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Copyright 2008

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

Campaign strengthens to defeat

job-killing legislation in Congress

By Marvin Jones

President and CEO

An all-out campaign is under way by businesses – large, small and in between – to ensure that the Employee Free Choice Act does not become the law of the land. Your personal messages to our members of Congress will be very important in the coming weeks.

Particularly troubling for businesses in Ross County and those in the 18^th Congressional District is the fact Rep. Zach Space is one of 222 co-sponsors of the legislation. He also voted for the job-killing legislation when it first reared its ugly head in 2007. That effort was stopped in the Senate and that is the hope again this time around.

Your chamber wrote Rep. Space this week. Click here to see the entire letter. Here are some excerpts:

Our chamber is in total opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act. Our hope is that you will vote against this job-killing legislation at every opportunity. …

My members wonder if you truly:

Support essentially taking away the secret ballot from your constituents who might want to form a union and those who don’t want to be part of a union.

Support having the federal government determine the terms of a binding, two-year contract on your constituents and the businesses in your district if they can’t agree to terms.

Support much stiffer penalties on the businesses in your district if they violate provisions of the new law with no similar repercussions for the unions….

It is the sincere hope of this chamber and our members that you will vote for legislation that helps our members create better paying jobs for your constituents and vote against legislation that hobbles those who will create them with totally unnecessary roadblocks and hurdles. The Employee Free Choice Act is terrible legislation.

Sen. George Voinovich is on record opposing the so-called card check law while Sen. Sherrod Brown is an avid supporter. Rep. Steve Austria, who represents a sliver of northern Ross County, is thought to be against the measure.

The Ohio and U.S. chambers of commerce are marshalling forces to see that the bill never receives the support of the 60 senators necessary to end any debate in the Senate. President Barack Obama reiterated his continued support to a gathering of union leaders a week ago.

Below are links to send emails to our members of Congress to make your feelings known. Please send them a strong message as soon as possible.

Rep. Zach Space                Rep. Steve Austria

Sen. George Voinovich         Sen. Sherrod Brown

Council still waffling on parking

Rather than remove the meters and institute free parking on Fourth Street as supported by 70 percent of the street’s residents and the specific recommendation of the HyettPalma downtown plan, the Safety Services Committee of Chillicothe City Council would rather add to the city’s bureaucracy and hassle the residents every year.

The committee voted this week to force the residents on Fourth between Walnut and Mulberry to go to the city’s Service Department every January to sign up for parking passes that lets them park free in front of their homes. A compromise of removing the meters only on the east side of Fourth was rejected, although some signs of support surfaced.

New office building on the way

The Chillicothe Planning Commission paved the way this week for construction of a new professional building off North Bridge Street. The owners of Shawnee Lanes were granted a lot split near their business and the dialysis center. Developer Walt Hess said construction should begin soon on what’s expected to be a medical practices facility.

Emergency squads get an infusion

The Ross County Safety Council handed out checks totaling $6,450 to upgrade the equipment of emergency medical squads in three counties. Receiving checks at the luncheon Thursday were the Adena Health Foundation for $4,450 and $1,000 each for Pike and Jackson counties. The council matched the contributions made by its members. Contributors: Accurate Heating and Cooling, Adena Health System, AEP, Bell Logistics, Cross Creek Excavating, D.E. Huddleston, Eastern Avenue Lumber, Globe Furniture, Horizon Chillicothe Telephone, InfoSight, Lorac Construction, Pike County Community Action, Theta Pro2Serve, Tom thomas, Traditions of Chillicothe, United Steel Workers Local 1-689, USEC and Westmoreland Place.

All Terrain set for Wednesday’s BAB

Hosting its first Business After Business, All Terrain Sports is prepared for the crowd next Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at its place on North Bridge Street, across from the new Menards. The usual appetizers and beverages will be available as folks get a chance to check out the cycles, ATVs and other vehicles. Please let us know if you plan to attend: BAB registration

Seminar addresses delicate HR issues

Kurt Southam is back on Wednesday, March 25 with his “Crucial Confrontations” seminar, sponsored by the chamber and the SHRM South Central Ohio Human Resources Council. This is a follow-up to his “Crucial Conversations” event of a few months back. The seminar runs 8-10 a.m. at the PACCAR Medical Education Center and costs $25 for chamber and SHRM members and $35 for others. For more information on the event: Crucial Confrontations. To register, email your attendees to Julie Bolen at bolenj@odjfs.state.oh.us

Certifichecks taken to court

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray is charging Certifichecks with fraudulent practices in hopes of providing holders of the gift certificates with refunds. This former chamber partner provided the certificates good at participating chamber members through a website and phone orders. If you are holding any of the certificates or if your business had them returned by a bank, please call the chamber office for instructions on possible refunds: 702-2722.

