ASHLAND — Ashland realtor J.C. Meyer was among the first to see the exponential business potential of the U.S. 250 corridor.
To express his belief in Ashland’s capability for expansion, Meyer’s implanted a sign decades ago that officially bestowed the city a nickname: the “World Headquarters of Nice People.”
Meyer’s original real estate office presided where Buffalo Wild Wings sits in the Walmart plaza. However, the corporate landscape was barren in the area at the time.
“Out on U.S. 250 where we now have Burger King, Marathon, Home Depot, Walmart and all of that — that used to be nothing,” said Mayor Matt Miller “That would have been when I would have probably been in junior high school.
“There was nothing out there except for a local developer and realtor by the name of J.C. Meyer.”
The erected sign marked a turning point in Ashland’s economic development process, as a plethora of establishments began to migrate towards the U.S. 250 corridor.
Tiffany Meyer, J.C.’s daughter, was licensed as a real estate agent in 1995 and worked at her father’s agency until his passing in 2002. Tiffany was a young girl when the sign was erected.
“J.C. always had the vision to grow out U.S. 250 commercially; he felt that the pressures from I-71 coming off of Cleveland and Columbus was the best way for Ashland to grow.,” Meyer said. “He wanted to focus his real estate business on developing the 250 corridor.
“It’s crazy – you still drive in this town and the police officers wave at you. Everybody’s friendly when you go to the store. It’s amazing how friendly this town is.”
Tiffany now works as a representative for Howard Hanna Real Estate Services in Ashland.
The original J.C. Meyer’s realty organization was surrounded by a vast sea of yellow sunflowers. According to Tiffany, J.C. loved to plant sunflowers because he was passionate about making people smile.
The Meyer family continues to maintain a sunflower field in J.C.’s honor off of Township Road 655 near the Ashland Dickey Church.
