An Akron native, Gregg Mervis began his professional career in 1981 and joined the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau and John S. Knight Center in 1995. In 2012, he was appointed President & CEO, overseeing the organization's four business units.
Gregg is actively involved in the community, serving on the Board of Directors for Downtown Akron Partnership, Akron History Center, the Akron Bicentennial Commission, Northern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation, and IATSE Health & Pension.
He was also the founding Board Chair of ArtsNow and is a 2002 graduate of Leadership Akron.
In recognition of his dedication to the industry, Gregg received the prestigious Paul Sherlock Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ohio Travel Association in 2019.
Nationally, he is engaged with several industry organizations, including Destination International, the International Association of Assembly Managers, and the National Association of Consumer Shows. At the state level, his efforts to support the hospitality economy include leadership roles with the Ohio Travel Association (Past Board President), Ohio Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, and Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association.
Gregg is a lifelong resident of Akron, where he lives with his wife, Terrill, and daughter, Grace.
Wayne Homesdidn’t invent custom, on-your-lot homebuilding. But for over 50 years, we’ve been working hard to reinvent it. To make it more customer-oriented. More affordable. And even more flexible, with practically unlimited customizable choices. In other words, to make it more do-able for more people.
That’s our mission. And we’re happy to say we’ve made some great strides. Our customer satisfaction rating is among the best in the industry, and we’re one of a handful of builders in the entire country to win the National Housing Quality award.
The Rotary Club of Akron and the Akron Rotary Foundation 2025 Grant Cycle is officially open. Grants between $1,000 and $15,000 will be considered via an application process which ends January 31, 2025.
Projects must fall within Rotary’s areas of service which include Peace & Conflict Prevention; Disease Prevention; Water &Sanitation; Maternal/Child Health & Welfare; Basic Education/Literacy; Economic/Community Development or the Environment.
ROTARIANS: Spread the word to impactful community service providers! Encourage them to apply by January 31, 2025, via the application link below. If you have questions, email Sandy_Naragon@yahoo.com.
Location: Open M 941 Princeton Street, Akron, OH 44311
You can sign up directly on the Rotary Club of Akron website by clicking here. We appreciate your participation and look forward to making this a great event together!
We're teaming up to support the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank (ACRFB). Together we'll help ensure that families in our community have access to the food and resources they need.
Details of Event:
When: Wednesday January 22
Time: 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Where: Akron Canton Regional Food Bank, 350 Opportunity Parkway, Akron, OH 44307
This is a great opportunity to bond with fellow Rotarians while making an impact in our community.
The service project typically involves breaking down large containers of food into smaller portions for redistribution to area food pantries.
RSVP by Friday January 17th.
Please let me know if you're able to join us by replying to me at dhall@preferredlegacy.com or texting me at 330-714-1044. Family and friends are welcome so please bring a guest.
IF YOU HAVE NOT VOLUNTEERED BEFORE AT THE FOOD BANK THEN I NEED YOU TO REGISTER WITH ACRFB. See volunteer application link below.
If you have any questions please call or text me.
Let's come together to embody the Rotary spirit and make this event a success. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you there!
When you arrive, please park in the front of the building or in the Dart Avenue parking lot. Use the front glass doors to enter the building.
If the parking lot is full, please park in the grass lot or proceed to the Shipping and Receiving parking lot on the other side of the building.
If entering through Shipping and Receiving, enter through the RED visitor door and proceed to the front desk.
We also recommend carpooling when possible.
What to wear:
Face Masks are optional.
Safety is our priority! Please note that open-toed shoes are not permitted in the warehouse.Jewelry is not permitted in the clean- room and we recommend wearing limited jewelry when volunteering.
Comfortable shoes are recommended as you may be on your feet the entire time.
It is best to dress in layers. The weather outside may affect the temperature inside the warehouse.
Happy New Year! I hope that each of you and your families had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season overall!
It's that time of year again where I send out everyone's favorite email - plus, you will get to hear my voice even more than usual at club meetings (cue the eyerolls and groans - I know you can't wait!) as I announce the need for volunteers to assist with the following roles at our club meetings for the 1st half of 2025: Greeter (& "Daily Lotto" sales), Invocation Speaker, & Meeting/Technology Set-Up.
My most sincere appreciation and gratitude goes out to the faithful “regulars” I have been able to consistently count on to help fill the respective roles or jump in last minute to cover an empty slot (you know who you are). I also appreciate the handful of "newcomers" (both established and newer members) who helped throughout the course of last year or expressed a willingness to do so moving forward.
