Modern Woodmen of America opens local office & more new businesses coming to Stark area

Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal benefit society founded in 1883, has opened an office in Lake Township to better serve clients in the region.

The member-owned organization has operated in the Stark County area for about 40 years and has at least 3,000 members in Northeast Ohio, said Travis DeZordo, a financial representative of Modern Woodmen. Anyone who purchases a Modern Woodmen product or pays the social due becomes a member.

Modern Woodmen offers financial planning services, retirement and college savings plans, and other investment and insurance products. The organization typically returns about $500,000 back to the region each year, DeZordo said.

"We match funds, we do service projects, we have social activities, we do Hometown Hero events, we do educational events, we have scholarships and trips and all these things that our company offers to our members," he said.

The organization's name is an ode to pioneer woodmen who cleared forests to build homes and communities. "Modern Woodmen’s founder, Joseph Cullen Root, felt this was the perfect symbol to illustrate his goal of clearing away financial burdens for families," according to modernwoodmen.org.

The new office at 8336 Cleveland Ave. NW opened March 21 and joins a district office in Mansfield, a regional office in Marion, and Modern Woodmen offices in Northwest Ohio.

"We have reps kind of operating all over the place," DeZordo added. They have typically gone to where their clients live or work, but the number of clients across Northeast and Southeast Ohio and the amount of time spent driving made a central office more efficient.

"We are able to operate as a not-for-profit in the financial world, which just allows people a very unique experience when exploring their savings or life insurance, their investments, their retirement planning, all those kinds of things," DeZordo said. "Because it really, truly is a family company that is nationwide."

Several businesses to host grand openings

Several businesses have or will host ribbon-cutting ceremonies in April alongside the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.

• Harsh's Cleaning Services, which offers commercial and residential cleaning services, hosted a grand opening Friday morning. Its new office is at 4117 Whipple Ave. NW, Suite A in Jackson Township.

• Octapharma Plasma, a plasma collection and human protein product manufacturer, will open its sixth location in Northeast Ohio and 175th site nationwide at 4510 Tuscarawas St. W in Perry Township. The company and Chamber will host a grand opening celebration from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on April 17.

• The UPS Store will open a new location at 3424 Tuscarawas St. W at 11:30 a.m. on April 19.

Stark manufacturing partnership elects new officers, board members

The Stark County Manufacturing Workforce Development Partnership (SCMWDP) has elected new officers and board members.

The nonprofit collaboration announced the election outcomes in March. Shaun Eller, chief business officer at Ohio Gratings Inc., is president; Lori Sproul, human resources manager at Powell Electrical Systems, is vice president; and Mark Church, president of MT Systems, is treasurer.

Thomas Schmidt, the Northeast Ohio account executive for Comfort Systems USA and one of the partnership's four founding members, is the board's membership committee chairman. The board is comprised of seven people from area companies.

“This year we look forward to building the manufacturing employer membership base," Eller said in a prepared statement. "We want companies to actively engage in helping to build the capacity of the manufacturing workforce through the many programs we offer such as the free Middle School Maker’s Camp, Manufacturing Day coordinated field trips offered to all high school students, and funding opportunities for technical training for new and incumbent workers.”

415 Group tax firm 'most recommended'

The Jackson Township-based 415 Group has been named one of "America's most recommended tax firms" by USA Today and Statista.

The 415 Group, which was founded in 1981 and employs less than 500 people, was among the top 100 tax firms identified through recommendations by peers and clients. Statista, an independent market research company, conducted the surveys.

“We’re pleased and honored to receive national attention and be part of this exclusive list of firms across the country, particularly since it includes the recommendations of both peers and clients,” Managing Partner Rich Craig said in a prepared statement. “This award speaks directly to the level of service customers receive from our firm, and we’ve built our business on forming lasting relationships.”

415 Group offers various accounting, business consulting and information technology services. The company has offices at 4300 Munson St. NW in Jackson Township and at 960 W State St., Suite 231 in Alliance.

Timken Co. among 'most ethical' companies

The Timken Co. was among the most ethical companies recently named by Ethisphere, which provides an annual assessment of corporate standards and practices.

It was the Jackson Township-based company's 13th time receiving the recognition. Timken is a global manufacturer of bearings and industrial motion products.

“Ethics and integrity are part of our core values and guide our employees’ actions every day,” Richard G. Kyle, Timken president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “Being recognized once again as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies reinforces our commitment to leading by example as a global corporate citizen. Congratulations to our team and all the other outstanding companies on this year’s list, which includes many of our partners and customers.”

Ethisphere recognized 136 companies from 20 countries based on its proprietary questionnaire, which examines each company's ethics practices and reputation. Other regional companies honored include the J.M. Smucker Co. and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. ― both first-time recipients.

Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323 or kelly.byer@cantonrep.comOn X: @kbyerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Modern Woodmen of America opens local office