Philanthropist Bob Sebo loves giving back to Salem High, the community

Bob and Karen Sebo are looking to do more good things for the Salem area.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
SALEM -- Bob Sebo of Salem became interested in philanthropy after retiring from a successful business career in 1999 that made him a financial success.
Ever since then, Sebo, a graduate of Salem High (1954) and Bowling Green State University (1958), has been funding projects at both schools in addition to in the city of Salem in an effort to give back and improve the institutions and community that helped to lay the foundation for his success.
The result: Sebo and his wife, Karen, have found that they are getting a lot of satisfaction in using their money to do good things in Salem and Bowling Green, and are looking forward to new and creative projects that will allow them to do even more.
And Salem and Bowling Green also are a lot better off for the Sebos' interest and generosity, which are proving to be viable forces for community improvement.
"I moved back to Salem in 1999 because when I retired I was in a financial position to do some philanthropic things," said Sebo, who has been involved in many successful business ventures including as the co-founder of Paychex Inc., a top national provider of payroll, human resource, and benefits out-sourcing solutions for businesses in the U.S. "Salem is a great place to be born and raised."
Sebo, who spent 20 years with Paychex Inc., retiring as senior vice president and partner in 1994, said he had lived in Salem previously for a 10-year period in between his younger years and now, "but I had no time to become involved in encouraging and supporting business."
Returned to Salem
When he returned to Salem after retirement, "Then I began to address things at Salem schools and BGSU. I am a member of the BGSU Board of Trustees. I was instrumental in bringing coach Urban Meyer [now Florida coach] to BGSU."
He said Meyer encouraged him to help BGSU develop facilities that will help recruit Division I players.
"He emphasized that the football program needed much better athletic facilities than we had," Sebo said. "That's when the process of involvement [at both Salem and BGSU] began."
And that's when the money started flowing to both places, especially to the football programs, which are his first love. He was a three-year starting halfback for the Salem High football team, but was unable to continue playing football at BGSU because of injured knees.
Sebo also played in the Salem High band for four years besides playing basketball and being on the track team.
His other areas of interest are business, encouraging entrepreneurs and music.
Launched coaches clinic
At Salem, "I started a couple of things. I started a [football coaches] clinic that I underwrite and sponsor, and is organized by coach Doug Phillips, the coach at Salem, and coordinated by Bowling Green and [fourth-year] coach Gregg Brandon," said Sebo. "We bring in 270 high school coaches to Salem from a 50-mile radius. We usually have it in May. This [2006] will be the fifth year."
The clinic is free for coaches. He said he created the clinic so "that the coaches may encourage their players to come to Bowling Green. My personal interest is that if they are not going to send their kids to another college, then send them to Bowling Green."
Sebo admits that he would do just about anything for the Salem High football team.
"I will give pretty much whatever the Salem football coach needs," he said. "I bought all the tickets for our football team to go see the Buckeyes play basketball [recently]. We [also] send football players to different places. We underwrite the football banquet, which is probably the classiest banquet in any high school program."
Wants to fill funding void
But Sebo's interest in helping Salem schools is not merely limited to football.
"I wanted to be able to do what I could to help the school systems in areas where there is not enough money," said Sebo. "We help the school system. We fund the Salem Academic Challenge Team and have bought the cross country team new uniforms. We give three or four scholarships at Salem. We give the Sebo Achievement scholarship that we give a couple of times a year."
And he has also invested in the city and wants to do more.
Sebo said that he funded the new gymnasium at the Salem Community Center, which is named after his father, John Sebo.
"Salem has a new trolley that goes through the town. I bought the city that," said Sebo, who wants to be a catalyst to rebuild Salem's downtown retail area.
"My wife and I are encouraging entrepreneurs to rebuild downtown Salem. We will make the financial dollars available for someone that can establish a good retail store and invest in a good entrepreneurial program."
Sebo said budding entrepreneurs can present their ideas to the Salem Chamber of Commerce, which would then contact him if the projects appeared feasible.