By: Stephen McCollum

Allison Millspaugh has embarked upon an interesting work experiment in multitasking. Her employers are likewise working at blending economy and efficiency by consolidating their resources. 

Millspaugh recently was hired as Office Manager by the Blackford County Community Foundation (BCCF), the Hartford City Chamber of Commerce, and the Blackford County Economic Development Corporation (BCEDC), all housed in The Annex at 121 North High Street.

“The Foundation’s office manager position was vacant for a year,” says Elizabeth Witt, Executive Director. “Allison has been a lifesaver during these last months as we have all faced the challenge of accomplishing our missions during this extraordinary period. She catches on quickly and makes us all look good.”

After graduation at Eastbrook High School, Millspaugh started study at Ivy Tech. After daughter Adaline, 2, was born, she pivoted toward online education opportunities. Thanks to information picked up during her agriculture classes at BHS, she landed at the University of Northern Ohio in the fall of 2018 and next spring will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and minor in agriculture. 

Allison and Adaline (in the cover photo) are living on part of the Langdon Brothers Seed, Corp. farm south of town, where they enjoy visits to the barn, easy tractor rides, and friendly cows. Her mother, Aimee Langdon Millspaugh, and father, Troy, are both involved with the farm. 

So how does one go about staffing three offices simultaneously?

“I try to prioritize tasks as they come up and obviously aim to apportion my time equally,” she says. She handles acknowledgement letters to donors and helps manage the foundation’s data base of scholarships and grants. For the Chamber, she helps with organizing events, preparation for board meetings, and managing the website and newsletter. Her business admin training comes into play for BCEDC with budget and accounting details, paying bills, and organizing special projects like the recent grant application process for pandemic-relief funds through the state’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

“Allison has proven to be an immediate success in this position,” says Warren Brown, BCEDC Executive Director. “She is a great addition to the team and we are extremely happy to have her.”

Emily Leas, President of the board for the Chamber of Commerce, adds, “We especially appreciate her positive energy, her organizational skills, and her good ideas. She thinks outside the box.”

While she hasn’t taken her eye off her farming roots, Millspaugh’s current and former work experiences—as a manager at Kohl’s Department Store and with the accounting firm The Andersons—seem to have her leaning harder into the business administration side of her education. 

“As my education progressed, I realized both my interests and my strengths may be more in the business administration side of things. I’m enjoying this opportunity very much.”