The Change-Makers: stories that inspire

The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.

Melissa Lasley

We’re a Colorado family of five, and like a lot of families, our journey into business wasn’t something we had perfectly planned it grew out of change, uncertainty, and a desire to build something of our own. For over 20 years, I worked as an engineering technologist in the oil and gas industry. It was stable, structured, and familiar. But after the pandemic, everything shifted. Read more>>

Madeleine Grimm

Our journey started with a big dream—to move to the United States and build something of our own through an E-2 investor visa. Just as everything was falling into place, life surprised us in the best way: I became pregnant. Read more>>

Dr. Michael Bullock

I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, and in May of 1983 married my beautiful wife, Kathy, and moved to Zanesville, Ohio. Eight years later, we founded our church, Hands of Faith, where I have now been the Senior Pastor for almost 35 years. Read more>>

Marvin McCabe

I was working as a manager at a local bar/restaurant. I started cleaning gutters and then pressure washing in 2017 as a side job to my management job. In 2020 I decided to quit being a manager and went full time with Premier House Wash and Gutter Cleaning. We are a husband and wife, small local business owners. Read more>>

Frank Cretella

In 2007 I was looking for a job and stumbled upon an entry level position at a towing company. I spent four years working there moving up the ranks starting out with towing cars to eventually towing semi trucks as well as some minor repair work. Read more>>

Matt Smith

I wrote a children’s book back in 2019 called ‘I Love Blue Macaroons’. In 2022, our daughter began taking lessons at the local theater company that just opened in our small town. About a year later, the owner decided to go back to college, so my wife and I decided to take over the space. Read more>>

Trey Blevins

My sister did theater in high school so when I got there, I did theater too, but I wound up liking it a whole lot more than she did. Read more>>

Thai Tran

“I still remember the first time I held a piece of fabric and turned it into something beautiful. I was only 13 years old. While still in school, I began learning sewing at a small tailor shop, where I spent three years practicing every day. That’s where my passion began. Read more>>

Oona Moorhead

I consider myself a lifelong artist, and I enjoy pretty much every media. During the pandemic I found myself with an abundance of time to myself, and I began to experiment with art and my space, feeling inspired to make decor that I couldn’t find elsewhere.. Read more>>

Noah Abbott

My name is Noah Abbott (age 28) and I work alongside my brother Sam (age 26) as co-owners for Abbott Exterior Power Washing. We both grew up in Lebanon Ohio and know the area well. Read more>>

Gregory Stahl

I retired from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital as The Endowed and Distinguished Paul Allen Professor in the Department of Anesthesia, Perioperative and Pain Medicine in 2017 and we moved to Urbana to be close to my wife’s parents. Read more>>

Nicole & Jessica DeCore & Beckett (2 owners)

Hello I am Nicole DeCore i started a rebounding Fitness studio 12 years ago in hopes to help people decrease impact on the joints while increase their output and achieve optimal functional workouts for all ages and fitness levels. Read more>>

Amanda Hood

Amanda didn’t set out to become a matchmaker—but in many ways, her career feels like a natural extension of who she has always been. Based in Dayton, Ohio, Amanda is the founder and CEO of The Crush Confidential, a nationally recognized relationship curation agency that works with high-caliber, commitment-minded singles. Read more>>

Aaron Kent

We started out as a small, community-focused screen-printing co-op for artists, offering hands-on classes and giving local creatives the opportunity to use our studio to produce their own artwork. In those early days, we were primarily a fine art studio, dedicated to experimentation, collaboration, and supporting artists in bringing their visions to life. Read more>>

Cassie Hochstetler

I’ve worked as a toddler teacher for 2 decades. I was in an accident that left me unable to lift children all day due to restrictions. My husband, Gideon, had offered many times to help me start my own daycare but I never thought of myself as an owner but a teacher. After several years of missing being around kids, I started considering the idea. Read more>>

Jacob Bassitt

The Lima Symphony Orchestra began as a grassroots effort in January 1953, when a small group of dedicated community leaders—John LaRotonda, Ben Schultz, Dom Trovarelli, and Fred Mills—came together with a shared vision of bringing live orchestral music to Lima and the surrounding region. Read more>>

Miranda Schlatter

Maid to Achieve Cleaning Services LLC started in 2022. As a mom of 6 children I just couldn’t keep up. I was trying to find a solution to my problem. I had tried some people who cleaned on their own, and tried cleaning services as well. The reliability just wasn’t there. I also felt it wasn’t a great job done. Read more>>

Jessica Grice

The Auglaize County Fair was created in 1852 and has been around for over 174 years creating fair magic and memories for decades of generations. Our Fair is built on a heavy community and livestock culture where young kids get to experience leadership and opportunities through our supported programs. Read more>>

Danette Martin

Sweetums Signatures was never really part of the plan. In my early twenties, I had a corporate position I enjoyed, but it required constant travel. I hated being away from home and dreamed of one day starting a family. Read more>>

Laura Morgan

For most of my life, I worked in pizza shops as a manager and delivery driver. When COVID hit, I decided to take a chance and learn a new skill. In December 2020, I started working in my dining room and on my front porch, teaching myself through YouTube videos. Read more>>

Cassie Schneider

My photography journey began in the most unexpected, meaningful way—when my husband gifted me my first camera for Christmas all because I loved taking photos. That single gift quietly changed everything and quickly became so much more than I could have ever imagined. I began learning, experimenting, and capturing everything around me, falling in love with the art of storytelling through beautiful imagery. Read more>>

