Supance and Howard receives TSEP Lifetime Achievement Award

Going back to 1972, the partners of Supance and Howard have been serving Tiffin both as private attorneys and public servants for almost five decades, earning them the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership 2020 Annual Meeting. Jim Supance joined the law firm in 1972, under then partners Charles D. "Bud" Hering Jr. and Webb D. Tomb. Also working there at the time was Paul E. Gillmor. He was joined by now partner Jim Nordholt in 1974. "Everyone in the firm has a feeling that Tiffin, Ohio, is a great place to live and we have been involved in one way or another in community service," Nordholt said. Brent Howard joined in 1988, coming to the community with wife, Susan Howard, Hering's daughter. Being located in downtown Tiffin, at 84 S. Washington St., the firm has a record of supporting the redevelopment of the downtown. A few years ago, when Leadership Seneca County wanted to have a mural painted in Downtown, Supance and Howard offered the side of the building. "We were pleased to offer the side of our building as part of the fabric of the downtown," Howard said. The firm deals primarily in probate, real estate and business law. But in addition, the partners all have been involved in public service at some point in their careers. Supance is the chair of the Sandusky County-Seneca County-City of Tiffin Port Authority, a position he has held for more than 30 years when he was asked to join the board by then mayor Dave Martien in 1989 when the city, county and Sandusky County formed the board. Nordholt has been on the Tiffin City Schools Board of Education, Tiffin Park Board and was on the first City of Tiffin Charter Review Commission. Nordholt also has served as a public defender and joined the prosecutor's office. "Part of what we do is to try to improve our community and make it the kind of place we want it to be for our families," Nordholt said. Howard has been the Tiffin law director since 1995, when he, like Supance, was appointed by Martien after the previous law director had stepped down and he was the only candidate who had filed for the seat. And Susan Howard, who is the office manager, also serves publicly as the Seneca County law librarian. Howard said the desire to serve was instilled on them by their former employers, who also were community minded. Like Nordholt, Hering was on the Tiffin City School Board. And Gillmor also later went on to elected office, first in the Ohio Senate and then as a U.S. Congressman.