A Key Piece to the Puzzle: Connecting People, Purpose, and Progress

Pictured above: Steven Brown (left), the Land Bank’s property inspector and Cathie Hicks, fiscal officer are two essential pieces of the puzzle.

At the heart of our work at the Mahoning County Land Bank — and our theme during the 2025 Ohio Land Bank Conference — is a powerful message: A Key Piece to the Puzzle.

It’s a reminder that true revitalization isn’t a solo effort — It’s a collaboration of vision, hard work and community spirit. Repurposing vacant land and revitalizing communities takes many hands.

Whether it’s replacing blight with beauty, transforming brownfields into business opportunities or catalyzing new housing that brings life back to our neighborhoods, our team is helping complete the picture of a stronger, more vibrant region.

At the Ohio Land Bank Association Conference in April, we decided to showcase this premise in our display booth and supporting materials. We crafted literal puzzle pieces that showcase the ways the Land Bank participates in critical redevelopment projects.

Housing, demolition and community partnerships were among the pieces. By assembling the pieces together, we reinforced the idea that each contribution is essential to completing the larger picture.

This strategy aimed at not only communicating this theme to the conference’s 400 attendees, but also to reminding each of us about the big picture puzzle we all help to complete.