. “Quintin Berry is still with the Major League team and you don’t know what’s going to happen. Jerad Head, Eric Patterson and Matt Young have already come down. Those are quality players that have had success in Triple-A in the past and for the time being will help us out quite a bit in Toledo.”

Second nature

Adjusting to an ever-changing roster is second nature to Nevin after last season.

“We have an idea of when things are going to happen,” he said. “You can’t account for injuries on any level, but we have an idea of who is going to be where, and we have from the beginning of spring. It’s just a matter of getting pieces in place toward the end and getting everybody ready for the season.”

The Mud Hens went 67-77 in Nevin’s first season with the team. First baseman Ryan Strieby paced the offense with team highs of 19 home runs and 76 RBI, but Toledo finished with only 586 total runs, the third-fewest in the International league (IL). With the Detroit Tigers two deep at first base, Strieby should be a mainstay with Toledo in 2012.

Left-hander Duane Below led the pitching staff last season, with nine wins, finishing 9-4 in 18 starts with a 3.13 erA in 115 innings. The team finished 21 games back in the division behind Il champion Columbus. In its attempt to close the gap with the Clippers, Toledo will rely on a young pitching staff and veteran leadership on offense.

“Columbus always has a veteran mix with sixth-year free agents and prospects,” Nevin said. “That’s along the lines of what we’re doing this year. Most of our younger guys are on the mound, and having veterans in the lineup is really going to help our offense.”

Opportunity to expand Nevin said he is eager for the opportunity to expand on his first season.

“For me, it’s the familiarity with different people,” he said. “It’s going to be nice going back to the same place for the first time. I won’t have to learn new names, whether it’s in the front office, umpires or clubhouse people throughout the league. It will be more familiar for me. It makes the season start off a little smoother.”

Despite the advantages of another year on the job, Nevin is not ready to speculate about how it will translate on the field.

“It’s hard to predict championships and rosters and records and things like that until you go throughout the league,” he said. “I’m excited going into the season. I think we have a chance to be pretty good. There’s a good mix of veteran guys on offense, and we’ll have some solid young starting pitching and a good bullpen. It’s our job to have them prepared to play every day and we’ll see where it goes.”

Tigers tune-up

Toledo will tune up for the season with a charity game at Fifth Third Field against the Detroit Tigers at noon April 4.

“It’s an exciting time for the city,” Nevin said. “It will be an exciting atmosphere the first time you get into the stadium and see a packed house. It will be neat for the players to get a taste of Toledo before we start our season a couple days later.”

The Mud Hens open the season 5 p.m. April 6 at home against division rival Indianapolis, which went 76-68 last season.

“This is about the time where you’re starting to count down the days,” Nevin said. “Guys are getting antsy to get out of spring training. A lot of guys have been here over a month now and are ready to get the season started.”

Hens to host Opening Day pregame party

By
Dock David Treece
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Michael Keedy is special events manager of the Mud Hens. Toledo Free Press photo by Joseph Herr.

The Toledo Mud Hens are excited to get the party started April 6 for (2012) opening day.

“It has definitely taken on a life of being a big community party,” said Michael Keedy, Mud Hens manager of special events.

“People come down early. They are downtown at all the establishments. We get a big crowd every year. It’s a lot of excitement, and we’re looking forward to it again this year.”

Gates at Fifth Third Field will open two hours early at 3 p.m. as the Mud Hens host an opening day Bash pregame party.

The admission price of $30 for the Home run Terrace and $32 for The Nest includes admission to the game, a buffet and live music by 56dAZe. The band will perform from 3-4:30 p.m. and the buffet will be available from 3:30 p.m. until game time at 5 p.m. The buffet includes hamburgers, hot dogs, fish sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, chips and cookies along with beverages and drink specials, such as $3 drafts.

For those already attending the game, wristbands for admission to the party are available for $17.

Tickets can be purchased at MudHens.com, at the ticket office or by phone at (419) 725-HeNs (4367). opening day is also an opportunity for fans to see the improved suite lounge, which has been renovated with glass so fans can see the field. The lounge will feature a two-man band on opening day. It will be the second opportunity to see the renovations following the charity game against the Detroit Tigers on April 4.

“This year is going to be unique with the exhibition game two days before opening day,” Keedy said.
“It just goes to show how big the community is with sports and how much they rally around the Toledo Mud Hens, that we’re going to have two days in the first week of April with a full-capacity ballpark.”