Jaelynn Gordon

I graduated from Northmont High School class of 2016. After graduation, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Wright State University. At the time, my dream was to become an orthopedic surgeon. However, halfway through my master’s program in anatomy, I realized that what I truly wanted was to help people. Read more>>

Ryan & Mackenzie Reed

All In Auto Service began with a dream that had been years in the making. For over 20 years, Ryan worked as an automotive technician, steadily building his skills, reputation, and even collecting tools with the quiet hope that one day those tools would be in a shop of our own. Read more>>

Justin Comandatore

My journey really stems from a drive to build and create, starting from humble beginnings in Aurora, Ohio. I was the first in my family to graduate from college, earning my degree in Electronic Media Production. I always wanted to push my limits, so after graduation, I moved to California. There, I started shooting professional photography for several major companies. Read more>>

Dustin Fatch

I started my business eight years ago with a specific mission: to help companies bridge the gap between their brand and their customers through effective inbound marketing. At the time, I was living in Southern California, but a move to Cleveland for my wife’s Ph.D. in Immunotherapy and Cancer Research gave me a fresh perspective and a new market to serve. Read more>>

Katie Cataldi

I grew up in Dublin, Ohio and was your typical type A, perfectionist kid who was overscheduled and trying to find myself. I originally wanted to be a veterinarian but had a change of heart my senior year and decided I would become a science teacher instead. Read more>>

Allison Custar

Closet TRANSformation Inc. (CTI) was founded in 2019 by two mental health therapists (Allison Custar and Amy Monteith) and lifelong allies of the LGBTQIA+ community. In November 2019, we saw an article on NPR about a transgender clothing exchange in Cincinnati, Ohio and realized that our local community could benefit from a similar service. Read more>>

Tevin Walker

I started The Yellow Company after several years of working and gaining experience following high school. After graduating, I spent about a year working in a factory, where I quickly realized that environment wasn’t a good fit for me. I needed to be active, moving, and engaging with different environments. Read more>>

Aaron Conway

My love for the arts began as a teenager. In high school, I focused on painting and drawing, often experimenting but always drawn to people. At the University of Cincinnati DAAP program, I followed this path for the first couple of years before shifting to three-dimensional art, video, and sound. I explored how different elements could be combined into a single piece. Read more>>

Gabrielle Graham

The foundation of ‘English with GG’ wasn’t built in a classroom; it was built right on the job sites of my father. He was a self-made painter and carpenter who worked tirelessly, sunup to sundown, but always with a smile on his face and a joke ready. Read more>>

Hannah Parsons

I’ve always loved animals, and had a special affinity for the large ones. I’ve always connected well, adapted to their needs, but I didn’t grow up in a situation to allow or support for this kind of business, so I had to be creative. Read more>>

Rachel Terzak

I’ve always loved animals, and had a special affinity for the large ones. I’ve always connected well, adapted to their needs, but I didn’t grow up in a situation to allow or support for this kind of business, so I had to be creative. Read more>>

Jessica Rue

In November 2025, Jessica saw a need within Marysville, OH community to open a high-end mobile laundry business. Knowing she could help provide a service for the busy families in her area. She and her husband Braden did some research, figured out a business plan and spent countless late nights refining the idea. Finally, after lots of hard work and praying “Just Laundry” was created. Read more>>

Dow Cameron

I grew up in Zanesville, Ohio and attended Tri-Valley High School before going on to the University of Mount Union to play football and continue my education. After graduating, my plan—something I had in mind since middle school—was to return home and work in the family business, Dow Cameron Oil & Gas, for the rest of my career. Read more>>

Melissa Wilson

After being on the buying side for 14 years with various marketing and business development vendors, I decided I wanted to offer something different and something fair. Sure, there were plenty of reputable agencies I retained, but there was an overwhelming number of deceptive agencies. So, I left the corporate world and founded The Method Marketing (TMM). Read more>>

Edward Hornacek

I’ve had a wood burning stove in my home for 23 years. One day I was cleaning my own chimney and a neighbor asked of I would clean his. He then told others that I cleaned chimneys and it eventually ecame a side business. Working as a Police Detective, I no longer wanted to work side police jobs. Read more>>

Vita Shields

My name is Vincentia ‘Vita’ Shields. As an emerging poet / songwriter, I consider myself a late bloomer. I’ve begun this journey midlife (over 40) after very traumatic and grief inducing moments that further awakened empathy and creativity in me. Thankfully I found poetry and music as natural mediums for self expression and joy, which kept me grounded during a difficult period of transition. Read more>>

Dr. Dee Cox

The business was started in 2017 in Canal Winchester, OH. A second location was opened in 2020 in Colombus, OH. Both locations are Gold Standard centers and strive to provide quality care to families in our communities. Read more>>

Kristy Lantz

I started working as a Speech Language Pathologist in 2016. My career first started working in a school for students on the autism spectrum, and working with children who had other developmental and neurogenic disorders. This provided a foundation for me to support students who were nonverbal, who had speech sound disorders, language disorders, auditory processing disorders, and pragmatic language disorders. Read more>>

Lisa Cliff

After 20 years in corporate, I simply had enough after the company I worked for was sold to a competitor. I am also an artist and dreamed about making a living selling my fine art. Read more>>

Stephanie El Tawil

I am a child of entrepreneurs which is ironic because I really didn’t see a future in small business development until it was happening in front of me. After working several years in retail, I wanted to acquire my MBA and my brother worked for the University of Southern Indiana and said if you work at the University, the degree is free. Read more>>