Tracing its roots to the midst of the Civil War, Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston Ltd. (Critchfield) has been representing Wayne County residents for over 150 years. Throughout its history, the firm has played an integral role in the development of the area, both through its legal work and its involvement in the community. The firm offers services in a wide variety of practice areas – including business, real estate, estate planning, litigation and more. In addition, many of the firm’s attorneys serve on local non-profit boards and committees. For Critchfield, success is measured not only by its legal wins, but also by the positive impact it has on the community.

Attorney Bob Gorman has been with Critchfield for more than 25 years. He has been a partner since 2000 and served as the firm’s managing partner from 2013 to 2019. In that role, he was responsible for the firm's overall management and operation, including its financial performance, strategic planning and client relations. Needless to say, he has provided the Wayne Economic Development Council with some great insight.

When Gorman started at Critchfield, it was a smaller firm with 18 attorneys and two locations. Since then, the firm has experienced steady growth, adding three locations and 25 attorneys. It currently has offices in Wooster, Medina, Millersburg, Mount Vernon and Ashland. But what stands out most is Critchfield’s ability to maintain its strength, culture and community ties. Gorman credits this to Critchfield’s solid foundation or what he refers to as the “Critchfield recipe.”

Community Action Wayne/Medina has teamed up with Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) to launch Wayne County Transit (WCT), an on-demand transportation service. The transit service, designed to increase rural mobility, offers residents an affordable and convenient way to get around the county.

With WCT, residents can schedule door-to-door service, helping them get to and from work, run errands, attend doctor’s appointments and more. This service differs from other transportation services because of its on-demand scheduling and direct location pick up – riders do not have to walk to or wait at a bus stop. In addition, WCT also benefits local employers by helping them to reach a larger pool of potential employees and eliminate one of the most common employment barriers – unreliable transportation.

Residents can sign up for the transit service by submitting an application, found here. Once the application is approved riders will be issued an ID number and can begin scheduling. It is recommended that residents sign up at least one week before their first trip is needed.

Passengers can schedule a ride by calling a SARTA reservationist anytime between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday – Friday. To ensure availability, reservations must be made three days prior. Once a ride is scheduled, a SARTA bus will pick residents up from their driveway and drop them off at their desired location. The fare rate is $2.50 per ride and vans are wheelchair accessible. Services are available Monday - Saturday, 6 a.m. to. Midnight.

With the unpredictable fluctuations in gas prices, this is definitely a smart service to consider. Current ridership is around 70 passengers and quickly growing. WCT is expected to increase workplace transportation and increase the number of vehicles in its fleet in the next several months.

To sign up for Wayne County Transportation or for more information about this service, call Community Action Wayne/Medina at 330-264-8677or visit their website www.cawm.org.

Save the Date! Join us at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 14 for a Briefings for Business (B4B). Bethia Burke, president of the Fund For Our Economic Future, will be presenting the findings from the Where are the Workers research initiative. This event is sure to provide valuable insights into the state of our current workforce, so you won’t want to miss it.

To learn more, visit www.thefundneo.org.