Chamber Business Connection Vol. 1, Issue 11 | Page 10

Heartland Bank -
Presenting History
Heartland Bank has been Arts in the Alley’s Present-
ing Sponsor now for over a decade – and there’s good
reason for that. The President of the organization -
Scott McComb, also a former President of the
Chamber - has a deep family connection to Arts in the
Alley.
His parents were both instrumental in creating The Chamber of Commerce as well as the Arts in the Alley festival
itself. “38 years ago, there was a group of business people in Grove City that really wanted to start to showcase
the downtown area of Grove City,” McComb said. “One of them was my mother, who’s been credited as one of the
co-founders of the festival. She helped run it for many years until they moved from Grove City”
McComb explained this connection with his family is one of the reasons behind the continued sponsorship – and
the reason why the “Helena McComb Award” was created.
“Of course, Arts in the Alley has always been a Chamber of Commerce event, and the Grove City Area Chamber
of Commerce was founded by my father, Tiney McComb. My father was the very first President of the Chamber
of Commerce. Ike Stage, Grove City Mayor, was the second President of the Grove City Chamber of Commerce.”
McComb said. “The Grove City Chamber has been a catalyst behind a lot of the events, the culture and the growth
of Grove City.”
“We created the Helena McComb Award several years ago. That was for the piece of art which had the best
rendition of a floral arrangement or a floral, pictorial or some sort of art regarding floral themes – my mother loved
flowers.”
Before Arts in the Alley, McComb says – not many people knew much about Grove City. But now, through his
families’ legacy, he feels he’s been able to make a difference and has helped Grove City to grow.
“Well, it makes me feel proud. Our little town used to be the whipping boy of Central Ohio, where people would
call it ‘Grovetucky’, make fun, it was down by the dump, and on the other side of all the industrial complexes, on the
south side of Columbus. Nobody really knew what Grove City had to offer. Nobody really knew where Grove City was.
Now, the thing that makes me most proud is that the city has grown into one of the largest suburbs of Franklin
County. It is a welcoming place, not only for new residents coming to town but also for generations of folks that
were raised in Grove City, that come back and raise their families in Grove City.”
Scott and Amy McComb
The Heartland Stage
CHAMBER BUSINESS CONNECTION
Tiney and Helena McComb
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