The first pitch of the 2012 season is set for 5 p.m. April 6 as the Mud Hens take on the Indianapolis Indians. O

Rathbun: What moves gold?

By
Gary Rathbun
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I want to discuss the different factors that affect the price of precious metals in the open market.

In a nutshell, the price of precious metals is driven strictly by supply and demand. The variable in the equation is that many things influence demand.

For the sake of this discussion, let us limit our thoughts to gold. Gold has a few main uses in the world. Jewelry, electronics, medical, aerospace, decoration, Olympic medals and, of course, as a store of value — these are the primary uses for gold today.

About 78 percent of the gold consumed each year is used in jewelry. It is easy to see that as global economics worsen, this use of gold could diminish greatly. After all, none of us really need jewelry to survive; it is merely decoration and a fashion statement. On the other hand, there are countries in the world that place a high priority on purchasing jewelry during specific times of the year for commemorating events and holidays.

Just about everyone’s cellphone or other small electronic device, as well as every computer and laptop, has a small amount of gold in it. Gold is an excellent conductor of electricity and these small devices use very low amounts of voltage; therefore these devices need conductors that have very little resistance and are not subject to corrosion. This is the biggest industrial use of gold today.

Very small amounts of gold can be used in the treatment of certain ailments. Rheumatoid arthritis, for example, has been treated with weak solutions containing gold. Radioactive gold is used in some diagnostic procedures as well.

We all remember seeing pictures of astronauts with their helmets on, the face shield coated with gold to protect their eyes from the sun. Gold film reflects infrared radiation very well and is used to stabilize the temperature of spacecraft.

Finally, what would the Olympics be without the handing out of gold medals for the champions? It just wouldn’t be the same to take first place and get a medal made of steel, lead or tungsten.

The use of gold on everyone’s mind in this day and age, however, is gold as a financial store of value. What makes gold a good store of value is that everyone in the world recognizes its rarity and its use in financial transactions. There is only so much gold in the world and it is not a large amount by global standards.

According to Wikipedia, the total amount of known gold in the world is roughly 5.3 billion troy ounces or put another way, a solid cube 20.4 meters on a side. (And you thought that high school geometry would never be useful in your life.)

While if we saw this amount all in one place it would look like a lot of gold, it is not much when you consider the scale of the world’s economy and how many people want and do own some. This rarity instills the widely held view that it is a store of value.

Gold, as a store of value, is used as ultimate insurance in the case of a financial meltdown or turmoil. Just ask the people of Zimbabwe if their paper money, which has the same backing as ours, i.e. none, if they would rather use gold for their commerce.

Every day we are bombarded with news and rumors about life as we know it and how it is changing and not for the better. Gold has the ability to offer a little comfort in difficult times so people can take care of their families.

Gary L. Rathbun is president and CEO of Private Wealth Consultants, LTD.

Maumee receives state audit suggestions

By
Brigitta Burks
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After a nearly year-long process, the Ohio Auditor of State’s office has released its findings from a performance audit in Maumee. The office came up with 21 recommendations, which could save the city more than $1.3 million if implemented.

Many of those recommendations, however, have already been made a reality in the past year or so, said City Administrator John Jezak.

“In some ways, it was just a second opinion that we were on the right path,” he said. “We took everything in stride; we were looking for some advice and we got it.”

To compile the suggestions, a performance audit compares cities with similar sized populations based on five factors: financial management, governance, human resources, public safety and public services. The auditor’s office compared Maumee to Perrysburg, Vandalia and Marysville.

Council unanimously voted for the audit, which cost $30,000, about a year ago, said Maumee City Council President Richard Carr.

Since 2008, $44,000 has been the mid-range cost of a city performance audit, said Michael Maurer, spokesperson for the auditor’s office. In 2011, the state auditor’s office conducted 13 of these audits.

One of the changes the auditor’s office recommended was centralizing control in the public service, police and fire departments, potentially saving the city $562,000. This would mean eliminating supervisory positions through attrition by three in the fire department, four and a half in public services and improving the distribution of staff for police.

The audit also said eliminating four other positions in the public services department could save an additional $154,000.

