bellefontaine magazine - issue 03

HagueWater Conditioning

bellefontaine issue

03pricelessM • A • G • A • Z • I • N • E

table ofC O N T E N T S

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COVER STORYHague Water Conditioning 4ASK THE EXPERTFive Steps to Help Create an Estate Plan10CHAMBER OF COMMERCEBusiness Of The Month16NINA MC PHERSONSelfl ess, Kind, Giving, Encouraging, Inspiring, Remarkable

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I WANT YOU TO BE ENCOURAGEDAbout the magazine24

PUBLISHER'S LETTER3

OCTOBER EVENTS28CONTEST WINNERS30

ASK THE EXPERTIdentity Theft Protection for Your Children22

bellefontaine magazine2

Dear Readers,

I can’t believe how quickly a month can go by. When I look around the county the leaves are starting to changed and the harvest has started. The school’s are back in session and everyone is getting into the routine of it all.

I would like to say that each month the magazine seems to be growing and more and more people are finding it. They can be found throughout the city, from doctor and dentist offices to hair salons, insurance offices, restaurants and many other places of business.

As I am around town I get the question “Do you publish the new magazine?” and I always get positive feedback. I am glad there is a desire to read the posi-tive things that are happening in the community.

Thank you for all your support and I hope you enjoy this months magazine!

PUBLISHERRachel [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSKate AndreAnnetta ChappellBill MinkenDavid AndreStacey Longshore

ADDRESSPO Box 73Bellefontaine, OH 43311Phone. 937-539-2224

FACEBOOKfacebook.com/bellefontainemagazine

www.bellefontainemagazine.com

//publisher’s letter

Rachel BrumbaughPublisher

3bellefontainemagazine.com

Bellefontaine Magazine is a monthly publication. Any reproduction or duplication of any part thereof must be done with the written permission of the Publisher. All information included herein is correct to the best of our knowledge as of the publication date. Corrections should be forwarded to the Publisher at the address above.

Disclaimer: The paid advertisements contained within Bellefontaine Magazine are not endorsed or recommended by the Publisher. Therefore, neither party may be held liable for the business practices of these companies.

bellefontaineM • A • G • A • Z • I • N • E

HagueWater Conditioning

In 2005, Bill minken, then employee of Hague Water Conditioning of West liberty and his wife mary Ann moved from marysville to rural urbana, where they still reside.

“We needed a farm,” he said with a smile and a shake of his head. “We looked for a year and a half and ended up buying the very place the realtor had wanted to show us first.” Bill’s two daughters, katie and lisa, had started showing llamas in middle school for their local 4H chapter. After a couple of years, the girls decided they wanted to show their own llamas, a choice he says that paid off well. His oldest daughter showed A.B., a reserve grand champion at the 1997 ohio State Fair. they boarded their llamas while living in marysville. the girls and his wife helped to take care of the herd. When the owners of the farm decided to move to

Story by kate Andre

bellefontaine magazinebellefontaine magazine4

Florida, they gave mary Ann the whole herd. the move not only gave them the room to house their llamas, but also located him close to West liberty, where the majority of his work day was.

His daughters are now grown and pursuing their own careers. katie is in her 7th year of teaching music to elementary students in the olentangy School district and lisa is a marketing PR director for CAPA(Columbus Association of the Peforming Arts) in Columbus. Although they have moved on, Bill and his wife still have a herd of llamas on their eight acre farm. mary Ann has just a little more time to spend with the llamas now. After 34 years as an Rn, she just retired.

Having grown up in the most northeastern city in ohio, Conneaut, Bill started his first job in the 10th grade. He worked at kroger’s for eight years,

bellefontainemagazine.com 5

continuing his career there after graduating from high school. He was a jack of all trades, cleaning, stocking shelves, and running a cash register. “Oh, and I sorted glass pop bottles,” he added. “Do you remember that? At that time, pop came in primarily glass re-turnable bottles.” Over time, he worked his way up and into the position of assistant manager.

