• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

MarionMade

People, Places, Products, Programs

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On YoutubeCheck Our FeedVisit Us On Instagram
We Are Generous!We Are Presidential!We Are Having Fun!
  • Get Involved
  • About
  • Events
    • MarionMade! 5k Sign Up
  • People
  • Places
  • Products
  • Programs
  • Links
  • Contact

Ted McKinniss

By MarionMade! on October 5, 2017

His roots are in Marion. Born in Marion in 1950 and a graduate of Harding High School, Ted he has devoted a lifetime’s worth of time and talent to his hometown and is definitely MarionMade! As a practicing attorney, serving Marion for more than four decades, Ted’s work has had a significant impact here, including involvement in creating three major Marion-area industrial parks and a private rail/truck facility that was the first of its kind in the Midwest, helping to charter a community bank, creating an economic development organization to help city and county governments, developing a foreign trade zone, and expanding one of the largest warehousing facilities between Columbus and Cleveland.

But Ted’s heart has always been in community service, serving on boards, trying his best to make Marion an even better place to live. He has served on the Marion Rotary board and been president, as well is a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a charter member of the Marion Community Foundation and on its board, as well as Ohio State Bank’s board of directors.

It would be hard to pick a favorite from all these efforts, but the work Ted would say he’s most proud of would be the Marion City Board of Education. On the board for 27 years so far, with numerous terms served as president, Ted’s passion for Marion’s schools is significant. Some highlights of his board service include the construction of a new high school, three new elementary schools, and extensive remodeling of three other schools.

Along with his wife, Kathy, Ted plans on continuing to find ways to make life in Marion even better, because there’s nowhere else he’d rather call home.

#WeAreMarionMade! #WeAreVolunteers #WeAreWorkingTogether #WeAreSchools

Recent MarionMade! Stories

  • Leiha Lamb Serves Charcuterie with Love through Yellow Finch Creations

    Leiha Lamb of Marion was a child when her family taught her to cook. “My grandma and my dad taught me if you love people, you feed them. They both made me fall in love with being in a kitchen. It’s my happy place,” Lamb said. Now this River Valley graduate, mother and local businesswoman […]Read More »
  • Joe Sansotta

    Joe Sansotta started in the restaurant business on his 16th birthday.  Now approaching 40 years of experience, he has a loyal following for his latest restaurant, Sansotta’s Fresh Italian. Joe attributes his success to being born and raised in Marion. “I worked at Western Sizzlin’ all through high school, as well as at several Marion […]Read More »
  • Elsie Janis

    World War I’s “Sweetheart of the American Expeditionary Force” was a Marion girl named Elsie Janis. A singing, cartwheeling vaudeville star, she toured France entertaining and bolstering the morale of the servicemen.  And, Janis was no flash in the pan. She had a lengthy and illustrious career as a multi-talented songwriter, actress, dancer, and singer. […]Read More »
  • Work Ethic & Marion Love: Hemmerly’s Since 1934

    A strong work ethic runs in the family and these women have passed it down through generations. Terra Dildine, the owner of Hemmerly’s Flowers & Gifts since 2015, said her mom started working there at the age of 15 when the store was owned by Trella Romine Hemmerly. In 2000, Terra’s mother bought the shop […]Read More »

Share Your MarionMade! Story

Click Here to share your story about MarionMade! people, places, products, and programs!
  • Get Involved
  • About
  • Events
  • People
  • Places
  • Products
  • Programs
  • Links
  • Contact

Marion Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Downtown Marion Love INC Marion Public Library Marion Area Chamber of Commerce Marion CANDO! Marion Community Foundation United Way of Marion County Marion Technical College

© 2026 · MarionMade! is a community initiative led by Marion Technical College · Website is powered by Neighborhood Image