Chamber calendar

Wednesday, April 16: Chillicothe YPN Networking Luncheon, featuring Spaulding Family Chiropractic presentation, noon, Chillicothe Country Club; www.chillicotheypn.com

Wednesday, April 16: Business after Business, Paints Stadium co-sponsored by Classic Brands, 5 p.m. BAB Registration

Thursday, April 17: Executive Committee, Chamber conference room, 8:30 a.m.

Thursday, April 17: Chillicothe YPN social, Mona Lisa Cafe, 5 p.m., www.chillicotheypn.com

Saturday, April 19: Leadership Chillicothe Ross class erecting benches on floodwall hiking/biking path.

Saturday, April 19: Chillicothe YPN conducting Shred-It-Day in the parking lot next to the swimming pool in Yoctnagee Park, 10-2; www.chillicotheypn.com

Thursday, April 24: Board of Directors, location TBA, noon

Monday, April 28: Downtown Chillicothe Partnership, Chamber conference room, 8 a.m.

Wednesday, April 30: Chillicothe YPN network bowling, Shawnee Lanes, 5:30 p.m., www.chillicotheypn.com

Thursday, May 8: Ross County Safety Council, fleet safety, Chillicothe Country Club, 11:30 a.m. Luncheon Registration

Friday, June 6: Annual Golf Outing, Jaycee Golf Course; 9 a.m., Registration

Chamber-related links

Economic Development
www.edaso.org

Downtown Chillicothe
www.downtownchillicothe.com

Chillicothe YPN
www.chillicotheypn.com

Visitors Bureau
www.visitchillicotheohio.com

Chamber event photos
www.chillicothe-chamber.smugmug.com

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

For previous newsletter editions, click here

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Copyright 2008

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

Expert’s opinion:

‘Chillicothe shows well’

By Marvin Jones

President and CEO

The person who was instrumental more than 30 years ago in bringing to Chillicothe the Kenworth Truck Company plant made a return visit this week and noted the area has several attributes that should be instrumental in bringing more jobs here.

Robert M. Ady, whose career as a site selection consultant has been helping U.S. and international corporations find locations for new facilities, was advising PACCAR back in the 1970s when it was looking to build a major facility to make its Class 8 heavy duty trucks. He helped guide the decision-makers to Chillicothe at that time.  This week, Ady was the guest of the Economic Development Alliance of Southern Ohio. He was invited to return to re-familiarize him with the area and to assess the job-seeking efforts of the Alliance and its partners.

Given this week’s news on more job losses at, ironically, Kenworth and the two state prisons, Ady’s visit was most timely. During a whirlwind 24-hour visit he toured the area with Alliance CEO Christopher Manegold and met with several individuals to learn more about the current economic and workforce climate in the region.

Before leaving town, Ady, based in Chicago, gave a 90-minute debriefing to community leaders, including Mayor Joe Sulzer, City Council members Bob Shoultz and Nancy Ames, County Commissioner Doug Corcoran, City Schools Superintendent Roger Crago and members of the governing boards of the Alliance, Community Improvement Corporation and chamber. Some highlights from his comments:

• “Chillicothe shows well,” he said, meaning that other site selectors should like what they see when they come to the area in terms of the community’s assets and look and feel. He said that’s a different perspective than when he was here 30 years ago.
• The site selection process is a process of elimination. Using the client’s specification list, the selector judges each community against those specs, eliminating all but one in the final analysis. Coming in second has no rewards.
• Communities or regions need to differentiate themselves. The three highest priorities: available buildings (so a quick move can be done), available sites that are “shovel ready” or don’t need a lot of preparation, and an available labor force.
• On the labor force, Ady said today that doesn’t necessarily mean having specific skills, but having “soft skills” such as being a team player, taking initiative and responsibility, having flexibility, etc.
• The CIC’s 50,000 square foot shell building in Gateway Interchange Industrial Park is a major asset, Ady said. The NewPage facility provides a unique opportunity because of its size and well-maintained operation.
• It’s all about being regional in your approach, not about the specific city, township or county, he said. He defined a region as the area from where employees will commute to work.
• Information is absolutely vital, Ady said, and it needs to be on the website in a format so that site selectors can cut and paste it into the documents going to the clients.
• Maybe above all else, having a personal relationship with the top 20-50 site selectors in the country is most important. Nothing beats face-to-face meetings like the one he had here, Ady said.

Ady’s visit was the first in what the Alliance plans to be an ongoing series of site selector invitations.  This new marketing initiative is intended to acquaint these influential professionals with the assets of our region, to solicit their candid input about what they observe, and to report those findings to Alliance partners.  This is what the Japanese call “kaizen,” Manegold said, a process of “continuous improvement.”  

