Chamber calendar

Wednesday, August 1: AMP Electronics ribbon cutting, 927 E. Water St., 10:30 a.m.

Monday, August 6: Chamber on the WBEX Sounding Board, 1490 AM, 8:35 a.m.

Tuesday, August 7: Chillicothe Chiropractic ribbon cutting, North Plaza Boulevard, 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday, August 15: Business After Business, Majestic Courtyard, East Second Street, sponsored by Security Engineering and the Chillicothe Social Society, BAB registration

Thursday, August 16: Executive Committee, chamber, 8:30 a.m.

Thursday, August 23: Board of Directors, Traditions of Chillicothe, noon.

Saturday, Sept. 1: Chillicothe Day at the Ohio University opening football game in Athens versus Gardner-Webb, 7 p.m.; free and half-price tickets available; Ticket order form.

Wednesday, November 21: Annual combined Business Expo and Business After Business, Shoemaker Convocation Center, Ohio University-Chillicothe, 5-8 p.m., registrations to be taken shortly.

What's happening this weekend? Check out the community events calendar.

Click above to go to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce site for small business

Check out photos from chamber events at any time by going to www.chillicothe-chamber.smugmug.com.

For previous newsletter editions, click here

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Copyright 2007

Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce
45 E. Main St.
Chillicothe, OH 45601
740-702-2722

Shell building, city ‘hot spots’

focus of development breakfast

A 50,000-square-foot shell building in the Gateway Interchange Industrial Park is expected to be ready for occupancy by the end of the year. Work on utility lines was expected to begin this week or next, according to Dona Smith of the Community Improvement Corporation.

An update on the shell building, funded in part by a grant and loan from the Ohio Department of Development, was given by Smith at a breakfast Friday sponsored by the Economic Development Alliance of Southern Ohio at the Chillicothe Country Club. In other big news from the event, Horizon Chillicothe Telephone said it planned to establish wireless Internet access in downtown Chillicothe and all around the city in the future.

SJM Construction of Jackson was the low bidder for the shell building that can be completed to the specifications of a buyer or lessor. The goal is to use the proceeds from the sale or lease of the building to build another one so that a shell building is always available to possible tenants. Smith said the county has missed opportunities to land businesses because it did not have a building readily available.

About 100 wi-fi locations in Ross County will have the “Horizon hotspot” service, said Bill McKell, president of Horizon Telcom. He said the firm wanted to make the locations “where people congregate” in Chillicothe and the county. Campers at the Ross County Fair will be among the first to have access.

He said it would be free to Horizon customers and that non-customers in the future will probably be able to use it on a pay-as-you-go system.

Bob Netherton, plant manager of Riffle Machine Works, talked about his firm’s new 50,000 square foot structure going up on Ohio 159 at a cost of $6 million. He said no fewer than 25 new employees would be hired by the Kenworth supplier. Ground will be broken next month and construction is expected to be finished in November.

Ralph Metzger updated the crowd on the status of the Paccar Medical Education Center of the Adena Health System. About 30 nurses will graduate with bachelor’s degrees each year from the center when it opens. He said the goal is for Adena to increase its percentage of degreed nurses from 26 percent now, even though that’s the highest percentage of any hospital in southern Ohio except Cincinnati.

Christopher Manegold, the CEO of the Alliance, outlined the five key strategic areas in which the Alliance is working:

• Local business expansion and retention.
• New business attraction.
• Workforce development.
• Investor and public relations.
• Organizational development.

Allen Rupiper, chairman of the Alliance board, said the Alliance was a case of the investor giving back to the community.

ONLY A FEW SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE: The Leadership Chillicothe Ross class now forming only has about four positions left. A cap of 20 has been placed on each class for the nine-month program of the chamber. Sessions start in September and go through May 2008, meeting on the second Wednesday of each month in various locations around the city and county. For more information and a form to apply, click here: Leadership program

A BIG WEEKEND OF ACTIVITIES: There will be plenty to do this weekend, thanks to activities planned by several chamber members:

• The Chillicothe Jaycees are sponsoring “A Concert in the Park” tonight (Friday) at the Pump House Center for the Arts in Yoctangee Park starting at 6:30. Providing music will be Matt Salyers and Chris Murray and the band Sidetracked. There is a $3 cover charge and refreshments will be available. Proceeds benefit the Jaycees’ Special Santa program.
• Pioneer Day at the Adena Mansion and Gardens runs 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the restored home of Thomas Worthington. Demonstrations of open hearth cooking, broom making and rag rug weaving are planned in addition to others.
• JNOD is sponsoring a skateboard demonstration in front of the courthouse as part of its Summerfest celebration Saturday. Merchants are being encouraged to have sidewalk sales and a car show is planned in park.

