An important message from Barbara Rogers

April 4, 2024 by spectrum

Dear Friends, Clients, and Vendors,

I am retiring and will no longer be an owner of Spectrum Reporting LLC. I am very happy to announce that Sam Mattern and Megan Rogers are the new owners of Spectrum Reporting LLC. I will help Sam and Megan in any way I can to ensure their success. I will maintain my business email address, so you may contact me if I can help you in any way as well.

First and foremost, let me say that Spectrum is now in great hands! Sam and Megan have been intimately involved in the day-to-day operations of Spectrum for several years. I believe that they will inject new energy and vitality, and develop new solutions as the court systems and the needs of litigators continue to evolve.

Sam has a B.S. from DeVry University in Computer Engineering. Sam started with Spectrum in 2005 as a videographer. Because of his technological background, he was able to support a wide array of litigation technologies and client needs in addition to his videography roles. After a decade of deposition and trial-related support, Sam started transitioning to his current role of managing the day-to-day operations of company.

Megan, on the other hand, has a very different skillset. She has a B.S. in Business from the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business with a double major in finance and real estate. She worked at Spectrum for a few years right after graduating from OSU in 2008, left, and then returned in 2018. Megan has taken over the responsibility for the financial aspects of the business.

I began my court reporting career in June of 1974, nearly 50 years ago, and I founded Spectrum Reporting in 1988. Although I haven’t actively reported the last several years, I loved every minute of reporting. Each day brought new cases, new legal issues, interesting witnesses, and either an introduction to new attorneys or a welcome reconnection with a long-time client.

Let me close by saying … It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the Central Ohio legal community and beyond. I have learned so much over the years by being a part of this community and have made many friends. I hope to embark on a new chapter in life that includes travel and a few artistic endeavors. I wish all the best for each and every one of you in both your personal and professional lives.

Barb

Congratulations, Natalie, for 10 years with Spectrum Reporting!

February 27, 2020 by Megan Rogers

Natalie Ward grew up in the small town of Obetz, Ohio. After graduating high school, she decided to become a court reporter. She started her college career at The Academy of Court Reporting. Natalie graduated from Miami Jacobs after it took over The Academy of Court Reporting. She now lives in Pickerington with Dean, her husband of ten years, and their two sons, Reid and Cole. Reid is already an all-star baseball player at age seven, Cole has started playing soccer at age two, and they both love to go camping. Natalie and Dean make a killer team and are always thankful for the support they get from their family and friends.

Natalie was hired at Spectrum in February 2010 right out of college. She trained in-house, mastering all the necessary software and technology, growing her dictionary, and shadowing veteran reporters. Over the past ten years, Natalie has become a polished and knowledgeable court reporter. When asked what she likes about court reporting, she said, “I love that every day is different, and that I am constantly learning so much!”

You never know what might happen during a deposition, and Natalie has some of the funniest stories. One time, Natalie was covering a deposition in a warehouse when a spider descended from the ceiling down into the front of Natalie’s shirt. The attorney was right in the middle of a line of questioning and Natalie didn’t want to interrupt, so she continued writing while smacking herself in the chest trying to kill the spider. Natalie has been chased down and pecked at by chickens in the front yard of a witness’s house where a deposition was being held. Another time, Natalie was pulling her steno writer case on the sidewalk on the way to a deposition when she had apparently run over a dead crow. Somehow the bird got stuck in the wheel of her case and rode with her all the way to the deposition where an attorney noticed it. Everyone in the room helped dispose of the dead bird before the deposition got started.

Regardless of the unexpected situations that court reporting may bring, Natalie always keeps a positive, friendly attitude. She is dedicated to our clients and the profession. She is loved by our clients and is often requested. Everyone at Spectrum Reporting is incredibly proud of Natalie and her accomplishments over the past ten years. When asked about her 10-year anniversary at Spectrum, Natalie said, “I am so thankful that I found and landed at Spectrum. I love my job and the people I work with!” And we are so thankful that we found Natalie! Thank you, Natalie, for all your hard work and congratulations for 10 amazing years!

Happy Anniversary Mary Bradley

August 27, 2019 by Megan Rogers

Spectrum Reporting LLC is celebrating Mary Bradley’s 15 year anniversary with the company! Mary is a dedicated court reporter and a valuable asset to the company. Thank you for all of your hard work over the last 15 years!

Spectrum Reporting Celebrates Its Birthday!
(But we’re not sure how old we are.)

August 1, 2019 by Megan Rogers

Founded by Barbara Rogers and Nick Marrone, Spectrum Reporting opened its doors on August 1, 1988. Simple math would suggest that Spectrum is 31 years old, right? Maybe.

Before the creation of Spectrum Reporting, Barb and Nick worked at Runfola & Associates, a court reporting firm owned by Tom Runfola. Before leaving Runfola & Associates, Barb and Nick informed Runfola that they planned on starting their own company. Runfola notified Barb and Nick that they would be in violation of their non-compete agreements. Preemptively, Barb and Nick filed a declaratory judgment action in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in May of 1988 to determine the validity of their contracts, the non-compete clause and their rights. (Case No. 88-CV-003521) The Court found in favor of them in July 1988. Runfola appealed the decision.

With the favorable trial court decision in hand, Barb and Nick began business as Spectrum Reporting. Barb and Nick worked tirelessly to impress their clients. Spectrum was growing and began hiring additional court reporters and office staff.

In June 1989, the court of appeals affirmed the trial court decision. Runfola appealed the case for a second time, and the case was accepted by the Ohio Supreme Court.

In March 1990, Spectrum bought its first office space at the Waterford Tower to accommodate its growing business. Spectrum continued to expand by hiring more employees, purchasing the latest equipment, and being one of the first to introduce realtime reporting to the Columbus market.

On January 9, 1991, the Ohio Supreme Court issued a decision in the Rogers v Runfola matter. In summary, the Court reversed the prior court’s decision, modified the employment contracts from a two-year restriction to a one-year restriction, reduced the geographic area of restriction, and enjoined Barb and Nick from competing for a year. https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914bfe2add7b049347b0797

Barb and Nick had 60 days to close Spectrum’s doors and figure out what to do. Being recently divorced, Barb was the sole support for her two young children that were just starting school, and she didn’t want to move her family. She decided to sit out for a year and stay home with her two children. Nick was single, making his decision to relocate easier. He moved to Florida to work for that year. The rest of Spectrum’s staff found employment elsewhere.

Upon receipt of a court decision that they had to close for a year, many people would have decided that owning a business wasn’t for them, but Barb and Nick were resilient and ready to get back to work after that year. On April 1, 1992, Spectrum Reporting re-opened its doors.

Spectrum began the process of rebuilding the business. In 1994, Barb purchased Nick’s share of the business and Nick moved back to Florida. Since its re-opening, Spectrum has added additional services, including video and trial presentation services, audio transcription, and videoconferencing. Spectrum recently moved into larger space at 400 South Fifth Street so that it could offer its clients four large conference rooms, each outfitted with videoconferencing. And today Spectrum celebrates another birthday, even if we’re not quite sure how old we are.

So, what do you think? Is Spectrum 30 or 31 years old today?