Dedicated to preserving and advancing the mission of Wittenberg, the university's Board of Directors has named three new members, all of whom will be officially welcomed during their first Board meeting, Oct. 19-20, on campus.
Joining the Board are Robert “Bob” Merzweiler, Wittenberg class of 1976; Ronald M. Szuch, class of 1987; and Jim Wade, class of 1969.
Merzweiler is the chairman and CEO of the Akron, Ohio-based Landmark Plastic Corporation. For 30 years Landmark Plastic has been making life easier and less chaotic for growers, from propagation to patio, with its focus on horticultural packaging. The international company also actively participates in sustainability efforts, including the collection and usage of recycled plastics. A member of the Ohio Foundation for Independent Colleges (OFIC), Merzweiler has been a member of the Akron Roundtable, the Akron Community Foundation, the Akron General Medical Center Board of Trustees and the Info Line Inc. Board of Trustees. Bob’s son, Steve Merzweiler, is the fourth generation of family members in the horticulture business and the third generation in horticultural plastic packaging. Bob’s grandfather, Alfred Glendenning, operated a greenhouse in Westlake, Ohio, while Bob's father, Leo Merzweiler, was a plastics and horticultural packaging pioneer, devoting his entire career to both industries.
Szuch is president and CEO of Union Capital Mortgage Corp. in the Cleveland/Akron area, which focuses primarily on providing residential loans to individuals. Licensed to originate mortgage loans in all of Ohio, Florida and Georgia, Szuch is responsible for the direction and oversight of the entire business enterprise retail and wholesale loan origination across the country. His governance of acquisition and new product development shapes the company’s future through strategic partnerships and new product offerings. He currently splits his time between his home in Sarasota, Fla., and the Union Capitol offices in Mentor, Ohio.
A member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and the football team while at Wittenberg, Szuch has personally originated in excess of $1 billion in residential loans across the United States mortgage industry during the last 25 years. He founded Union Capital Mortgage Corporation, an Ohio-chartered mortgage bank in 1995, and owns 100 percent of the company stock and its headquarters in Mentor, where it has served the residential mortgage lending needs of Northeast Ohioans for more than a decade. He is also currently a steward of Wittenberg's Health, Wellness and Athletics Restoration and Expansion Initiative.
Wade spent most of his career as a senior broadcast journalist with the BBC World News in London, England. This position entailed both work within the BBC London newsrooms as well as locations across the globe, including Peru and Japan. In addition, Wade served as the chair of the Abbeyfield Oxford Society, which operates the Abbeyfield House, a residential care home in Oxfordshire. Since his return to the United States two years ago, he has volunteered with the Wittenberg Offices of University Communications, Admission and Advancement, serving as chair of the Cincinnati HWA committee and with the Tiger Career Network. Additionally, he is a member of the Wittenberg Athletics Hall of Honor committee.