There is only one chamber-endorsed map

Tommy Thompson of NovoPrint is the only ad salesperson you will encounter when it comes to the professionally designed and printed map of the city and county that is endorsed by this chamber. Thompson is out now lining up spots for the next edition coming out this summer. If another salesperson claims the chamber is involved, tell them you need to give us a call first before committing.

Tidbits from here and there

• The annual Southern Ohio Home & Garden Show is set for April 4-5 at the fairgrounds. Sponsored by the Building Industry of South Central Ohio, the event features appearances by NBC4’s Tom McNutt and animals from the Columbus Zoo. Details: www.southernohiohomegarden.com
• In his March 2 column in Forbes, Publisher Rich Karlgaard said the U.S. Chamber is “the world’s beacon for free enterprise.” He also said, “I speak to many local Chamber chapters around the country, so I might be biased. But in this tough economy, I find the local chapters to be an oasis of optimism, useful connections and practical help. That’s no small thing today.”
• Non-profit groups that have a project addressing health concerns are eligible for grants from the Adena Health Foundation. Last year, 13 grants totaling nearly $100,000 were handed out. May 14 is the deadline to apply. www.adena.org/about/community.html
• The Community Improvement Corporation’s 50,000 square foot shell building and continued development at USEC’s American Centrifuge project help Ohio stay on top of Site Selection magazine’s list of states for new capital investment for the third straight year. Ohio 503 major investment projects, ahead of the 497 in Texas.

Newest members of the chamber

• Big Dog Customs, 450 E. Second St., by Carl Collins, 773-2886, auto and truck detailing, advertising, glass services, www.bigdogcustoms.net.
• Justice Financial Services, 95 E. Water St., by Mark Justice, financial planning services, 775-4411, www.unitedplanners.com
• Local AdLink, 3111 Marietta Road, by Lois Rooney, advertising services, 775-5453, www.localadlink.com
• T&T Advertising, by Tammy Miller, 775-6053, advertising and website design.

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

• Ross County YMCA, 100 Mill St., electrical, value $2,200.
• DDR Chillicothe, 885 N. Bridge St., signs, $2,000.
• Hermanson Limited, 230 Cherry St., two permits for fire protection, $12,600.
• John Gordon, 535 N. High St., fence, $300.
• The Foulke Block, 14 W. Main St., signs, $850.
• Sumburger, 1487 N. Bridge St., HVAC, $15,000.
• VP Chester Properties, 261 Woodbridge Ave., roofing $9,000.
• Maple View Manor, 430 S. Maple St., Bainbridge, fire protection, $6,000.
• Alcoa, 1089 Eastern Ave., upgrade sprinkler system, no value given.
• Jefferson Township, 225 Market St., renovations to community building, no value given.
• T-Mobile, 6040 Watson Road, co-locate on existing tower and additional ground equipment, $40,000.
• Pleasant Hill Church, 15290 Ohio 327, re-issuance of permit, $3,000.
• G&J Paving, 379 Seney Road, build control room, $10,000.
• Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health Center, 4449 Ohio 159, backup generator for computers and phone system, $7,000.
• Paint Valley Schools, 7454 U.S. 50, new scoreboard, $5,000.
• ODOT, 41A Jones Road, install temporary electric service, no value given.
• Roger Young, 2349 Rozelle Creek Road, electric for storage area, $1,000.

Vendors licenses issued recently by the Ross County Auditor:

• Delight Yourself Bath & Body Products, 3368 Harris Station Road, by Anita Ewing.
• The Motorcycle Shop of Chillicothe, 548 Lillie St.
• Scioto Paint Valley Transportation Services, 4449 Ohio 159.
• Hall of Heroes, 94 W. Water St., by Shelley Hall.