Paydo outstanding community advocate
Banker wins prestigious honor at business awards
Betsy Mack accepts the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Medina County Business Awards Program. Photos by GLENN WOJCIAK
Kathy Breitenbucher congratulates Ron Paydo on winning the Outstanding Community Advocate Award presented by the Medina County Economic Development Corporation.
Winners and presenters pose for a photo at the Medina County Business Awards program. Pictured here are (front row, left to right) Jon Park, Ron Paydo, Betsy Mack, Christopher Berry, Ted Messmer, Bethany Dentler, (back row) Henry Lee, Denise Berry, Bob Peterson and Lynn Caster.
WESTFIELD – The image of successful businessmen being cool – maybe even heartless – doesn’t apply to Ron Paydo.
Paydo was among about three dozen distinguished leaders honored at the 2018 Medina County Business Awards. Each of them had impressive accomplishments to their credit but none had done anything more amazing than taking in 90 foster children as Paydo and his wife Kathleen have done over the last 20 years.
That helped him earn the Outstanding Community Advocate Award presented Oct. 11 at the annual business awards program held by the Medina County Economic Development Corporation and Westfield Bank, the program’s sponsor.
An executive with Huntington Bank, Paydo has done well professionally but is probably best known for his community service and concern for others. He sits on a variety of boards in Medina County and helped found the Blue Coats and Downtown Wadsworth organizations, volunteered as an executive for United Way and helped with the corporate leadership of the Boy Scouts organization.
Paydo credits his wife for taking most of the responsibility for their numerous foster children and thanked the crowd in Westfield Corporation’s Blair Center for his award.
“There were other great nominees for this award, so this is a great honor,” Paydo said. “I’ve been blessed to work with some awesome people over the years who I can call true friends.”
This was the 15th year for the award program to recognize the accomplishments of many successful companies in Medina County. About 200 guests attended.
Paydo wasn’t the only winner at the awards program. MCEDC’s Executive Director Bethany Dentler, along with Jon Park, chairman of Westfield Bank, also presented the Business Growth Award to Three D Metals of Valley City, the Capital Investment Award to Carlisle Brake and Friction of Medina and the Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Mack Industries of Brunswick.
The Business Growth award honors a company that has shown sustained growth in revenue and employment for at least five years. Three D Metals was founded in 1972 with four employees and has grown to 200 people who provide metal products to clients all over the world.
The Capital Investment award honors a business with a significant capital investment that has provided a sustainable increase in revenue or employment. Carlisle Brake and Friction, a manufacturer of industrial brake products, invested $45 million to add 150,000 square feet of production space and create 70 new jobs within three years at its Medina facility.
The Entrepreneur of the Year award honors a Medina County-owned business demonstrating substantial innovation or potential for significant growth. After 86 years in the concrete business and in its third generation of family ownership, Mack Industries continues to reinvent themselves as they diversified their efforts and opened up new markets and product lines.
Several other nominees in each of the four award categories were also honored for the accomplishments and introduced at the awards program.
Dentler also got some surprise recognition from the MDEDC staff for celebrating her 10th anniversary as head of the organization. They presented her with a tiara and sash proclaiming her Miss Medina County.
Dentler said about the event, “Congratulations to all the award winners and honorees whose investments have helped make Medina County one of the strongest economies in the region. We are able to celebrate these accomplishments because of our amazing businesses and community leaders.”
In addition, Dentler announced that MCEDC has been involved in projects bringing $211 million in capital investment and nearly 500 new jobs so far in 2018.
Paydo was among about three dozen distinguished leaders honored at the 2018 Medina County Business Awards. Each of them had impressive accomplishments to their credit but none had done anything more amazing than taking in 90 foster children as Paydo and his wife Kathleen have done over the last 20 years.
That helped him earn the Outstanding Community Advocate Award presented Oct. 11 at the annual business awards program held by the Medina County Economic Development Corporation and Westfield Bank, the program’s sponsor.
An executive with Huntington Bank, Paydo has done well professionally but is probably best known for his community service and concern for others. He sits on a variety of boards in Medina County and helped found the Blue Coats and Downtown Wadsworth organizations, volunteered as an executive for United Way and helped with the corporate leadership of the Boy Scouts organization.
Paydo credits his wife for taking most of the responsibility for their numerous foster children and thanked the crowd in Westfield Corporation’s Blair Center for his award.
“There were other great nominees for this award, so this is a great honor,” Paydo said. “I’ve been blessed to work with some awesome people over the years who I can call true friends.”
This was the 15th year for the award program to recognize the accomplishments of many successful companies in Medina County. About 200 guests attended.
Paydo wasn’t the only winner at the awards program. MCEDC’s Executive Director Bethany Dentler, along with Jon Park, chairman of Westfield Bank, also presented the Business Growth Award to Three D Metals of Valley City, the Capital Investment Award to Carlisle Brake and Friction of Medina and the Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Mack Industries of Brunswick.
The Business Growth award honors a company that has shown sustained growth in revenue and employment for at least five years. Three D Metals was founded in 1972 with four employees and has grown to 200 people who provide metal products to clients all over the world.
The Capital Investment award honors a business with a significant capital investment that has provided a sustainable increase in revenue or employment. Carlisle Brake and Friction, a manufacturer of industrial brake products, invested $45 million to add 150,000 square feet of production space and create 70 new jobs within three years at its Medina facility.
The Entrepreneur of the Year award honors a Medina County-owned business demonstrating substantial innovation or potential for significant growth. After 86 years in the concrete business and in its third generation of family ownership, Mack Industries continues to reinvent themselves as they diversified their efforts and opened up new markets and product lines.
Several other nominees in each of the four award categories were also honored for the accomplishments and introduced at the awards program.
Dentler also got some surprise recognition from the MDEDC staff for celebrating her 10th anniversary as head of the organization. They presented her with a tiara and sash proclaiming her Miss Medina County.
Dentler said about the event, “Congratulations to all the award winners and honorees whose investments have helped make Medina County one of the strongest economies in the region. We are able to celebrate these accomplishments because of our amazing businesses and community leaders.”
In addition, Dentler announced that MCEDC has been involved in projects bringing $211 million in capital investment and nearly 500 new jobs so far in 2018.