Some of these changes have already begun. The city response found in the audit said “a plan for the reorganization of the Department of Public Service was approved by Council in 2010, reducing full-time employees from 53 to 46, including reduction of four managerial positions and three non-supervisory positions.”

The response also indicated that the city would take further restructuring of the public service administrative staff into consideration.

Jezak said he doesn’t believe any drastic staffing changes are in order, however, and that the city has been making minor staffing changes for a while.

“All that stuff will add up over time and generate hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of savings,” he said. Carr emphasized the city does not plan on reducing the number of police officers.

“I do not believe we would even consider reducing our officers. We feel it’s very important to maintain a very strong police presence in the community,” he said.

As for the fire department, he doesn’t believe the audit took into account the fact that the division is staffed with 55 volunteers. However, the city response to the audit did say a plan for reorganization of that department was submitted to council in December.

The city has also recently made changes to how it charges criminals. By charging offenders under the Ohio Revised Code instead of the Maumee Municipal Code, the city stands to save as much as $300,000, Carr said. This means instead of the city incurring incarceration charges, the county would, Jezak said.

The audit also recommended limiting overtime to save $355,000. Carr said the overtime issue was dealt with through collective bargaining last year. The 2011 amendments cut back on double time in the city and updated the right of first refusal for overtime assignments for police sergeants.

The city also already increased health care insurance contributions from city employees to 15 percent up from 10 percent, another suggestion made in the audit, Carr said. Adjusting the health care insurance contributions to peer levels could save the city $85,000 per year, according to the report.

The auditor’s office also suggested creating “a comprehensive multi-year strategic plan that outlines its long-term vision” in addition to a fiveyear financial forecast.

The city’s response said it had purchased a CIPFA-GFOA FM Model, an online tool via the Government Finance Officers Association, to help create the plan and an Authority Performance Managers software system to help with the forecast.

“This business information system software will provide greater financial reporting and analysis capacity,” according to the audit.

Although Jezak was unsure of the costs of these new computer programs at press time, he it would be “minimal.”

Also as part of the audit’s recommendations, the city plans to start an audit committee “to improve overall financial reporting, address issues or concerns from external and internal audit reviews and educate key stakeholders about the city’s financial activities” by the end of 2012, according to the audit.

State Auditor Dave Yost praised the city for its undertaking of the audit in a news release.

“It takes courage and character to conduct a full examination of your own operations,” Yost said. “The city had that courage, and it’s paid off with some real opportunities.”

Jezak and Carr believe the results show the efficiency and security of the city.

“We’re very pleased that they came out and said we’re financially sound,” Carr said.

Szyperski: Mea culpa

By
Shannon Szyperski
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I have never been completely against exercise. That being said, at some point I may have stated that “stationary movement with no certain goal has a certain amount of ridiculousness to it” and that “I find the modernized, calculated version of physical exercise to be an oddity that would have been laughed out the door by generations past.”

More recently, I may have even said, “It seems odd to me that our modern go-to physical activity involves driving down the street to pay for exercise that involves moving in place with a room full of strangers.”

Come to think about it, I suppose my words could possibly have given the impression that I wasn’t too fond of the whole exercise thing, and, truthfully, I wasn’t.

A funny thing happened on the way to full-out exercise cynicism, however. Despite a spinning debacle a couple of years ago (also entered into partially against my will), I somehow ended up beginning 2012 in something called Zumba.

I have a lot of crazy ideas, but rarely do any of them include dragging my friends into physically grueling situations.

I also purposefully picked close friends who were content to lie around, break open a package of Oreos and laugh with me at all of the fools running down the street deterred by neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night.

Yet, after quite an investment in friends against grueling physical situations, they went ahead and turned on me anyway.

As the peer pressure ate away at me, I had no choice but to Zumba.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad. I do question why exercise studios insist on filling entire walls with mirrors. I rarely even look at a mirror at home, so I’m not sure why I would want to see my body head to toe all sweaty and distorted in public.

Other than that, there were quite a few positives right off the bat. I like music. I like dancing. I like learning. I’m not sure why I never quite realized that there was an exercise class that incorporated these things, but, alas, I will try to avoid living in the past.

Perhaps an even greater attraction than the Zumba was the fact that one of my friends overheard an apparent regular announce that the class would thin out by March. As much competitive spirit as I usually lack, I’m surely not going to allow some gym rat to prematurely declare my defeat. I was surely coming back every week until March even if I just sat in a corner.

