The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Area chamber announces honors
The Bar Athletics, La-Vera Party Center, Ohio MeansJobs, Cast Nylons Limited recognized
The accomplishments that four area businesses made amid the novel coronavirus have given them the honor to be a part of the Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Ceremony.
The ceremony will take place Jan. 22 via Zoom, with the theme of “2021: A New Road: Empowering the Leader in You.”
The Bar Athletics
Among the four award winners this year was The Bar Athletics, a Downtown Willoughby gym honored for its community service.
“I was surprised because it’s not what motivates us, so to be recognized — my heart swelled up, not just for me, we have a huge team,” said Heath Wenzel, founder and co-owner. “We have such an awesome team that has worked really hard. It’s nice that your neighbors and your community say, ‘I see what you’re doing and we like it.’ It’s a good place to be.”
For co-owner Chad Gourley, receiving the award means The Bar Athletics’ culture is in the right place.
“Our heads are in the right place and we’re setting up the right culture to do the right things by our community, not just by members and people who come here,” Gourley said.
The roots of The Bar Athletics date to 2012. Wenzel and his former business partner, CJ Kostranchuck, met in Wenzel’s hometown of Chardon after he moved back from the Carolinas.
“I was coming off of competitive body building,” Wenzel recalled. I was looking to get into something new, he (Kostranchuck) was looking to get into something new, and we came together at the gym one day and just minds started whirling.
“Before you knew it, we started doing our own thing. It really grew.”
With forward thinking in mind, Wenzel and his team decided to become The Bar Athletics to distance the gym from being beholden to any one entity. The CrossFit gym has two locations in Eastlake and one location in Downtown Willoughby.
Originally, Gourley became a part of the scene as a member.
Gourley’s background is in marketing. He later found himself wanting to do something he was more passionate about — helping people and helping people live healthier lifestyles, he said.
“CJ and I essentially switched roles. He went on to different pastures. I started helping with some of the business aspects and it fell into place,” Gourley said.
No matter what customers decide to do, everything at The Bar Athletics
is coached — classes, personal training and one-onone coaching with a nutritionist, Gourley said. Prior to the pandemic, more activity-based things were done with members, but that has since been scaled back due to pandemic restrictions, he said.
More than 100 members are a part of the servicebased gym. In addition, The Bar Athletics offers youth athletics and athlete rehabilitation.
“It isn’t just get you in here, get you started. We do goal setting sessions and goal review sessions with all our members,” Wenzel said. “You’re not just a face when you come in here. Everyone knows everyone. No earbuds. We’re very close knit.”
With the fitness industry being a giant, Wenzel does not believe it serves everyone well at times. A part of The Bar Athletics’ mission and vision is to take the negative out and create a space that strives to help the public, he said.
“We have a 50-yearold who just wants to be
healthy for her children, to play with her grandkids,” Wenzel said. “There are different people who come in and we want to be able to honor them, and give them what they need in an environment that’s supportive and empowering.”
Gourley enjoys seeing the little wins people make because those wins are usually a part of something larger. When members have that breakthrough and accomplish a goal, or even if they’re feeling they are making progress, the energy they have is rewarding, he said.
“Remember what you’re capable of. Remember to shine your light as bright as you can and inspire others. You never know who’s watching,” Wenzel said.
La-Vera Party Center
Being recognized by peers and community members, especially during a pandemic, is huge for any business, said Carl Santagata, one of three owners and a third-generation operator and owner alongside his cousin, Anthony Verdone, at La-Vera Party Center. La-Vera was able to obtain the New Vision Small Business Award amid the coronavirus.
“We were lucky enough to be able to change gears and pivot as quickly as we did to the curbside takeout. I think it’s what has saved our third-generation business,” Santagata said.
Relying solely on takeout was a “scary moment,” Santagata said. He recalls the day restaurants were shut down and the business’s first curbside meal — a chicken parmesan, pasta and salad special.
“The response was incredible for the first one,” Santagata said. “Without the community, I don’t know where we would be at this point right now.”
OhioMeansJobs
The New Vision Large Business Award went to OhioMeansJobs Lake County for a number of accomplishments, including Coursera, an online training platform that had more than 136 people enrolled and taking classes.
Participants were able to continue to finish their classes through the end of 2020. Numerous individuals have taken the Lean Six Sigma yellow belt classes and English as a second language classes.
“We’re humbled and honored to be recognized by the community,” said Patrick Mohorcic, Lake County’s director of workforce
development. “Leslie’s (Ryan) and Cory’s (Vojack) team worked super hard to help those who may be having the worst day of their lives, whether they just lost the job or they’re trying to get re-trained or there may be some other barrier.”
OMJ Lake County team members take a lot of pride in reaching out to as many individuals as possible, and help provide them with accurate, helpful, gainful employment, said Cory Vojack, staffing services supervisor for the organization
“We see a lot of different individuals in different situations and unique circumstances, and sometimes I think having a team built to help works tenfold,” he said.
The current environment has been a notable challenge, said assistant administrator Leslie Ryan.
“We’ve worked really well remotely keeping everyone engaged to meet the needs of our customers. We do have funding for training,” she said. “We continue to write a lot of training for tabs in demand in Lake County and I think we see more of that moving ahead here as well.”
Team members embraced the technology that allowed everyone to move forward, said Bob Dawson, special project manager for the workforce board, who will be retiring after 40 years in this line of work.
“Being the old man here, Patrick came in and Cory is a young guy, and Leslie is the most adaptable person in this agency,” Dawson said. “I think everybody thought they were going to go home during this pandemic for a couple of months, and then a switch was going to get thrown in, everybody would be back and things would be the same.
“They weren’t and these younger thinking people came in and said, ‘Hey, we can do this.’ I’m amazed at what these people were able to accomplish.”
Whether it’s a business
or a job seeker, those with questions or in need help may contact OMJ Lake County at 440-350-4000.
Cast Nylons Limited
Cast Nylons Limited was declared an essential business back in March and staff sought to do everything they could to keep employees healthy, give them security that the right thing is being done and provide a safe work environment, said chief operating officer Steve Briggs.
The 40-year-old business was recognized by the chamber for its healthy environment.
During the coronavirus crisis, everyone was following the CDC guidelines — masks, social distancing, but technological implementations were taken to the next level, said Kevin Mulligan, project engineer and safety, health, environment manager.
“Kevin started with a total recordable incident rate over four three or four years ago and now we’re down to about one, which is in the damn near perfect category,” Briggs said.
In March of 2018, Cast Nylons began investing heavily in the safety and health of its workers, beginning with UVC light scrubbing technology, which cleans the air through light technology.
The business also launched their Employee Engagement Program in 2019, which resulted in many ideas submitted toward safety and a healthy working environment.
“That’s what led to this award. We’re really thankful people recognized this,” Mulligan said.
Since the inception of these programs, Cast Nylons has invested more than $500,000 into health and safety. The business will be expanding its operations in Willoughby purchasing and refurbishing a pair of buildings adjacent to their current location on Hamann Parkway.