Then in 1971, like so many young men his age, Bill was drafted. He spent two years in Germany. His father, who had also been in the service, gave him one simple piece of ad-vice: never volunteer for anything. “Well, ap-parently all the other dad’s gave that same advice,” he remembered. When they arrived there was a request for volunteers. They asked for 11 volunteers, but not one hand in the crowd was raised. So, names were pulled

and as luck would have it, the first name drawn out was his own. “It really ended up being a good thing,” he said. He was trained as a military police officer and had rotating weeks guarding the gates, walking patrol and driving patrol. “We had terrorists then too, the Red Army.” He was put on special duty once, due to the recurrence of officer’s cars and living quarters being blown up. “I didn’t see anything, but as it turned out, they were on our base.”

After completing his military duty, Bill re-turned to the job he had left. He continued to work at Kroger and life went back to nor-mal. That was until, according to him, he was bitten by the “love bug”. He met his future wife at work, where she was a cashier. Just a short time later in 1976, they were married over Christmas break and have been married for 37 years. They were both taking classes at the time and living in Columbus and Bill was also working at Fazzios, where he was employed for nearly three years. Then, only six months after purchasing their first home, Fazzios was bought out due to a scandal and Bill was left without a job.

“I answered a blind ad in the paper,” he re-called. “It said ‘Do you want to make $45,000 a year’.” That was a bit more than he had made in the grocery business, so Bill called and in-terviewed for the position. And that’s how in October of 1980, Bill Minken first became an associate with Hague Water Conditioning.

After selling for a year and a half, Bill was promoted to Sales Manager. He held the position for over ten years. He then became General Manager overseeing the region that covered Groveport, Marysville, Piqua and West Liberty. In 1993 Hague bought out

So� Water vs Hard Water


National Soft Water in West Liberty. Bill re-mained the general manager through the end of 2007.

On January 2, 2008, Bill was hired as the National Sales Trainer for Hague Quality Water International in Groveport, Ohio. The National Sales Manager had sat in on near-ly 20 of his regional sales training sessions through the years and although he wanted to hire Bill, the company did a nationwide search for qualified trainers. The competi-tion was whittled down to seven highly competent persons and eventually he was the last man standing. It is no mystery why the position was highly sought after. During the four and a half years Bill held the posi-tion, he traveled all around the United States (visiting 38 of the 50) and the world. His first trip was to Cairo, Egypt. “You cannot believe just how big the pyramids are until you are standing at the base of one,” he recounted. “The base is 13 acres! That would cover my entire farm and then some!!” He also visited Sweden and Spain, each three times. “I could live in either of those countries,” he said rem-iniscing on how enjoyable those trips were. He also visited Romania, going to a former labor camp that had been turned into an in-dustrial park that needed very large water conditioning units. Although he loved his time as national sales trainer and still occa-sionally gets asked to head up a training ses-sion, Bill found an opportunity too good to

pass up.

And that opportunity was nestled into the quiet and charming community of West Lib-erty. In March of 2012, after going through the loan process, Bill bought the West Liber-ty office. Before it was even for sale, he had let it be known that if it ever was, he wanted the first shot at ownership. "I could have sold any equipment out there. I chose Hague for some very good reasons." He stated that the choice was easy. Not only did he have ex-perience with Hague, but Hague is a family owned business, American made product, American owned, manufactured in nearby Groveport and most importantly, they flat out get the job done. Of the top four water conditiong manufactures today only Hague has chosen to remain American made and American owned. "That means a lot to the

folks I talk to, especially vet-erans."

"I hope my business


helps people understand that water conditions" Bill said, " saves their money!"

Families of four save on average $102 per month with soft water. Third parties have tested and endorsed these money savings. In 2010, the Battell Institute found that ap-pliances and plumbing last 50% longer in homes with soft water. Some appliance war-ranties, if you read the fine print, require the use of a water softener. Families save money using 75% less soap and cleaning products with soft water and soft water helps clothes last 30% longer. With the economy being what it is, most families are thrilled to see these savings stay in their tight family bud-gets.

