In partnership with
TGIF.
This past week I took part in a random dinner experiment. You throw your hat in the ring for a seat at the table, get paired with five other professionals you have never met, and find out the restaurant the day of. No agenda. No name tags. Just conversation. Credit where it is due, the concept was sharp and the discussion even better.
At some point between appetizers and whatever glass of red everyone agreed on, a familiar theme surfaced. Toledo feels like it is on the cusp of something. There is optimism. There is pride. There is momentum. But there is also a lingering question of why that next chapter has not fully arrived yet. It is a conversation I have had before, especially with people who, like me, did not grow up here.
What is interesting is the contrast. Transplants tend to see Toledo clearly, the culture, the grit, the affordability, the people, and want to lean into it, not reinvent it. Meanwhile, longtime locals often push for more, sometimes chasing versions of Toledo that look suspiciously like somewhere else. That tension, between embracing what is and forcing what is not, is worth unpacking.
Which brings us to this week’s Toledo Money. Let’s talk about where Toledo actually stands, what is working, what is misunderstood, and what it will realistically take to turn potential into progress.
👨🏼 This Week’s Shoutout: Randy Oostra-former President & CEO of ProMedica Health System. Randy continues to make a major impact across NW Ohio. Today, he’s the CEO of Junction Brain Health and Managing Partner at BlueprintN1, pushing innovation and community health forward. Thank you, Randy, for your lasting impact on our region and for being a reader of Toledo Money. We appreciate you.
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Local Stock Market | 📈
Owens Corning | $OC ( ▲ 2.58% )
Dana Incorporated | $DAN ( ▲ 2.81% )
The Andersons | $ANDE ( ▼ 0.58% )
Owens Illinois | $OI ( ▲ 0.07% )
Welltower Inc. | $WELL ( ▼ 2.1% )
Marathon Petroleum Corporation | $MPC ( ▼ 1.63% )
First Solar | $FSLR ( ▲ 1.96% )
🏘️ The Home Concierge Idea That Caught NW Ohio’s Attention
Last week, we introduced a new sponsor inside our Toledo Money newsletter:Chief of Residence — a low-cost monthly subscription that gives homeowners access to a professional, on-demand home manager.
It’s built for busy professionals, frequent travelers, and anyone who wants the peace of mind that comes with having a trusted point-person for their home.
Here’s how it works:
You send an inquiry → you have a consultation → you choose a monthly plan → and from there, you have a Chief of Residence you can text any time. They take care of the coordination — scheduling the right contractor, handling the back-and-forth, managing recurring maintenance, and responding to one-off issues.
And importantly: you still pay the contractor directly. No retail markup. No hidden fees.
We expected interest. What we didn’t expect was the response they received.
Over the last few days, more than 100 homeowners visited their early information page, and several reached out directly wanting details on pricing, service areas, and whether the company truly plans to launch in the Toledo region.
The founder told us the idea is simple:
Homeownership has become too complex for busy professionals. People want the stability of owning with the convenience of renting. And based on the early traction, they may be onto something.
Homeowners asked about:
Seasonal maintenance (gutters, HVAC, lawn care)
Finding vetted contractors
Getting quotes without the runaround
Emergency repair help
Avoiding the classic “six calls and three no-shows” headache
This week, the Chief of Residence team returned with an update and a next step.
They plan to open roughly 50 early pilot spots on top of their already 27 managed homes to gauge true demand in NW Ohio.
If you’re interested in learning more or potentially grabbing one of those early spots, drop your email here. No commitments just info and first access. This week, the Chief of Residence team came back for more. If you’re interested in filling one of their ~50 open spots.
Is Northwest Ohio Watching Another Public Company Take Shape?
Leaf Home made a quiet but meaningful move recently, acquiring Erie Home and forming a national home services platform with serious scale. At face value, it’s consolidation. Look closer, and it starts to resemble positioning.
The combined company spans roofing, gutters, basement waterproofing, water systems, and adjacent home services across nearly the entire country. Erie Home brings deep Midwest roots and operational credibility, while Leaf brings platform ambition and capital.
What matters most is leadership continuity. Jenilee Common remains CEO of the combined business. Common, a former Owens Corning leader, is a proven operator with experience scaling complex, service-heavy businesses. Keeping her in the seat signals long-term intent, not a short-term flip.
Then there’s the finance function. Leaf hired Scarlett O’Sullivan as CFO. She previously helped take Rent the Runway public and has firsthand experience building public-company controls, reporting rigor, and investor narratives. That’s not a résumé you hire accidentally.
Private equity owner Gridiron Capital hasn’t historically taken companies public, but Leaf increasingly looks like a business being run as if it could be. Whether that leads to an IPO or simply a higher-quality exit remains to be seen. Either way, this is a meaningful story with Northwest Ohio fingerprints on it.
This one’s worth watching.
Erie Homes By the Numbers
48 U.S. states plus Canada served
300+ field offices nationwide
3,100 sales consultants
2,400 licensed installers
$609M estimated 2024 revenue at Erie Home alone
💵 Money Snacks
Here are a few headlines we are snacking on
Keep an eye on the aviation giant just down the road in Columbus. With recent shake-ups at Berkshire Hathaway, NetJets president and northwest Ohio native Patrick Gallagher may be in line for an even bigger role. NetJets just announced a major upgrade: 600 of its aircraft will be equipped with Starlink by the end of 2026, bringing high-speed, LEO-powered Wi-Fi to passengers across the U.S. and Europe. That means streaming, video calls, and true work-from-air capability…plus, NetJets remains a frequent flyer into Toledo’s own KTOL airport.
Just an hour north, Detroit’s own Ford is making moves, but the impact won’t be felt here anytime soon. In a bid to regain ground in Europe, Ford is teaming up with France’s Renault to launch small, affordable EVs starting in 2028. It’s a strategic response to a tough reality: Ford’s European market share has been cut in half over the last decade while Chinese automakers surge ahead. With job cuts looming and competition heating up, Ford hopes Renault’s compact EV engineering—paired with its own design and driving DNA, will help it fight back, including potential collaboration on commercial vans, its European strong suit.
The Lights Before Christmas at the Toledo Zoo remain one of the city’s most beloved traditions, I take my boys every year to kick off the season. While exact attendance numbers are tough to nail down (Toledo Zoo employees, our inbox is open), a conservative estimate puts yearly turnout north of 50,000 visitors. And with non-member tickets averaging around $31, that’s over $1.5 million in ticket revenue alone. Not a bad way to keep the lights shining a little brighter each holiday season.
Everyday Carry?
What do you carry to work or meetings?
📬 Forward Thinking
We’re not just building a newsletter—we’re building a clubhouse for ambitious professionals who care about Toledo’s economic future (and their own place in it).
If you know a colleague, peer, or friend who should be part of this circle, pass this along. The more sharp minds we bring to the table, the stronger our region grows.