Latest news with #BillJohnson
Axios
23-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Mesa gives historic neon signs a new life
Neon signs from downtown Mesa's past are getting a new lease on life. Why it matters: Historic preservation advocates have spent more than a decade saving iconic Main Street signs from the wrecking ball. Now, they'll be showcased. State of play: The city of Mesa and Mesa Preservation Foundation opened its Neon Garden last week behind The Post building downtown. Zoom in: The garden features five restored signs from the 1940s-1970s and one replica: Bill Johnson's Big Apple: The towering western-themed sign was a focal point in downtown from 1977 to 2018. Watson's Flowers: This 30-foot sign from the '50s collapsed during a windstorm in 2014 and was donated to the Mesa Preservation Foundation in 2019. Dairy Queen: A porcelain ice cream cone is the centerpiece of this sign, which sat atop the old-school Dairy Queen near the Mesa Mormon Temple until its 2018 closure. Smiley Ford: The sign is believed to have been installed around 1960, when the city's first Ford dealership relocated to Main Street and Mesa Drive. Frontier Motel: The sign marked one of the nearly 60 motels that dotted Main Street in the '50s. Diving Lady replica: The animated "diving lady" sign still standing outside the Starlite Motel was nearly destroyed during a 2010 microburst. The community rallied to raise funds to restore it, and it was relit in 2013. It marked the beginning of the Mesa Preservation Foundation's quest to save neon signs, so the city commissioned a smaller replica version to display in the Neon Garden. What's next: The Mesa Preservation Foundation has salvaged 15 other signs still in need of restoration, president Vic Linoff told The Arizona Republic.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cafaro Foundation donates millions toward YSU Kilcawley Center renovation
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — The Cafaro Foundation has jumped to the top of a growing donor list Thursday with a $3 million donation to the Kilcawley Centered on the Future campaign. Kilcawley Center closed Monday, just after graduation weekend, for the start of renovations, which are expected to take more than two years to complete. Some updates include a new black-box theater, a revamped Chestnut Room for large gatherings, flexible meeting rooms, a new dining area, and indoor and outdoor areas. The project is anticipated to come with a $50 million price tag, covered by loans and aided by donations that keep coming. This donation puts the Cafaro family into YSU's highest notable giving society, the Penguin Pinnacle, which accounts for contributions to the university from donors of $5 million or greater. 'We are thankful and deeply grateful for the Cafaro family's continued support of our university,' said YSU President Bill Johnson. 'This gift reflects their dedication to YSU's student community and further acknowledges their belief in the critical role YSU plays in the social, cultural, and economic vitality of our region.' The Cafaros' support for YSU dates to the 1960s. William M. Cafaro was a key advocate for Youngstown University becoming a state public university in 1968. He also was one of the founders and one of the first board members of the YSU Foundation. Other significant contributors include former university president Jim Tressel and his wife Ellen, alumnus Dr. George Young, The Hynes Finnegan Foundations, Board of Trustees member Joe Kerola and his wife Pam, The John S. and Doris M. Andrews Memorial Fund, and more. YSU's website includes a breakdown of the project, a timeline of what will be closed when and where offices have been relocated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Youngstown State partners with Warren-based food company
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Youngstown State and AVI Fresh are celebrating a new partnership. There was a ribbon-cutting Monday morning in the Cushwa Cafe in Cushwa Hall on campus. AVI Fresh has taken over all campus culinary and hospitality services. University President Bill Johnson says AVI has been YSU's concessions provider for years and this closer partnership with the Warren-based company has been a long time coming. 'I know how widespread their presence is across the country. I've heard, I've checked the references, I know people that have experienced their dining facilities, so YSU is in for a real treat,' Johnson said. This contract between YSU and AVI Fresh is for 15 years. Katherine Simon contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Emirates Woman
25-04-2025
- Business
- Emirates Woman
An interview with the founder of Dubai's gourmet pizzeria
This week, we speak to Michele Johnson, the Founder of Pitfire Pizza, a Dubai-based pizzeria known for its experimental flavours. Welcome to the Emirates Woman weekly series 'How I got my job as…' where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen both based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they'd give to those starting out; and the hurdles they've had to overcome. Alongside her husband, Bill Johnson, Michele launched Pitfire Pizza in 2013, despite neither having prior experience in the food and beverage industry. Their vision was to create a neighborhood pizzeria that combined quality ingredients with a welcoming atmosphere. Under her leadership, Pitfire Pizza has grown to multiple locations across Dubai, including a branch in Dubai Hills Business Park. The brand has become known for its signature pizzas, such as the Pitfire Primo and Truff Daddy, and its dedication to quality and consistency. To delve into her entrepreneurial journey in the F&B industry, Emirates Woman sat down with Johnson to see how it all began. What was your favourite subject at school? In high school, I loved Home Economics—cooking was always my favorite part. In university, I shifted gears and studied Accounting, which gave me a strong foundation in business. Back then, I had no idea how both these subjects would play an important role in setting up Pitfire Pizza down the line. What was your first job? I started my career as a Junior Human Resources Executive. It was my first real exposure to the corporate world, and coming out of university, HR just felt like the right fit at the time. What brought you to Dubai? My job brought us to Dubai. We were living and working in Kuala Lumpur, where I was a Regional HR Director for a construction company covering several countries in Southeast Asia. As the company began to expand, we identified strong opportunities in Dubai, which led to the decision to move our head office here in 2007. What inspired you to enter the space and your brand? My husband had dreamed of opening a pizza restaurant since he was a teenager. By the time we got to Dubai, we were ready to give it a go. We