As passionate as Bill is about helping people to see the importance of clean, conditioned water, he is equallyas passionate about giv-ing back. “Most people would think the best part about owning your own business is being the boss, but what I enjoy most is giving back.” On the businesses website, you

can view a full list of the charities that they support, including the West Liberty Fire De-partment, Cedar Bog, and Pelatonia, a can-cer research organization his daughter was involved in. And the generosity doesn’t end there. The Minken family has Christmas tra-ditions that include giving Christmas to fam-ilies who are less fortunate to the point they wouldn't have a Christmas. Nothing pleases them more than to see their daughters both following this tradition. Bill's employees share stories about his willingness to pro-

Soap in Soft Water vs Hard Water


vide services to those on fixed incomes and serving our county.

Bill’s business model for success is simple.

"If your customers and employees get what they want, everything else falls into place."

Along with his loyal team of five, Bill and Hague Water Conditioning offer next busi-ness day installation and service in addi-tion to their combined 100 years of Hague experience. Debbie, the office manager has worked there over 15 years. Both of the in-stallation techs, namely Brian and Terry, have totaled more than 45 years in the business. Chris, who is in his seventh year, delivers salt to homes and Shane, our water tech, just placed number 3 in the nation among all other Hague sales reps in August. “I can’t say enough good about all of my employees. They go above and beyond. We make a great team!”

Bill is quick to share his vast knowledge about water quality and the improvements water conditioning can make. But even be-yond that, he has a contagious passion for the community, which is demonstrated not only through his love of his work but also in his joy in giving back.

You can contact Bill and his team at 937-465-6060 or 800-262-6060. If you don't have a softner and are curious, please call, they still make house calls. You can stop in to see them at 107 S.R. 508, West Liberty. They are located on the corner of 68 and 508. If you

mention that you saw them in Bellefontaine Magazine, they will fill your empty BBQ pro-pane tank anytime for the rest of 2013 for only $9.99.§


Estate Planning:

Five Steps to Help Createan Estate Plan

#1 Work with an experienced estate planning attorney.

It takes specialized expertise to create a plan that includes all the neces-sary elements and meets your specific needs. A solid estate plan will likely consist of several documents, which may include the following:

When it comes to estate planning, pro-crastinating is easy. The task of getting your house in order can seem daunting and the topic uncomfortable. In fact, while the ma-jority of Americans believe that all adults should have an estate plan,

only 44% have actually created oneaccording to a 2011 LexisNexis survey.*

Unplanned estates may be left to wind their way through probate court, leaving state law to determine the disposition of your assets.

“The time to devise an estate plan is now, if you haven’t already,” says John Padberg, Vice President of Life Event Services and Estate Planning for Wells Fargo Advisors. Many peo-ple equate estate plans with wills, he says, but a well-thought-out structure involves much more. There are many tools, such as living trusts and financial and health care powers of attorney, that can help trusted professionals and family members manage your affairs if you cannot.

Planning needn’t be stressful, and the re-sults often confer the comfort given that comes from knowing your assets will be dis-tributed in an orderly way. Padberg offers five steps to help you create an estate plan to accomplish that goal:

//Ask the expert FinAnciAl Katterhenry Investment Group

800-593-4627http://www.katterhenry.wfadv.com/

Locations in Bellefontaine, Troy, and Minster


How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.– Anne Frank

bellefontainemagazine.com11

• A will, which states how individually-owned assets are to be distributed upon death

• A living will, which communicates your wishes regard-ing life-prolonging medical treatments

• Powers of attorney, which designate another individ-ual to handle financial or health care matters if you are incapacitated

• Revocable trusts, which can be useful in avoiding the probate process in states where probate is burdensome, and can be altered or canceled according to your wishes

Creating a well-designed plan will require input from both your attorney and your Financial Advisor. Your Financial Ad-visor may be able provide some options for legal assistance, if you do not yet have an estate planning attorney.

"You WAnt to mAkE SuRE YouR EStAtE PlAnnIng AttoRnEY’S SkIll

lEvEl IS CommEnSuRAtE WItH tHE ComPlExItY oF YouR PlAn."

– SAYS PAdBERg

#2 Assess your assets. Before drafting your estate plan, ask your Financial Advi-

sor to prepare a financial net worth statement for you. This will give you a clear sense of what you are working with. Also, review your beneficiaries listed on critical documents such as life insurance policies and retirement plans. Benefi-ciary designations determine how those assets will be dis-tributed, Padberg cautions, so you want the named benefi-ciaries to reflect — and not undermine — your intentions.

