By Lindsey Rowland
lrowland@wbcowqel.com
For the past twenty years, Deb Pinion has stood as both the director of the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce and a proud figurehead of the community. This week, Pinion celebrated exactly two decades of commitment to Bucyrus, and to look around her office on West Rennsselaer Street is to see the fruits of her 20 years in service to the community decorating the walls.
Pinion was locally born and bred, saying that her childhood was full of wonderful memories of small town life and how people cared about and took care of each other. She also stated that the beginning source of her passion was from a close relationship with her father, who was extremely active on the Nevada Village Council and was consistently concerned with how to make his community a better place for the people that called it home.
“I grew up loving this area and knowing what it could be, Pinion says, “We’ve come a long way in the last twenty plus years, so it’s a great place to be.”
And so, from deeply rooted beginnings, Pinion applied for the position of director. While being interviewed for the position, she was asked what she would like to do in Bucyrus. Pinion simply responded that she wanted to take a community that’s already put together and put it together even more. Over the years, Pinion has lovingly filled her position, carrying out duties that are different every day, with endeavors that range from American Pickers, an antique collection show on the History Channel, calling to check out the town, to interacting with the Governor’s office to share with the state about the beauty of her home.
“There’s always a project, always something fun,” Pinion muses. “It’s a really fun job.”
When asked what she sees looking forward, Pinion raves about the wonderful entrepreneurial ventures that have been taking place around the community. In her opinion, it’s important to engage the great group of young people that call Bucyrus home, and she has done everything in her power to make sure that her board is made up of some of the young energy that pumps the community’s life blood and is excited for where they will steer the future.
On the flip side, when Pinion reminisces about what she is most proud of, her mind immediately goes to the work that she put into getting the Bucyrus’ murals installed. It all began when she sat down with a group of community members and asked what they would like to see in their downtown. The consensus came to a desire for a gathering point, an attraction to bring visitors to the town, and something that would be a representation of all Bucyrus has to offer. After much research and a lot of planning, the Great American Crossroads mural was born. But Pinion is the first to admit she didn’t do it alone, citing the help of community members all across Bucyrus who stepped up and donated to make sure it happened. In this, Pinion believes, the mural belongs to everyone.
Pinion’s piece of advice to anyone who wants to enjoy Bucyrus, from within or without, is this: “Take your time and look at a piece of Americana.” Pinion goes on to cite, with a smile, some of the treasures that Bucyrus boasts, including the D. Picking Company and the many farms that frame the city.
“These are things that only small town American can offer you, so you’ve got to take your time and look at things . . . pull over, get out of your car, talk to people, taste our food, eat our brats, look at our murals, and then branch out and see all the other things there are to see.”
And to the people who call Bucyrus home, Pinion sends forth the reminder that the town is on a lot of different radars, that Bucyrus is always being looked at, and so one might never know to whom one is talking.
Pinion finishes by speaking the statement that has come to define her career and her passions, “Show your enthusiasm for the community”.
Pinion plans on sticking around for another 18 to 24 months before retiring. In the meantime, it is her hope to both train a successor and begin to move toward a county wide Chamber of Commerce.