It’s that time of the year again and Heartland Bank is in the giving spirit! On Saturday, December 12, the Heartland family gathered for the annual Holiday Party at the Creekside Conference & Event Center in Gahanna. In addition, we celebrated the 19th annual Silent Auction with proceeds benefitting several community food banks and local charities. This year, twelve area organizations will benefit from the generosity of Heartland Bank employees bidding on more than 180 items donated to the holiday celebration. Central Ohio’s community bank continues the tradition of giving back to the communities that we serve.

This month’s Employee Spotlight features Vice President, Director of Credit Administration, Joe Duffey. A native of Buffalo, NY and proud graduate of Cansius College, Joe is a self-professed sports fan who loves the Buckeyes, is an original Columbus Blue Jackets season ticket holder (PSL #46!), cheers on the Columbus Crew SC and after watching a game at The Big House in Ann Arbor, has added ‘Visit all Big Ten football stadiums’ to his bucket list. 

The oldest ice cream shop in Columbus was opened by Robert N. Johnson and his son-in-law James Wilcoxon on September 1, 1950. While they sold their first scoops of ice cream from the middle of a meat market, together they then built a 15’ x 20’ facility at 2728 East Main Street in Bexley and started Johnson’s REAL Ice Cream. Founder Robert Johnson named his ice cream shop Johnson’s REAL Ice Cream because in comparison to other frozen products of the time, Johnson’s quality ingredients, fine flavoring and family recipes were REAL. The ice cream machine he purchased when the shop opened in 1950 is still being used by his great grandson, and current president, Matt Wilcoxon.

Five year old Rockmill Brewery, located on a former horse farm near Lancaster, sits on a gorgeous 20 acre property approximately 30 minutes from downtown Columbus. The farm was built in the 1870s and once was owned by Ohio Governor Thomas Worthington. The barn was recently refurbished and expanded and now serves as the brewery’s tasting room and dining room. The stables house the brewery. The idyllic grounds also include a pond and a small chapel.

The latest in agricultural equipment and farming methods will be showcased at the 2015 Farm Science Review, sponsored by the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, and held on September 22-23-24 at the 2,100 acre Molly Caren Agricultural Center, near London, Ohio. In addition to harvesters and combines, you’ll see tillage equipment, grain bins, feed processing equipment and more. Want to learn about Urban Agriculture? Or how to cover crops to improve nutrient efficiency? Or Integrated Pest Management? If you’re an aspiring craft brewer, you can even learn about Hops Production in Ohio. There’s even harvesting, strip-tilling, global positioning, planting, manure and tillage demonstrations taking place all week. Catch all the excitement and join us at Farm Science Review (FSR)!