#3 define your goals. An estate plan is also your opportunity to direct how your

wealth will be passed on to the next generation. “You want to think as much about how you want to pass your assets--outright to your heirs or distributed through a trust—as you do the amount that each person should get,” Padberg says.


For instance, leaving a large sum to a child or young adult may create long-term issues if the child lacks the skills or maturity to manage such a windfall. Ask your Financial Advisor about trusts that might be established to control the distribution of inherited funds.

If you want to bequeath money to a charity, ask your Financial Advisor and estate planning attorney about the many charitable giving strat-egies that are available. They can offer guidance on choosing the technique that best fits your philanthropic goals.

#4 determine your tax liability.

Under the “fiscal cliff” agreement enacted in early 2013, individual estates worth $5.25 mil-lion or less — and double that amount for mar-ried couples — can avoid federal estate taxes. Amounts that exceed the exclusion amount are taxed at a rate of 40%. Work with your Financial Advisor to determine your current estate tax li-ability and project any future liability. Consider the impact those taxes might have on how you wish to eventually pass your assets on to your family.

"tHE PlAnnIng WIll BE dIFFEREnt, And moRE SoPHIStICAtEd, IF

You’RE PlAnnIng FoR A tAx BIll." – SAYS PAdBERg

#5 update your plan.

Life is about change, so it’s crucial to make sure your instructions are always current. That means updating your estate plan whenever you experience a major life event — a new baby, a

Logan County Chapter Meeting

EVERY WEDNESDAY7:30–9:00 a.m.

Homecoming Restaurant(1330 U.S. 68 N)

Bellefontaine, OH 43311

VISITORS WELCOME!

Why join?To network weekly with like mindedlocal business professionals. To share

ideas, strategies, and most importantlybusiness referrals.

Come see how the “Givers Gain”philosophy can add revenue to

your business.

Interested in growingyour business?


marriage, a divorce. Otherwise, not only will your plan fail to contemplate new circumstances the way you want, but it could also increase the potential for out-side challenges, such as those from disgruntled family members.

Ambiguity and conflicts about your intentions could have a disastrous impact on your family, Padberg notes, so preventing them is typically well worth the invest-ment of time and money. “If you don’t have a compre-hensive estate plan in place, you’re leaving it to state law and the courts to decide your legacy for you,” he says.

* “EZLaw Survey Finds Most Americans Recog-nize the Importance of a Will or Estate Planning, Yet Few Have Necessary Documents in Place,” Lex-isNexis, 19 July 2011, https://www.lexisnexis.com/media/press-release.aspx?id=1311095221427043.

Trust services available through banking and trust af-filiates in addition to non-affiliated companies of Wells Fargo Advisors. Wells Fargo Advisors and its affiliates do not provide legal or tax advice. Any estate plan should be reviewed by an attorney who specializes in estate planning and is licensed to practice law in your state. §

Ghostwritten Article (e7667 – Estate Planning/Five Steps to Help Create an Estate Plan)

CAR Approval Number: 0213-03517

This article was written by Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC, and provided courtesy of Darrin Haubert, As-sociate Financial Advisor, in Bellefontaine, Ohio at 800-593-4627.

Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANK-GUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE

Investment products and ser-vices are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Net-work, LLC (WFAFN), Member SIPC. Katterhenry Investment Group is a separate entity from WFAFN.


don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seed that you plant.– Robert louis Stevenson


kFC - kentucky Fried Chicken

The restaurant is currently owned by Dar-ren and Johni Whitaker, however, it has been in their family since 1977. Darren’s uncle became a KFC Franchisee in 1971 and in 1977 he convinced Darren’s parents, Tom and Janice Whitaker, to move from their hometown of Jeffersonville, Indiana to “Bel-ly fon taine” to get in the chicken business. A gentleman had 2 KFC stores for sale, one in Kenton and one on 817 S. Main Street in Bellefontaine. The Kenton store sold quickly to another franchisee so his parents purchased the Bellefontaine store. Janice Whitaker is originally from a the little town of Henryville, Indiana; the same town KFC founder Col. Sanders was born…can you say destiny?

