From Buckeye to Business Owner

Featuring: Ryan Miller, M2 Marketing and the Second and Seventh Foundation, and Zach Boren, Boren Brothers sharing their roads to success, tips along the way and plans for the future. Moderated by Larry Romanoff, Chicken Salad Chick.


Ryan Miller
Ryan Miller came to Columbus from Allen Park, MI. He played football for The Ohio State University from 1993-1996, where he started at outside linebacker and helped the team capture a victory in the 1997 Rose Bowl.  The two-time Iron-Man Award winner was also selected as the co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior for the Buckeyes.
 
After graduating with an Economics degree from The Ohio State University, Ryan began a career in sports journalism with "Sports Radio 97.1 The Fan" (WBNS).
 
From 1997 to 2000, he co-hosted a morning drive talk show called Miller and Mark in the Morning.  During that same time period, he teamed up with former Buckeye and NFL great Jim Lachey for the weekly Ohio Sports Insider program, which aired on the Ohio News Network.
 
Ryan then joined WBNS 10TV in September 2000 as a Sports Reporter.  He took his passion for sports to the weekly magazine show, Wall to Wall Sports, as an anchor.
 
In 2002, Ryan won two Sports Emmys for Best Sports Reporter and Best Feature Story while getting accepted to graduate school at The Ohio State University.
 
In June, 2005, Ryan earned his Masters degree from the Fisher College of Business (OSU) and founded m2 marketing, LLC with former OSU Women’s Basketball Player Megan McCabe. M2 creates websites with a content management system and provides graphic design services. For more information, visit: www.m2marketing.com.
 
Ryan is involved in many charities in central Ohio. He is the co-founder of The 2nd & 7 Foundation – whose mission is to “Tackle Illiteracy.”  Miller and former Buckeye teammates Mike Vrabel and Luke Fickell started the foundation in 1999 and have read and donated over 300,000 books the past 20 years with help from The Ohio State University Department of Athletics and over 150 other Universities and High Schools throughout the country. In 2008, The 2nd & 7 Foundation began writing their own series of children’s books as their lead characters, The Hog Mollies, provide inspirational themes that children can take away while reading these fun books. Each year, The 2^nd & 7 Foundation writes and publishes a new book. They currently released their new title for the 2019-20 school year – The Hog Mollies and the Little Lilly’s Legacy which provides a message about leadership. For more information, visit: www.secondandseven.com.
 
Ryan enjoys reading, running, and spending time with his family. He currently lives in the Columbus, Ohio area with his wife Lauren and their three children; Nolan, Eli, and Quincy.


Zach Boren
After a football career at The Ohio State University, which ended in 2012, Zach was lucky enough to go to the NFL and play for the Houston Texans, San Diego Chargers, and Tennessee Titans. While at home during the past three off seasons training, Zach has teamed up with Boren Brothers Waste Services and Grass Groomers Inc. (both being family companies) and has assisted in growing and forming a team that we believe is the best in the industry. As his athletic career has wound down, Zach has stepped in as Vice President and oversee the day to day operations and lead the sales team of Boren Brothers Waste Services in which is a waste management company servicing front load containers, compactors, and roll-offs. 





Larry Romanoff
Larry was born in Toledo, Ohio but has been a Columbus resident for decades, and currently resides in Powell with his wife.  He was hired by Woody Hayes in 1969, and worked in The Ohio State University athletic department until retiring last fall.  He was an Assistant Athletic Director and Academic Advisor to thousands of varsity athletes during his time in the department, and also held various other positions such as development and fundraising, NCAA compliance, and most recently part of the event management team.  After only a few months of retirement, he says he’s bored, and ready to help his daughter (Jen) launch this awesome new concept in Columbus. 
 
Were excited for Larry to bring his “Game Day Operations” expertise to The Chick, so we let him keep that title.  He’s a Buckeye for life so make sure to introduce yourself if you’re a fellow fan of the Scarlet & Gray.  He has plenty of amazing stories and his passion for Ohio State and the Columbus community is incredible.  We are beyond blessed to have him help lead our team.  
 
He may yell at us for posting this since he’s so humble, but here’s a highlight video of his last official game day in “The Shoe” before his retirement.  https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/labor-of-love-larry-romanoff-retires-at-50-years/





Mario Nedelkoski
Mario immigrated from Macedonia at four years old with his parents and brother and sister. He became an American citizen in 1999 and speaks four languages! Mario graduated from The Ohio State University's Fischer College of Business in 1997. During those years he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, involved in the Business Marketing Association, and probably one of his most notable roles was as Brutus the Buckeye mascot. He served as OSU's beloved mascot from 1994-1997. The 1997 Rose bowl was his last football game! Not only has he been Brutus, but he was also the mascot for the Columbus Crew - the Crew Cat - for ten years! He was the first ever mascot for the league. 

After college Mario worked in the pharmaceutical and medical sales industry. He now owns five different restaurants. Those include: Jimmy Vs Grill & Pub, Uptown Deli & Brew, Westerville Grill, La Navona Center, and The Grumpy Goat. He currently lives in Uptown Westerville with his wife Jessica and their two cats Cali and Mala.