From Cleveland to Crofton; Four Years Turned Into Thirty!

Terri Tomoff

Aug 7

2 min read

Milestones on big events tickle me. I love to share the love with milestones that end in zero. You know, birthdays, anniversaries, and living in one house or one place for decades.

Thirty years ago this week, Bill and I moved our young family from Cleveland, Ohio, to the Washington D.C. area, settling in Crofton, Maryland. Bill had an opportunity of a lifetime to work in sports (he loves sports!) on a larger scale than working at Cleveland State’s University Convocation Center, his first entry into Mr. Abe Pollin’s Centre Management Group with 10 venues around the country, including CSU.

Mr. Pollin, a well-known businessman in Washington D. C., was also the owner Washington Sports & Entertainment Group. He had a plan to bring all his professional sport teams into the heart of downtown from the suburbs. His idea was to build a 200 million dollar state-of-the-art entertainment complex to the Capital of the USA, which became the MCI Center on it’s opening night on December 2, 1996.

While in Cleveland, Bill had made an impact with Centre Management Group for the few years he worked there. When a position became available to help in the accounting department to help with the new building, Bill was on the short list to interview for the position. He flew to Washington and was offered the job in April of 1996.

At first, he turned down the job offer on a Friday. Tears shed for the “what ifs.”

Over that weekend, we had a change of heart. We dug deep and really thought about this outstanding job opportunity, and if the job was open on Monday, he’d take it.

The move changed our lives.

Bill’s career in sports was something he couldn’t have ever dreamed of over the next 15 years.

We fell in love with the weather, Maryland crabs, Old Bay on many things, the luscious green landscapes all over the state, the Chesapeake Bay, our community, and within a two to three hour drive to many cool destinations (beach and mountains come to mind first).

In a couple more years, I will have lived longer in Maryland than Ohio. All this blows my mind! Funny thing though when he finally took the offer, we’d think of this wonderful opportunity as going away to college for four years, only this time with two young kids and our dog, Wally.

Four years turned into 30 years right quick.

Here’s to saying yes to the unexpected, taking a chance when opportunity knocks twice, and manufacturing sunshine wherever life happens to plant you.

bSoleille!

Terri

Photos: 1) In Washington D. C 10/6/1996; 2) The Move timeline captured in a photo book; 3) My parents visiting in August/September 1996.