THE CHAMBER, YOUR BUSINESS ADVOCATE - Galion

THE CHAMBER, YOUR
BUSINESS ADVOCATE
FROM JOE KLEINKNECHT,
PRESIDENT/CEO
One of the main responsibilities of a
chamber of commerce is to be an advocate
for the business community. The Chamber is
able to collectively leverage its member’s
resources to take on the tasks that individual
business can’t do alone. Many of these efforts are done in the form of
“business advocacy” to make sure that we
continue to have a strong business climate
and job growth opportunities. The Chamber’s “Advocacy Division” has set
guidelines to assist us with defining our
responsibilities as advocates, identifying
responsibilities as advocates, identifying
issues we need to be involved in, and to
develop a strategy to address those issues. Advocacy is nothing more than having a
conversation (not an argument) with an
entity that has the power to effect change.
It’s about talking about something that you
believe in that would be good for the
community. The “business advocacy” efforts of the
chamber are another good reason that a
membership in the chamber is an
investment in your business. You'll find an Advocacy Request form to
download here. Return completed Advocacy Requests to the
Chamber.
ANNUAL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT/BUSINESS FORECAST
BREAKFAST
160 people attended this year’s annual event held on March 8th at the Galion
Grace Point Church, Christian Life Center on Portland Way N. in Galion. Those in attendance enjoyed a great breakfast catered by the Varsity Grille. Speakers for the event included Jeff Kirk, President, Dostal Kirk Inc.; Tom
O’Leary, Mayor, City of Galion; Thomas Hertzfeld, Alternative Energy Source;
Steve Crall, Community Development Director, Crawford County Education &
Economic Development Partnership; Brad Ekin, Vice President, Elliott Machine
Inc.; Don Lane, Plant Manager, Lifetouch Church Directories & Portraits; Jerry
Morasko, President, Avita Health System; Jim Grubbs, Superintendent, Galion
City Schools; and Dawn Ratliff, President, ADM Benefits Plans Agency. Speakers spoke about their accomplishments from the previous year, new
construction/products or services in 2015, expectations and changes for 2016
and the challenges they face. Sponsors for the event were A­1 Printing Inc., ADM Benefit Plans Agency,
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Alternative Energy Source, Avita Health
System, Burkhart Farm Center Inc., Craig Miley Realty & Auction,
CrawfordCountyNow.com, Dostal & Kirk Inc., Elliott Machine Works, Firelands
Federal Credit Union, First Federal Bank of Ohio, Flick Packaging, Galion
Building & Loan Bank, Galion LLC, Geyer's Super Value, Home Care Matters,
J&F Construction & Development Inc., Lifetouch Church Directories & Portraits,
Mill Creek Nursing & Rehab, Ohio State University ­ Mansfield, Pioneer Career
& Technology Center ­ Adult Education, Pittsburgh Glass Works, Schilling
Graphics, Spreng Capital Management Inc., Tramec Sloan and United Bank.
Speakers Thomas Hertzfeld of Alternative Energy Source and Jim Grubbs of Galion City Schools
Speakers Jeff Kirk of Dostal & Kirk and Tom O'Leary from the City of Galion
Speakers Don Lane of Lifetouch Church Directories & Portraits and Brad Ekin of Elliott Machine Inc.
Speakers Steve Crall of CCEEDP and Jerry Morasko of Avita Health System
Speaker Dawn Ratliff of ADM Benefit Plans Agency; Judy Dyer and Janell Benner from the Galion-Crestline
Chamber of Commerce and the Galion Safety Council
GALION HOTEL GROUNDBREAKING
TAKES PLACE
On March 22 at noon a groundbreaking ceremony took place for the new Sleep
Inn & Suites Hotel in Galion. The 62­bed hotel will be located on the northwest corner of SR 598 and Brandt
Road, just south of the U.S. 30 interchange. Winesburg Builders of Millersburg, Ohio which was established in 2002 will be
investing $5.5 million in the project. They will also operate the facility. This will be Winesburg Builders’ 12th hotel project. In addition to hotels, they
have built numerous apartment buildings, senior communities and student
housing projects. Those speaking at the event were Tom O’Leary, Mayor, City of Galion; Steve
Kleinknecht, Regional Director of Hotel Development, Choice Hotels; Jerry
Hershberger, Managing Member of Winesburg Builders; Dave Keller,
representing the Keller family property owners; Gary Frankhouse, Director of
the Crawford County Partnership; and Joe Kleinknecht, President/CEO of the
Chamber. The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2016.
