Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.

Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) Welcomes New Members

Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce Steve Sanner (Jiffy Lube of Indiana), Todd Simon (Omaha Steaks), Kelly Wicks (Grounds for Thought), and Barbara Wight (Taylor Guitars) will be joining the Business Committee for the Arts.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Business Committee for the Arts of Americans for the Arts is comprised of leaders who are passionate about the role the arts play in advancing business goals and transforming communities. Member companies serve as ambassadors for the mission and provide leadership on key initiatives including messaging, advocacy, and strategic alliances within the private-sector community. Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce Steve Sanner (Jiffy Lube of Indiana), Todd Simon (Omaha Steaks), Kelly Wicks (Grounds for Thought), and Barbara Wight (Taylor Guitars) will be joining the Business Committee for the Arts.

Please join us in welcoming the following companies and business leaders:

Headshot of Steve Sanner against a gray backdropSteve Sanner
President, Jiffy Lube of Indiana
Fort Wayne, IN

Steve Sanner and his partners became the Jiffy Lube franchisee for Indiana in 1985. They currently own 48 Jiffy Lubes and have won several national awards for their ground-breaking Growing People Through Work program. They were also the 2016 Jiffy Lube Franchisee of the Year. Steve’s latest innovation has been the “Every Part Matters” Public Art initiative, where artists are being commissioned to paint murals on the sides of the Jiffy Lube shops in Indiana.

Steve grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Penn State’s Smeal Business School in 1983. He has been happily married to Jennifer since 1989 and they have 4 children, two in New York City, one in San Francisco and one in her junior year at Indiana University.

Steve is active in the Indianapolis community having served on several charitable Boards, including his current role as Vice Chairman of The Indiana Sports Corporation and co-Chair of The B1G Football Championship Game.

Todd Simon
SVP, Omaha Steaks
Omaha, NE

Todd Simon is a fifth generation owner of the Omaha Steaks® group of companies, serving as Senior Vice-President of Omaha Steaks International, Inc., President of OS SalesCo, Inc. and Vice-Chairman of Omahasteaks.com, Inc.

Mr. Simon joined Omaha Steaks more than 30 years ago after graduating from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is responsible for developing and implementing Omaha Steaks’ brand-strategy and award-winning marketing programs, as well as the employee development efforts that make Omaha Steaks one of the finest customer service organizations in the country.

Omaha Steaks and the Simon family have a strong commitment to community leadership and philanthropy, and Todd has been extremely involved in shaping his family’s leadership in supporting the arts.

Todd is the immediate-past Chairman and current Vice-President of the Omaha Community Foundation where he is also a member of their Strategic Planning committee. He is Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts where he chairs the Development Committee. Todd is a founding board member of United States Artists—a national arts organization that raises private money to award 50 significant fellowships each year to America’s finest living artists in all disciplines. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Mid-America Arts Alliance where he serves on the Marketing and Communications Committee.

In 2017, Todd was the recipient of the Humanities Nebraska Sower Award which is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to public understanding of the arts and humanities in Nebraska. He also has been named Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year by the Nebraska Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and along with his wife, Betiana, was named 2013 Humanitarian of the Year by Inclusive Communities.

“My family made sure that I was exposed to the arts from a very early age and my company continues to support numerous arts organizations and makes art experiences available to our employee team I’ve learned that experiencing creativity in all its forms makes us better as individuals, as companies and as a culture. I’m honored to team up with the BCA to learn how to advance the arts even further for our kids and our nation.”

Kelly Wicks
Co-Owner, Grounds for Thought
Bowling Green, OH

Kelly Wicks is a Bowling Green, Ohio based entrepreneur and small business owner. He has been active in promoting community, small business, art, and transportation for three decades. He is a co-founder of the Black Swamp Arts Festival, former director of the Downtown Business Association, and local chamber of commerce board member. His company, Grounds For Thought, has won multiple coffee, business, and arts appreciation awards since its founding in 1989.

“The arts, to me, is the soil from which all things grow, family, business, community.”

Barbara J. Wight, CPA
Chief Financial Officer, Taylor Guitars
El Cajon, CA

Barbara Wight is the Chief Financial Officer at Taylor Guitars, one of the world's leading manufacturers of premium acoustic and electric guitars. In her role, Ms. Wight retains global responsibility for all financial, information technology, and legal interests on behalf of the company, which annually manufactures and distributes over 160,000 guitars in both domestic and international markets. At Taylor, Ms. Wight is instrumental in both operations management and compliance issues related to binational manufacturing, as the company maintains factory complexes in El Cajon, California and Tecate, Mexico. In addition, the company owns an ebony mill in Yaoundé, Cameroon and a Forestry Company in Hawaii (both in conjunction with wood suppliers).

Currently, Ms. Wight serves on Board of Directors for the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), and is on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation.  She loves exploring the cross section for business, infrastructure, and the arts.

“Much of my prior life was devoted to growing a business without a full realization of the value the arts could bring to that business. For the past decade, I have had the privilege to be at Taylor Guitars and to work at the intersection between art and business every day. The Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) provides leadership and guidance to businesses to help them empower the leadership role of the arts, and I’m honored and excited to be a part of this.”