Fort Ball Pizza Palace recognized as Outstanding Business at TSEP award ceremony

Founded in 1978 by Larry Elchert and Bob Gahris, Fort Ball Pizza Palace has been a local favorite in Tiffin for many years, and that is just part of the reason it has been recognized by Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership with the Outstanding Business Award at its 2020 annual meeting. Today, Fort Ball Pizza Palace is co-owned and operated by Larry Elchert and Eric Elchert, with two locations in Tiffin at 91 N. Washington St. and 111 Melmore St. The main branch is located in the Fort Ball area, which is where the name originated from. Larry said it was a Wednesday afternoon when they first opened their doors 42 years ago, and he looks fondly back at that time. "The reason I've stuck with it so long is that I enjoy people, I enjoy my health, I come down here everyday and it's always good for a laugh or two," Larry said. "I would like to continue going as long as I can. I'm coming up on 42 years, I'd like to do another 30. To me, it keeps me young." Eric later joined the business. "When I started at Fort Ball Pizza Palace, I was just in high school, started doing dishes and pans and whatever else needed to be done around the store, eventually got promoted to cook, and then manager, and just keep working and working, and back in 2009, I became co-owner of Fort Ball," Eric said. Fort Ball Pizza uses hand-rolled, scratch made pizza dough, homemade sauce and are famous for their Italian smorgasbord at the North Washington Street location. The business is active in the community, sponsoring many events and school functions and donates food and gift cards for Tiffin-Seneca United Way, area sports and events including Pizza Palooza in Downtown Tiffin. For more information, visit http://fortballpizzapalace.com. To view video about the award winner, visit https://tinyurl.com/2020obaward. For more information about Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership, visit www.tiffinseneca.org.