Darren was 12 when his parents relocat-ed to Bellefontaine. With the exception of five years out of state and abroad in the US Army, he has called Logan County home. He worked through high school for his par-ents and met his wife in 1983 when she was hired to work at the restaurant. They mar-ried in 1986 and spent the next five years

The Logan County Area Chamber of Commerce

SEPtEmBER'sBuSInESS / EntREPREnEuRoF tHE montH

traveling while Darren was in the army. They returned to Bellefontaine to help run the family business with two children in tow.

Darren and Johni’s two children, Kyle and Meagan, came to work for the business. Just like their parents, Kyle and Meagan met their significant others at KFC. Meagan married Zach Woodruff last year and this coming spring Kyle will marry Skyler Cronkleton. All four have worked at the restaurant both part time and as supervisors. Three generations of Whitakers have served customers in Belle-fontaine for over 36 years.

They are proud to serve original recipe chicken, extra crispy and Kentucky grilled chicken as well as several off the bone prod-ucts to their customers every day. Also it should be noted that KFC has zero grams of trans fat in any of their products. They also have a buffet daily in the restaurant, which


was added in 1992. Catering is also an op-tion for their customers. They have bulk or individual meals for any size group.

Because Tom and Janice were hard work-ing and very strict when it came to their standards, they won many awards from KFC for quality, service and cleanliness and years later Darren and Johni strive to maintain the high standards they always held. They have earned Promise Pride certification as well as White Glove awards and have had the num-

ber one ranked KFC in the United States for QSC. Darren also introduced BBQ Crispy Strips to the entire system in a recipe con-test about 11 years ago and more recently helped to get the cheesy bacon bowl pro-moted nationally.

Darren and Johni continue to support local business by contributing to safety programs in the local schools and fundraiser programs. They support the Logan County Fair as well having the Grand Champion Chicken trophy for over 30 years and usually attend the live-stock auction purchasing many animals over the years as well. They make their living in the community and feel it is important to be visible and certainly to give back. §


These are just a few words I would use to describe a volunteer of 49 years in our com-munity. It may seem unbelievable to even know such a person. However, I recently had the honor of meeting and speaking with such a person. Nina Mc Pherson is currently in her 49th year of working as a volunteer at Mary Rutan Hospital. She has dedicated her life to serving others through volunteering at Mary Rutan and several other organiza-tions within our community. Her continued service has had a tremendous impact on so many at the hospital throughout the years. Many have been inspired by her gift of giv-ing to others.

Nina was born into a large family with six brothers and sisters and was often consid-ered to be quite shy. She seldom chose inter-action with adults outside of her own family. Although she lacked self-confidence in her younger years, she has been through many life-changing seasons that have brought about changes in her ability and desire to have constant interaction with others. Upon

graduating high school, Nina decided to continue her education at Capital Univer-sity. It was there she began to discover just who she was and how God had wired her. Nina said she will never forget her college friends that took her under their wing and helped her to realize that she was a beauti-ful person with a great purpose in life. She went two years but was one subject shy of a degree in the Two-Year Executive Secretarial course, and then came home. She married and had two sons, one of which works as a registered nurse and the other as an associ-ate of Honda of America.

Shortly after she married she decided she wanted to begin giving back to her com-munity through volunteering at Mary Ru-tan Hospital. In 1964 Nina joined Guild I, an organization for those who volunteer and quickly found that serving in this way was something she was born for. Her first posi-tion was at the reception desk by the emer-gency room on the north side. Despite her shy nature she began to truly enjoy interact-

SelflesskindgivingEncouragingInspiringRemarkableStory by Stacey longshore nina mc Pherson


If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.– thomas A Edison


ing with people. She then was made chair-man of the cart service. This cart contained magazines, snacks, and other incidentals that were sold to patients and their families. Before patient rooms were equipped with televisions, there were TV carts that Nina and other volunteers would deliver and set up in patients rooms upon request. She has also volunteered in the Gift Shop at the hos-pital and also in the Mammogram Clinic. On top of her hours, often two or three days a week, she would spend hours at home mak-ing therapy weights out of buck shots. Be-fore modern physical therapy, home-made weights would be used for patients in the hospital that needed them for rehabilitation. Nina doesn’t recall how many weights she crafted but numbers really don’t matter to

her, people do.

