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Marion’s Piazza opens in Mason

Posted by rrichardson November 13th, 2012, 6:55 pm Post a Comment

Marion’s Piazza manager John Davis knew the restaurant would be a hit when he opened the doors for lunch and was greeted by a party of 30 hungry guests.

The Dayton-based chain celebrated the grand opening of its newest restaurant — its ninth overall — Tuesday at the corner of Tylersville and Snider roads in Mason.

The Mason opening marks the company’s first Greater Cincinnati location.

“We were real busy,” said Davis of the lunch crowd. “Everybody said, ‘We can’t wait until you get here.’”

Photos: Marion’s Piazza opens in Mason

The 11,000-square-foot Mason location employs about 50 people and seats 520, including 70 in an outdoor patio and 100 in a private banquet room. Carry out service is also offered.

Marion’s is one of the first developments to break ground on the 9-acre site owned by Everybody’s Farm Inc. A dermatologist office is slated for another lot, according to Jeff Eichhom of Henkle, Schueler & Associates, whose sister company, Bunnell Hill Development Co. Inc., is the project’s developer.

The chain’s success lies in its pizza, known as Dayton-style pizza, said Roger Glass, company president. The crust is thin and pies are cut in bite-size squares instead of slices, he said.

Eighty-five percent of the company’s sales are pizza; other fare includes salads, sandwiches, lasagna and spaghetti.

“We must be doing something right. We keep setting records for business every year,” said Glass. “If you come to Marion’s, you’ve got to be hungry for pizza.”

Mason proved an attractive area for expansion because it is a populous area with a solid base of industry and other development, said Glass. Mason is also close to the company’s Dayton-based commissary, which ships out fresh dough daily.

Linda Bonnell of Loveland got hooked on Marion’s in the 1990s after her child’s basketball team played in the area. She was at the restaurant on opening day for dinner.

“We couldn’t wait until this one opened,” she said. “The pizza is wonderful, absolutely the best.

Restaurant hours are 10:30 a.m. -11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Marion’s is at 6176 Soundwave Blvd. and can be reached at 513-398-9998.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: business, dayton, everybody's farm, expansion, marion's piazza, mason, opening, pizza, restaurant, roger glass

Sinclair charts expansion in Mason

Posted by rrichardson August 17th, 2012, 9:42 am Post a Comment

Cliff Peale reports:

Sinclair Community College’s foundation has bought a building and land adjacent to Sinclair’s Courseview campus in Mason, the first step in an expansion the college says could grow the Warren County location to 10,000 students in the next two decades.

The Dayton-based college currently serves about 1,400 students in its building off Interstate 71.

It’s the next step in a higher education expansion in Greater Cincinnati’s northern suburbs that also includes a Middletown campus that Cincinnati State Technical & Community College will open Aug. 29.

A Sinclair spokesman confirmed the affiliated foundation had bought the adjacent Stress Engineering building, although it would not start classes there this fall.

Sinclair, which has more than 20,000 students throughout the system, has long wanted to expand the Mason location. It said Warren County is one of the fastest growing in the state and also is under-served by community colleges.

“Sinclair Community College is committed to meeting the needs of this community now and in the future,” Sinclair board Chairman Barney Wright said in a statement. “The continued future economic development of the Warren County community requires a significant investment in the workforce of the future.”

The expansion would be a direct challenge to Cincinnati State’s planned expansion into Middletown. Cincinnati State has about 10,000 students overall and hopes to start with 200 in Middletown.

Posted in: News |

Tags: Tags: college, dayton, expansion, foundation, mason, middletown, sinclair community college, sinclair courseview, stress engineering, warren county

Marion’s Piazza to open first Cincinnati area location in Mason

Posted by rrichardson August 9th, 2012, 8:30 am Post a Comment

Dayton chain Marion’s Piazza will open its ninth location and first Cincinnati area location in Mason this November. The Mason location will have the same look and design as its Troy location, which opened earlier this year. Photo provided

Cincinnati-area fans of Marion’s Piazza soon won’t have far to travel to enjoy the Dayton pizza staple.

Marion’s is set to open its latest restaurant — it’s ninth overall– in mid-November at the corner of Tylersville and Snider roads in Mason, said Roger Glass, company president. The Mason opening marks the company’s first Greater Cincinnati location.

Customer demand prompted the expansion, Glass said. The 47-year-old chain opened another location – its first expansion in two decades – in Troy earlier this year.

Troy and Mason are attractive for expansion because both cities are populous areas with a solid base of industry and other development, he said. In addition, the two cities are close to the company’s Dayton-based commissary, Glass said.

“We have fresh dough shipped out every day,’’ he said. “Everything will be fresh daily.”

The 11,000-square-foot Mason location will employ about 50 people and seat about 520, including 70 in an outdoor patio and 100 in a private banquet room. Carry out service will be offered.

