Fremont YMCA's new director plans to upgrade programs, refresh facility

FREMONT — The board for YMCA of Sandusky County has hired a new executive director after the YMCA transitioned from its previous director retiring amid the hurdles of COVID-19.

"It was an interesting period of time," board member Marc Glotzbecker said, as the long-time director Denise Reiter was retiring from her position.

The county YMCA board signed a management agreement with the Toledo YMCA and that organization assigned Fremont native and Fremont Ross alum Jeremiah Wagner to go back to the Fremont facility he had used as a youth and was a member.

Wagner had years of experience with Toledo, other YMCAs

"We had the option to extend that management agreement, which we did," Glotzbecker said. "He did an excellent job."

Wagner had 15 years of management experience in fitness, wellness, sports and recreation. He came to Fremont after serving as executive director of the East Toledo and Downtown Toledo YMCAs, a combined $7 million operation. Wagner also has a master's in education from Cleveland State University and a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University. He and his fiancé live in Whitehouse with their four children.

Wagner began his post at the Sandusky County YMCA in summer 2021 under the Toledo YMCA management agreement.

After the year, the Sandusky County YMCA Board hired Wagner outright as its employee.

"We started a lot of great stuff here over the last year," he said.

Wagner said that when the Toledo YMCA goes in to work with smaller facilities, the management staff does an evaluation of the operation on how it meets YMCA goals and operations, and that was done for Sandusky County as well.

YMCA in Fremont getting new coats of fresh paint

Wagner said the local YMCA was able to keep programs going but it needed more.

"The entire operation needed an overhaul," he said. Under Wagner, the county YMCA upgraded the operating system, the accounting system and the staff structure.

Much of the work needed was just to renovate the inside front of the building and offices. The staff renovated the preschool and child care areas, added a kids zone, and painted the interior with new bright YMCA colors. The goal is to incorporate YMCA branding and trying to follow the best practices.

Wagner was at the local YMCA when it had to shut everything down during COVID-19, except for the day care, which was kept open as a certified Day Care for Essential Workers.

In the months since, Wagner has been working on opening up the front of the building — removing the turnstile and COVID-19 protections.

New director emphasizes customer service

The goal is to make the front entrance more welcoming, he said.

There also are new staff members including an aquatics coordinator and new program director. The YMCA has 55 to 65 employees, with eight of those being full-time.

Now as the new locally hired executive director, Wagner is working to grow the membership. With 4,200 total members, the YMCA in Fremont is at about 75% of the membership it had before COVID-19. Wagner said the numbers are continuing to improve.

The YMCA is continuing to do the good things it did in the past, he added. Bingo was brought back in January.

He also is working to teach his staff to be more interactive with members.

"Everyone has a role to help people the minute they walk in the door," Wagner said.

The staff needs to assist members with whatever goals they have, including swimming, child care, and fitness.

"Whatever reasons for them to come in, we need to help them with those goals," said Wagner, who is an avid sports fan and fitness enthusiast.

The new executive director said when he was sent to the Fremont facility in 2021, he had not been there since he was 18. As a teen, he thought the YMCA would close when the city opened its new recreation center on the east side of the city.

Now that he is back, he sees there is a role for both facilities and is not working to duplicate services. Plus it seems the recreation center tends to serve eastside residents while the YMCA serves westside people, he said.

Wagner finds returning to Fremont 'super, super rewarding'

Wagner has a long history with the YMCA. He was part of the opening team of the new University Recreation Center at Cleveland State University in 2006 before his YMCA experience began with the YMCA of Greater Cleveland.

He later accepted a position to join a small-town YMCA (like Fremont) in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, where he served as a senior level director overseeing the YMCA aquatics, fitness and youth/adult program departments.

He decided to return to Northwest Ohio, joining the YMCA of Greater Toledo as associate executive director and opening a new YMCA in Waterville. After success at the YMCA in the Anthony Wayne community, he then assumed the role of executive director managing the East Toledo YMCA in Oregon and the Downtown Toledo YMCA.

"He's doing some great things," Glotzbecker commented.

The board member said Wagner is creating a better environment at the YMCA.

Coming back to Fremont has been "super, super rewarding," Wagner said recently. He still has family in the community.

"The programs I was able to participate in as a kid, I am now able to give this back."

Rbrooks@gannett.com

419-334-1059

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Local YMCA board hires Wagner to upgrade programs, refresh facility