Because of her dedication to the hospital and her natural knack for relating to people, Nina was chosen to serve as Patients Care Service. She oversaw all services related to patient care from the early 1980’s until right now and has done a wonderful job. Nina has also volunteered within other community or-ganizations including Cub Scouts, teaching Sunday School classes, forming an MS sup-port group, teaching music classes at MRDD, and helping at the Moose Lodge of Lakev-iew. She loved volunteering with different community groups because it was there she got to meet all kinds of people and formed many lasting friendships. Although her life has been filled with many obstacles, Nina always chose to remain positive, she con-tinued to serve, and has overcome so many of the obstacles. From serious, and often painful, physical conditions to heartbreak, she has never given up. When it would have been easy to just step away and be done vol-unteering, she continued to faithfully give to

true joy in life comes from

helping others


others. At one time she took a short leave from the hospital and after a few weeks just didn’t feel right about it. She said she felt like God was telling her, “Nina, you’re not giving back.” She knew she needed to return and that is just what she did! To her, true joy in life comes from helping others.

Another joy in Nina’s life is genealogy. She has spent many hours over the years com-pleting her family’s genealogy. She has been an active member of the Historical Society and often is helping others with their family records. She loves finding and going through old pictures and making sure families get those pictures to enjoy. While we were look-ing though her scrapbook she noted that she needed to get copies of pictures to com-munity members because she feels it is im-portant for them to have pictures of their family members…like finding a lost treasure and returning it to its rightful owner. She so often thinks of others before herself. She was created to be a helper, an encourager, and a friend to many.

As Nina and I sat and chatted in the hospital lobby, I realized quickly that she was some-one I could sit and talk with for hours. She spoke openly, honestly, and shared about her personal life experiences that helped shape her into the person she is today. It is no wonder she ended up in patient care! She has the ability to relate to anyone and make anyone feel comfortable with her. Not only can she relate, she is an encouragement and inspiration to people as well.

Nina doesn’t think of her service as some-thing to be recognized. One true sign of a remarkable person…they truly don’t believe that they do anything remarkable. §


Attention Parents,It’s that hectic time of year again when

you’re repeatedly asked to share your child’s personal information for school registration, sports sign-up forms, dorm move-ins, and other extracurricular activities.

But you may be exposing your child to fraud when you’re filling out those forms. Ev-ery year, nearly 500,000 children under the age of 18 fall victim to identity theft. Identity thieves often target kids because they have pristine credit profiles and dormant Social Security numbers (SSNs).

Before providing sensitive data to schools, daycare centers, sports programs, activity clubs, doctors’ offices and libraries, ask how the information will be used, stored, dis-posed and accessed. You may be surprised to find that “required” information isn’t so necessary after all.

Here are some tips to protect your school-age children.

• Daycare and preschool. Some organi-zations may ask for a Social Security number and birth date before allowing your child to participate. Always ask how necessary that information really is. They may be satisfied

IdEntItY tHEFt PRotECtIon FoR

YouR CHIldREn

//Ask the expert insUrAnce See Annetta Chappell at the A.C. Agency, she can help you with your needs in Auto • Home • Farm • Commercial • Life • Health •

Disability Income • Annuities • College Preparation920 N. Main St., Bellefontaine www.myacagency.com

(937) 593-4444 [email protected]

with a month and year for a birth date or a pediatrician’s phone number instead of a medical ID number. Never underestimate the power of selective forgetfulness—“Gee, I forgot to bring that information with me.” Chances are, you won’t be asked for it later.

• Sports. You’re sitting on the bleach-ers at your child’s sports practice and a clip-board of signup information is making its way through the stands. Do you know the parents who will see your information as it’s passed along? And who will use the informa-tion once it’s collected? Many organizations perform meticulous background checks on their staff and volunteers. Others don’t. You are unable to control where that sheet of paper will end up once it reaches the end of the bleachers. If in doubt, write “Information to come” and ask after practice.