Marion’s is one of the first developments to break ground on the 9-acre site owned by Everybody’s Farm Inc. A dermatologist office is slated for another lot, according to Jeff Eichhom of Henkle, Schueler & Associates, whose sister company, Bunnell Hill Development Co. Inc., is the project’s developer.

Interior shot of Marion’s Piazza’s Troy location. Photo provided

Glass says the chain’s success lies in its pizza, known as Dayton-style pizza. The crust is thin and pies are cut in bite-size squares instead of slices, he said.

Eighty-five percent of the company’s sales are pizza; other fare includes salads, sandwiches, lasagna and spaghetti.

“We must be doing something right. We keep setting records for business every year,” said Glass. “If you come to Marion’s, you’ve got to be hungry for pizza.”

Marion’s, which employs 275 in the Dayton area and sells more than 1 million pizzas a year, has no plans to open additional locations in Greater Cincinnati area, Glass said.

“Probably what I will do is relax for a couple of months after opening Mason,” he said with a laugh.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: business, dayton, everybody's farm, expansion, marion's piazza, mason, opening, pizza, restaurant, roger glass

Mason’s Kayla McDowell could make college decision soon

Posted by akiefaber July 16th, 2012, 3:03 pm Post a Comment

Mike Dyer reports

Mason junior Kayla McDowell could make her college decision possibly by the end of next week, according to Mason girls’ basketball coach Rob Matula.

Matula said McDowell will finish AAU this week. Last week in Las Vegas, Michigan, Wake Forest, Northwestern and Missouri watched her closely, Matula said.

McDowell, an Enquirer Division I all-area selection this past season, averaged 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals for the Comets. She was first-team all-GMC.

McDowell has had offers from Nebraska, Xavier, Dayton, Richmond, Toledo, Indiana, Iowa State, Massachusetts and Liberty, Matula said.

Mason was a Division I regional finalist this past season – its first regional final since the state championship team in 2000. Mason had an 18-7 record this past season.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, comets, dayton, Indiana, Iowa State, kayla mcdowell, Liberty, mason, mason high school, Massachusetts, nebraska, recruiting, Richmond, rob matula, toledo, xavier

Warren Co. drug dealer caught after 7-year ‘lunch’

Posted by rrichardson March 26th, 2012, 5:57 pm Post a Comment

Paul McKibben reports:

Authorities finally apprehended a convicted cocaine dealer who left his Warren County trial almost seven years ago for lunch and never returned.

Dayton, Ohio police arrested James Scott, 46, at approximately 11:45 p.m. Saturday on unrelated criminal damaging, obstructing official business and resisting arrest charges. He gave police no address but while he was on trial in the fall of 2005 he lived in Warren County’s Clearcreek Township.

John Burke, commander of the Warren County Drug Task Force, said Monday officials gave information to U.S. marshals about Scott. The television show “America’s Most Wanted” featured Scott several years ago. Burke said he guesses that Scott was assisted in being a fugitive.

“The other issue is he’s apparently kept out of trouble this amount of time. Otherwise he would have shown up somewhere else in the country,” Burke said.

Burke said officials had several different potential locations for Scott over the past seven years and they never stopped looking for him. Burke said Scott he didn’t know for sure where Scott might have lived but officials had tips. In a news release, the task force said several tips proved not to be fruitful.

The jury in the October 2005 trial convicted Scott on nine counts of trafficking in cocaine and two counts of possession of cocaine. All are but one are first degree felonies.

During the trial, Scott departed for lunch after jurors received the case and never returned. Scott was free on a $50,000 bond during the trial. The jury rendered their verdict without him present.

“He had … an ankle bracelet that when he went back home like for lunch, he took the bracelet off and then left,” Burke said. “So that’s what happened with him.”

Burke previously said that Scott was considered a major cocaine dealer in the area. When he was arrested in February 2005, after making several undercover purchases, Scott was found with 1.5 pounds of crack cocaine and 1 pound of powder cocaine. Police considered Scott to be armed and dangerous in 2005.

Scott faces more than 50 years in prison for the 2005 conviction. He’s lodged in the Montgomery County jail. Burke said he didn’t think authorities would be charging Scott for escape given the amount of prison time he already faces.

Posted in: Crime, News, Warren County |

Tags: Tags: america's most wanted, clearcreek township, crime, dayton, drugs, james scott, john burke, trial, warren county, warren county drug task force

Mason falls in regional championship

Posted by rrichardson March 12th, 2012, 2:28 pm Post a Comment

Mason's Briana Glover (14) and Kayla McDowell (15) cry on the bench after losing to Fairmont in the 4th period. Mason High School battled Fairmont High School in a Division I regional final basketball game at Wright State University on Saturday, March 10, 2012 in Dayton, Ohio. The Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II

Mark Schmetzer reports:

Mason couldn’t have picked a worse time to struggle with its shooting.