So, March came and has almost gone and I’ve managed to do much more than sit in the corner.

Don’t get me wrong, I lack rhythm, a capacity for following simple dance steps and an ability to clap in unison, but at least I like it. It feels like an exercise miracle, but I like it.

I was on such a high from the physical activity that I eventually roped myself into the whole healthy diet thing too. Those health nuts were right!

After an initial period of feeling like I ate Snow White’s poisoned apple and then proceeded to have my body trampled by all seven dwarfs, exercise and a healthy diet really did make me feel pretty good and gave me an unbelievable surplus of energy.

The one issue I’m having is that I wasn’t really lacking in the energy department to begin with, so the excess energy is actually a little much to deal with. This exercise + healthy diet thing = 18 hours of full steam ahead.

Despite the minor drawback of unbridled vigor, I’m going to now go ahead and give two thumbs up to the whole healthy lifestyle thing. Like so many times before, I was wrong.

It also turns out that peer pressure, when used constructively by responsible and caring adults, can be a very positive thing.

Brookings Institution says Toledo economy improving in 2012

By
Toledo Free Press
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The Toledo Metropolitan Area is showing promising signs of economic improvement, according to a report released by the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

“Export Nation 2012,” released March 8, 2012, analyzes and documents the American growth rate of exported goods and services in 2010. The report states that U.S. export sales grew by more than 11 percent back in 2010 — the fastest export growth since 1997 — and the growth is expected to continue.

In 2010, the largest 100 metro areas produced approximately 65 percent of U.S. exports, 75 percent of the nation’s service export sales and 63 percent of its manufacturing export sales. Those same 100 metro areas were responsible for the majority of export sales in 30 states.

The Brookings Institute noted that Midwest metro areas generated the fastest growth in direct export-production jobs. Toledo’s own export growth increased by 17 percent from 2009 to 2010 and is now ranked third among the nation’s top 100 metro areas for export growth from manufacturing contributions. Toledo’s exports totaled $4.1 billion in value, which places the metro area (consisting of Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa and Wood counties) at the 58th ranking for exports value.

Brookings also placed Toledo in the top 10 metro areas for the city’s 15 percent increase in export share of metro gross domestic product (the overall market value of final goods and services) in 2010. This increase in exports is projected to double by 2015.

The statistics and economic terminology might sound confusing, but there is one change that everyone in the Toledo area can understand and appreciate: the likelihood of more jobs.

Toledo’s metro exports accounted for more than 11,000 jobs in 2010 that are directly related to the exporting industry and 25,600 more that are supported by it. If the area’s exports continue to climb, then more jobs will be created.

What is the cause of this significant export growth? Toledo’s work ethic, for one, said Paul Zito, vice-president of international development for the Regional Growth Partnership.

“When you have a good workforce, you have a good product,” Zito said. “There is a unique economic diversity in Toledo that maintains strength in both the old automotive industry and the new industry of renewable energy. Many of the other metro areas do not have that kind of diversity.”

Zito also believes that new international markets for Northwest Ohio’s exported goods and services have contributed to the growth. Regional Growth Partnership already has several plans to help small-business owners enter those export markets.

Although Canada and Mexico continue to be the largest markets for American exports, a rising interest in other foreign countries could also mean better business.

“From 2003 to 2008, the share of U.S. exports going to Brazil, India and China increased by 3 percentage points and by another 2 percentage points in just the two years from 2008 to 2010,” the Export Nation report states. “Metropolitan areas that produce what emerging markets consume are better-positioned to take advantage of the growth in these countries.”

The industry with the highest share of metro exports in Toledo is transportation equipment, with a 23.5 percent share of metro exports and a 36.4 percent growth increase between 2009 and 2010.

Several other industries in Toledo have flourished; Machinery has grown by 22.7 percent, fabricated metal products by 23.1 percent, and paper by 25 percent just to name a few.

Urban Planning Consultant Taron Cunningham attributes the rise in Toledo’s exporting industries to the area’s various educational institutions.

“Innovation, as part of the new economy, derives predominantly from research and development, which occurs at our area’s major universities and colleges and businesses,” Cunningham wrote in response to the report. “Innovation and technology transfer from the research and product developments that have occurred at the University of Toledo’s Clean and Alternative Energy Incubator and Bowling Green State University’s Center for Research and Development. Among the several initiatives, the universities have impacted innovation and growth expansion in the area.”

