Don Harbaugh | Jeannie Hylant | Aaron Baker


DONALD L. HARBAUGH, Co-Chair

HDD Holdings, LLC

Don Harbaugh, former Chairman of the Board of Toledo Molding & Die, Inc. (TMD) is a Toledo native, born in 1949.  Don had over 17 years of sales, marketing, and management experience before becoming President of TMD in 1989 and Chairman of the Board in 1996.   He is a graduate of St. Francis de Sales High School (1967) and Florida State University (1971) with a B.S. in Marketing.  

In September 2011, Don Harbaugh became the Angel Investor behind BX Solutions, a Toledo based Transportation and Logistics Company.  Through Don’s efforts, BX Solutions generated over 250 full and part time employment positions as they expanded their E-commerce sortation operations in 2012. In 2013, Don became the owner of BX Solutions which enabled the Company to expand its service capabilities to include warehousing, e-commerce pool distribution and scheduled time definite transportation. Through BX Solutions, Don is helping Northwest Ohio rebuild services that maximizes the region’s infrastructure of highways, railroads and airport capabilities.  Today, BX Solutions has 65 business locations across the USA that are providing Transportation and Logistical services to customers in a variety of industries. 

Don currently serves on numerous civic and charitable organizations, which includes a committee established for the Future of Toledo (FoT) initiative; he is involved in this endeavor because he believes in the City of Toledo and region, and is dedicated to making it the best it can be.  The FoT comprises an amazing group of diverse individuals, young and old, working together for the betterment of Toledo.  He also serves on the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) Board of Directors, the St Francis de Sales (SFS) High School Board of Trustees, the Boy’s & Girl’s Clubs of Toledo (BGCT) Board of Directors as well as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) National Area Council representing the states of Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia.

In November 2013 Don was inducted into the Toledo City Athletic League Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Outstanding Citizen Award.  This award honors a local citizen who gives unselfishly of his time, energy and resources through support to the athletes of the community to maintain the highest of educational athletic programs. In 2010 Don was presented the “Jefferson Award for Public Service”.  Don was also presented President George Bush’s “Volunteer Service Award” at a BGCA national recognition dinner in Atlanta, Georgia in 2007.  In 2006 Don was awarded the “Jeremiah Milbank Gold Medallion Award” for the Midwest Region for exceptional and devoted service to the BGCA movement.  In 2005 the BGCA awarded Don the “National Service to Youth Award” for 10 years of service to the organization. Don has also received the “Friends of Youth” award in 1997 and the “Outstanding Board Volunteer” award in 1995 for service to BGCT and the BGCA Ohio Area Council.  SFS presented Don with the “Golden Knight Award” in 2004.  In 1996 Don was awarded the “Entrepreneur of the Year Award”.

Don is a member of the Florida State Seminole Boosters Club.  Don’s hobbies include golf, skiing, fly-fishing, college sports and travel, especially to Montana, Africa, and Europe.  

Don has two children (Holly and Nikki) and resides in Ottawa Hills, Ohio.


 Jeannie Hylant, Co-Chair

The Hylant Group

As co-chair of the Future of Toledo with Don Harbaugh, Jeannie focuses on keeping the momentum going around the community.  It is critical to our success to continually grow the initiative so we can be as collaborative as possible and leave politics at the door.  This entails having the ability to get in front of people to discuss the individual initiatives, work with current committee member to be sure their needs are being met and their initiatives are moving ahead to conclusion.  This also requires recruiting the right people to join in the process – people with a “can do attitude” and the passion to make it happen.  Jeannie is also participating in the Economic Development Initiative of the FOT as a committee member under Don Werner’s leadership.

Jeannie became engrossed in the FOT in the very early stages as our current Mayor Mike Bell was formulating his platform to transform the city.  He knew he needed help and Jeannie knew a core group of people that helped get the ball rolling.  It was a critical time in Toledo’s history and we knew that many of the answers to the region’s issues would come from the citizens who live and work in the community.  The end game was to have a solid plan for the city and the region that would provide attainable results regardless of the political leadership and that has been accomplished.  Future of Toledo must outlive any Mayor of the City for it to be considered a success.

Jeannie is currently employed by Hylant, the largest independent agency in the state of Ohio where she has been since 1980.  She was born and raised and Toledo attending Ottawa Hills High School then moving onto Indiana University.  She currently serves on the following boards: Alliance for Pared Donation, Boys & Girls Club of Toledo, University of Toledo Innovation Enterprises, Toledo Zoo Foundation, Owens Community College Foundation and The National Alliance – CIC Board for Insurance Education.  Her past board experience was, Toledo Club, Toledo Zoo, Red Cross and Make A Wish of Northwest Ohio.


Aaron Baker, Emerging Leader Co-Chair

ASPIRE

Aaron Allen Baker was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. He is currently the Executive Director of Aspire, Lucas County’s cradle to career initiative, which unites community partners and families around the healthy development of children. He graduated from Maumee Valley Country Day School in 1990 and later from the University of Toledo with two degrees: A Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration. In addition, Aaron is a Doctoral Candidate at Vanderbilt University where he focuses on Educational Leadership and Policy.

Formerly, Aaron served as Assistant VP for Government Relations at The University of Toledo, where he forged and facilitated relationship between the university and state and local legislators for six years. He also represented the university on various Boards throughout the city and state including Toledo’s Economic Opportunity Planning Association and Ohio’s Inter-University Council. Aaron is currently a member of the Toledo Botanical Garden’s and the Boys and Girls Club of Toledo’s Board of Trustees.

Having begun his career as an English Teacher in Nashville, TN in 1997, Aaron has always perceived himself as an educator. However, he is also a researcher and writer, having published several articles and book chapters on the social context of education. Aaron and his Wife, Kimberly Baker, have one daughter, Jordan, who is 17 years old.