started at home, with him experimenting with different doughs, tomato sauces, and cheeses. As a designer, he also conceptualized the brand's look and feel. At first, it was just the two of us, and let's just say the pizza wasn't quite what it is today! But with time, passion, and a lot of trial and error, we kept improving. We started hosting 'pizza parties,' inviting friends to try it, and eventually, we had a fantastic product and a brand ready to go. We found our first location, and the rest is history. That was 11 years ago—now, we have eight locations, with 4 more opening soon, including 1 in Abu Dhabi, which we're really excited about. Talk us through the concept? We're a neighborhood pizza joint, designed for high-volume delivery with a casual, cozy dine-in experience. Our strength is in consistently making unique, delicious, high-quality craft pizza—that's what has helped us build a fantastic community over the years. What are the key elements of your role? As CEO, I oversee all aspects of the brand and the organization, except for the design and fit-out of new locations, which my husband handles. I'm the main point of contact for our COO in decision-making and approving expansion plans, although my husband is involved in much of that too. We're a team. We take pizza seriously, without taking ourselves too seriously. Talk us through your daily routine. I start my day with coffee, then check WhatsApp, followed by both my personal and Pitfire's Instagram—mainly focusing on DMs and story mentions. Our social media agency handles most of the community management, but I stay hands-on, ensuring they're answering questions accurately. Most importantly, I always make sure to thank customers for story mentions or for reaching out. Depending on the day, I might head to one of our locations for a meeting, a shoot, or just a general check-in with the team. I love being hands-on, but I'm also very proud of the strong team and structure we've built over the years, which allows operations to run smoothly and expansions to roll out seamlessly. Being a foodie, I enjoy watching our industry evolve. Evenings out can range from a cozy date night with my husband at one of our regular favorites to checking out a new concept with a friend. I also love a night in—experimenting in the kitchen and sharing my dinner cooking adventures on social media. What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps? My path in F&B has always been with Pitfire. When we started, I kept my corporate HR Director job and worked on Pitfire part-time. That was possible when we were small. Once we hit a point where one of us needed to be with the business full-time to grow the brand, I left the corporate world and started my 'reinvention' into learning how to be an F&B operator. Along the way, I was lucky to receive guidance from others in the industry, and that helped set us up right from the start. My advice would be to find your own way in. There are many paths, but they usually stem from a long-held passion for food. Stay committed to the dream, because it's hard. When you're small, the revenue isn't enough to fuel growth—being well-funded is crucial. The startup costs are high, and it can take a couple of years (at least) to turn your P&L from red to green. Know your market and study it carefully so you can carve your place in it. Talk to people who've walked this path—they'll usually share their stories. Then, take a deep breath and jump in! Tell us more about your F&B offerings? We offer fabulous pizzas that sit somewhere between Neapolitan and New York style—thin, crunchy crust with a big, puffy edge and plenty of char. We pride ourselves on delivering a phenomenal pizza, whether it's hot and fresh in the restaurant or delivered to your door. With 8 locations and more on the way, we're bringing our pizza to people all across Dubai. Our teams are truly passionate about what they do—they're hard-working, friendly, and love creating that warm, welcoming experience for every guest. Whether you're enjoying the pizza in the restaurant or at home, you can always expect great service and the best slice in town. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? The best advice I've received is to focus on my strengths and not spend too much energy on fixing my weaknesses. Instead, surround myself with people who excel in the areas where I'm not as strong. It's about building a solid team and playing to your strengths while trusting others to shine in their own areas of expertise. And what is the worst? The worst advice I've received was that it's safer to stick with a corporate job rather than taking a risk on something new. As you can see, I didn't listen to that advice at all. I decided to take the leap, and it's been one of the best decisions I've made. What's the biggest challenge you have had to overcome? Honestly, the biggest challenge was figuring out where to start once I left my corporate job. Stepping into a completely new world, I had no blueprint to follow. It was a lot of trial and error, but it taught me how to learn quickly and stay resilient. It's been a journey of continuous growth, but it was definitely worth the leap. What lies ahead for the brand? Growth. We've built something we're incredibly proud of, and now we're all about bringing it to more neighborhoods. With new locations opening in Dubai and our first spot launching in Abu Dhabi, we also have our eye on Sharjah, Al Ain, and beyond. Once we settle into Abu Dhabi, we'll be looking for more spots across the UAE, because we believe great pizza should never be too far away. – For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram Images: Supplied
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
YSU president launches new conversational program
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Ever since he arrived on campus, YSU President Bill Johnson has pushed to engage more with the university community, as well as the Valley. On Tuesday, Johnson started a new program called 'Presidential Conversations.' He invited former college athlete-turned-motivational speaker George Mumford to address a group of students, staff and faculty about 'principle-centered leadership.' Mumford had suffered an addiction issue after being injured and turned his recovery into a means to help others. 'But he worked his way through that, coming out on the other side of that, said, 'how do I help other people that may be struggling?'' Johnson said. 'He's worked with some phenomenal people; people like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, helping them get their heads straight.' As part of his continuing engagement with the community, Johnson says he will begin recording a new series for WYSU radio, as well as hosting future campus-wide events on issues facing the University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