Education is one of the U.S. service exports that increased nationally in both 2009 and 2010, but not in Toledo. According to “Export Nation 2012” report, Toledo’s education service exports have decreased by nearly 18 percent.

“This may serve as a warning signal for state and local policy support,” Cunningham argues. “A strong indicator of an area’s economic strength is its citizens’ education attainment. Furthermore, education combats poverty as a tool to loosen its vice, in Toledo specifically, as problem-solvers address the challenge of one of the nation’s highest poverty-ridden cities. Education is an opportunity to advance the economic climate the new economy is ushering in.”

The 2010 decrease in growth for education could be the result of several factors, such as fewer students.

Despite its recent decline, the education industry remains resilient. Cunningham discovered in the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the 2010 fourth quarter that the universities and medical facilities in Lucas County displayed high exportability for education services and were specialized more in that particular area.

The travel and tourism industry in the Toledo metro area has grown by nearly 9 percent, which could also indicate a developing interest in the area’s education institutions.

According to Cunningham, now is the time for businesses to take action.

“Things are going well. It’s okay to spend. Let’s continue to boost the economy of our area.”

“Export Nation 2012” report can be accessed through the Brookings Institution website: www.brookings.edu. An interactive map of each state’s export data is also available.

Treece: Real World 101

By
Dock David Treece
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In the past, this space has occasionally been filled with humble opinions on higher education in this country, how it has changed and how I now find it.

Others have probably heard a Treece on the radio echoing many of the same thoughts, talking about how the American educational system has gotten off-track and lost focus.

The attitude that has developed is that going to college is a must for any young person — many think graduate school is critical as well. The problem is that the educational system has invented a good many degrees that are mostly useless.

As a result, this country has raised a generation of liberal artists turned Occupy protesters. Still, many have dismissed my arguments out of hand with retorts like, “But Dock, how can you say that when you went to college?” or “Are you crazy? You have to go to college to get a good job in this country!”

While it’s true, I do have a bachelor’s degree, I completely deny the argument that all good jobs require a college education.

The reason for this generalization is simple — young people today believe that only white-collar jobs are good jobs, as if there is something inherently wrong with a person working with their hands. Recently, I received an email from a Toledoan who frequently hears us on radio and reads our columns. It is worth publishing here and I obtained their approval to do so.

They wrote:
Dock: I have heard you make mention about welders and other skilled trades in manufacturing being in short supply. As HR director at my company our business is expanding and we have been actively seeking qualified individuals with welding, tooling quality and fabrication backgrounds to fill positions in our plants.

In Toledo alone there has been for some time a short supply of qualified tool and die makers.

One of the biggest mistakes TPS did was close down Macomber and slowly let the skilled trades shop programs at all the public high schools dwindle to nothing. These were feeder schools that provided future apprentices and skilled trades candidates to most of the manufacturing companies in Toledo and NW Ohio.

Some of the brightest and talented individuals I know have come from trade schools and have progressed to leadership positions in many companies including ours, all without the so-called requirement to have a degree.

In our company alone the majority of our engineering staff including our director of engineering who I would put up against any degreed engineer started his career as a tool and die maker.

In fact, one of our design engineers holds several patents and his background is in tool and die.

As a tool and die maker by trade myself, the discipline and work ethic that were instilled in me during my apprenticeship allowed me to grow and provided me the position I have today.

The short-sightedness of academia that says everyone needs to go to college to get a good paying job is pure bunk. We have created a situation where young people who really are not suited for college are pressured to attend college and after a couple of years of pursuing a degree in philosophy or music drop out and are strapped with thousands of dollars of debt, with no degree and no future.

We need to remove the stigma of working with your hands as something to be ashamed of. It is quite obvious where these jobs will go if we do not have the people with the skills needed to fill these jobs.” — A. Listener

It isn’t worthwhile to pursue higher education without having some idea of a career path. To conclude, what follows are a few wise words from my boss: “Don’t confuse education with intelligence, or knowledge with ability.”

✯ Dock David Treece is a partner with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www. TreeceInvestments.com) and is licensed with FINRA through Treece Financial Services Corp. He provides expert content to numerous media outlets. The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

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