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There are three to be inducted in North Central Ohio Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame this spring. The 13th annual North Central Ohio Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame will take place Friday, April 24, at the Ralph Phillips Conference Center at the Kehoe Center in Shelby. Nominated to the class of 2015 and inducted to the Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame will be (posthumously) C. John “Jack” Hire, II, founder of Hi-Stat Manufacturing Company, Lexington; (posthumously) David F. Cole, co-founder, owner/operator, Cole Tool & Die Company, Mansfield ; and, Eric “Rick” Geyer, president and chief executive officer of Geyer’s Markets Inc., Crestline/Galion.

The annual event raises funds for scholarships for enterprising students attending North Central State College and who have interest in pursuing their own entrepreneurial goals. North Central State College’s entrepreneurial education and scholarship program uses the community as a classroom for the development of career-enhancing business partnerships, on-the-job learning opportunities, and collaborations with other colleges and universities. The goal of the program is to produce graduates and certificate completers with unique business skills and retain them for north central Ohio.

The event is hosted by the North Central State College Foundation. Sponsoring the 2015 hall of fame evening are Cleveland Financial Group – Chuck Hahn, The Russell & Mary Gimbel Foundation, The Gorman Rupp Company, Jay Industries, Milliron Industries, PR Machine Works, Phillips Manufacturing/Shelby Welded Tube, PR Machine Works, Richland Bank, and Taylor Metal Products. A $50 per person donation is requested for the gala event. For information about the 2015 Hall of Fame event or to make reservations please contact Gale Wagner, North Central State College Foundation, 419-755-4785.

About North Central State College
North Central State is a community college that serves more than 4,000 students on its Mansfield campus and Shelby training facility as well as via training and distance learning sites throughout north central Ohio. The College is preparing this area’s work force by offering 28 associate degree majors and 40 certificate programs of study, including comprehensive technical education in health sciences, general studies, public service, business, engineering technology, and corporate/community services. North Central State College offers the associate of arts and associate of science degrees, paving the way for easier credit transfer to colleges and universities.

About North Central State College Foundation
North Central State College Foundation, a non-profit corporation, provides resource development for College program initiatives, facilities projects, and student aid and scholarships. The College Foundation supports such education initiatives as smart classroom technologies, entrepreneurial student small business incubating, and a special student aid program, all being utilized on the main campus, the Kehoe Center, as well as the downtown Urban Higher Education Center.