In retirement Bill Franz bought a camera, learned how to use it, and became a volunteer photographer. He has done photo projects for the Humane Society of Greater Dayton and for almost two dozen other local organizations.
In 2013 Bill started a project of his own – photographing people at work. Since then he has photographed hundreds of workers, from butchers and bakers and candy makers to clowns and sculptors and fire eaters. The photos have appeared in solo and group art exhibitions and also in less traditional venues such as hospitals, retail stores, nature centers and breweries. They have been seen by hundreds of thousands of people. Profits from photo sales go to Dayton area nonprofits.
A native Daytonian with 40 years of experience in retail management currently working in real estate. Brian has covered dining, the arts, Dayton history and human interest stories over the last 10 years. Brian actively volunteers with local non-profits and enjoys all that Dayton and the Miami Valley has to offer.
Bryan Suddith is a storyteller and foodie raised in Southwest Ohio. He has been known to drive 180 miles round trip for lunch.
After living in Kentucky, Baton Rouge, and Florida, he returned to the Miami Valley to raise his two sons. Bryan is the producer of Story Slam Dayton and is a Certified Competition BBQ Judge and active member of the Kansas City BBQ Society. Bryan enjoys a good burger, bbq, bourbon, long nights on patios with friends telling stories, and sharing food.
The Dive Diner Divas are a group of retired ladies who love to lunch around town and share their adventures with others.
The Great Miami Riverway includes more than 99 miles of river, paved trails and connected communities in southwest Ohio where you can surf the river, cycle the bike trail, and find your way through historic downtowns.
"Greg Simms Jr. is a Dayton based veteran writer/creative who's published articles in The Dayton Daily News, Ebony Magazine, YourTango, and The Good Men Project.com. Greg is happily married, wonders why his dog never gets off the couch."
Jonathan McNeal, a graduate of Wright State's Motion Picture Production program, has been managing THE NEON in downtown Dayton since the Fall of 2001. Having grown up in a small town in northeast Ohio, the idea of an independent movie theater that showed hard-to-find films seemed like something that could only be found in a major metropolis. Upon moving to Dayton in the early 1990's, finding THE NEON was a was like finding a new home.
McNeal's film work includes the documentary of Dayton's beloved drag troupe - THE RUBI GIRLS. The doc premiered in San Francisco in 2003 and played across the country and as far away as Australia. The film continues to be played at night clubs and on college campuses as an educational and outreach tool.
McNeal himself has been a part of the performance troupe since 1997.
Co-owner of Square One Salon and Spa, founding member of The Rubi Girls and a retired school teacher, Joshua is often seen at all the happening places in Dayton.
Independent Writer & Editor @ Dayton937 • Events @ Venus Child Productions and The Brightside Music & Event Venue • Art Agent @ IlloZoo • Proud Daytonian!
Lisa Grigsby is a Special Events Director with over thirty years experience in promotions, event coordination and public relations.
Owning Jokers Comedy Cafe for 20 years taught Lisa to maintain a sense of humor under pressure. She credits Leadership Dayton for exposing her to the amazing assets of the region and Clothes That Work for being her reason she stayed in Dayton. Her proudest accomplishment as a past president of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association was creating Restaurant Week, a twice a year tradition that continues to grow and benefit local charities as well. As a foodie, it's only natural that she continues to promote local restaurateurs with DaytonDining.
As a Dayton Catalyst, her desire to have ONE community calendar and advocate for the amazing assets of the region helped create the vision for the relaunch of DaytonMostMetro, now Dayton 937.com
Tabari McCoy recorded his first comedy album in his basement when he was either 10 or 11 years of age. But it was terrible – and like the item central to the plot of Indiana Jones and The Lost Ark – it was filed away, never to be heard again.
An award-winning journalist, Tabari continues his writing pursuits today – most prominently at McCoy On Movies, his online movie blog Now with his debut album Laughing With a Panther (Rooftop Comedy) in stores and his national TV debut on Fox's Laughs under his belt, his future on stage is looking bigger and brighter ... Or that's at least what he tells all the financial institutions to whom he owes money.
But no matter what he says, he does it with one simple goal in mind: Making people laugh – and hoping he doesn’t anger his family or God in the process.
