Meet Allen Sommers from LCC Class of 2025
Allen Sommers was born and raised in Holmes County. He grew up on his family’s fifth-generation dairy farm but admittedly “enjoyed the fieldwork over the animals.” He graduated from East Holmes High School in 1989 and went to work for Holmes Custom Molding. After a year, a co-worker encouraged him to consider a different occupation, so he went to the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. After a year Sommers realized that agriculture was not what he truly loved doing. He always had an interest in computers and helped out at Hiland High School where he was encouraged to pursue computer technology.
He went to Stark State College in Canton for computer science and earned an associate’s degree. While attending Stark State College he met his wife, Penny. After graduating from Stark State, he started his career with Akron Brass in Wooster, a company that makes firefighting nozzles. After five years he recognized the need for additional training in the computer science field. Sommers went to DeVry University and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science while working at a company out of Mount Vernon called InfoLink. Soon after graduating a job at Walnut Creek Foods opened up and he became the IT manager for the company. A need for a change brought Sommers to Coshocton working for Synced Consulting which then led to McWane Ductile as the network/systems administrator. His primary responsibility is to maintain the network and servers for the organization. He makes sure “everything is connected and working” he also handles any issues related to the hardware of the equipment.
When Sommers co-worker, Mary Jackson, asked if he would be interested in the leadership program he decided to say yes. Being new to the community he knew it would be a great place to start and get him out of his comfort zone. He likes meeting people and getting acquainted with businesses in the area. He has enjoyed learning the history and has found it fascinating. “Besides learning more about the area and meeting people,” Sommers said, “I’d like to learn how to be a better leader for the people I work with.”
When asked about his view of the community, Sommers said, “People are friendly and laid-back. It is a wonderful place to raise a family. Many improvements are being made to build the community back up after plant closures. “It is always wonderful to see a community grow.”
When asked about what would need to be done to make the county stronger, Sommers looks at growing the tourism industry. Coming from a community that has grown substantially in tourism and seeing what it brings to the local economy, gives him the desire to see this for Coshocton. “The thought is exciting to me. Coshocton has many great qualities to offer. We are well on our way to providing great community events we just need to find the best ways to amplify and improve those qualities to entice people to come.”
Sommers would recommend Leadership Coshocton to others. “If you are new to the area, it’s a great way to learn about the history, businesses, and companies as a whole,” he said. “It is nice to know where the county has been, and what the future holds.”
This September Sommers and his wife Penny will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Penny works for Coshocton Christian School as an art teacher. With two children, ages 17 and 8 they stay very busy; but enjoy taking part in many community functions. A couple of favorites the whole family enjoys include the Apple Butter Festival and the KOA activities “My family is enjoying being part of this community and we are happy to call it home.”
Category: People & Places