ANTHEM BLUE CROSS AND BLUE
SHIELD INTRODUCES NEW MEDICAL
PLAN FOR CHAMBERS
New Medical Benefit Plan, Collaborative Effort Among
Chambers of Commerce
The Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance (SOCA) has joined forces with the
Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce, the Central Ohio Chambers of
Commerce(which includes the Galion­Crestline Chamber), the Dayton Area
Chamber of Commerce, and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber to
form a self­funded medical benefit plan aimed at small employers with 2 to 50
employees. SOCA recently received authorization from the Ohio Department of Insurance
to form the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance Benefit Plan.
The SOCA Benefit Plan (hereafter, the Plan) is a multiple employer welfare
arrangement. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield provides claims administration
and stop loss protection. Participating employers are required to maintain
membership with a Chamber of Commerce that is authorized to offer the Plan.
Initially, distribution of the Plan is limited to Anthem Champion and Elite brokers
who have completed specified training. The Plan is governed by a Board of
Trustees elected by participating employers. State law requires the Plan to have a minimum of 300 enrolled employees.
Efforts are under way to begin operations on May 1, 2016 if the minimum
enrollment is met. The authorization from the ODI comes after nearly three years of vetting the
idea and planning among various partners, according to Matt Appenzeller,
Executive Director for SOCA. “This is a great example of Chambers of
Commerce and our partnersthroughout Ohio coming together for a common
goal of providing value to the business community,” he said. The SOCA Benefit
Plan will be offered through approximately 250 Chambers of Commerce initially. Joe Kleinknecht, president of the Galion­Crestline Chamber of Commerce,
comments, “This new plan provides a great opportunity for our members to
have more, and potentially lower cost, choices in Health Insurance offerings.” Additional details regarding the Plan will be disseminated in the coming months
through SOCA, qualified Chambers of Commerce, and brokers who are
certified to sell the Plan.
CHAMBER INTRODUCES "CHAMBER
CHAT"
One of the initiatives identified at our recent strategic planning session was to
have more member networking opportunities. With that in mind, we will be having our first “Chamber Chat” session on
Wednesday, April 6 from 7:30 to 8:30 am. This will be a great opportunity for our members to network and learn more
about the Chamber and other area businesses. Coffee and refreshments will be provided and the event is FREE. Sessions will be planned monthly for the first Wednesday of the month at the
Candi Bar at 7:30 am, so mark your calendars now.
JUNE 10. GALION.
Sponsored by Firelands
Federal Credit Union.
JULY 29. CRESTLINE.
Sponsored by United
Bank.
AUGUST 12. GALION.
Sponsored by First Federal
Bank of Ohio.
SEPTEMBER 9. GALION.
Sponsored by Galion Building
and Loan Bank.
Liberty Farm, Home & Garden
Ben Sharrock
222 S Liberty Street Galion, Ohio 44833 419­468­6040
Wilbert Longstreth
Sean Longstreth
423 S Riblet St. Galion, Ohio 44833 419­468­9494
Lonnie & Ann Eagle 971 Tiehack Ct. Galion, Ohio 44833 (Associate Member)
Ken & Deloris Barker 1041 Nazor Rd. Galion, Ohio 44833
(Associate Member)
Southern Title
employee Shelley Planey recently received her Title Agent License.
Congratulations Shelley!
Crossroads Original Designs
is proud to announce that Justin McMullen and Debbi Gifford were recently
recognized as “Emerging Leader of the Year” and “Action Team Leader of the
Year” at the State of the Vision event hosted by Crawford County 20/20 Vision!
Debbi also serves on the Chamber Board of Directors.
Foxy's Tire Center
manager, Bruce, was recently recognized by Galion American Legion Post 243
for his generous contributions to the Legion’s Boy Scout Troop 304. CRAWFORD COUNTY RELAY FOR LIFE
COMING IN JUNE
MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW
This year’s Crawford County Relay for Life will take place on June 17, 2016 at
Wynford High School starting at 6:00 pm. Check our May newsletter for additional information on this annual event.