CLEANUP MILESTONE CELEBRATED: In ceremonies today, the U.S. Department of Energy turned the key to Building X-7725 at the former Piketon gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment plant over to USEC for re-use in the company’s American Centrifuge Plant project. The ceremony marked the end of a major cleanup effort that included the removal of more than 49,000 containers of hazardous and mixed waste. LATA/Parallax Portsmouth was involved in the cleanup effort and helped coordinate the ceremony at the plant site.

LIBRARY PLANS AUCTION FUNDRAISER: “The Great Library Auction” kicks off the fundraiser Saturday, Aug. 18 at 2:30 for the bond issue campaign of the Chillicothe and Ross County Library. Entertainment for kids and adults and good food will follow the auction along with voter registration. The event will be in the library parking lot on the former Central School play area.

DEADLINE TUESDAY FOR SAFETY COUNCIL: Businesses have until Tuesday to become members of the Ross County Safety Council to become eligible for the next round of premium discounts from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Current members continue to stay enrolled. For more information: Safety Council.

WORK ON NEXT DIRECTORY HAS BEGUN: "Opportunity Central: Ready for Business" is the theme for the 2008 Members Directory and Buyers Guide of the chamber. You can expect to receive a call from Long Point Media in August or September when advertising sales are under way. The directory, distributed by the chamber and members to promote business with members, will be delivered in late January. Your support in the way of advertising also supports the chamber in our partnership with Long Point Media.

SEMINAR FOR WOMEN NEXT WEEK: Registrations are still being taken for the “Women and Money” workshop set for Friday, Aug. 3 by Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray at OU-C. Participants will have a choice of taking up to four courses in breakout sessions as well as a free lunch with a guest speaker and a closing session with a panel of financial experts. For licenses counselors, social workers and others, it can count as one hour of continuing education. To see the complete schedule and register, go to www.ohiotreasurer.gov or call 800-228-1102.

NEWEST MEMBER: Here’s who joined the chamber recently:

• CiCi's Pizza, 1080 N. Bridge St., by Jim Kattell, 775-8000.
• Anderson Accounting Service, 319 Fairway Ave., by Dave Anderson, 775-5999.

BUILDING PERMITS: Here’s who’s received commercial building permits recently from the Chillicothe Building Department:

• Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center, 895 Crouse Chapel Road, renovations and fire protection system, value $13.8 million and $285,000, respectively.
• Kingston IGA, Ohio 159, new store, $750,000.
• Western View Apartments, 1355 Western Ave., re-roof 8 buildings, $47,000.
• Kenworth Truck Company, 65 Kenworth Drive, electrical work and install robotics and sprinkler system, $105,000.
• Horizon Chillicothe Telephone, 4101 County Road 550, install cable power supply, $1,000.
• Ross County government, at fairgrounds, install roadway lighting and electrical work, $1,000.
• Zane Trace Schools, 946 Ohio 180, additions and alterations to athletic field, $255,320.
• Bainbridge Lumber, 2730 Ohio 41, install electric, $25,000.
• CVS, 11 Centennial Boulevard, alterations, no value given.
• Fashion Bug, 1075 N. Bridge St., alterations, no value given.

VENDORS LICENSES: Here’s who’s received licenses recently from the Ross County Auditor:

• Vest Automotive Service Center, 4279 Charleston Pike, by Kathleen Butler.
• Picture Me Portrait Studio, 85 River Trace Lane, by CPI Images.
• Chillicothe Baptist Church, 14000 Ohio 104.

MORE PHOTOS FROM NEW SERVICE: Only one photo was shown in last week's newsletter from the new Pictometry oblique photo program now available to Ross County government. Below are a couple more photos made available to us to by Greg Rouse of the Ross County Soil and Water Conservation Service. The photos show the courthouse, Adena hospital complex and Glatfelter with South Bridge Street in the lower portion.