Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan plans to collect signatures in a citywide petition to move Akron’s primary elections from September to May.

City Council previously proposed putting the issue on the November ballot, but the legislation stalled. Local primary elections in Ohio are held in May unless a charter provides otherwise.

Summit County is one of only three Ohio counties holding municipal primary elections in September. Moving the Akron primary to May would save the city money while increasing voter turnout.

Five other Summit County cities are also considering the election date change.

On July 19th, State and Federal Communications’ Team Intern had the wonderful opportunity to take a tour of the Akron Art Museum! The Akron Art Museum is just a short walk away from the State and Federal Akron office and features free admission to the public on Thursdays. State and Federal is a supporter of the Museum, which means that all staff is welcome to visit free of charge whenever they please!

The interns were led on a guided tour by Development Officer Sarah Vernosky and Senior Development Officer Jenee Garlando through the whole museum. To open, they talked to the interns about the actual building and its many unique features. The new addition to the museum was completed in 2007, but careful planning began in 1998. The old building remains, but the new addition was expertly constructed to complement its historic elements. Consisting of mostly glass, concrete, and metal elements, the new addition takes on a very modern look in downtown Akron. The interns were then led through the old gallery which consisted of more of the museum’s traditional artwork. The interns gained a new appreciation for the deep meaning and history behind the artwork as the tour continued.

The new gallery features 16-foot walls which allow for virtually any work of art to be featured. The interns learned about several different pieces of art that the museum keeps in their permanent collection.

Perhaps the most fascinating work to learn about was artist Chuck Close’s “Linda”. The interns learned that Chuck Close worked by first photographing his subjects up close and then working in a printer-like fashion by layering the colors individually.

To end their time at the museum, the interns walked through the Bud and Susie Rogers Garden. The garden features a large open space that the museum uses to host summer concerts and family movie nights.

Team intern had a wonderful time at the Akron Art Museum, and are grateful for the opportunity to learn more about Akron’s deep appreciation for the arts.

Hello! My name is Greta Conley, and I’m an intern at State and Federal Communications. I am going to be a sophomore at the University of Akron, and I’m studying graphic design.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a passion for art and using creativity. I love typography, hand lettering and painting. I couldn’t imagine my life without these creative aspects, so majoring in graphic design was a clear choice because it gives me the skills to turn that into a career.

When I learned about the internship at State and Federal communications, I was immediately interested because it seemed like an amazing opportunity to sharpen my skills and grow in new ones. So far in my internship, I have loved getting to know more about how a business operates and how a graphic designer can fit into that as well as getting the ability to expand my network.

After I graduate college, I would like to pursue a job as a graphic designer with a focus on company identity and branding or package design. Everything I have learned here will carry through to help me in my education and career beyond just this summer.

State and Federal Communications has a busy February planned! See us at one of these events:

February 5-8 Public Affairs Council Advocacy Conference, Orlando, Florida

February 9 Akron Rubber Ducks Hot Stove Banquet with Roberto Alomar, Akron, Ohio

February 13 15th Annual Friends of National Service Awards, Washington, D.C.

February 13 Akron Press Club State of the Schools with David James, Akron, Ohio

February 15 Akron PRSA–Annual Media Panel Discussion, Akron, Ohio

February 16 Akron Roundtable, Akron, Ohio

February 20 United Way Campaign Celebration, Akron, Ohio

February 23-26 National Governors Association–Winter Meeting, Washington, D.C.

February 23 WGR Governors Reception, Washington, D.C.

February 27 The Business Technology Forecast, Akron, Ohio

February 28 State of the City Address with Mayor Dan Horrigan, Akron, Ohio

 
We are kicking off the holiday season with our Stock(ing) the Sleigh project for the Akron community.  This year we are collecting socks for the homeless. Our sock drive begins today and ends on Monday, December 18. All donations will benefit the Haven of Rest, which serves hundreds of homeless people in the Akron area.

Also, we are gathering snacks for the children in the Akron Public Schools with United Way’s Holiday Snack Pack Drive! It starts today and runs until Monday, December 11. You can be a champion for a hungry child in the Akron Public Schools by bringing in snack items – you can find the list of snacks here.

Every summer State and Federal interns participate in Intern Edge, a program offered by Torchbearers and Leadership Akron. This program introduces the interns to established leaders, organizations, and groups that are making an impact in our community.

The company invests time and money to aide interns in their process of becoming community leaders and career professionals. It is important for interns to network and make connections with other young adults who are on similar paths.

During our second session, Katelynn Chilson and I joined other Intern Edge participants and raced through downtown Akron on a scavenger hunt. We were required to take as many pictures as possible in front of downtown’s most well-known spots. In order to receive credits for our finds, we had to post our pictures to our social media accounts.

This session gave us an opportunity to see some of downtown Akron’s thriving businesses and to see what downtown had to offer. It also taught us the importance of plugging in and posting to social media sites to reach larger audiences. The photos of us downtown show us learning about and connecting with the community in which we work. Search the hashtags #LAEdge2017 , #Cavs, and #CamoJama on Twitter or Instagram to see more photos of us enjoying downtown Akron.

State and Federal Communications, Inc. is upping our green-game with help and guidance from Downtown Akron Partnership and the City of Akron. We recently began a program that will allow us to participate in the city’s single-stream recycling program for not only cans and cardboard, but for bottles, cartons, cups, and many other items generated in our workplace environment!

