Today, the City of Tiffin and Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership (TSEP) have announced that Aaron Montz has been named the new President and CEO of TSEP. Montz, who is serving in his third term as Mayor of the City of Tiffin, will officially begin on July 5.
The youngest mayor to be elected in Tiffin’s history, Montz took office in January 2012 at the age of 26. Prior to being mayor, he worked in the private sector running retail stores and had served on Tiffin City Council since 2007. While in office, Montz served on the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), Northwest Ohio Mayors and Managers Association (NOMMA), Seneca Regional Planning, North Central Ohio Regional Council of Governments (NCORcog) and was appointed by former Gov. John Kasich to the State of Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission in 2013.
“I am so grateful for my time with the City of Tiffin, a community I love and have loved leading for these past 10 years,” Montz said. “I am choosing to leave now because the timing feels perfect the foundation has been set for the next mayor to be successful. I’m proud to say that today the City is in one of its best ever financial positions and we have an incredibly strong team at City Hall that I trust to continue our forward progress.”
“It is certainly bittersweet, but I felt this opportunity at TSEP will allow me to contribute to my hometown in a new way, and couldn’t resist the challenge of helping to guide economic development for the future.”
Following Montz’s resignation, Tiffin City Council President Bridget Boyle will step in as interim Mayor. By Charter, Boyle has the right to remain in office for the remainder of the unexpired term or Tiffin City Council shall choose a replacement.
Montz replaces David Zak who led the organization before taking a leadership position with Crawford Partnership for Education and Economic Development in May. TSEP Board of Trustees put a Search Committee together which reviewed more than 30 applications following a national search.
Lillian Schumacher, Chair of the TSEP Board of Trustees and President of Tiffin University, “I’m excited that we have selected Aaron Montz to lead Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership. I have had the privilege of working with Aaron on many projects, both in my capacity at TSEP and at Tiffin University, and I wish him the best in this new role as he helps chart the course for the future of our community.”
Seneca County Commissioner Mike Kerschner, who served on the Search Committee, echoed Schumacher’s comments. “Aaron has been instrumental in the spirit of collaboration that has led to our success here in Seneca County. I think he will do great things at TSEP and look forward to working together in this capacity.”
Site Selection magazine has ranked the Tiffin-Seneca County micropolitan in the top 20 percent nationally in economic development for 11 straight years, and for five of the past six years, it has ranked among the top 10 of the 581 micropolitans in the United States. Since 2014, companies have invested half a billion dollars and created 2,800 new jobs here, and in 2021, the organization won the Ohio Economic Development Association award for Innovation in Economic Development for its small business relief grant program.
About the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership
Started in 1983 as the Seneca Industrial and Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC), the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to driving positive economic, downtown, and community development in Tiffin and Seneca County, Ohio. Tiffin and Seneca County consistently rank in the top two percent of communities nationally for economic development and has one of the most recognized and award-winning downtown Main Street programs in Ohio. Learn more about the great things going on in Tiffin and Seneca County at http://www.tiffinseneca.org.