• New school enrollment. Many kids


need booster vaccinations for kindergar-ten and middle school. That may mean a trip to a new healthcare provider. Some doctor’s offices still ask for patients’ Social Security numbers even though they track them with some other ID number. Unless it’s needed to bill insurance, skip it.

• College. Students ages 18 to 24 face the highest risk of identity theft. They often live in dorms or share apart-ments where others can access their be-longings. Before they head back to cam-pus, equip your college students with the right tools and habits:

o Buy a cross-cut shredder. Shred preapproved credit offers. Dumpster-div-ing is an epidemic on campuses because thieves know most students throw these offers away unopened.

o Use a safe. Lock up important pa-pers like student loan and enrollment documents so they won’t be left lying around where anyone could see them.

o Review bank statements. It’s an early tip-off to identity fraud, yet only about one-third of college students bal-ance their checkbooks.

o Protect your computer. Even if you think you can trust your roommate, the same might not be true for the room-mate’s friends or classmates. Use strong alphanumeric passwords with combina-tions of special characters and capitaliza-tion and update security software.

o Use secure mail boxes for outgoing mail. Use secure U.S. Postal Service drop boxes, instead.

o Store login information in a safe

place. Many people store personal infor-mation on a cell phone. If your phone is lost, contact your provider immediately.

• Run a credit check to stay informed and correct any inaccuracies.

Here are some links to receive a FREE credit report:

o www.transunion.com

o www.equifax.com/answers/re-quest-free-credit-report/en_efx

o www.freecreditreport.com

**Please use these at your own discre-tion and check to insure that you have adequate security on your computer or other mobile devices.

Identity Theft protection can be en-dorsed onto your property insurance policy, call your agent to get detailed in-formation.

Pekin Insurance-Theft 911.

Call Annetta at the A. C. Agency Inc. if you would like additional information.§


She flipped through the pages and began to envision how a local magazine could have the potential to bring a community together.

Story by Kate Andre

Rachel Brumbaugh had not expected to come home from her trip with an idea for a new business. She and her husband, Mark, had gone to Florida to attend a confer-ence on investing. As an aside, there were businesses presenting at one of the meet-ings. It wasn’t something Rachel had an-ticipated being interested in, but she was intrigued as the North Carolina business-man shared about a hometown magazine he had started.

Since her two sons, Eric and Gregory, had graduated and moved on to their respec-tive careers, Rachel had wanted to transi-tion her extra time to a job that would be fulfilling and also flexible. Starting a com-munity magazine, she began to see, could give her both.

I Want You to be Encouraged

Although Rachel and her family have now lived in Logan County for 13 years, she re-members how long, at times difficult, it was to learn about the area and truly feel integrated into the community. That was the thought in the back of her mind as she listened to the


vision of the community magazine in North Caroli-na. When the presentation was over, Rachel picked up a copy of the magazine. She flipped through the pages and began to envision how a local magazine could have the potential to bring a com-munity together; something she would have relished during her early years in the county. Not only were the stories and personal profiles about local people, but also written by lo-cal people. Businesses were highlighted not just for their products and services; instead the articles included a focus on the business owners and workers. She took the magazine with her, contacted the group putting out the publication in North Carolina and began to seriously consider starting a community magazine in Logan County.

Start up businesses are notoriously chal-lenging and creating a magazine from scratch isn’t an exception. Rachel had al-ways worked alongside her husband, Mark, in their own various business ventures tak-ing care of the details. So she had plenty of experience and knowledge about what it takes to make a new business succeed. And although Rachel had previously also spent a good deal of time being a homemaker and homeschooling her sons. she also made time to manage her church’s office.

While serving at her church, Rachel had un-dertaken the task of doing weekly bulletins and putting together workbooks for various classes. Those experiences combined with the advertising and design work she had done for their own businesses gave her a leg up on learning how to do a layout for maga-zine. “I’ve always been a problem solver,” Ra-chel said with a chuckle, recounting a few of the many times her husband had come to her with a detailed issue that needed fig-ured out. So, like she had done many times before, Rachel began to figure out how to put together magazine.

