04/15/2026
Our franchise owners, Rich and Leah, had a very special event to attend last week and they would like to share their experience with you all. Please join us in congratulating our friend, Jacob Smith, for all of his outstanding work in the community. Jacob, you are an incredible human being and we are so excited to recognize you!
***Please note that as more photos and videos are sent to us we will add them to this post.
A note from our owners...
"This past week, we had the privilege of honoring Jacob Smith at the Cleveland Cavaliers game. Jacob is the son of one of our clients, Billie Fridley. Billie had often told us of Jacob's amazing heart and his dedication to his community. We found out that he was a huge sports fan and loved being able to attend games. Thanks to our very awesome friends from Team Fosdick at Servpro of Cuyahoga South we were able to not only attend a game with Jacob, but also sit in their amazing box seat and enjoy a very special experience. I don't think I have the words to express the amount of joy that Rich and I had in meeting Jacob and getting to spend that time at the game with him. Jacob's knowledge of sports (and so many other things) is beyond anything you can imagine. He knew player stats. He knew player names and the years they played. He knew where they came from and where they went. You could ask him anything about his favorite teams and he knew the details. While the Cavs were playing, Jacob would give a running commentary on the game and yell out encouragement to the players: "You'll get the next shot! Great job on that one!" I am not knowledgeable in basketball so I was thrilled that he let me know what should be happening or what would happen after the next play. Beyond just the sports, Jacob LOVES his job at McDonald's and outlined what he enjoyed there and how he plans to retire from them. He also told us about how much he loves his family and how he will involve them in the future businesses he will start. Jacob just has a zest for life that is so positive and so energetic. But, I think my absolute favorite part of the evening was the sheer fun of walking down onto the court with Jacob to honor his love of community and of people. His joy during his recognition made me tearful. He was humbled by the attention but also so excited to be a part of this game and this event. He absolutely loved his award and receiving a Cavs jersey. But, this moment to Jacob wasn't about what he did naturally every day. He had not been giving to his community to be recognized. He had not been doing it for thanks or applause. He did all of those things, and will continue to do all of those things, because he has a heart of gold. He sees injustice or hard things and he acts. It's not a question. It's not a process. He just does it. As I heard about all of the things Jacob has done, such as feeding the homeless in his community, and the impact he has made on coworkers and in his town of Upper Sandusky, I was so very humbled to know him. Rich and I spoke about him on our way home and we were just in awe of his life. As people of faith, Rich and I strive daily to be good followers of Christ and to emulate him. We both agree that we miss the mark for sure at times. And we both agree that we could learn a lot from Jacob's attitude and his willingness to always do the next right thing. Jacob is a hero that we should all look up to; his view of the world is pure and selfless. Billie, thank you for introducing us to Jacob. And Jacob, thank YOU for spending your evening with us. Thank you for sharing your heart and your fantastic knowledge with us. Congratulations on being recognized for all of your wonderful work and thank you for all that you do to make our world a better place. Rich and I are so honored to know you!"
-Leah Cottrill-Mescher and Rich Cottrill
