Dan Dickman’s legacy takes center stage at 2026 Business Appreciation Luncheon

MANSFIELD — Dan Dickman’s legacy filled the room Thursday afternoon.

Those who knew him remembered the mentor, advocate and community leader who helped others see a path forward, often when they could not see one themselves.

For Cliff Edwards, Dickman’s longtime partner, that legacy came down to something simple: look for reasons to celebrate life.

“He would tell me things like, if you’re looking for reasons to be disappointed, you’re going to find them. So, why not look for the good,” Edwards said at the 2026 Business Appreciation Luncheon.

That outlook shaped the way Dickman worked with people and the programs he helped build.

“He not only brought caring and compassion and empathy to what he did, but he also treated people with respect. He was fair and realistic,” said Lori Bedson, assistant director of Richland County Job and Family Services.

Dickman died Sept. 18 after a long illness.

She said Dickman understood programs could provide people with tools and support, but individuals also needed to take the steps necessary to change their lives.

“We can give you these things to help you take those steps to start a different path, but really it’s up to you,” Bedson said Dickman would tell people.

That approach shaped Success Unlimited Programs, which Dickman created 35 years ago.

Scott Sneed, with Success Unlimited Programs, said Dickman began with a vision that grew from helping one person into an effort to create lasting change in people’s lives.

_{Building pathways to work}

Success Unlimited’s Training, Readiness, Education and Employment Program, known as TREE, gives participants three weeks of training in resume writing, mock interviews, goal-setting, banking, budgeting and employability skills.

The organization also offers peer recovery supporter training, a one-strike-and-you’re-not-out program for people with compromised backgrounds, and the Healthier Buckeye account, which provides interest-free loans of up to $500 as a last resort for people facing barriers on their path to success.

Sneed shared one success story that showed the lasting impact of the programs.

While Dickman was in the hospital, the charge nurse came into the room and said she completed the program 22 years earlier, earned her STNA license and became a nurse.

“Through the course of this program, he’s broken so many cycles,” Sneed said.

Catalyst Life Services’ Mitch Jacobsen said the organization’s workforce programs focus on giving young people tools, support and real-world experience.

The programs serve more than 200 Richland County youth each year, while more than 70 young people currently apply for services, Jacobsen said. This year’s Summer Youth Development Program gave more than 80 young people hands-on work experience at 61 local businesses.

For many participants, those opportunities provide a first professional experience and first look at what their future could hold.

“Our job in these programs is to help them to answer those questions,” Jacobsen said, referring to questions young people face about what work they want to do, what employers expect and how they can reach their goals.

The programs also continue supporting participants as they move into education, training and higher education.

(Story continues below. Photos from the 2026 Business Appreciation Luncheon. Credit: Hannah Martin)

_{Employers open the door to experience}

Heather Mosley, program administrator at Richland County Job and Family Services, said work experience gives participants the chance to build confidence, learn workplace expectations and develop skills they can use in future employment.

Community businesses and organizations provide something the agencies cannot recreate, she said: a real workplace.

“Job and Family Services can provide the programs, the case management, the supportive services, the training and even some guidance,” Mosley said. “But our community work sites provide something that we cannot recreate, and that is an office or a classroom and real-world experience.”

That commitment to creating opportunities took center stage when Sneed introduced the Daniel L. Dickman Compass Award.

The award honors Dickman’s approach of meeting people where they are rather than where others thought they should be, Sneed said.

The inaugural award went to Erica Downs, who came to Richland County from Franklin County with her children.

Downs overcame several barriers, worked through the program and excelled at a work site. Sneed said her success led to employment at the Salvation Army, where she now works outside the program.

“I got in a little bit of trouble in my life where I thought it was over for me,” Downs said. “I didn’t know where to start.”

She decided to start with Job and Family Services and eventually worked at the Salvation Army through the program.

After working there for a year, the position opened up and Downs was encouraged to apply for it.

Downs said she arrived at work one day, went to her desk and found a message congratulating her on getting the job.

The Daniel L. Dickman Compass Award also included $1,000 with help from the Phillips Family Foundation.

The luncheon also recognized Bedson for 28 years of workforce development work with Richland County Job and Family Services. Bedson will retire in December.

Mosley credited Bedson with helping bring the OhioMeansJobs Center to Richland County and serving as its operator before transitioning into her role with Job and Family Services.

She praised Bedson’s leadership, knowledge and willingness to share her experience, saying she has made a difference in both the programs she led and the people she worked with. 

“I want you to know that all you have done has mattered. Your 28 years in workforce development have left a lasting impression on the people that you have served,” Mosley said.

Bedson said her career has allowed her to work with people from a variety of agencies and backgrounds, but she also credited those partnerships for making the work possible.

“We really cannot do this by ourselves,” Bedson said. “It takes everyone to do what we do for families. I can only hope that what I’ve provided to them is half of what they have given to me in return.”

_{Businesses see the impact firsthand}

The luncheon also gave business partners an opportunity to share what the programs have meant to their organizations.

Fares Fares, owner of Mansfield Tire Bros and Fares Car Connection, said the program introduced him to a young participant who wanted to become a mechanic.

After watching the participant learn quickly, arrive on time and maintain a positive attitude, Fares hired him when the program ended.

Fares later welcomed summer participants into his businesses and said the experience showed him how quickly young workers can grow when they receive mentorship and feedback.

“I know it works,” Fares said. “I’m a firm believer. I highly recommend it.”

Helen Goad and Carlene Nabors, co-owners of Platinum Grooming Pawlour, also spoke about their experience with the program.

Nabors said she was first introduced to the program in 2020 when she took over her dad’s business after he passed away.

Goad said they were approached about the program after they opened their business. While the program presented some challenges, including transportation and scheduling issues, they would participate again.

“We think it’s an amazing program and we hope to keep doing it as many years as we can be open,” Goad said.

One participant stood out to Goad for her willingness to help without being asked.

“She was so eager. We really didn’t even have to ask her to clean up or anything. She did it on her own,” Goad said.

The stories and reflection shared throughout the luncheon highlighted the impact Dickman left.

“Thank you all so much, I know Dan loved you,” Edwards said. “He’s going to leave a void that will be very difficult to find, or to fill, not just in my life, but in the community.”

(More photos from the 2026 Business Appreciation Luncheon. Photos courtesy of Catalyst Life Services.)