Business View Magazine | February 2020

131 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2020 ASHLAND , OHIO and entrepreneurship – in addition to working with the region’s economic base and networking with prospective investors. Recently, we interviewed Matt Miller, Ashland’s mayor, to follow up on some of the information provided by Ms. Goon, as well as to find out more about the city’s plans for further development. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVM: When we talked with Kathy, she mentioned a film company that was planning to relocate from Los Angeles to Ashland, and that Scott Donnelly, owner of Ashland’s Donnelly Ford, purchased and restored a historical downtown building for his movie company, Good Deed Entertainment. Has that occurred? Miller: “The renovation of the building downtown for the movie studio is complete and they are operating out of their new location on Main St., here in Ashland. The owner of the company, Scott Donnelly, is now the President of the Schine’s Theater organization. Schine’s Theater is an old historical theater that is also located in our downtown. Over the years, the theater was used for live performances; it was turned into a movie theater featuring three screens; and then, for the last two decades, it has been deteriorating, becoming both an eyesore and a public -safety hazard. Scott, along with his wife, Rosemarie, are not only taking over that non-profit organization that oversees Schine’s Theater, they are also embarking on a $3-millon fundraising campaign to renovate the theater. With the help of the State of Ohio, which provided a grant of $800,000 to complete the roof repairs and the installation of a new HVAC system, they have been able to renovate the entire exterior of the building. This year, the goal is to have the interior renovation of the theater complete by December 31, and, wherever possible, take the theater back to its origins with renovations that will match the way it looked many years ago.