Pike & Ross County YMCA’s to Combine January 1st

Article presented by Pike County CTC …

Meet the new Scioto Valley YMCA, effective January 1, 2026.

The Pike County and Ross County Ys have worked together in recent years, but according to a news release Friday, the respective boards have announced the approval of an “Intent to Merge” combining their efforts to serve their communities.

The release from CEO Steve Clever: The vote to move forward with coming together was approved at a joint board meeting of the volunteers last Thursday, October 16th.

A collaboration exploration taskforce was formed earlier this year. This group was board
appointed and approved to work collaboratively to explore whether the two Ys should join
together. John Brodt from the Pike County Board and Clint Boggs from the Ross County Board
co-chaired the group.

Brodt and Boggs were joined by taskforce members; Wilma Gillott, Todd Shoemaker, and Ralph Williamson from the Pike County YMCA and Jennifer Cochran, James Szorady, and Janie Rhoads from the
Ross County YMCA.

The relationship between the two YMCAs began in November 2023 when the two Ys entered
into a shared services agreement, followed by a management agreement in April 2024 where
Steve Clever served as CEO for both organizations. The relationship has produced numerous
positive operating performance improvements.

During the exploration process a third-party consultant was engaged to produce a financial
analysis of what the two YMCAs might look like if they came together. The report examined key
performance indicators (unrestricted net assets, debt ratio, debt coverage, productivity, annual
charitable support, along with net revenue along with numerous other performance categories).

After completing the financial analysis and along with conducting a thorough due diligence of
the two organizations, the taskforce voted unanimously to recommend the “intent to merge”
resolution.

Ralph Williamson, Pike County YMCA Board Member stated, “We are thrilled to be working with
Steve and his team and the leadership of the Ross County YMCA to refocus our attention on
strengthening the capacity of our combined organization to better serve the communities in our
area.”

“Steve and his team bring years of service to the YMCA movement and skills and experiences that we, as a combined organization, will leverage to continue to grow our impact and reach and
continue to serve our communities.” said Clint Boggs, Board President of the Ross County YMCA.

Steve Clever shared, “We are excited to be taking this important step in working together. We have
work to do before we announce our “official” merger, including our date of merger and our new
organization’s name. We will continue to work collaboratively to take advantage of the economies
of scale that can help support both YMCAs. This is an excellent opportunity for our staff team to
share their skills and experiences”.