CSS Publishing has assembled a team of very talented and passionate professionals who truly believe in the vision for the Christian publishing company: To provide Christian pastors and congregations with tried and tested printed and online Christian Books, Sermon Books,  Sermon Resources, Children's Sermons, Lectionary Preaching Resources, Lectionary Preaching Books, Christian Stewardship Resources, Christian Education Resources, Worship Resources, Pastoral Resources, Worship Preparation Resources and other worship resources for global ministry.

Wesley T. Runk, President. Wes founded the company in 1970. He is a retired ELCA pastor. The author of more than twenty Christian books and Sermon books and has written over 5,000 children’s sermons as well as sermon resources, sermon illustrations and other sermon material. Pastor Runk is also the originator of the first children’s activity bulletin, “Gospel Grams.” He is an avid sports fan, community organizer, as well as a golf course and housing developer. Wes Runk has been married for 51 years and the father of three children; all are active in the CSS Publishing Company. He is a graduate of both Wittenberg University and the Hamma School of Theology.

David Runk has been with CSS Publishing Company (officially full time) since 1982, but is proud to tell anyone who will listen that he’s “been there from the very beginning” stuffing envelopes, inserting catalogs, and just about anything else that his father, Wes, asked of him. As an adult, David has held a variety of positions within the company from shop foreman to editorial assistant. Over the last fifteen years, David has held the post of primary estimator and sales manager of the commercial printing and Books on Demand (BOD) divisions. Three years ago, David also took the reins of Fairway Press, the self-publishing division of CSS Publishing Company.

Prior to his full-time involvement, David earned a degree in music education from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and taught both elementary and high school vocal music for one year. He continues to direct the choir at his church, which he has been doing since 1987.

David has been married to Beth since 1981 and they have three sons, Jeremy, Daniel, and Aaron. David enjoys a variety of hobbies besides music, including reading and woodworking.

Ellen Shockey, Vice President of Management. Ellen has worked at CSS full time since the summer of 1983. She has worked her way up through the ranks of the company from “fort builder”, when she and her brothers needed to find a way to entertain themselves while her parents worked, up to her current position of Vice President of Management. Ellen is a marketing specialist and is responsible for all printed advertising and catalogs of the CSS Publishing's products such as Christian books, Sermon books, Sermon resources, Lectionary Preaching resources, Lectionary worksbooks and other products. She graduated from Wittenberg University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and specialized in Reading and Kindergarten. She has been married to husband, Jeff, for 23 years and has two adult sons, Joey and Shane. She is the proud grandmother of Luc Shockey. Her hobbies include knitting, crocheting, and making jewelry. She also enjoys supporting her children in their endeavors.

Tim Runk has been part of CSS Publishing Company practically since birth, where early on he filled various roles such as trash collector (and taker outer), entertainer (singing the song "Elvira" regularly to the staff), and bookshelf sleeper (those were long days back then). After graduating from Wittenberg University and working at two different companies, Tim returned to CSS (the other companies didn't allow naps) and has filled various roles in the sales and marketing departments of CSS and it's other divisions. His primary role in the company today is director and developer of the Serrmon Suite division (www.sermonsuite.com), a sermon resource and sermon subscription service offering professional sermon content in such categories as Children’s Sermons, Lectionary Sermons, Lent and Easter Sermons, Palm Sunday Sermons, Good Friday Sermons, Sermon Illustrations and many other Sermon resources. Tim is married and has three children.

Jean G. Hines - CSS has been a big part of Jean’s life for the past 38 years. Beginning with a response to a request by Pastor Runk to open mail and write down some orders for Children's Sermon Service (CSS Plus)!, to becoming the first printer of sermon  resources, and later to become a partner with Wes Runk and Tom Lentz, it has been a real ride for Jean.

With Jean’s experience and knowledge of the company and the love that she feels for the resources that CSS provides to pastors around the world, she chose to change positions. Changing from the Executive Vice President to the telephone receptionist has kept her in the ministry of CSS. She loves what she does: she takes care of all the mental and emotional wounds of her fellow workers, keeps an eye on the front door, prepares the print orders for all Christian books and Sermon books, receives the returns from bookstores, and any other jobs that require patience and provide for continuing progress.

Patti Furr has been employed by CSS Publishing since May 1976. She began her employment in the typesetting department while attending Lima Technical College. Patti currently works as the Vice President of Accounting for CSS. She has also worked in the areas of order/customer service, accounts payables, and payroll. Her hobbies include reading, gardening, and spending time with her husband of 30 years and 5 grandchildren.

