Real Change Wilmington

🪖🎖️🇺🇸 Retired Marine First Sergeant Ron King joins the podcast to discuss his new role as Community and Outreach Coordinator for the Clinton County Veterans Service Commission, helping veterans access the VA and local benefits they’ve earned through years of service and sacrifice in defense of America’s freedoms.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.

Deacon David Ulmer with St. Columbkille Catholic Church (Holy Saints of God Family of Parishes) joins the podcast to share about his journey from a Protestant upbringing to a Catholic faith, and discuss topics of science, history, and culture—including how the Catholic Church (as an organization) has maintained unity when its members disagree on issues.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.

Billy Foster joins the podcast to share stories about the life and lasting impact of his late father-in-law and former Clinton County Prosecutor, Rick Moyer. The annual Pump N Run 5K honors Rick’s legacy in Clinton County while raising funds for a $1,000 scholarship awarded to a local student pursuing further education in Agriculture, Criminal Justice, or History.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.

Ashley Huesca, owner of Princess of Pop Dirty Sodas, joins the podcast to talk about the grand opening of her new food truck on Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 10am to 4pm at the Dove Church parking lot on Rombach Avenue in Wilmington, Ohio. Ashely is also the Assistant General Manager at Skyline in Wilmington and active sports mom who is passionate about setting an example for her children of what they can accomplish by working hard and following their dreams.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.

Owner of Ole Town Tavern, Tony Butcher, joins the podcast to share his story of starting his own bar in Wilmington back in 2022. Tony was born and raised in Wilmington where he graduated from both Wilmington High School and Wilmington College before earning his Master’s Degree at Xavier. Prior to Ole Town, Tony worked at Airborne Express and then Technicolor.

For years, Tony joked with his friends and family about one day starting a bar, and then when he purchased the building to rent out the apartment upstairs, the business tenant below relocated and he thought to himself, "If I'm ever going to do this, this is my time to try to get a bar going."

When creating the space, Tony was inspired by small bars in New York with exposed brick and dim lighting. The name, 'Ole Town Tavern', was inspired by a bar in Florida called 'Old Town Tavern,' or 'Ott' for short, which was Tony's nickname growing up.

Ole Town Tavern (OTT) serves beer, wine, and signature local cocktails. Patrons can order food delivered from Fiesta Veracruz Mexican Restaurant, and for $20 a year, even keep their own personalized pint glass on display behind the bar.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.

Owner of Ole Town Tavern, Tony Butcher, joins the podcast to share his story of starting his own bar in Wilmington back in 2022. Tony was born and raised in Wilmington where he graduated from both Wilmington High School and Wilmington College before earning his Master’s Degree at Xavier. Prior to Ole Town, Tony worked at Airborne Express and then Technicolor.

For years, Tony joked with his friends and family about one day starting a bar, and then when he purchased the building to rent out the apartment upstairs, the business tenant below relocated and he thought to himself, "If I'm ever going to do this, this is my time to try to get a bar going."

When creating the space, Tony was inspired by small bars in New York with exposed brick and dim lighting. The name, 'Ole Town Tavern', was inspired by a bar in Florida called 'Old Town Tavern,' or 'Ott' for short, which was Tony's nickname growing up.

Ole Town Tavern (OTT) serves beer, wine, and signature local cocktails. Patrons can order food delivered from Fiesta Veracruz Mexican Restaurant, and for $20 a year, even keep their own personalized pint glass on display behind the bar.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.

Tom Daskalakis, President an COO of TriHealth Clinton Regional Hospital, joins the podcast to share about the history of Clinton Memorial Hospital (CMH), details of TriHealth’s acquisition back in September of 2025, and the story of his over two decades of experience in health care leadership.

Tom is committed to advancing Wilmington's local "hometown hospital" through staffing, facilities, and continued community involvement in initiatives like the Corn Festival, HoliDazzle Parade, and student programs.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.

Noah Dell, President of Champion Bridge Co. (now doing business as Champion Steel Works), joins the podcast to share about the company's 150 year legacy.

Noah returned to Wilmington after college and is the 2nd generation owner of the business after his father acquisition in 2016 through an employee stock program.

Champion moved away from bridge building in the 1930s due to the rise of concrete bridges and has since focused primarily on structural steel fabrication.

Champion continues to grow through staffing and equipment investments, and according to Noah, the company will do “40% more steel than we did last year.”

The name change is about clarity, growth, and not being overlooked by new customers who need 'steel' fabrication, not 'bridge' construction.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.

Kristin Ondulick and Caitlin Mefford join the podcast to share about Swindler & Sons, their family’s fourth generation flower shop that has been serving the Wilmington community for over 100 years.

Kristin and Caitlin both have a love for Wilmington's local community and passion for value flowers bring to every important life event, including births, birthdays, holidays, weddings, and funerals.

This episode is longer than our usual episodes, but we had a lot of fun getting an in-depth look into one of Wilmington’s most iconic local businesses and families.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.

Tom Dryer joins the podcast to share about his new venture with the National Christian Foundation, joined by their president of their Ohio team, Dwight Montgomery. Tom was formerly the Business Development Director at Ohio Living Cape May and is still very involved in Wilmington by serving on the board at Wilmington-Clinton County Chamber of Commerce.

Since 1982, National Christian Foundation has facilitated more than $25 billion in charitable grants to over 90,000 ministries and nonprofits worldwide. The foundation helps people maximize their charitable giving through “donor-advised funds”, and donate non-cash assets( such as stocks, real estate, and even business interests) in a way that can reduce capital gain taxes so that more money goes towards the charities people chose to support.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Fiesta Veracruz, for helping keep our podcast, newspaper, and other resources free to our community. Fiesta Veracruz is a locally owned Mexican restaurant located at 37 W Locust Street in downtown Wilmington across from the City Building. Fiesta Veracruz does so many great things to support our community, so please check out Fiesta Veracruz for great deals on lunch specials and drinks during happy hour.