The Comets went the entire second quarter and most of the third without sinking a field goal, giving Kettering Fairmont a chance to build a lead the Firebirds held on to for a 49-40 win in the Division I girls regional championship game at Wright State.

Photos: Comets fall to Firebirds in regional championship

Senior Bri Glover scored 16 points to lead Mason (18-7), which was ranked third in the Enquirer’s Division I coaches poll and was making its first appearance in the regional finals since winning the 2000 state championship.

The Comets scored 22 points on field goals while shooting 27 percent (10-of-37) from the field. They were 18-of-22 on free throws, led by Glover’s 11-of-12. The Firebirds shot 45.7 percent (16-of-35).

Mason Briana Glover (14) drives to the basket against Fairmont Makayla Waterman (24) in the 4th period. The Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II

Mason coach Rob Matula pointed out that the Firebirds exploited Mason’s lack of an outside shooting game.

“They do a good job defensively of cutting off the lanes and contesting shots,” Matula said. “That’s what they do well. If you look at our stats, we don’t shoot many (3-pointers), and we don’t have many 3-point shooters, and when a defense is successful in making us shoot from the outside, we’re going to struggle.”

Sophomores Makayla Waterman (17 points) and Kathryn Westbeld (13) led Fairmont (23-3), the No.10 team in the Associated Press state poll.

The Firebirds will make their third consecutive trip to state. They lost last season in the championship game and in the semifinals in 2010.

The Comets went 3-of-18 from the field in the first half, including 0-for-8 in the second quarter, when they managed just two free throws by junior Kayla McDowell while falling behind, 20-14, by halftime.

“We talked about being more aggressive on our drives,” Matula said. “We wanted to spread it and curl under, but we couldn’t get the angles. We needed to score over the top of them.”

The slump reached 17:20, allowing Fairmont to open up a 13-point lead, 31-18, before McDowell connected on a wide-open layup with 1:13 left in the third quarter.

The Comets got no closer than six.

Mason rode an eight-game winning streak into the regional championship game.

“If somebody had told me we’d get to the regional finals, I would’ve said, ‘I’ll take it,’” Matula said. “Give them credit. They’ve got the experience from having been here before. We’re still taking baby steps to get there.”

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, briana glover, championship, comets, dayton, division i girls regional championship, fairmont, firebirds, girls basketball, jenna gunn, kayla mcdowell, kettering fairmont, lady comets, mason, mason high school, rob matula, wright state university

Comets’ Div. 1 victory earns spot at state

Posted by rrichardson May 26th, 2011, 10:40 am Post a Comment

Mason’s Monica Lake held off McAuley’s charge by running the fastest 800 meters of her life in the 4-by-800 3,200 meter relay Wednesday, reports Enquirer contributer Kevin Goheen.

Lake, a junior at Mason, led the Comets to a victory in the first event of the Division I regional track and field meet Wednesday at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium.

Lake ran a leg of 2 minutes, 14 seconds as part of Mason’s overall time of 9:17.55 in a hotly contested race, run with a gusting wind challenging athletes along the final curve and front straightaway. Pfeifer, who finished third in the individual 800 event at last year’s state meet, covered her leg in 2:11, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Comets as McAuley finished second in 9:19.91.

Lebanon was third in 9:20.64. St. Ursula anchor Bridget Johnston passed Springboro’s Carly Hamilton, a three-time state qualifier in the 1,600, just before the line for fourth place in 9:23.33.

Mason’s first three relay legs, run by sophomore Olivia Gaus, senior Brenna Hallum and junior Bridget McElhenny, built up a six-second lead for Lake.

“I’ve never run times close to Danielle and Carly, so we needed to get me away from there,” Lake said. “When I saw Brenna’s second lap and the lead was growing, I knew we were going to definitely qualify but it was going to be close. I didn’t want them to catch me. I was scared. I booked on my first lap because I had to get away.”

The top four finishers in each event qualify for next week’s state meet at Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

The 4-by-800 relay was the only running final contested Wednesday. All other running finals will be held Friday, beginning at 5 p.m.

The finals in boys’ pole vault, long jump and discus were held Wednesday, as were the girls’ high jump and discus. The remainder of the field events will be contested Friday beginning at 4 p.m.

LaSalle’s all-senior team of Travis Hawes, Alex Thiery, Kevin Kluesner and Ethan Bokeno won the boys’ 4-by-800 relay in 7:58.85. St. Xavier was second in 8:01.06 and Mason was third in 8:02.88.

LaSalle and Mason were even going into the final leg but Bokeno pulled away from Mason’s Matt Kincaid. The Lancers have run as fast as 7:51 this season, but strong winds slowed all of the teams from their seasonal bests Wednesday.

The meet was delayed at 6:45 p.m. for 1 hour, 20 minutes due to thunderstorms and a tornado warning. After the delay, athletes finished qualifying for Friday’s finals in the 200 meters and 4-by-400 relay.