Rebecca K. Allen [Brandt] - began working here March 17, 2004, as the Managing Editor. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio with an English minor. She previously taught school in Maumee, Ohio: Chateh, Alberta, Canada (on an Indian reservation); and in the plains of South Dakota (Trail City)before returning to Ohio and teaching in Auglaize and Logan counties for several years. Sheregularly contributed written articlesfor the Logan County Newsletter and graduatedfrom the Logan County Leadership Class. She is working toward her Master's Degree. She is the mother of three sons, and one daughter; she has one son-in-law, one daughter-in-law and one granddaughter with the promise of more to come! She is very active in her church and local choirs, both vocal and hand bells, as well as directing children's choirs. She volunteers time to the school's drama and music departments on a regular basis. Becky edits the CSS books, Emphasis, Children's Sermon Service (CSS Plus), and GospelGrams, as well as some Fairway projects, and acquisitions.

Carol C. Williams, Key Accounts Manager. Carol joined CSS just over a year ago, after directing sales activities at a major denominational publishing house for 25 years. She loves the travel, challenges, and responsibility that come with representing CSS to its major accounts. Married for 28 years, Carol and her husband care for three dogs and two cats, love water skiing, camping, and riding backcountry roads on their motorcycles. She is passionate about the old linens and vintage clothing she collects, she operates a small antique business in her spare time. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Lambuth University, and Middle Tennessee State University.

David Jordan-Squire’s work at CSS includes a variety of copywriting, editing, and marketing tasks. David is responsible for all company research. He is the editor for the SermonSuite division (www.sermonsuite.com), a sermon resource and sermon subscription service offering professional sermon content in such categories as Children’s Sermons, Lectionary Sermons, Lent and Easter Sermons, Palm Sunday Sermons, Good Friday Sermons, Sermon Illustrations and many other Sermon resources. David works closely with the writers of SermonSuite including Story Share and The Immediate Word. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo, where he studied with the distinguished composer and pianist Paul Schoenfield.

Barbara Torbert was born and raised in New Jerseywhere she graduated from high school and secretarial school. After they were married, her husband's transfers located them in Florida, Michigan, and then Ohio, where they have “retired.” They have been married 47 years and have two children and five grandchildren. Her hobbies include her grandchildren, sewing, knitting, and gardening. She and her husband have been square dancers for the past thirteen years. She has been with CSS Publishing over twenty years, mainly in the sermon resource and sermon subscriptions departments, but she also fills in for service, orders, or wherever we need her.

Beth Diamond - Beth has worked at CSS for almost twenty years. She started out typesetting all the books we publish, and now, with the advancement of computers, most of the Christian authors’ manuscripts come in already typed, so she takes the manuscripts and coverts them into our format. She does some scanning

Missy Cotrell has worked for CSS in several different capacities over the years. She has been a part of our company for a total of eleven years. Missy has lived in California, Arizona, and Oklahoma, as well as Ohio. She studied Early Childhood Development and Business at what is now Rhodes State College. She is a very dedicated mother of three teenagers and assists her husband with his business, as well. Missy is the Fairway Director and oversees the production of each Fairway book. She also proofreads for all the CSS projects and publications and assists with the Sermon Suite division (www.sermonsuite.com), a sermon resource and sermon subscription service offering professional sermon content in such categories as Children’s Sermons, Lectionary Sermons, Lent and Easter Sermons, Palm Sunday Sermons, Good Friday Sermons, Sermon Illustrations and many other Sermon resources. Missy works closely with the writers of SermonSuite The Immediate Word (TIW), Story Share, and anything else anyone asks her to do. She is a very upbeat worker and keeps the projects running smoothly.

Maria Holderbaum - Production Coordinator. Maria was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She moved to Wapakoneta in the spring of 2006. Maria previously worked in the hospitality industry and wanted to begin a new career path. She began working for CSS Publishing in June of 2006. She oversees the actual printing, binding, inventory and distribution of CSS, Fairway, and BOD books. Maria enjoys going out with her friends and taking mini-vacations to new and exciting cities!

Bonnie Wicker has been with CSS Publishing Company since 1999. In that time, she has primarily worked with the materials for the CSS Website. She is also a part of the team that creates children’s resources, working on supplemental activities for Children's Sermon Service (CSS Plus)!, Gospel Grams, and whatever else is needed.

Bonnie has been married for 20 years and has two teenaged children. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in education. She is actively involved in the community where she tutors reading and coaches soccer.

