EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series of features on young professionals in the Ashland business community. Part I was on Ashland Young Professionals.
ASHLAND – If you know the name Jake Coffy, it may be because you remember him hamming it up on stage at Ashland High School or leading the Arrows marching band as drum major. A lot has changed since then.
“In high school I had a lot of attention. You’re on a stage and you’re performing and people are looking at you,” Coffy said. “Coming from that into life, I realized very quickly that is not at all how life is, and I realized, ‘Oh my goodness, I have no idea who I am when I’m not in front of 1,200 people.’ ”
So Coffy left the limelight and hiked the Appalachian Trail — yes, the whole thing. He started in May 2016 and spent four months hiking 2,200 miles through 14 states. It was such a transformative experience Coffy refers to the trail as “my higher education” and even gives motivational talks about it.
“When I came back, I wanted to be genuine,” Coffy said. “I wanted to be authentic. When I talk to someone, I’m talking to them because I actually care and not anymore because I’m performing for them.”
After returning to Ashland, Coffy went back to work for Flight Media, an Ashland-based marketing and advertising company started by his brother, Josh. The firm has clients across the country and internationally.
Coffy enjoyed working in sales and serving as office manager for Flight Media’s Ashland office, but he wanted to be putting his energy toward bettering Ashland.
So in October, he left Flight to take a job as membership relations and administrative coordinator for the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce.
“I have a passion for Ashland, Ohio, and I think my purpose is here,” Coffy said. “What I do here (at the Chamber) directly impacts Ashland.”
These days, when Coffy isn’t manning the front desk or answering the phone at the Chamber, you’ll find him making plans for his new passion project, Ashland Young Professionals. Coffy is president of the new group, which is set to launch Feb. 22. The group can be found on Facebook and online at www.ashlandyoungprofessionals.com.
Coffy also serves on the board of Ashland Main Street and does marketing for a non-profit organization that provides health clinics in Ethiopia.
The son of Brent and Chris Coffy, Jake Coffy is the second-youngest of six siblings. He’s engaged to Amelia Ewing, who is one of eight children of Rick and Jenny Ewing.
So it may come at no surprise that family is important to Coffy. In fact, family is one of his favorite things about his hometown.
“I think people say Ashland is home for several reasons, but one of the biggest being that it has such a big sense of family,” he said. “Growing up here was a big blessing because family is of huge importance to most people around here.”
Coffy sees himself continuing to work in Ashland for years to come, raising a family of his own here and eventually retiring here. But he acknowledges many of his peers don’t share that vision for their own lives.
“Often times what you see is younger people leaving Ashland … I don’t think there’s anything wrong with leaving, but if young people aren’t staying, why is that? How can we help retain them and build a community of young people that want to stay,” Coffy said. “There’s a sense of community and belonging here, and the Young Professionals group is going to help accent that.”
