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Tressel Stresses Teamwork at Good Morning, Boardman
BOARDMAN, Ohio -- When Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel was first approached to speak at Friday's Good Morning, Boardman breakfast, he said he was given the most exciting topic he could think of: leadership.
It's not something that goes along with a rank or title, he told Boardman government and business leaders and guests at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber event. It's a mindset that is required every day.
“Growing up, the greatest leader in my life was my mom. She didn't have any rank other than 'mom.' But every morning, she woke up thinking about who she was going to be serving,” Tressel said. “That's what leadership is all about. She didn't have a title but she's the greatest leader I've ever been around.”
And so, the long-time coach urged those present to think about not only how they can make themselves successful, but also the Mahoning Valley as a whole.
“Everyone has to be doing well for a region to be doing well,” he noted. “There's no question that we're all in it together. Any time there's success in an area, it certainly helps and any time you can take that success and partner with nearby areas, that's important.”
Township Trustee Tom Costello agreed with the sentiment, adding that right now, Boardman is doing quite well, both in terms of commercial success and quality of life for residents.
“We have over 50 churches in Boardman. We have an excellent school system. We have Boardman Park. And if you want to buy something, we have every store available. We want the community to come to our township and enjoy the township,” he said. “Are there challenges? There are challenges in every community. But I think we have an awful lot of successes to enjoy.”
And with Tressel's idea of working with others to lift the region, Costello outlined the township's new police and fire departments’ dispatch system, used in conjunction with Austintown.
“The new system allows our police officers and our fire department to have absolute communication anywhere in the community,” he explained. “[It] literally covers the entire county so now other communities are coming forward to look at our program since it's federally mandated and we've already accomplished it.”
He also discussed the importance of the new football stadium on the grounds of Boardman High School. When the school was built in the late 1960s, the plans called for an auditorium and a stadium before both were axed due to financial constraints. In 1999, a new auditorium was built after the community pushed for construction, Costello explained.
“Now, the community is once again coming together to build the stadium and it'll be a wonderful addition to our community,” he said. “It showcases Boardman. It allows the talent throughout our community to come to Boardman. In the past, to attract groups to come here for, say, playoff games, we didn't have the facilities. With this new stadium, we will.”
Tim Saxton, director of operations for Boardman Local Schools, said that even with just one part of the stadium complete -- artificial turf was put down before the school year began -- he's already seen the benefits the complex can bring.
“The first day at the stadium was a great day. It rained. There were about 100 people or so in the rain. Why was it a great day if it rained? Because we played five games in a row in rain without a puddle or any problems,” Saxon commented. “Five games in a row. We could never do that at the old stadium.”
Saxon continued that the new stadium is just part of the big picture for the Boardman schools. Over the past year, he remarked, Boardman schools have been recognized by The College Board -- the organization that administers the SAT -- as one of the top advanced placement programs in the region.
“[In the past year,] Boardman has been recognized by The College Board as an AP program on district honor roll. Since then, the data's come out that Boardman has more students taking the AP tests and, in a three-county area, Boardman has the highest percent of students earning a passing score,” Saxton said.
With a 2014 graduating class of nearly 400, about 120 of them choose to attend YSU their freshman year, Tressel commented, something beneficial for the university.
“Whenever you can attract good talent, and Boardman schools have great talent, you have a chance to be a great university,” he said.
Costello also mentioned the 18 vacant buildings the township has demolished over the past year, creating a land bank for the township and an opportunity for those living nearby to step up and maintain the empty properties.
“What we're hoping to do is get them back into a productive state. In many cases, the neighbors have come forward and offered to buy the vacant property basically to protect themselves from someone else buying it and misusing it,” he said.
What will continue the success of Boardman, one of Mahoning County's busiest commercial areas, will be how leaders, regardless of title, can work together, Tressel said.
“The regions that are successful are the regions that have great individual pockets -- like Boardman, like Austintown, like Poland and Canfield and South Range -- where everyone rises,” he said. “What we have to challenge ourselves to do is this: If we want to thrive as a region, we have to be constantly thinking about what we can do so everyone rises.”
Pictured: YSU President Jim tressel addresses audience at Good Morning, Boardman.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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