Alanna Pugsley, Marketing Assistant, has been with CSS Publishing since September 2006. She is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, with a B.A. in Film Studies. Returning to her hometown of Lima, OH after college, Alanna was excited to find a job opportunity with CSS. She enjoys working closely with authors, as she is an aspiring writer herself. Her hobbies include “mini-vacations” with friends, thrift-store shopping, working on the many projects she starts, and indulging in way too much “reality” television.

Charles Spar was born in Minot, North Dakota, at a military hospital. He graduated from Ada High School in 1992, where he was active in choir, theater, basketball, and the school newspaper. He attended Ohio State University, and graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1997 majoring in creative writing with a minor in literature criticism. He is now a resident of Ada, Ohio, home of Ohio Northern University and attends St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. His duties at CSS include supervising the customer contact team, which is a direct line to the client base, as well as dealing with bookstores, working with online subscribers, handling customer service, and burning CDs. His most important overall job at CSS is getting to the customer what they need.

Chris Butturff - Christopher is a resident of Waynesfield, Ohio where he graduated from Wayne-Goshen High School. He continued his education in Lima, Ohio and holds an Associate Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Northwestern College. Chris is heavily involved in community theater as an actor, director, and a producer. He serves as a board member for Amil Tellers Of Dramatics, Inc. He is a member of Waynesfield Baptist Church and he has written two full-length holiday plays for them. He has been involved in customer service his entire working career and his duties here at CSS include taking customer orders, customer service, data entry, CD burning, and he is our designated representative for Stewardship Resources, a CSS Publishing Company that provides Christian Stewardship Resources and Christian Stewardship Programs. 

Christine Stoddard - Christine in our resource consultant. She is 26 years old and comes from a small family. She has two dogs, Jax and Wolf, and she enjoys reading, and spending time with her family and friends in her free time.

Sue Sonntag - Sue is one of our newer resource consultants. She is married and has four children plus two dogs. Her hobbies include genealogy, crafts, reading, crosswords, plants and gardening.

Martha Countryman - Martha was born and raised in Lima, Ohio. She graduated from Allen East High School, where she was active in choir and theater. She attended Ohio Northern University. She lived and worked in Columbus, Ohio for 21 years before returning to her hometown of Lima, Ohio, where she currently resides.

She has an associate degree from Bliss College in Columbus. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, sewing, baking, and anything/everything Ebay! Her duties at CSS include assisting customers, and handling church supplies, church bulletin, communion bread, and candle sales, as well as handling accounts.

Fred Elabed - President and CEO of ROI Commerce - Fred Elabed and ROI Commerce operate the e-commerce store for CSS Publishing. Fred has over 10 year experience directing technology companies and a track record of using his strategic business, sales, and marketing skills and entrepreneurial background to deliver superior results and returns for growing technology companies. As the President and CEO of ROI Commerce, Mr. Elabed is responsible for the strategic direction of ROI Commerce and also oversees the company’s daily operations including solutions and services, product development, sales, marketing, and operations. Prior to founding ROI Commerce, Mr. Elabed founded ROI Supply, a Web Services and E-Commerce solutions firm, which was sold to Americaneagle.com, where he became Managing Director of the Ohio office. At ROI Supply, he built the company with both his personal funds and company cash flow achieving 30% growth and profitability each year until the company was acquired by Americaneagle.com. Prior to ROI Supply, Mr. Elabed attended Baldwin Wallace University while operating SaveMor, a family-owned grocery store chain that he successfully sold to a local investor group.

Fred brings significant entrepreneurial expertise in starting and growing technology companies. Now on his fourth venture, Fred has started, built, and sold two successful companies. He has been called by his peers a dynamic and innovative business leader in e-commerce, technology, entrepreneurship, sales, and High Touch Marketing (HTM), an interactive approach in building relationships for sales and revenue growth. In 2004, Fred was named “Who’s Who in Technology” by Crain’s Cleveland Business. His articles on the subject of E-Commerce and technology have appeared in over 20 major publications. He also has been a guest speaker to over 30 associations and organizations across the country. In 1999, he was distinguished as the youngest President and member and awarded “President of the Year” by The Alternative Board (TAB), a President/CEO business forum with over 6,000 entrepreneur members across the world. Fred earned a BA degree from Baldwin Wallace University.

Fred and his team of e-commerce solution experts operate the CSS Publishing e-commerce business, which offers Christian Books, Christian Subscriptions, Sermon Subscriptions, Sermon Books, Sermon Resources, Christian Preaching Resources, Worship Resources, Worship Preparation Tools, Pastor Resources, Lectionary Preaching Resources, Christian Stewardship Programs, Christian Education Resources, Church Supplies, and many other worship resources and Christian resources to meet that needs of pastors and the global ministry.