For Immediate Release
Columbus: At the Annual Meeting of The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges
(OFIC), Robert G. Merzweiler, President & CEO of Landmark Plastic Corporation,
Akron, was elected as chair of the OFIC Board, succeeding Ward J. Timken,
President of The Timken Foundation.
Mr. Merzweiler, a 1976 graduate of Wittenberg University, practiced as a CPA for Price Waterhouse before joining with his father, Leo, to found Landmark Plastic Corporation, a manufacturer of horticultural plant packaging and growing systems, in 1984. In addition to serving on the board of OFIC, Mr. Merzweiler serves on the board of the Akron Community Foundation and a number of other non-profit organizations. He and his wife, Vicki, have two children and reside in Akron.
New Members elected to the OFIC Board of Trustees:
Albert P. Blank, Executive Vice President and COO, First Place Bank, Youngstown
Sandra L. Bortle, Secretary/Treasurer of SJB Management, Inc., Athens
Thomas A. Briatico, President, The Hoover Company, North Canton
Vincent M Corrado, President, Shook National Corporation, Dayton
Phillip B. Dennison, Principal, Packer Thomas, Youngstown
Douglas E. Franklin, President & CEO, Cox Ohio Publishing, Dayton
Cathy C. Godshall, Attorney, Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, Akron
W. G. Jurgensen, Chief Executive Officer, Nationwide, Columbus
James M. Malz, President, Northeast Ohio Region, Bank One, NA, Cleveland
Thomas R. Schuck, Partner, Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Cincinnati
David K. Welles, Jr. , Former Chairman, Therma-Tru Doors, Maumee
OFIC, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, is the primary corporate and foundation solicitation organization for 35 independent Ohio colleges and universities. OFIC member colleges collectively enroll more than 91,000 students, impact Ohio's economy through their aggregated budgets of $3 billion and award one-third of all bachelor's degrees in the state. For 54 years The Foundation has worked to highlight the leadership, value and excellence of independent higher education. Through contributions raised in annual solicitations of businesses and foundations OFIC has provided unrestricted operating funds and scholarship assistance, thereby assuring continuation of excellence in independent higher education. OFIC is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of Ohio's corporate leaders, as well as presidents of the 35 member colleges.
The member colleges are: Antioch College, Ashland University, Baldwin-Wallace College, Bluffton College, Capital University, Cedarville University, University of Dayton, Defiance College, Denison University, The University of Findlay, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Franklin University, Heidelberg College, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Kenyon College, Lake Erie College, Lourdes College, Malone College, Marietta College, Mount Union College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Muskingum College, Notre Dame College, Oberlin College, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio Northern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Otterbein College, Urbana University, Ursuline College, Walsh University, Wilmington College, Wittenberg University and The College of Wooster.
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