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By Marvin Jones
President and CEO
What can happen in Chillicothe schools in the coming years played out Tuesday evening at the chamber’s Annual Dinner. Muriel Summers, the originator of The Leader in Me initiative 12 years ago, provided the nearly 300 attending a glimpse of what continues to happen at her school.
 More than 30 educators, including several from districts other than Chillicothe, heard Summers recount the story of how she had one week to develop a plan to improve her A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, NC or risk having it taken over by the state. Her answer: the genesis of The Leader in Me that incorporates Dr. Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and the continuous quality improvement processes of W. Edwards Deming.
Today, her school consistently ranks as one of the best in the state, has more than 90 percent of students achieving at or above grade level, has seen the near-disappearance of discipline issues, has a more than 90 percent satisfaction rating with parents, has a waiting list for students and is in an area where home values have doubled in the past 10 years.
Today, The Leader in Me is what she terms the “operating system” in all four elementaries in Chillicothe. It started with Allen Elementary in the 2010-2011 school year thanks to the financial support of chamber members, spread to Worthington at the start of this school year, again with chamber-member support, and this week started at both Tiffin, Mt. Logan and the 6th grade at Western, thanks to an Ohio Department of Education grant acquired by the district. The initiative is now in more than 600 schools in the U.S. and more than 700 worldwide. Chillicothe is the first district in Ohio to adopt it for all of its elementaries.
Summers talked of how the initiative provides a common language and a common philosophy of how others are treated in each school. She said it also shows “how to take a business model and put it in a schoolhouse,” which was music to the ears of the chamber members in the audience.
To illustrate her point how each student is treated as an individual with inherent leadership qualities, she had anecdotes of those children who at first rebelled, but who later embraced and championed the process. She spoke of the custodian whose title is “Leader of Keeping the School Clean and Safe.”
“The fate of a community often lies in what we do in the schoolhouse each day,” she said. That’s why it is important to continue The Leader in Me in Chillicothe schools and for the business community to stay involved. The real results of the effort won’t be known for maybe a decade, just like at A.B. Combs, but there is every indication that this is the path that will lead to productive and engaged employees for our businesses for years to come.
If you would like to become involved, give the chamber a call at 702-2722 or email mjones@chillicotheohio.com.
In addition to the tables decorated by sponsors, the students at Worthington used their artistic skills to provide placemats with The Leader in Me theme. Polished Comfort provided the catering while the Chillicothe Social Society handled the beverage chores. Also honored was Chad Walters of C. Walters Enterprises for his six years on the Board of Directors. Horizon made possible the audio-visuals along with Paul Pollard Productions.
Replays of the dinner are being shown continuously for Horizonview customers on Channel 11. Click here to see more than 40 photos from the dinner, courtesy of Vickers Photographic Studio or visit the chamber’s Facebook page by clicking the link to the left.
On October 17, 1975, in a vacant office at Franklin University, Chillicothe Graphics was incorporated. Born from an idea and passion, Jeff Marshall, sold his airplane to buy his first printing press and opened the doors of Chillicothe Graphics in the living room of his home in the beginning of 1976.
Today, Marshall’s Printex Same-Day Printing employs 13, turning out 31,500 business cards and 150,000 copies a month at its location on East Main Street. In his 37th year of business, Marshall was named the chamber’s 28th Entrepreneur of the Year at the Annual Dinner.
To earn money and get by in those early years, Jeff worked at BancOhio (now PNC) in corporate marketing in downtown Columbus and then returned home to print customers’ jobs at night.
After five years working two jobs, he decided to advance his printing career and moved Chillicothe Graphics to its current building at 185 E. Main St. in Chillicothe. It was during this transition that Chillicothe Graphics was renamed Printex Same-Day Printing. Printex was and still is strongly based upon the belief of fast service, superior quality and unbeatable prices.
Printex has two locations and represents Chillicothe and Ross County on a national platform. Printex’s customer base ranges from local businesses to worldwide leaders. Even through today’s challenging economy, Printex continues to support local schools, charities and organizations.
Jeff and Printex are proud supporters of the Ross County United Way, Junior Achievement, Ross County Humane Society, Ducks Unlimited, National Rifle Association, Rock for Tots and many more. Total donations are more than $500,000 in 37 years.
To showcase its Leader in Me initiative, Principal Jason Fife, his staff and students held their first Leadership Day Thursday at the school. The program included a welcome by Student Council officers, a skit depicting the 7 Habits, a rendition of the school’s song “Make a Difference”, and tours of classrooms led by students.
Chamber member investors, elected officials, parents and school officials were on hand for the morning program.
 More news to note:
Next BAB at Herrnstein Hyundai: Perfection One Collision Center is the co-sponsor with Herrnsteins for the Business After Business Wednesday, Feb. 15 at the Hyundai dealership on Ohio 207 off U.S. 23 north. The Sunroom at The Brick will cater. Click here to register to attend.
Paints offering ticket special: To celebrate their 20th season, the Chillicothe Paints are offering a special season tickets purchased by Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. If you purchase one season ticket, you can get a second for only $50 or a savings of $75. If you purchase two season tickets at the regular price, you get a third one at no charge, a savings of $125. To order, visit the Paints gift shop at Paint and Second streets or call 773-8326.
Selling to the government: A session on learning more about the federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA) schedules is Thursday, Feb. 16 from 1-4 p.m. It is being conducted by Kay and Associates through the Southern Ohio Procurement Center in Room 215 of Shoemaker Center at OU-C. Click here to register.
The next edition of Weekly Update will be on Feb. 17, 2012.
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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