Organizations honored for safety records

More than 60 members of the Ross County Safety Council were recognized for outstanding safety records in 2007 at Thursday’s monthly luncheon of the group. Organizations were honored for injury-free years, significant improvements in their safety records from 2006 and within their classifications. Top honors went to five who recorded substantial milestones in the number of employee hours without a lost-time accident. In the photo, from left: Tim McDermott of the Portsmouth office of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Roger Smith of the Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center, Kim Huffman of Goodwill Industries, Susan Harman of First Capital Enterprises, Roger Crago of Chillicothe City Schools, Jean Harrell of Accurate Heating and Cooling and Marsha Bevins of the Ross County Safety Council. Check out the complete list: Safety awards

Get your baseball at the BAB

Wilmington College squares off against Mt. St. Joseph College during the Business After Business next Wednesday (April 16) at VA Memorial Stadium, sponsored by the Chillicothe Paints and Classic Brands. BAB-goers get free admission to the game that starts at 6, or an hour after the start of the BAB on the Party Deck and picnic area down the left field line. Make sure to let us know you plan to attend: BAB registration

Glatfelter names new vice president

Deba Mukherjee’s responsibilities will include the operations at the Chillicothe mill as he becomes the new vice president and general manager of the Specialty Papers Business Unit of Glatfelter. In addition to the Chillicothe operations, he also will have responsibility for the Spring Grove mill in Pennsylvania, Fremont operations in northern Ohio and the Glatfelter Pulpwood Company. Mukherjee, who will be based in the company headquarters in Pennsylvania, joined Glatfelter in 1998 and has been involved in product development and strategic planning. And speaking of Glatfelter, its former mill in downtown Neenah in Wisconsin, which was closed when the Chillicothe operations were acquired, is being razed to make way for a new $18 million, 94,000 square foot office building to house the corporate headquarters of electronics firm Plexus and its 325 employees.

Leadership class putting up benches

The 15-member class of Leadership Chillicothe Ross plans next Saturday (April 19) to complete installation of four more benches along the floodwall hiking/biking path and one at the Pine Street entrance as its group project. The class has been working with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and received donations of materials from various chamber members. The class winds up its year next month with the last session on May 14 and graduation on May 15. This week, the class heard about owning and operating a small business from a panel of chamber members as well as touring in the downtown area with a stop at the Chillicothe Paints office. Now’s the time to think about signing up for next year’s class: Leadership program

Directory to take on special look, feel in 2009

Lots of photos and articles on recreation, kids’ activities, shopping, dining, lodging, tourism, downtown, health care, education, industry and technology will make the 2009 chamber publication more versatile as a relocation guide as well as a directory for chamber membership. You should have received a letter this week from CommunityLink announcing the start of advertising sales. Former chamber employee and CommunityLink contractor Heidi Robson is handling the sales. Make sure she contacts you to be a part of the publication that also will be available online. Click here for an example of the type of publication we’re preparing: Tacoma guide

Developments set for Bridge, High streets; downtown store moves

The chamber received confirmation by phone this week that Ihop definitely plans to renovate the former Fazoli’s in front of Shawnee Square and soon. No word on when it plans to open. A permit for a $1 million new church was issued recently to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) for 1918 N. Bridge St., next to Tire Discounters. According to its building permit, a 3,960 square foot building is planned for a BP Duke/Duchess Shop at High and Orange streets. Original plans called for a car wash at Safford and Buckeye behind the store. Susie’s Gifts for All Seasons is now on East Main Street. It moved from the Foulke Block to the former JNOD space in the Masonic Building across from Horizon.

Your sensitive documents sought for Shred-It-Day

The Young Professionals Network is coordinating the 2^nd Annual Shred-It Day Saturday, April 19 from 10-2 in the city pool parking lot. Personal and business items can be shredded for a donation to the YPN Scholarship fund. The Ross County Sheriff’s Department will conduct its ‘Kid Print’ program with parents highly encouraged to participate. Volunteers are welcome! This is a great way to make business contacts as last year more than 200 cars and 36,000 pounds were shredded. For complete event information including volunteer details: www.chillicotheypn.com or email csteinbrook@chillicotheohio.com.

Building permits issued recently by the Chillicothe and Ross County Building Departments:

• Calvary Apostolic Church, 454 Kellar Road, fire alarm system, value $7,000.
• WRH Company, 462 E. Second St., new structure, $85,000.
• Englefield Oil Co., 742 N. High St., commercial building, $500,000.
• John Roberts Management Group, 718 N. Bridge St. (former JR Valentines), interior demolition, $1,000.
• No owner given, 46 E. Water St., electrical, $450.
• Village of Bainbridge, alterations and change of use to existing building, $250,000.
• Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1918 N. Bridge St., new church, $1 million.
• Norfolk Southern Railroad, various locations, electrical work, $3,200
• Round the Clock daycare, 160 Copperfield Drive, alterations for change of use, $5,000.

Vendors licenses issued by the Ross County Auditor:

• Be Well, 30 Consumer Drive, by Sandra Dunlap.
• Samuel Stephen College, 1410 Industrial Drive, by Daymar Learning of Ohio.
• Lee’s Electronic Vehicles Etc., 162 S. Mulberry St., by Eldon Long.

Seminars, workshops, etc.:

• Tuesday, April 22: “Doing Business with China: Exporting Basics,” OSU South Centers, Piketon, $30, details and registration: www.buyusa.gov/greatlakes/doingbusinesswithchina.html
• Wednesday and Thursday, May 7-8: “Crucial Conversations” program presented by Horizon Telcom and OU-C; to register: www.chillicothe.ohiou.edu/forms/crucialcon.htm
• Thursday, May 15: Seminar for minority and female business entrepreneurs, 8-4, Verne Riffe Center for the Arts in Portsmouth; for information: karthur@shawnee.edu.