EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the eighth in a series of features on young professionals in the Ashland business community. Part VII was on Ben Schnell. Part VI was on Kelly Cooke. Part V was on Beau Carpenter. Part IV was on Melanie Fitch. Part III was on Angela Ringler. Part II was on Jake Coffy. Part I was on Ashland Young Professionals.
ASHLAND – A couple of years ago, Zane Stepp and his wife, Michelle, were living in Prescott, Arizona. They wanted to be homeowners, but didn’t see a way to make that happen without making a change.
“It’s so expensive to live out there, and the housing market is two or three times as expensive as it is here, so it would take us forever to own a home, and the job market’s not very good,” Zane said.
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So last January, the newlyweds packed up and moved to Zane’s hometown of Ashland, where the dream of home ownership quickly became a reality.
“Ashland does have a lot to offer,” Zane said. “It’s a great place to start a family. Expenses are pretty low, and people are more friendly.
“Arizona was a great place and I’d love to live there, but in Ashland you do have a tighter community I think. My wife works at Downtown Perk and she likes seeing her customers out when she’s grocery shopping or things like that. I think that makes Ashland special.”
Zane took a job at Dilgard Real Estate and Auctions, where his father, Bill Stepp, has been the owner, broker and auctioneer since 1997.
“It’s pretty much been my dad’s life since the, so I’ve always been involved in one way or another,” Zane said, adding that his dad was inducted into the Ohio Auctioneer’s Association Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Zane remembers getting up early on Saturdays mornings as a kid to help his dad set up for auctions. He got his own realtor’s license in 2008, the same year he graduated from Ashland High School.
Zane went on to study sports management at Ashland University.
Then shortly after graduation in 2014, he move to Arizona to be with his girlfriend, who is now his wife. The pair had met online in a Facebook group and bonded over the fact that they were both born with the same heart defect.
In Arizona, Zane worked as an event coordinator at a church camp, an executive assistant for a realtor and a sheriff’s dispatcher.
These days, Zane serves as office manager at Dilgard. The position puts his detail-oriented personality to good use as he manages accounts payable and receivable, compiles listings and places ads, assists realtors and handles odd jobs.
Zane and Michelle are members of Substance Church and enjoy spending time with friends, traveling, working on projects around the house, watching Netflix and Hulu and hanging out with their cat.
The Stepps enjoy life in Ashland, but one thing they found lacking was a sense of community for young people.
“I think one of my biggest concerns moving back here was that it’s just an older crowd, and there’s not a lot of young people or they kind of go unnoticed,” Stepp said. “So working here and kind of feeling lost as a young professional, I wanted to help make a change so people moving here or people graduating high school or college can feel at home in Ashland.”
After hearing that the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce was helping to launch a young professionals group in Ashland, Zane reached out to executive director Barbie Lange and asked to get involved. He now serves as the group’s event committee chair.
What: Ashland Young Professionals Kick-off
Who: Anyone ages 21-40 living or working in the Ashland area
When: 5:30 p.m. Feb. 22
Where: Mitchell’s Orchard, 1217 Township Rd 1153, Ashland
More Info: www.ashlandyoungprofessionals.com
Starting with AYP’s kickoff event Feb. 22, Zane is hoping to host a mix of social and educational events for members.
“We want to have a place where young professionals can connect and kind of grow together and help Ashland move into the future, because without us here, there’s going to be an end date for Ashland,” Zane said.
AYP kicks off with its first event 5:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at Mitchell’s Orchard and Farm Market. Live music, hor d’oeuvres and drinks will be provided. Anyone living or working in the Ashland area between the ages of 21 and 40 is invited. The group can be found on Facebook as well as online at www.ashlandyoungprofessionals.com.
