Chamber calendar
Monday, July 7: Chamber on The Sounding Board, WBEX, 1490 AM, 8:35 a.m.
Tuesday, July 8: Membership and Events Committee, 11:30 a.m., chamber.
Monday, July 14: Executive Committee, 8:30 a.m., chamber
Wednesday, July 16: Business After Business, at Herrnstein Chrysler Plymouth Mitsubishi on Marietta Road, co-sponsored by Huntington Bank and Herrnstein Hyundai, 5-7 p.m.
BAB Registration
Chamber-related links
Economic Development
www.edaso.org
Chillicothe Job Bank
www.chillicothejobbank.net
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
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Copyright 2008
Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce
45 E. Main St.
Chillicothe, OH 45601
740-702-2722
Business and industry groups
band together on sick leave proposal
By Marvin Jones
President and CEO
Many of Ohio’s major business and industry organizations are banding together to educate voters about the possible debilitating effects of the proposed sick leave proposal expected to be on the ballot in the November election.
The Ohioans to Protect Jobs (OTPJ) group includes the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, 
the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, the Ohio Manufacturing Association, the National Federation of Independent Business/Ohio and the Ohio Restaurant Association.
A team assembled of the state’s most respected campaign consultants is moving forward with a strategy to defeat the paid sick leave issue, according to the retail merchants’ groups. Also, “Dr. Ned Hill, vice president of Economic Development for Cleveland State University, has been retained to prepare an economic impact study that will detail the devastation that passage of mandated paid sick leave would wreak on Ohio’s already beleaguered economy.”
The list of those companies and organizations opposing the measure grows longer each day. You can add your name to the list by visiting this website that also has much more information about the proposal and ways to make sure it doesn’t become reality in the state: Stop the Mandates.
If you would like to get involved locally in the campaign to defeat this proposal, please get in touch with me at the chamber at 702-2722 or mjones@chillicotheohio.com.
And speaking of mandates …
In the last 18 months, 15 bills have been introduced in the General Assembly that would mandate more areas of coverage by health insurance companies. This from the Ohio chamber:
One proposal, dubbed "mental health parity", would require any employer currently providing health insurance to cover any and all mental disorders. Current law only requires that biological disorders be covered. But bills introduced by Rep. Ted Celeste and Sen. Dale Miller would broaden the scope of coverage to disorders ranging from substance abuse to addiction.
Another set of bills introduced by Rep. Michelle Schneider and Sen. Randy Gardner would require employers who provide health insurance to cover the costs of diabetes equipment, medication, self education and self management.
Group rated companies see discount lowered
The 72 members in the chamber’s group rating program for workers’ compensation saw the maximum discount lowered to 85 percent from 90 percent this week and another reduction has been approved for July 1 next year that will lower the maximum to 77 percent. A group of business organizations is sponsoring an independent study that could challenge the assertion by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation that non-group rated companies are subsidizing those in groups. Some good news on this front is that the BWC board is capping a premium increase to 20 percent for group rated employers following the filing of a claim and if they remain in the group. For those who lose their group rating, the premium increase is capped at 100 percent.
A special salute to one of our retiring members
Jeff Streitenberger decided recently to retire and his Personnel Solutions firm is no longer in business on South Paint Street. Jeff has been a strong supporter of the chamber for years, indicative of his advertising on Weekly Update every week ever since we started taking ads along with his Platinum level premium membership. We wish Jeff all the best in his retirement.
Short takes from here and there
- From 5-8 in the Majestic Theatre courtyard today is the First Thursday event of the First Capital Rotary Club, featuring wings and live music. Admission is $5. And, make sure to pace yourself so you can head west on Second Street to the Elks for the Boogie on the Blacktop, sponsored by our YPN group. Admission is $3 there which also gets live music and access to refreshments. In the event of inclement weather, the boogie will move inside the Elks.
- Accurate Heating and Cooling’s Service Manager Tom Helms and three employees all earned their certification from the North American Technician Alliance, the industry standard for quality. Raymond Woodgeard, Bruce Ater and Rick Wood earned their certification along with Helms.
- While it seems there's not much action as yet, current plans call for IHOP to be opened in the former Fazoli's sometime in October.
Newest chamber members to welcome:
- Accel Temporary Services, 38 E. Water St., by Doug Steele, 740-333-5200, www.acceltemps.com
Vendor licenses issued recently by the Ross County Auditor:
- Signs of My Heart, 680 Beechwood St., by Lori McKeever.
- Beeler Fabrication, 1076 Malone Road, by Emmett Beeler.
Seminars, workshops, etc.
- “Tolerance in the Workplace – Management vs. Employees,” by the local SHRM chapter; presenter Scott Warrick, Thursday, July 17, Ross County Service Center, 8-noon, cost $45; for information and reservations by July 11: Mechelle Spellman spellm01@odjfs.state.oh.us