This summer, about 10 employees from his company installed 398 1,500-watt fixtures and 24 LED fixtures on top of the stadium over a two-month period, Smythe told me.
The company, which does residential and large commercial projects, installed more than 32 miles of ‘fixture wiring’ from ballast enclosures and four miles of overhead conduit for the lighting.
The company must have done too good of a job on the lights, because it didn’t look like Virginia Tech players had any trouble seeing the ball in the Buckeyes’ only loss this year during a night game in the ‘Shoe.
A better community
Clay and Mary Mathile were honored last week by the President’s Club of Dayton with the Citizen Legion of Honor award, the oldest honor given to volunteer-leaders in the region.
Clay Mathile is known for selling local pet foods producer Iams Co. to Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble in 1999 for $2.3 billion, making him the region’s sole billionaire. But it’s what the couple has given back to the community that makes them even more recognizable. The couple has given back millions of dollars in charitable work and philanthropic giving to the Dayton-area community.
Some may ask, “How is possible it took this long to honor this very giving family?”
I point to two things.
First, anyone who knows the couple knows they probably turned down many offers to be recognized. In spite of their wealth and generosity in the community, the couple is very humble and does not like to be in the spotlight.
Secondly, the Mathiles are the 64th recipients, continuing a tradition that started in 1951. If you look at the list of honorees, it’s hard to see where you would have replaced any of the great leaders in this community that have been honored.
Some of the most recent honorees are Ronald Budzik, Marvin Olinsky and Judge Walter Rice.
After accepting the award, Clay and Mary both thanked the people they have worked with in their careers and personal lives. Again, not wanting to be in the spotlight, Mary said, “No one can accomplish what we have been able to without the help of others.”
Losing hurts
Those pulling out of the stock market last week after three straight days of losses weren’t expecting the “good” jobs report on Friday. The better-than-expected report, which showed U.S. employers added 248,000 jobs in September and helped drive down the unemployment rate to 5.9 percent, the lowest since July 2008, appears poised to drive the market back up from its losses.
My favorite quote from the week was Scott Couto, president of Fidelity Financial Advisor Solutions, who explained to Reuters News Service why investors are pulling out and being skittish.
“Losing hurts worse than winning feels good,” Couto said about investors who still remember the losses from the dramatic drop in 2008.
Have a business tip or insider information? Give me a call at (937) 225-0623 or email me at rich.gillette@coxinc.com
Rich Gillette is the Dayton Daily News business editor. Follow him on Twitter @richgillette
About the Author