So now, with Bellefontaine Magazine in its third monthly publication, there are a few things Rachel would like for the community to know. “I want this to be everyone’s maga-zine; it is everyone’s magazine,” she empha-sized. “I want this to be something everyone would like to read. I want you to be able to flip through the pages and see people you know and I want you to be able to read in-spiring, true stories from people in the com-munity that you might not get to know oth-

I’ve always been a problem solver


erwise. I want you to be encouraged to buy local because you feel a connection to the stories of the business owners.”

While Rachel hopes the magazine is al-ready accomplishing those goals, she also has come to realize that often, “most people who are doing great things don’t go around tooting their own horn”. And here is where she hopes the community will take owner-ship of the magazine by contributing to its content. While the magazine would love to receive fully written articles for consider-ation, doing so is not necessary. “We need eyes and ears in the community,” she com-ments, expounding on her desire to hear story ideas from persons within the county.

Do you love to write? Send your story or story idea to us. We would love to publish it! We are about local writers, local stories, and

one community. So if you know of a truly inspiring individual, whether they are a se-nior or a teenager, or hear about someone doing something exceptional, or want to share about an event in the community or even if you have some neat photos from around the area, we hope you will share those stories and ideas with Bellefontaine Magazine. After all, it is your magazine too. Let’s do something good together!§

Story ideas can be submitted through Bellefontaine magazine’s website bellefontainemagazine.com

We need eyes and ears in the

community


Believe you can and you're halfway there.– theodore Roosevelt


october'sFeatured Events

location: Bellefontaine Masonic Centerdate: October 23, 2013time: 1:30 PM - 5:30 PMWebsite: givingblood.org

Event description:Public Blood Drive,Appointments encouraged, made at donortime.com or 1.800.388.4483

Requirements to donate: • Weigh min. of 110 pounds

• Have a Photo ID

• Must be at least 17 years of age or 16 year old with signed Community Blood Cen-ter Parental Permission form, available at givingblood.org

Questions or concerns about blood donation or eligibility?1-800-388-GIVE(4483) or givingblood.org

Blood drive


location: Marmon Valley Farm 7754 State Route 292 S Zanes-field, OH 43360

date: November 17, 2013 time: 8:00 am Check-in 9:00 am

All races begin All runners must be off the course by 4:00 pm

Website: premierraces.com/viewevent.asp?eventID=871

Event description: Marmon Valley Farm will be hosting a 10K, 20K and 30K trail race to raise money for

summer horse camp scholarships. The trails and terrain at Marmon Valley are ideal for trail racers who are looking for a challenging run. Whether you choose the 10K, 20K or 30K you will traverse through hardwood forest, up and down ravine trails, around fields, across creeks and along scenic overlooks. None of the trails are paved. All may be muddy! The course is laid out as a 10K loop. Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 finishers (men & women) in each race. All other finish-ers will receive a participation medal.

Horsehoe Hill Climb trail Race


last months Winner:

gloria taylor

RAtlIFF PARk

SoutHvIEW PARk

3

2

1

HollAnd tHEAtRE


Change your thoughts and you change your world.– norman vincent Peale


PUBLISHERRachel [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSKate AndreAnnetta ChappellBill MinkenDavid AndreStacey Longshore

ADDRESSPO Box 73Bellefontaine, OH 43311Phone. 937-539-2224

FACEBOOKfacebook.com/bellefontainemagazine

www.bellefontainemagazine.com

Bellefontaine Magazine is a monthly publication. Any reproduction or duplication of any part thereof must be done with the written permission of the Publisher. All information included herein is correct to the best of our knowledge as of the publication date. Corrections should be forwarded to the Publisher at the address above.

Disclaimer: The paid advertisements contained within Bellefontaine Magazine are not endorsed or recommended by the Publisher. Therefore, neither party may be held liable for the business practices of these companies.

bellefontaineM • A • G • A • Z • I • N • E

take your business local.get your story in the Bellefontaine magazine today.

Call Rachel 937-539-2224

bellefontaine magazine - issue 03

Documents

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months magazine

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n ehaguewater conditioningin

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dentist offices

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business practices