FREE INDUSTRIAL READINESS
TRAINING AVAILABLE THROUGH NORTH
CENTRAL STATE COLLEGE
In September 2013, North Central State College was awarded $2.9 million
dollars as part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and
Career Training Grant (TAACCCT) through the Department of Labor. NCSC
was awarded the funding as part of a consortium of community colleges which
include Bossier Parish in Bossier City, Louisiana, Mount Wachusetts in
Massachusetts, and Southwest Community College in Memphis, Tennessee. These four community colleges comprise the Advanced Manufacturing,
Mechatronics, and Quality Consortium (AMMQC), whose purpose is to train
TAA­eligible workers, veterans, and unemployed persons in their communities
to obtain entry­level manufacturing jobs and to promote and accelerate
credential attainment in advanced manufacturing. These grant funds have
allowed North Central State College to purchase robotic equipment for training
and education, enhancing our certificate programs, Associate Degrees and
Industrial Systems Technology lab, as well as develop and implement a free,
four week training module for entry level job seekers. Recently, supervision
training has been developed as an offshoot of the grant to meet the needs of
industry in transitioning line workers to team leaders or supervisors. NCSC launched their successful Industrial Readiness Training (IRT) program in
July of 2014, and since then has conducted 19 IRT classes. The program is
under the guidance of Regional Project Manager Linda Hess, staff members
Diana Burns (Business Liaison), Famico Williams (Career Development
Diana Burns (Business Liaison), Famico Williams (Career Development
Coach), and Emily Seymour (IRT Recruiter). Classes are taught by various
instructors who have real world experience in manufacturing and education.
The program offers training in quality, mathematics, measurement, blueprint
reading, mechanical aptitude,and OSHA, as well as soft skills classes that help
prepare workers for employment attainment. To date, 129 adults have taken
advantage of the training, and multiple area manufacturers have been involved
in securing employment and curriculum consultation for the program. Testimonials from recent participants substantiate the high quality programming
offered by the IRT, and a selection are included below: “This training gave me the independence I needed. I now have a job, my own
apartment and I am putting a down payment on a car this week!” – “The staff are outstanding and the training is great! I learned things that will
definitely help me in the workplace.”­ “This program changed my life” (relating how much the job he obtained
following IRT training has affected him). ­ “Staff were very helpful, and observed my improvements” “It was great, I learned a lot of new skills” There are many more endorsements and personal conversations that reflect
the impact Industrial Readiness Training has had on those who have struggled
to obtain work. Regional Project Manager Linda Hess relates that she often
hears participants speak of a new found confidence when they realize they are
able to learn new concepts and excel. Several area industries have worked closely with the program, not only by
recruiting participants for employment, but also in attending graduation
ceremonies, speaking to participants about various job opportunities and
manufacturing environments, showing support for the program by visiting
regularly, allowing field trips to their facilities and serving on the Industrial
Readiness Training Advisory Board. The following represents some of the
commendations industrial leaders have shared about the program: “We have been very impressed with the training offered through the Industrial
Readiness Training Program, and we are excited to continue our relationship
with NCSC in this endeavor…­ Stoneridge Inc. Control Devices From initial inquiry to wrap up, the IRT team were very helpful, professional and
prompt showing genuine interest in our objectives­ Tramec­Sloan Sustainability is the long term goal for the Industrial Readiness Training
program, which is being addressed by continuing to develop relationships with
area manufacturers, and creation of programming that results in well trained,
work ready employees. In addition, the grant strives to continue to provide
participants with clear and accessible ways to continue educational
opportunities in advanced manufacturing that will contribute to personal and
opportunities in advanced manufacturing that will contribute to personal and
economic growth of the area. Area manufacturers that are interested in training and recruitment opportunities
through North Central State College and AMMQC programming may contact
Diana Burns, Business Liaison, at 419­755­4724. Individuals who are interested in the free Industrial Readiness Training program
or who would like information about manufacturing pathways can contact Emily
Seymour at 419­755­4864 or 419­566­3341.
IMPROVE WORKPLACE SAFETY AND
SAVE MONEY
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) is offering FREE seminars
about Destination: Excellence, our portfolio of programs that can help improve
workplace safety and injured worker care, and lower workers’ compensation
costs. But don’t just take our word for it. At the seminar, you’ll hear real­life examples
from fellow employers who have achieved improved safety and big savings with
Destination: Excellence programs. The seminar also covers the benefits,
eligibility requirements, implementation and financial incentives for enrollment.
It focuses primarily on the following safety and return­to­work options of
Destination: Excellence.
Drug­Free Safety Program
Industry­Specific Safety Program
Safety councils
Transitional Work Bonus Program
Vocational rehabilitation
Who should attend?
Safety officers and risk managers responsible for designing and
implementing safety programs at their workplace
CEOs and business owners who want to know more about how
Destination: Excellence can lower their workers’ compensation costs over
time
Human resource professionals who oversee their company’s relationship
with BWC
Feel free to invite others in your organization.
Find a seminar You can find a seminar date and location near you, and register by clicking the
link below. When registering, please provide your name, title, policy number (or
link below. When registering, please provide your name, title, policy number (or
company name), phone number and email address. Seminar dates, locations and registration Also, if you have a BWC e­account, bring your logon info (user ID and
password) to the seminar to sign up for programs on­site. We hope to see you there!
GALION CITY COUNCIL
MARCH CALENDAR
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