The blood center first opened on Sept. 14, 1964 in Dayton’s Fidelity Medical Building with four employees and six donors, and the center’s first blood donor was Barbara Bartley of Dayton. Founders Dr. Ludolph H. van der Hoeven of Good Samaritan Hospital and Dr. James W. Funkhouser of Miami Valley Hospital were the original medical directors of the blood center.
“Today, we get to share with you what we’ve been working on for more than two and a half years,” said Paul Lehner, director of marketing at Solvita. “Developing a new organizational identity is a challenge and a responsibility that we did not take lightly, respecting our history that came before us while embracing the possibilities of the future.”
The rebranding aims to signify the center’s national and global reaches, touching all 50 states and 48 countries. There is only one other facility like them in the U.S. that is both a blood and tissue center.
“Our role is to take life further,” Graham said. “We are dedicated to helping our donors make a lasting impact on the world. We act as the link between generous donors and patients in need.”
The rebranding is not impacting their staffing, and they currently have 1,275 employees. The staffs have grown by 10% to 15%, Graham said.
The Solvita sun logo is replacing the former silhouette corporate logo and the blood drop CBC logo. The Solvita name and logo will be accompanied by the tag line “From One to Many,” meant to demonstrate how one person’s donation can impact a number of lives.
The blood center opened the Dayton Regional Tissue Bank in 1986, with Diane Wilson becoming the first director in 1988. They later become a donor center for the National Marrow Donor Program in 1991. The Dayton Regional Tissue Bank then became Community Tissue Services in 1994, acquiring a tissue bank in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1994 and then acquiring tissue banks in Portland, Ore. and Fresno, Cali. in 1996.
Solvita has locations at 349 S Main St. in Dayton and at 2900 College Drive in Kettering.
A local blood donor, as well as a blood and tissue recipient, recognized how the center has helped them, whether it was through helping them achieve their goals or improve their lives.
Theo Hale was 19 when he became the youngest inductee in the National Donation Hall of Fame. He graduated from Wright State University in 2022, and at age 22, he became the center’s youngest blood donor to achieve 100 lifetime donations.
“I believe in the power of perseverance,” Hale said. Hale tried more than a dozen times to donate before he could make his first blood donation at 16 years old, and he has since made 123 donations. Hale hopes one day to reach 1,000 lifetime donations.
Jason Schechterle, a blood and tissue recipient, was a police officer in Phoenix responding to an emergency call on March 26, 2001 when his patrol car was struck from behind by a speeding taxi and caught fire. He survived, going through more than 50 surgeries, multiple blood transfusions, and skin transplants to repair the damage from his burns and injuries.
Schechterle credited first responders and his doctors getting him to where he needed to be, which was one of the center’s blood and tissue recipients.
“That is what ultimately saved my life,” Schechterle said.
Schechterle was able to return home, having a third child with his wife after the accident, and returning to the police department 18 months after the accident. He trained to be detective and later retired in 2006. He has also been on the Solvita Board of Directors since 2017.
“I live my life by one motto, don’t let the pain of today blind you from the promise of tomorrow, and it all starts right in this building. Solvita has done amazing things for so many years, and it’s only going to continue,” Schechterle said.
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