Sutphen Corporation Establishes Scholarship to Benefit Northwestern Local Students

German Township Trustees Joe Clark, Charlie Metzger, and Lamar Kaffenbarger (right) join LeRoy Knupp (left) and William Thomas (third from left) of the Sutphen Corporation as they present Horton Hobbs (second from left) of the Springfield Foundation with a $32,000 check for the creation of the Sutphen Corporation Scholarship Fund. The Sutphen Corporation created this scholarship to assist Northwestern High School graduating seniors, or past graduates, who wish to pursue technical or vocational studies at an accredited two-year or four-year college or university.

The Sutphen Corporation, a Columbus-based custom fire truck manufacturer with a Clark County facility located at 1701 W. County Line Road, has established a scholarship fund within the Springfield Foundation to benefit Northwestern Local School students.

Earlier this year, German Township Trustees approved a 10-year, 60 percent Enterprise Zone tax abatement for the Sutphen Corporation’s chassis division expansion in German Township. As a condition of their agreement, the Trustees required Sutphen to provide $50,000 for scholarships over the 10-year period.

In an effort to provide permanence to their scholarship, Sutphen Corporation officials decided to endow their scholarship through the Springfield Foundation making it a permanent scholarship that will extend well beyond the 10-year period. The scholarship will assist Northwestern High School graduating seniors, or past graduates, who wish to pursue technical or vocational studies at an accredited two-year or four-year college or university. The scholarship should make its first award in 2010. More information and application materials will be available through the Springfield Foundation in January 2010.

“Creating this scholarship fund is a perfect way to give back to the community and to support the Northwestern Local School District in a lasting and meaningful way,” said Drew Sutphen, Sutphen Corporation President. “By partnering with the Springfield Foundation, we are able to be sure that our corporation and this scholarship fund will continue to impact this community well into the future.”

“This is a win, win, win” said Charlie Metzger, President of the German Township Trustees. “The school district wins by having a new scholarship fund that will support our students. German Township, wins through Sutphen’s growth and expansion. And the community wins because the Springfield Foundation has over 60 years of experience administering these kinds of funds for the community’s benefit” he concluded.

“Everywhere around us we have extraordinary examples of philanthropy taking place in our community,” said Springfield Foundation Executive Director, Ted Vander Roest. “In creating a permanent endowment fund, the Sutphen Corporation has left a lasting legacy to benefit local students. It has been a privilege helping Sutphen, and we are hopeful that this great example of the public, private and non-profit sectors working together to benefit the local community can serve as a model for continued partnerships.”

The Springfield Foundation is a Community Foundation founded in 1948 to improve the quality of life in Springfield and Clark County. The Foundation currently administers over 300 funds for the community and provides in excess of $2.5 Million annually in the form of grants and scholarships for the primary benefit of Clark County.

For more information, contact:
, Executive Director, The Springfield Foundation, at 324-8773 or
Charlie Metzger, German Township Trustee Office, at (937) 964-1355 or
Drew Sutphen, Sutphen Corporation at (614) 889-1005