I would like to encourage anyone that has either never served as Greeter or Invocator (or who has only done so sparingly) to consider volunteering for a few slots during this 1st half of 2025 - I'd be immensely thankful to see my list of "regulars" grow. Not only are these roles a much appreciated and valued service to the club, but they also present an excellent opportunity to immerse oneself in the weekly meetings.
If you need help signing up, please let me know and I can direct you to the appropriate location on the Rotary Club of Akron website, or I will gladly fill in your name for whatever date(s) you are able and willing to volunteer. For convenience, here is the public URL to the relevant volunteer sign-up page:
For Greeters, please plan to arrive by 11:40ish (if possible) and be prepared to help sell Daily Lotto raffle tickets and have the speaker pull the winning ticket at the end of the meeting.
For Invocation Speakers, I have provided some links with sample invocations below. You are quite welcome to create your own invocation, of course, but please know that custom content is not a requirement! I am happy to assist with this too. In fact, I'll even provide an invocation for you to read if that's what it will take for you to sign up. I assure you, this need not be an intimidating volunteer role for the meeting!
For Meeting/Technology Set-Up, the duties currently require:
Ensuring the computer, projector, and microphones are all up and running smoothly before the start of the meeting. NOTE: Brian Kosarko, Michael Gladysz, or I can/will help train new volunteers - we would certainly appreciate expanding the rotation for this role.
If necessary, correcting the flag positioning so that when viewed from the audience, the U.S./American Flag is to the left of the speaker/podium and the Ohio Flag is on the right.
Thank you in advance for volunteering!
Yours in service,
CJ
Connor G. Jarvis, CFP®
Sergeant of Arms
Rotary Club of Akron
Some links with sample invocations (if needed/desired):
We are getting close to our Chili Open. The raffle tickets are a big part of raising money as part of our service over self.
Below you will find a letter with information you can use to sell the raffle tickets.
A special thanks for Rotarians who have already sold their assigned tickets.
Karen Hrdlicka Rotary Club Akron Bylaws Committee Chair Tel 330.329.7723 | hrdlickacareer@gmail,com
Only 25 days until Akron Rotary's 35th annual Chili Open Golf Classic! We need every club member's help in promoting Raffle ticket sales. Your help in this area of the Chili Open is critical – in order for The VanDevere Bunch to donate the car, we need to sell a minimum of $40,000 in raffle tickets.
Below is sample wording to use in an email to your clients, colleagues, family, and friends. Feel free to personalize your email with your personal testimonial of Akron Rotary Club and Camp. If you have already purchased or sold your tickets, thank you!
Let us know if you have questions or need more raffle tickets. Thank you for your support!
Karen Hrdlicka and Marissa Rufe
35th Annual Chili Open – Raffle Ticket Chairs
SUGGESTED CHILI OPEN RAFFLE TICKET E-MAIL PROMOTION:
For the last 100 years, Akron Rotary Camp has been the main project of the Rotary Club of Akron. Every purchase of a raffle ticket will help Rotary Camp to live out their mission of “Creating a world where there are only abilities!” and continue to support the vulnerable youth and families that benefit from sending their child to Camp.
Please consider joining me in purchasing raffle tickets to support Akron Rotary’s annual Chili Open Golf Classic! The Akron Rotary Club which hosts the Chili Open Golf Classic presented by Wayne Homes, a winter golf event that benefits Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs. Rotary Camp serves 1,100 children and adults with disabilities and provides financial assistance to families in need of their services. The Chili Open helps to make this possible! This year, the Chili Open is celebrating its 35th anniversary; our goal is to raise $375,000 to provide more families the opportunity to send their children to camp.
There are great chances to win the following prizes:
Purchase two entrees and receive $20 off your bill at LaLa’s on the Lakes, located at 4315 Manchester Road, Akron.
Tickets are $20 each. Raffle winners will be drawn during the Chili Open on Saturday, February 1st, at Hale Farm and Village (winner need not be present to win.)
As a bonus, we are offering a chance to win $50,000 in SNOWMANIA!!! Anyone who purchases five (5) raffle tickets ($20 each for a total of $100) will automatically be entered into the Chili Open SNOWMANIA drawing.
Please join me in purchasing tickets today at Chiliopen.net, or call Akron Rotary Camp at (330) 644-4512. Thank you for in advance for helping Rotary Camp to fulfill its mission of Creating a world where there are only abilities!
Sandy Naragon, Chair
Yours in service,
Karen Hrdlicka
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