Demolition to begin on Milo-Grogan Club;
Local businesses and leaders spearhead $13.5 million comprehensive campaign

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sept. 28, 2020) – The Champion Companies, a leading multi-family investment, development and management company in Central Ohio, announces today construction on a new Boys & Girls Club, replacing the former Milo-Grogan building. With support from community and business partners, Champion and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio will raze the 65-year-old clubhouse and replace it with a state-of-the-art facility. 

Elford, Inc., a Central Ohio construction company, will begin demolition on the Milo-Grogan Club Oct. 5 and break ground on the 24,160 square foot Club in November. The building will combine two existing Clubs and move the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio’s administrative headquarters into this new space, allowing for greater efficiency and service. It will be located at 1012 Cleveland Avenue and will provide youth in the neighborhood with a safe and secure environment.

Champion has donated a lead gift of $2.5 million while managing the project’s permitting, designing, engineering and fundraising efforts. The Wolfe family has also donated a lead gift. Nationwide Foundation, HCS Foundation, AEP Foundation, Tom Davis, Sara and Leo Ruberto, Fifth Third Bank, Huntington, Ingram-White Castle Foundation, Weiler Family Fund, Frost Brown Todd, Walker & Dunlop, Berardi Partners, Preferred Living, GBQ Partners, Elford, Inc., Pioneer Energy Management, Kay Keller, Jordan Miller, and Sandy Rich and Rick Daley are also contributing partners on the project.

To date, the partners have donated nearly $10 million and are looking to fundraise an additional $3 million to complete the project, which includes funds for capital and operational/programmatic investments.

“This project really is the epitome of what can happen when business and community leaders come together — even in the toughest of times,” Brian Yeager, president and CEO of The Champion Companies and the campaign’s co-chair, said. “Undertaking this project during COVID-19 and its economic turmoil is a shining example of the ‘Columbus Way.’ When we come together, we can get positive things done for our community. This Club will offer kids a fresh, inclusive space to learn and grow with next-level amenities and programming; as a dad of four, I know how important that is.”

Conversations about the new Club began two years ago, after a charity basketball game at the Milo-Grogan Boys & Girls Club. Champion recognized a need to repair the Club, and after connecting with Jordan Miller, Milo-Grogan Club alumnus, decided to demolish the current site and build something new and durable for decades to come. Miller continues to donate his time, relationships and resources as the campaign’s co-chair, playing an integral role in the project. 

“At the core of Boys & Girls Clubs is fostering hope, a sense of belonging and purpose in our young people,” Doug Wolf, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio, said. “This project will allow us to enhance those experiences. My hope is that our young people will walk through the doors of the new Club and think ‘the community came together to build this Club for me’ and feel a sense of hope and belonging in the space.”

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio:

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio has been providing afterschool and summer programming to underserved youth in Columbus since 1948. An affiliate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which serves more than four million youth annually throughout the United States, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio’s mission is to empower all young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The organization’s youth development programs focus on three program pillars: Academic Success, Healthy Lifestyles and Good Character & Citizenship.

To learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio, please visit https://www.bgccentralohio.org/.

About The Champion Companies:

In 2010, siblings Brian and Michelle Yeager founded The Champion Companies, a multi-family investment, development and management firm in Central Ohio. Over the last decade, The Champion Companies built a real estate profile worth over $750 million with nearly 4,000 Class A and B+ multi-family units.

The Champion Companies’ mission is to deliver the best investment, career and living experience ever.  In addition to providing quality customer service and awesome experiences for its residents, Champion is committed to serving the greater Columbus community. In 2014, Champion established its philanthropic foundation, Champion Cares, and has since partnered with a multitude of charities, including YWCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, Children’s Hunger Alliance, Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus and The Reeb Avenue Center. 

To learn more about The Champion Companies, please visit thechampioncompanies.com.

CONTACT:

Belle Communication  

championcompanies@bellecommunication.com

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