Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio

Imagine a sports campus that feels like Dublin: green, welcoming and built for everyday joy as much as headline events. We sit down with SportsOhio General Manager Joe Bauserman and Sports Facilities Companies’ VP Scott Rodgers to share how this complex is turning into a premier destination where families play, adult leagues thrive and major tournaments fuel local restaurants and hotels. The plan starts with steady improvements—reopening soccer and field sports, polishing the driving range and par-3 course and sharpening the customer experience. Lindsay and Bruce then turn the conversation to scale and what the future looks like.

Joe and Scott explain why a public, city-led model changes the playbook: more focus on service, access and programming breadth. They lay out practical ways to get involved now, from joining leagues to following updates, and hint at a wider slate of sports and events—lacrosse, long-drive contests, tournaments and concerts—that keep the campus lively year-round. Drawing lessons from cities like Naples, Florida and Elizabethtown, Kentucky, they show how a venue can be both a weekend festival of play and a resilient community resource that blends wellness, connection, and economic vitality.

Woven through the story are personal moments: Joe’s path from MLB draft pick to OSU walk-on quarterback to GM. Scott’s decades-long soccer career at club and college levels, and their shared belief that competition brings us together, but joy keeps us coming back.
If you care about youth sports, adult rec nights and the kind of “third place” that turns neighbors into friends, you’ll hear a clear vision: an athletic and recreation campus that belongs to Dublin and sets a new standard for how cities play, gather and grow. Subscribe, share with a friend, and tell us what sport or feature you want to see next.

Big nights don’t have to mean big risks. Lindsay and Bruce sit down with Scott Neff, Chair of Safe Ride of Central Ohio and partner at Fado Irish Pub, to trace how a small trauma grant in 2007 sparked a movement. A movement that reshaped how Dublin and Central Ohio residents get home safely and keep streets safer for everyone in the process.
Scott walks us through the funding leap from one‑time hospital dollars to pub‑led sponsorships, and how a simple $10 discount drove action. We dig into behavior change on the ground—bartenders helping guests apply codes, younger riders planning ahead, and the subtle redesign of a night out that quietly saves lives. 

We also talk scale: the role of Dublin City Council, rising redemptions as proof of impact, and the open invitation for more restaurants and neighboring cities to adopt this model. If your community can bring a budget, committed partners, and the will to make safety convenient, the template is ready!  

Subscribe, share this episode with your crew, and leave a quick review to help more people find it. Then do the simplest thing that protects you and everyone on the road: claim the code, plan the ride, and get home safe and sound.

Big goals only matter if they bring people together to connect, grow and prosper. That’s our north star as Lindsay and Bruce sit down with Mayor Chris Amorose Groomes and Vice Mayor Cathy De Rosa to chart Dublin’s next moves: keep the community connected and competitive through investments in the places and systems that support daily life.

We share how new council members add fresh perspectives to four clear priorities that drive the year ahead. Think about bold recreation with the acquisition of the 240-plus-acre Sports Ohio campus. Think of a five-year, $375 million capital plan that upgrades roads, utilities, and technology while revitalizing Metro Center.  We dig into why staying relevant isn’t about the next shiny thing; it's about disciplined investment that attracts jobs and supports the services residents value.

You’ll also hear updates on projects that change how we connect. Citywide fiber is nearing completion, unlocking faster work and learning at home. Regional light rail efforts move into phase two with an eye on a Dublin stop, while the future Signature Trail aims to link the city east to west with safer, wider active transport. And talk about a packed 2026 event calendar: America's 250th celebration, the 50th anniversary of the Memorial Tournament, new Jack Nicklaus–inspired public artwork and Christkindlmarkt coming to Riverside Crossing Park. It all comes together for a year designed to spark pride, joy and a stronger sense of belonging.

We close out this episode with a simple measure of success: a Dublin where people want to live, businesses want to invest, and neighbors want to connect. If that vision resonates with you, subscribe, share this episode with a friend and leave a review.  Your feedback shapes what we build next in Dublin and talk about here on Link Ahead!

What if a city theater could be a school, a launchpad and a celebration all at once? Well, ours is! We kick off the 2026 season of Link Ahead with director-producer-actor extraordinaire Joe Bishara and Coffman Boosters President Josh Mustard to reveal how Dublin’s Abbey Theater blends big-hearted storytelling with serious training—and why audiences keep packing the house.

We start with momentum from 2025: record box office, a stack of Broadway World nominations, and a programming philosophy that pairs joy with rigor. Then, Bruce and Lindsay walk us through the 2026 season: from the slapstick smarts of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors to the teen edition of Six: The Musical, you’ll hear how students work side by side with professionals and earn stage time the right way. March brings Olympus through the Bound for Broadway program—ten Saturdays that make this craft family-friendly. Additionally, a SpongeBob musical featuring local teachers returning to the stage to help fund future scholarships.

As the 2026 season progresses, The Pub’s Got No Beer mines 1963 Ireland for laughs and history. 1776 heads outdoors for America's 250th celebration, while this summer's 35mm merges photography and theater in a vivid chamber piece. Percy Jackson energizes page-to-stage fans in August, and Velocity of Autumn offers a moving study of aging, autonomy, and family love. Along the way, the Abbey expands offerings for ages six to nine, adding smaller productions, so younger actors grow on the same set with the same choreography.

Josh helps pull back the curtain on what boosters actually do—raising funds, volunteering and building feeder paths—so more kids can find their tribe. Joe shares how his team curates variety, honors audience trust and keeps education at the core without sacrificing fun. Want in? Watch for the DCRC brochure to check for upcoming auditions.   

If this season's guide sparks you, tell your neighbors, follow the show, share it with a theater-loving friend and leave a quick review.   Then, grab tickets and meet us at the Abbey!

We’re closing out 2025 with a 'Top 10 Countdown' of our most popular episodes of the year!  A blending of big-stage moments, behind-the-scenes storytelling, and the everyday work that keeps Dublin a local, regional and national leader. From rock legends to roundabouts, wellness shifts to waste tech, this highlight reel shows how a community grows when people, ideas, and partnerships align.

We revisit a State of the City address that centers on strategic planning and resident relationships.  Then, head straight to the table at Dublin Village Tavern and why it gets more mentions on Link Ahead than anyone or anything else!  Recreation and wellness leader Mollie Steiner helps us trade brittle resolutions for durable intentions and reframes wellness as a daily investment—physical, mental, and social. Director of Engineering Paul Hammersmith always makes safety a priority with roundabouts, shared-use paths, and a new pedestrian bridge that knits neighborhoods together.

On the culture front, Kansas frontman Ronnie Platt and 38 Special’s Don Barnes share how bands stay sharp, tours stay joyful, and crowds sing back the hits. The Abbey Theater's Joe Bishara celebrates a big award streak while pulling back the curtain on how a small venue builds big credibility.  And sustainability takes center stage as Rumpke’s Columbus facility—the largest and most advanced in North America—expands recycling to include clamshells and uses AI to supply Ohio manufacturers.  But you'll have to tune in to find out which episode was THE most popular of the year! 

Thanks for fueling a record year of Link Ahead downloads and conversations. Follow the show, share your favorite moment, and drop us a note with the guests and topics you want in 2026.