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Executive Insights
Rudge Keeps Faith as He Builds YMCAKen Rudge oversees 'largest social services agency in Mahoning Valley.'Spirit. Mind. Body. Where most of its members focus on the third word of the Young Men's Christian Association motto, rarely concerning themselves with the first and second, Ken Rudge sees all three as equally important.As chief executive officer of the Youngstown YMCA, Rudge runs "the largest social services agency in the Mahoning Valley," he says. Those unfamiliar with the YMCA may view its facilities in downtown Youngstown, Boardman and Camp Fitch as well-run and successful.That they are. And so much more. Rudge is a major reason why."The YMCA has to be smart and operate like a business," its CEO states, "to achieve its goals. I want the Y to be regarded as a professionally run organization." Because it is a non-profit, the YMCA has to be transparent in its use of business principles in meeting its many goals that range from "developing moral behavior" to promoting physical fitness, volunteerism and leadership. As members work out to improve their health, they also work with others from different backgrounds and learn fair play, cooperation and acceptance."This downtown branch is a melting pot," Rudge declares proudly. "We deal with at-risk kids, the handicapped and thousands of youth. They're challenging and expensive to serve but we don't turn anybody away. That's part of our mission."The melting pot of 17,500 encompasses whites, blacks, orientals, Spanish and a few Indians of all levels of income. Members' ages range from "three months to 90-plus," Rudge reports. And half are women. "We reflect our community," he states. "Christ is a part of our organization," Rudge continues. "He's the reason why we're in business."Members learning to accept and work with others rests on the staff Rudge has put together. "We look for people with college degrees and the right credentials," the executive director begins. Then they undergo "the YMCA's extensive training program. It's a career development program, like a master's degree program, but done inside the YMCA," Rudge says. "What I'm looking for when I'm interviewing is: How will they fit into the mission of the YMCA? Are they looking for a job or a career? Are they kid- and family friendly?"That more than half the YMCA's operating budget, nearly $7 million, is devoted to staff and staff development tells how vital those 400 employees are. "A great staff is what makes the YMCA special," Rudge says. "They help mold children's lives.""We need to teach morals and Christian values and be role models," he says of the staff.The YMCA also has "a strong spiritual life committee," Rudge says. Visit either YMCA branch or Camp Fitch and you'll find a chapel. "There are two outside chapels at Camp Fitch," Rudge says, "one for the handicapped, and a new chapel is being designed to hold 300."Supplementing the staff's efforts are 4,000 volunteers, many of them senior citizens, who also serve the 17,500 members who belong to the Central YMCA downtown and to the new Davis Family YMCA in Boardman. "The volunteering keeps them [senior citizens] young and sharp," Rudge has found.Important as volunteering is, "It's the adult memberships that pay the bills," Rudge says.At the Davis Family YMCA, "99% who joined had no prior Y relationship" and all too many view it as little more than a spa. Such are the complaints from long-time downtown members who also use the Davis YMCA. "It will take us a while to develop Y values," Rudge allows. "We will have to hold them accountable." The president of the YMCA board, attorney Thom Lodge, has seen how Rudge leads by example. "He organizes his staff in a way that they want to achieve for him," Lodge says. "His approach has been: What can we do to improve things, not to cut costs," in balancing the YMCA budget. "That's risky when you have board members urging reducing expenses," he comments. "But he's expanded programs where programs needed to be expanded" and trusted the support would follow.Rudge, as Lodge has witnessed, has faith he'll win the parents and members' financial support by running the YMCA as members expect it should be run. Lodge offered these examples "of the kinds of things he does":Rudge, who grew up in Sharon, Pa., and graduated in 1969 from Youngstown State University, came here 13 years ago from Cincinnati where he was in charge of five YMCA branches, the YMCA camp and that city's YMCA metro staff."I knew when I came to Youngstown there had to be changes in the Y's philosophy, how we run our business, and that we had to put money into our physical plant," Rudge says. He also knew at least one branch had to be built in the suburbs because the Central YMCA downtown "was bursting at the seams." He was also aware that the population in Mahoning County was "moving further south," that it was there most new houses were built.His challenge was to build a YMCA in the suburbs that didn't grow at the expense of the Central Y. "I had time to sit back and think about it," he recalls. "I had to philosophize and strategize: How do you build a branch and protect the downtown?"He visited the YMCA's in Canton, which has five branches, and "I looked at Akron. They only got stronger when they built their branches." He realized the "need to expand your base, that a fire burns brighter with two or three logs, not just one log."He drew up a list of strengths of weaknesses. He knew intuitively that the YMCA in the suburbs had to complement, not compete with the downtown YMCA. Issues to be confronted were separate memberships to each facility or one that allowed admission to both, and financing.Rudge is quick to credit his board for their involvement and counsel. "They asked the right questions," he says, "and I had to come up with the right answers." That he returned with the right answers allowed them to "develop trust in me. And I gained insight from them.Â…They gave me the authority.""