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Friends of Michael and Anita Emoff will be pleased to hear they’re still in the game.
The couple sold Shumsky Therapeutic Pillows in 2020 to a hospital supply company, just before COVID hit domestically. “It was unbelievable timing,” Michael Emoff told me.
That freed them to look anew at their main businesses, Shumsky and Boost Engagement. At one time, Shumsky represented the promotions side and Boost Engagement the human resources side.
But with a new focus, the business has added more than 300 accounts nationally in the past two years, of which only 20 or so are in the Dayton region.
That spurred a re-branding that’s the subject of our first story. “Let’s put the business together and have it make sense,” Emoff said, summarizing their thinking.
Now, it’s simply Boost Engagement. Older names like “Boost Rewards” or “Boost Technologies” are also gone.
Bottom line, he and his wife Anita have no plans to step away.
“We’re totally engaged in the business and don’t have any plans for moving,” Michael said.
Storied Shumsky unites with Boost Engagement in family-owned business rebranding
Credit: Chris Stewart
Credit: Chris Stewart
Boost Engagement and Shumsky (a Dayton business since the early 1950s) have operated as separate brands for the past 20 years. They are now a single brand.
A new era: “We see this as an exciting opportunity to build on our strengths, embrace change and continue to thrive in the employee engagement and brand awareness spaces,” Chairman Anita Emoff said.
Wawa is coming to Huber Heights
People seem to love these gas stations that are also convenience stores that are also places to grab a quick bite to eat.
Earlier this month, Huber Heights planning commission voted to approve a rezoning request and basic development plan to build a Wawa convenience store at the corner of Old Troy Pike and Chambersburg Road, reporter Aimee Hancock tells us.
Fuel up: Pennsylvania-based Wawa is planning to expand to Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. So are Sheetz, Casey’s General Stores and others.
Xenia bakery plans to close, gift shop to expand
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Xenia business owner Becky Hawkes has announced she will close FLOUR Bake Shop at East Main and South Detroit streets, busy food and dining reporter Natalie Jones tells us.
But Hawkes plans to expand her gift shop next door.
Sweet plans: Hawkes said she will offer a few specialty sweet items as part of the expansion.
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO predicts ‘plenty of value to be unlocked in the near future’
What’s good for the automotive industry is good for Cleveland-Cliffs, a steel producer and one of the Middletown’s biggest employers.
Lourenco Goncalves, chairman, president and CEO of Cliffs, said a strong second quarter profit of $356 million was “a direct result of another record in automotive shipments.”
Best shipment year: The company saw steel shipments of 4.2 million net tons. Goncalves said the business is on pace for its best shipment year since becoming a steel company.
Partially autonomous trucks will soon be tested on I-70
The Ohio and Indiana departments of Transportation have agreed to test partially autonomous semi-trucks, with a human passenger/driver who can take control, on a 166-mile stretch of Interstate 70.
Testing could begin as early as October.
Driven by safety: Breanna Badanes, managing director of communication and policy for DriveOhio, told me she wanted to be “clear that this project is driven by safety. This technology has the potential to maximize safe operation and reduce the likelihood of collisions.”
Quick hits
July restaurant news: We have plenty of that.
And food festival news? Glad you asked. The 36th annual food festival The Taste is returning to Kettering Sunday to celebrate local Dayton-area eateries. The Taste will be 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Fraze Pavilion.
Update on David’s Bridal plans: The bridal and special occasion business said this week it has closed its transaction with CION Investment Corp. for the sale of most of its assets. That means David’s Bridal will continue operations at up to 195 stores, preserving 7,000 jobs nationwide.
Back to school: This is handy — a list of local public, private and charter schools who had links to needed school supplies.
‘Let Congress go to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base:’ Florida congressman wants a tour of Wright-Patt — a base that often hosts members of Congress.
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