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By Marvin Jones
President and CEO
Voters spoke loud and clear – again – this week that they want change. And change is what we are going to see definitely on the local level, in the statehouse and in Congress for at least two years, if not more.
One of the few things not changing locally is Doug Corcoran remains a county commissioner for four more years. He has been engaged in economic development activities from even before he became a commissioner and remains engaged with the recent updating of the county-city thoroughfare plan and his deep involvement with the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission.
In the statehouse, we look forward to working with Bob Peterson, the Fayette County commissioner who defeated Ray Pryor Tuesday. His background as a former president of the Ohio Farm Bureau will serve him well in the General Assembly. We’ve been working with John Carey for years now and look forward to it again as he switches from the Ohio Senate to the House, representing the eastern portion of Ross County. Dave Daniels, the former mayor of Greenfield, has been in the statehouse a few years, so he, like Carey who he replaces in the Senate, knows his way around.
We also look forward to acquainting Bob Gibbs even more with Ross County and its dynamics as he makes his first trip to Congress as a representative, replacing Zack Space. Steve Austria continues in the same role, representing a sliver of northern Ross County.
Governor-elect John Kasich will be watched closely on many fronts as he begins his tenure, but maybe not more closely than his formulation of a new Department of Development headed by major corporation CEOs and major changes in its organization. With jobs as his number one mission, as well it should be, getting this right has high stakes attached to it. Especially as he and our new representatives grapple with a multi-billion dollar budget deficit.
Back to the local level, the City Council and administration should have received the signal that the defeat of the proposed income tax increase means they need to get to work to fundamentally change the way things are done while staying within the budget they have. As one of our members put it, we fully support our safety forces and the work they do, but we also support fiscal responsibility and the wise use of taxpayer dollars.
Despite the bashing, state near top of business rankings
While many of the election ads hammered at the loss of 400,000 jobs in Ohio in the past four years, the state continues to fare well in some surveys and rankings that can make a difference in getting some of those jobs back. The most recent one was that Ohio tied for sixth in the nation for most favorable business climate among the people who help decide where new jobs go.
The ranking by Site Selection magazine takes in several factors, such as the amount of new plant expansion and the survey of the site selectors. Topping the list for the ninth time in the last 10 years was North Carolina followed by Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and South Carolina. Georgia tied with Ohio for sixth place.
For the past four years, Ohio has ranked No. 1 in new private, capital projects that include new plants and expansions.
Included in this latest article is a list of what site selectors consider the most important factors when deciding where to build or recommend a new project. Workforce skills topped the list, followed by state and local tax schemes, transportation infrastructure and flexibility of incentive programs. Read the entire article and see the complete lists: Site Selection
Drive traffic to your business
One free and easy way to drive customers to your business is to take advantage of your chamber membership with the free Hot Deals! feature. Many of you should have received emails recently as several members entered their Hot Deals, after which the notice is generated automatically to the chamber’s members.
At the end of this newsletter is a link to see the latest Hot Deals. If you’d like to offer one, give us a call and we’ll get you’re the information you’ll need. Once you have the information, you can enter as many deals as you like whenever you want.
Part Two: Drive traffic to your business
The chamber is about ready to launch its own Chamber Bucks gift certificate program that ensures dollars are not only spent locally, but that they are spent only with chamber members. An email went out this week with the details, but in case you missed it and want to be a participating merchant, click here.
We’ll start promoting Chamber Bucks to the public once we have enough places signed up so that recipients will have many choices to redeem their gift. And, when it is launched, possibly next week, you’ll want to make sure to use the certificates as gifts for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, Employees of the Month/Year or just because you like to make someone happy.
Missed the show? Tune in at your leisure
The first Monday morning each month on WBEX’s Sounding Board is reserved for the chamber for which we are grateful. While it might be tough to catch the show each month at 8:35 a.m. on frequency 1490, you can now go to the chamber’s website and listen to it on your schedule. It’s titled “Podcasts” and can be found under the Miscellaneous menu. For now, just click here.
Motor coaches bring $15k to the local economy
Four motor coaches in the past two weeks made stops at local historic sites, but also shopped downtown, ate at the Old Canal Smoke House and got some apples at the Hirsch Fruit Farm. Kyrsten Walton of the Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitors Bureau noted the American Bus Association estimates the average person on a tour spends $73, so the 218 who were on those four coaches recently dropped an estimated $15k in our community. That’s economic development.
Odds and ends
Two tickets to the John Berry Christmas Concert presented by Clear Channel will be door prizes at the chamber’s Business-2-Business Expo and BAB on Nov. 17 at the Elks, but if you’d like to ensure you have seats for what have been sellouts in the past, call the stations at 773-3000 where special pricing is available for groups of 10 or more. The concert is set for the Majestic Theatre on Friday, Nov. 19.
Herrnstein Hyundai became the only dealership in 60 miles to offer weekday service for your vehicle until 11 p.m. The service department is now open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays 8-2. The expansion also means the addition of four more jobs at the dealership on U.S. 23 north at the Ohio 207 connector. 779-6555.
The Chillicothe Jaycees are looking for a few good men and women. Applications for its annual Citizen of the Year honor are available now. Click here
The Gift Post at Main and Brownell streets is holding its holiday open house Nov. 12-13 from 10-7 with special sales, refreshments, door prizes and free gifts for purchases of $10 or more.
Watch for the annual Downtown Holiday Open House the weekend of Nov. 19-21, the first time in years it hasn't coincided with the OSU-Michigan football game as that game is one week later this year. Luminaries, carriage rides and other activities are planned.
Correction 1: The city WILL pick up leaves this fall, but will not use overtime hours. Our apologies from last week’s newsletter.
Correction 2: In the email blast provided by Energy Cooperative of Ohio, there was an incorrect phone number. Dial this one: 614-579-4291.
Contact info: Another email blast this week failed to list a contact if you’re interested in advertising in the Chillicothe High boys basketball program. Here you go: Morgan Roderick at 703-5229.
Vendors licenses issued recently by the Ross County Auditor:
Central Ohio Outdoor Wood Furnaces, 19 N. Main St., Frankfort, by Billy Ackley and Forrest McDonald.
US Safety Gear, 60 N. Bridge St.
Renick’s Family Restaurant, 47-49 S. Paint St., by Lake Fry.
Bainbridge Shell, 101 N. Quarry St., by Bainbridge Express.
McNaughton Wood Products, 717 Keiser Road, Waverly, by Noah McNaughton.
Beth Ray, 9953 Limerick Road.
If you didn’t receive this newsletter directly from the chamber and would like to be added to our distribution list, please email mjones@chillicotheohio.com
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