Welcome

Welcome to the 2025 Heritage Ohio Annual Conference.

Vendor Reception

Grab a drink and a bite to eat at our evening Vendor Reception. Visit with our vendors and network with fellow professionals from around the state.

Main Street Networking

African-American Resources & The National Register

Join Diamond Crowder, State Historic Preservation Office staff, to learn about underrepresented communities and the National Register. Diamond will discuss the importance of nominating African American sites to the National Register of Historic Places and share new and exciting projects that Diamond has underway. Learn about new National Register nominations addressing race relations and civil rights, African American women, Green Book properties, black churches, and postwar housing subdivisions. In addition, Diamond will engage the audience in ways to build public awareness about nominating African American historic sites to the National Register of Historic Places. Approved for 1.00 LU Credit.

Outdoor Recreation & Experiential Tourism

Two of the hottest trends in tourism are outdoor recreation and experiential tourism. Hear from the Ohio Travel Association's Melinda Huntley on the economic impact of this type of tourism and how your community can take advantage of the trend.

The Single Family Tax Credit Program

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s Single Family Tax Credit program leverages public-private partnerships to increase the inventory of affordable, single-family housing for Ohio’s growing workforce. The program encourages the development of single-family housing opportunities, through either new construction or rehabilitation, by providing a tax credit to encourage investment in the project. Approved for 1.00 LU Credit.

Nature as Living History

Has your historical site thought about its outdoors as an extension of the collections? Maybe your organization has a historically significant tree planted by the founder or by staff in honor of an institutional milestone. Or, you may want to mark an anniversary by planting a tree or garden but no one on staff has a horticulture background. Participants will learn more about arboreta and how they act as a tree museum that provides beauty, education and plant knowledge including: * The value in accessioning and conserving the surrounding environment * How to plant for longevity with horticulture recommendations * The relationship between plants and historic buildings * Significant trees and propagating them for your collection Approved for 1.00 LU Credit.

How Non-Profits Can Utilize Tax Credits

Join Chad Arfons & Tim Keith to learn how non-profits can utilize tax credits on historic rehabilitation projects.

Tour: Newark Arcade: Industry Professionals Tour

Tour the historic Newark Arcade weeks before its grand opening! This tour will also explore the scope of the project, its financing, and challenges encountered during the rehabilitation of the building. This tour is designed for industry professionals, but anyone is welcome to attend. This session has been approved for 1.00 AIA HSW credits. TICKET REQUIRED. This tour is sponsored by OHM Advisors and the Huseman Group.

Symbolism in Cemeteries

Join Krista Horrocks of the State Historic Preservation Office (and the Ohio History Connection’s resident cemetery expert) to learn the language of gravestones. Ever wonder what the mysterious symbols on old gravestones mean? Krista will help us decipher them and give us a window into historical ideas about death and the afterlife. Approved for 1.00 LU Credit.

Corporate Site Selection & Quality of Place

For many companies choosing where to locate a facility, the cost of doing business and economic development incentives at a site are only part of the equation. With the challenge of recruiting a high-quality workforce, many corporate site location projects also measure the quality of place of a region. Regions with affordable housing, vibrant downtowns, walkable communities, parks, and green space are attractive to a wide range of the workforce of the future. The Montrose Group has created a Quality of Place index that can be part of their corporate site location process. Regions such as Newark, Ohio are working to address their quality of place through a redevelopment of their Downtown with the historic Newark Arcade at the center of that effort. Leaders from the Montrose Group will provide an outline of how their Quality of Place index works and Newark Development Partners will provide an overview of the vision and public and private sector funding that has turned that vision into a reality at the Newark Arcade during their panel presentation at the Heritage Ohio Annual Conference. Approved for 1.00 LU Credit.

“Pay Me Now or Pay Me ‘much more’ Later”: Helpful Hints for Maintaining Historic Buildings

We’ve all heard the term and have faced the issue of “demolition by neglect” in our communities. As structures age, building materials begin to fail. Mortar crumbles, paint coatings fail and leaks develop in roofs. In fact, ALL building materials have a life span, but in some cases that life span can be extended with proper maintenance or unfortunately fail prematurely with lack of or improper maintenance. This session will focus on some typical problems faced by commercial buildings in a downtown setting focusing on why some of these common problems happen and offer some telltale signs that should alert building owners of impending severe problems. Approved for 1.00 AIA HSW Credit.

Revitalizing Your Community When No Developer is on the Way

Stop waiting on a developer to save your community! They may never come. But what can you do? Learn what the community of Ottawa did to start their downtown revitalization process locally and see the results of their hard work. Approved for 1.00 LU Credit.

Tour: Downtown Newark Tour

Join Nathalie Wright & Jeff Gill for a tour of downtown Newark that spans the centuries. Approved for 2.25 LU Credit. This tour is sponsored by OHM Advisors and the Huseman Group. TICKET REQUIRED. This tour is sponsored by OHM Advisors and the Huseman Group.

Tour: Dawes Arboretum

Tour the historic Dawes Arboretum during peak fall color season! The arboretum has everything from historic sites, 2,000 acres of parkland to explore, and offers a unique experience of Ohio's history. Each ticket holder will be permitted to tour the grounds at their leisure following the wagon tour. Self-transport to arboretum. TICKET REQUIRED. Approved for 2.00 LU Credit. This tour is sponsored by OHM Advisors and the Huseman Group.

Workshop: Surveying Home & Workplaces: Conducting a Community Survey Using the Ohio Historic Inventory

Learn tips for conducting survey of residential neighborhoods and downtown commercial districts. After an introduction to the Ohio Historic Inventory, attendees will venture out into downtown Newark and will practice surveying and documenting historic buildings in the central business district. Approved for 2.00 LU Credit.

Utilizing Substitute Materials in Historic Preservation Projects

Substitute materials are being utilized more in historic rehab projects, but how do you decide when it is appropriate to use them in your project? Architect Sanyog Rathod will share some of the industry's best practices for selecting and using substitute materials in projects.

Pick Your Plan

Have you ever been confused by all the different kinds of planning documents out there? Ever looked on your shelf and wondered why you have so many plans? Do you know you need help, but have trouble navigating acronyms and professional jargon? Ever wish you could just talk with someone about what you need without feeling like you’re being upsold? Join us for this session where we’ll review different kind of planning documents, help you understand why each is important, what it does (and does not) do for you, and how you can get the most out of your planning experience.

The Shifting Landscape of Advocacy in Ohio

Republican Gene Krebs and Democrat Sean Logan, both former Ohio House members, discuss the shifting landscape of policy advocacy in Ohio, the forces involved and how to best approach your local elected officials, using the time-tested techniques plus new approaches. With decades of experience and hard knocks, these two friends discuss how to advocate, and then open up the floor to listen to the problems advocates are encountering in their communities, and offer expert opinions.

Getting Your Community from "Eww" to "Ooo"

Even been to a place that instantly made you say, "Eww"? All of us have. But how do you begin to transform a community that its own residents say that? Mayor Jeff Hall will discuss how he engaged the public to change their perception of Newark's downtown and guided community investments that made residents stop saying "Eww" and started them saying "Ooo" with each new project in the downtown. Approved for 1.00 LU Credit.