On March 20, Youngstown CityScape honored Richard Mills and the Ohio One Corporation at the 2019 Grass Roots Gala held at the Stambaugh DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Youngstown.
Since 2010, Youngstown CityScape has awarded the Sweet “Grass Roots Award” to an individual or group who has made significant personal and professional commitment to the organization’s mission of revitalizing downtown Youngstown.
Ohio One and its Founder
The Founder of Ohio One Corporation, Richard E. Mills (1930-1990), was a man who possessed a remarkable combination of energy, passion, and vision, as well as an unmatched devotion to Youngstown, his beloved city. While he was still the president of Fullerton Transfer & Storage, Mr. Mills, Sr. employed those strengths as he began changing the skyline of downtown Youngstown by constructing new office space and renovating older structures and historic buildings to meet the increasing demand for distinctive office environments by the professional community.
Ohio One was founded by Richard and became an Ohio corporation on December 8, 1975. Mr. Mills formed the corporation for the general purpose of commercial real estate development focused in downtown Youngstown. Since its inception, and to this day, the company is family-owned and operated.
Ohio One Corporation currently handles five commercial properties downtown: the Ohio One Building (Est. 1930), City Centre One (Est. 1973), the Commerce Building (Est.1917), the IBM Building (Est. 1979), the RICA building (Est. 1981) and the IBM Building Lima (Est.1981).
For the past 46 years, Ohio One Corporation has provided a stable, constant team, managing and administering leases, maintaining buildings, and providing security and housekeeping for the Mills’ family-owned and/or operated buildings in downtown Youngstown. Tenants find a “home” in Ohio One properties, where the average occupancy is 90% and many tenants have been in place since 1975!
And it isn’t just tenants who have found commercial accommodation with this special company: Ohio One’s ten-person staff has over 325 combined years of experience serving Ohio One’s commercial and business tenants.
Despite Mr. Mills’ amazing accomplishments as a builder, one of his best-known possessions was his unique office conference table – a large, round marble table that was acquired from one of the transfer and storage company’s customers – General Fireproofing. When he moved his offices into the newly constructed City Centre One Building in 1973, the beautiful marble table came along.
The leases that were signed, the deals finalized, and the friendships shared at that table are legendary, with virtually anyone who did business downtown sharing a beverage at one time or another while seated around what was simply referred to as “Mr. Mills’ marble table.”
Today that beautiful table is set in the floor of the atrium of the Commerce Building where you can now view a large diamond pattern surrounding the table symbolizing his wife, Carole, and four small diamonds representing each of his four children.
Since 1990, his son, and our honoree, Richard E. Mills, and daughter, Kathy, have navigated the Ohio One Corporation as its President and Secretary/Treasurer, continuing Richard Mills’ legacy and commitment to downtown.
Congratulations to Richard Mills and the Ohio One family!
Media:
CityScape Honors Mills Family, Ohio One Corp. (Business Journal)
Champion of Downtown Honored by CityScape (Vindicator)