State and Federal Communications has always taken seriously the proper disposal and recycling of our business-related electronics, batteries, legacy fluorescent bulbs, and mountains of shipping cardboard and paper; proudly reporting over 3 tons of recycled materials to Summit County ReWorks for the 2016 calendar year!

By expanding our own program and coordinating with Akron community partners, we step closer to achieving our company and employee goals of being better stewards. Many employee-generated items within the office can now be processed for collection by the city within their single-stream recycling program.

The Downtown Akron Partnership program, working with the City of Akron and others, provides resources within our downtown district to promote and build a vibrant and valuable downtown. We are proud to be part of this great community!

Elizabeth Bartz had a surprise visitor stop by our office. ADaM, the mascot for the Summit County ADM Board, came by to say ‘Thank You!’ for her donation to the annual ADM Recovery Challenge.

State and Federal Communications is proud to contribute to the ADM Board, and we are committed to their dedicated efforts to those individuals most in need in Summit County.

Learn how you can get involved on the Challenge’s Facebook page or at www.admboard.org.

State and Federal Communications is proud to work in Akron and we recognize our responsibility to reach out to the community around us.

This month our team has been busy gathering food for the United Way Holiday Snack Packs Food Drive helping the children of Summit County. We also had fun playing Santa by collecting gifts for the Summit County Children Services Holiday Toy Room Program. Take a look at the fun we had!

The Summit County grand jury indicted Akron Councilman Bob Hoch on three first-degree misdemeanor charges. Hoch was accused more than a year ago of violating Ohio conflict of interest laws by voting on legislation and speaking on issues benefitting his sons, who are Akron firefighters.

The three counts pertain to actions taken in 2012, as well as an ongoing alleged conflict between 2014 and 2015.

Hoch previously denied a conflict of interest existed, as did City Council President Marilyn Keith. If convicted, Hoch could face up to 18 months in jail and lose his council seat.

Here is our September/October calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please say hello!

September 8-9   Practising Law Institute, Corporate Political Activities Seminar, Washington, DC

September 15   Akron Roundtable, Akron, OH

September 26-28   PAC State and Local Government Relations Conference, Alexandria, VA

October 3   Akron Roundtable 40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, Akron, Ohio

October 19-21   Public Affairs Council Fall Board Meeting, Laguna Beach, California

October 20   Akron Roundtable, Akron, Ohio

Summit County Executive Russ Pry passed away Sunday, July 31, after a brief battle with cancer.

The county’s statement described Pry, who served as county executive for nearly nine years, as a leader who helped restore stability in county government, led the county through an economic downturn, and created and kept jobs for thousands of people.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said Pry had “an uncanny knack for empathizing and identifying with all people, regardless of age, race, gender, orientation, or creed, making him well-loved by all.”

County Council President Ilene Shapiro will be sworn in as interim county executive until the Summit County Democratic Party’s central committee appoints someone to serve for the remainder of Pry’s term. The term expires December 31.

State and Federal Communications was pleased to welcome Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan as he shared career advice and his goals for the city of Akron with the interns and employees.

“I want to start from the core up and bring people into Akron,” Mayor Horrigan said. “Downtown Akron is a huge focus for the growth of the city because of the amount of traffic that it brings in.”

More than 60,000 people move throughout downtown Akron on a daily basis and Mayor Horrigan addressed what’s next after the city’s Innerbelt highway (State Route 59) closes, how to make traffic run smoothly, and issues concerning the city’s combined sewer flow problem.

“I am concentrating on giving quality customer service to the Akron community and giving them a transparent and open-government,” Horrigan said. “We’ll have over 30 acres of land to use after the Innerbelt is closed and we are constantly considering ways to fill the space.”

State and Federal Communication’s eight summer interns attend either Kent State University or The University of Akron and Mayor Horrigan earned degrees from both universities.

“When I talk to interns, I always let them know that what you are striving for is hard work,” Mayor Horrigan said. “You will have to learn from the ground up because you don’t just fall into an amazing position.”

IT intern, Chris Jackson 24, has lived in Akron all of his life and jumped on the opportunity to suggest ways that Mayor Horrigan could fill space in downtown Akron.

“There is little to no place for teens to go and have fun in downtown Akron,” Jackson said. “I’m a gamer and arcades are coming back into style and could be a great thing for the city of Akron.”

Among other suggestions the interns and employees offered were to have food trucks throughout the city, especially near Summit St. and more art work in downtown Akron.

One thing marketing intern Clémence Besnard took away during Mayor Horrigan’s conversation was his views on success.

“I liked when he suggested that we take responsibility for the decisions we’ve made and being able to sleep peacefully with those decisions is what’s important,” Besnard said. “The mayor also let us know that it is okay to pat yourself on the back and celebrate the good you’ve done when talking about success.”

State and Federal Communications held a Brown Bag Lunch Day on March 15 to raise money for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s 2016 Harvest for Hunger campaign. Employees offered donations to the cause, shared their lunch time, and the company matched those donations. “We were thrilled to help this vital program. Let’s eliminate hunger in our community!” said President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz.

The Foodbank’s President and CEO Dan Flowers dropped by to visit the office and to say thanks.