MANSFIELD — Mechanics Bank, founded in the same year the Statue of Liberty was dedicated, is 127 years older than Richland Source.
But Mark Masters, the president and CEO of Mechanics, sees similarities in the two local, independent businesses.
“We are both looking to do things in our community in ways that other organizations either are choosing not to do, or can’t because they are not focused on our hometown and the community around us,” Masters said.
“We benefit from the positivity in our community that (Richland Source) is helping to create through news offerings, through your common-interest stories to your investigative reporting … it’s all helping people in our community view through a different lens in a way that is different what past media has provided,” Masters said.
Mechanics Bank has chosen again in 2020 to be a Richland Source Newsroom Partner at the Foundation Level, a clear sign the county’s only independently-owned bank believes in independent, local journalism. Its financial support, like all Newsroom Partners and Richland Source memberships, goes directly to newsroom operations.
“We think it’s great. We’re trying to do things in our own way to lift the morale and the can-do spirit of local residents. We can appreciate when we see another organization do likewise,” Masters said.
Richland Source was founded in Mansfield during 2013 by businessman Carl Fernyak on the belief there was an audience in North Central Ohio hungry for a different local news product — one that was modern, forward-thinking, community-focused and represented what it was like to live and work in the area.
Launch of Richland Source came even as the pace of failure for traditional newspapers accelerated. Nearly 1,800 newspapers across the country have closed in the last 16 years. Paid circulation continues to wane and paid newspaper advertising has fallen off dramatically. Public trust in media, especially on the national level, has declined.
Mechanics, since its inception in 1886 as the Mechanics Building & Loan Company, has managed to survive many economic cycles on its own, including the Great Depression.
To Masters, the key has been pride in ownership among employees, a trait he also sees in Richland Source.
“When you equate (that pride) with a small, independent news organization, for your constituents, your ‘shareholders,’ what you are doing is not just delivering timely and accurate reporting,” Masters said.
“You are giving them something extra, something that helps them step back and say, ‘This is different. This is good. I feel like I am being informed, but I also feel like I can be a better person by reading and trying to understand by being affiliated with this news organization.’
“In a sense, you are also creating a pride of ownership,” he said. “It’s not just your reporting. You are building relationships that are unique, like with Newsroom After Hours. Your reporters are active in the community and your management and ownership is, as well. We just highly regard that effort.
“So often we hear self-critical assessments of our community and region live in,” Masters said. “We recognize that to be our own worst enemy doesn’t lead to any place that’s good. To inspire people and see the good in others and to see the potential. … that’s great.”
Kristi Lord, Mechanics vice president and marketing director, praised the Solutions Journalism done by Richland Source, citing the “Rising from Rust” and “Gray Matters” projects.
“Your reporting today continues that way,” she said. “It may not always be under the ‘solutions’ umbrella. But I feel you guys are always bent that way. You are always looking at what’s happening here, but you add ‘maybe there is something we can do about it’ or you help someone in need.
“That resonates with us, because we’re always trying to make things better. (Richland Source) wants to make news reporting better, you want to make the community better, you want to grow the community. These are all things that align with how we are at Mechanics,” Lord said.
Lord said there is an often a ripple effect with Richland Source stories, which she said are often inspirational and/or empowering.
“That goes beyond (someone) reading an article. It can change a mindset. It can change a community. That’s inspiring,” she said. “Mark has said that a rising tide lifts all boats. We feel Richland Source does that and we’re all in the same harbor.”
Again drawing similarities between Mechanics and Richland Source, Masters cited the importance of independence.
“Being independent allows you to be nimble. It allows you to make changes when you need to because you are very sensitive to your constituents. It’s about customers and shareholders, community members. We are close to them so we understand when things need to change,” he said.
“We can sense it. We value their feedback and we have the ability to make decisions … sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. We live with our decisions. We are closer to it than someone who might be headquartered further away,” Masters said.
Lord urged Richland Source to continue taking risks.
“You have shown you are not scared to do that. If you hadn’t (taken risks), I can’t imagine where you would be right now. That risk is benefiting our community overall,” she said. “At it’s core, Richland Source wants to be more than just a news outlet. That’s very apparent in how you do what you do.
“We at Mechanics want to be more than just a bank. Mark encourages us all the time that what we are doing goes far beyond just a financial transaction. There is more we can do. That’s where I really see the connection (between Mechanics and Richland Source).
“From the outside, you are a news outlet and we are a bank. But what we’re both doing on the inside is trying to do that … plus. We both have significant relationships with the people we serve that are meaningful and better (customers’) daily lives and the community overall,” Lord said.
To Masters, success at Mechanics and at Richland Source continues to rest upon building relationships.
“You can tell your readers are your priority, just as our customers are to Mechanics. They feel like someone cares. It’s news, yes, but it goes far beyond the news. I think it’s an example of creating a connection that is different,” he said.
