Minutes of the June 26, 2025 meeting

Attendance

Those present: Krista Ankrom, Nakia Bailor, Nate Bailor, Marilyn Boyd, Lydia Coakley and guest Tina Achenbach, David Foltz, Toni Harper, Sue Henwood, Laura Kennedy, Rich Lines, Jessica Martinez, Ray Meese, Dee Mowry, Sue Schmitz, Linda Ward, Stefani Young and guest Lyzzi O’Neill.

Program

The chamber met at the Bremen Bethel Presbyterian church at noon, and the ladies of the church served lunch. Speaker for the day was Nate Bailor, who shared the origins and growth of his company, Unlimited Diesel Performance, Inc. It began 21 years ago with the rehabbing, repairing and installing of fuel injectors in light duty trucks; marketing was primarily by word of mouth. Now, ads through Google and a web site have led to expansion to a full service general machine shop, valve jobs and wholesale and retailing of automotive parts. E-commerce shows potential to triple the company’s work. He currently has 11 employees, with several openings available. Nate has found that lack of health insurance has been a barrier to new hires; he has also found that employees, looking for a work/life balance, often value time off over salary increases. Employees are a mix of high school, Eastland Career Center and tech school grads. Future plans involve expansion to a 5 acre site across from Rushcreek Feed and Supply, as village utilities can be worked out.

Since 2013, Nate has been involved in non-profit programs, and in 2020, that interest led to the formation of the Fast Lane Foundation, a 501c3 charity. It has raised around $300,000 that has been used to meet a variety of local needs in Fairfield and Perry counties: medical and mental health expenses, kids’ clothing and school supplies, bikes, emergency furnishings for foster placements. The foundation operates under a board with monthly meetings but can quickly work by text messages to meet emergency needs. Funds are raised through a golf outing and its “Winter Gala” at Harvest Adventures in November.

Business meeting

In the business meeting, the secretary asked for additions or corrections to the May minutes as e-mailed. There being none, she moved their adoption; the motion was seconded by Marilyn Boyd and approved. The treasurer reported the following account balances:

Treasurer’s report — account balances

checking:	$ 4 327.65
money market	8 373.53
CD	13 244,14
CD	14 656,53
CD	5 453.86

Dee Mowry moved to receive the report; the motion was seconded by Marilyn Boyd and carried. There was no further old business

New business

In new business, Sue Henwood moved to donate $2 000 to the Fast Lane Foundation, for use as needed. The motion was seconded by Marilyn Boyd and carried. Toni Harper inquired about the possibility of sponsoring a “shred day” around tax time; Heather Yontz is checking on the cost and availability.

Stefani Young gave an update on APG Media’s progress on a chamber directory. She distributed advertising packets and reminded members that they need to confirm information on the chamber web-site, as it will be the source of information for the directory. Photos can be sent to APG to be added to member descriptions. The deadline for information is August 15; directories will be delivered in early September, in time for the Oktoberfest. In discussion concerning distribution, LanFair information bags and local AirBnB’s were suggested, in addition to local businesses.

Announcements

• July 5 Parade flyers: pre-registration is encouraged, be at Bremen Elementary at 11:30 to sign in, parade at noon!
• The chamber will be represented in the parade by Dave Foltz’s vintage truck - thanks, Dave!
• The food trucks in the village schedule is available on fb. -Thanks, Billy Robinette!

Adjournment

A motion to adjourn was made by Marilyn Boyd, seconded by Dee Mowry and approved.

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Respectfully submitted,
Sue Schmitz, secretary