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CORTLAND -- Jim Noel, a Cortland resident for 41 years, grew up with an attitude of wanting to be "the best that I can be" at whatever the undertaking.
He was born in Portsmouth, with stops in Jackson and Circleville before calling Cortland home.
He is a member and past president of the Cortland Rotary Club, which has done service projects in the Lakeview Local School District, at Imagination Station and Willow Park, just to name a few.
"The organizing of these projects, and the hard work and dedication of our members have allowed us to be major financial contributors to the programs and facilities of local community groups," Noel said.
His first job was delivering newspapers at the age of 6. He also earned a extra money selling Christmas cards in the neighborhood. By age 9, he was working in the family restaurant business, Noel's Kingboy Restaurant in Circleville.
"I guess I developed some understanding of work ethic and have worked to improve my skills at getting things accomplished during my growing up days, though I tell people I've never really 'grown up'," Noel, now 75, said with a chuckle.
He said he loved school, as well as playing football and basketball, noting the two-week summer football practices before enrolling as a new student at Circleville High School taught him the importance of making good connections with good people. However, even with his academic and athletic abilities, he was still uncertain about his family's move from Jackson in 1965.
Noel said the adjustment was made easier by the fact that his family operated the restaurant.
"My brother, Jack, ran the restaurant, so automatically I got to be known as 'Jack's brother,'" he said. "Later on, through sports, I was glad to have moved to the new town and Circleville High School. We won the league football championship my senior year, losing only one game. Those were good times with wonderful experiences."
After high school, he earned a business degree at Franklin University in Columbus.
"Through my work as field representative and registered lobbyist with the Ohio Restaurant Association, as a 19-year-old young man, I was fortunate to meet lots of successful entrepreneurs," Noel said.
That list of industry leaders included KFC founder Colonel Sanders, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas and Bob Ludwig, the head of LK Restaurants and CEO of White Castle, the nation's first fast-food hamburger diner.
"Networking with these and many more such leaders was very helpful in my business training," Noel said.
At 27, Noel's career track led him to the State Farm Insurance Company, where he would remain for the next 44 years. As an agent, he achieved "Presidents Club Membership" for ranking 38th in mutual fund sales out of 18,000 agents in the country.
He was then given the opportunity to be an agency manager.
"Initially, we didn't know if we wanted to make a location change, but we started to search the options as to where to live. In 1983, my wife, Diana, began working with a Realtor who brought her to Cortland. Lakeview schools were included in the tour and knowing that we wanted a good, smaller school for our daughter, that pretty much made our decision to come here," Noel said.
As an agency manager, it was his job to see many others become successful, including his son-in-law, John Campolito, a Youngstown State University graduate, who is a local agent in insurance and financial consulting. He is hoping his grandson, Antonio, who works in his dad's office, will enjoy a career at State Farm.
He said "most people (in this area) are genuine and caring. It's a great location between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. There are many great golf courses and fishing sites, and Lakeview is a great school system. It is a great place to live, work and do family things. Now, in retirement, I get great enjoyment out of helping people through my service club volunteering and serving on several boards."
Noel's family includes his wife, Diana; daughter, Angie Noel Campolito and her husband, John; and grandchildren, Antonio and Rachel, who all live in Cortland.
A good blend of work and school activities was important in the Noels' busy lives.
"Diana kept books for our business and we attended lots of track and cross country meets over the years," he said.
Some of the service projects he has been involved in include past president of the Trumbull County Life Underwriters Association (now Mahoning Valley), Cortland Rotary and past chairman of the famous Cortland Rotary Golf Classic.
"I am currently serving on the Lake Vista (Ohio Living) Advisory Board. My wife, Diana, and I also deliver food for Mobile Meals each week. We feel so fortunate to be associated with all these groups and the individuals that make them work so successfully," Noel said.
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