Volume 2, Issue 29                                                                March 19, 2004

To see all photos and graphics, view Weekly Update by clicking on this link:

http://www.chillicotheohio.com/chamber/weeklyletter/weu_03_19_04.htm

 

NEW TRANSIT DEPOT TO HAVE AN OLD FEEL: The proposed new offices for the Chillicothe Transit Department take advantage of the heritage of the railroad land on which it will sit at Watt and Seventh streets. Construction could begin by late summer on the depot, shown at right in a scale model. The structure uses the same design as the roundhouse maintenance building used by the railroads many years ago just a few hundred yards away. Parking for the facility will be at the corner while the terminal itself will front more on Seventh Street with the garage for the city buses beside it. Access would be available on both streets.

 

LAST CHANCE TO COMPLETE SURVEY: Today is the last day to submit your responses in the survey being coordinated by the chamber for the Chillicothe City Schools. The survey was e-mailed Monday. You can get to it by clicking on this link: City Schools Survey

 

NORTHERN NEIGHBORS COURTED: The chamber and Community Improvement Corp. will join Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer and Economic Development Director Doug Corcoran on a trip to Toronto in Canada in late April in hopes of finding companies there that want to expand operations in the United States. We'll be meeting with company executives and others over two days to pitch the qualities of Chillicothe and Ross County as a place to do business. Maybe we'll be successful in finding more jobs for the 545 losing theirs at the Circleville Thomson plant.

 

NEW COMMITTEE STARTED: The chamber now has a Downtown Events Planning Committee that will work to ensure the continuity in activities in the core business district. The formation of the committee was in response to the Downtown Associates going into a dormancy phase. The new committee will work to coordinate events downtown such as the Sizzling Summer Nights, the Business After Business in August and others. Members of the Associates were receiving letters advising them of the situation.

 

THE YELLOW RIBBONS ARE OUT: Main Street and Western Avenue are all decked out in the yellow ribbons welcoming home from Iraq the troops of the 1001st Reserve Quartermaster Company. Businesses are encouraged to use their marquees and other means to show their support and gratitude to those who served in the war. They are expected to arrive between 3-4 p.m. Saturday as they head to a celebration in OU-C's Shoemaker Center to which everyone is invited.

 

BAB SET FOR CENTER: The Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health Center will be the site for the March 24 Business After Business. The center is next to Adena Regional Medical Center off Ohio 159 north of the city. Please register here: BAB registration. If you're company is thinking about hosting a BAB, we're all booked for this year and have five months already taken for 2005. Give the chamber a call to discuss possibilities: 702-2722.

 

COMPANIES TEAM UP TO HELP KIDS: Triple Crown Sports and Hanes Training Systems are offering a new after-school program, Healthy Habits and Outcomes, or H2O. Children in grades K-5 can get involved Mondays and Wednesdays 4-5:30 p.m. at Triple Crown. Healthy snacks and activities are being offered. To learn more, call Triple Crown at 773-7529 or Hanes at 772-2604.

 

FINGERLINGS NOT FREE: Our apologies, but the fish fingerlings offered by the Ross Soil and Water and Conservation office are not free as mentioned in last week's update. Call the office at 772-4110 to get the prices and to order.

 

SONNIE'S NOW OPEN 24/6: Sonnie's Sports Plus and its Parcel N Post are now open 24 hours a day Monday through midnight Saturday.

 

JOB FAIR SET FOR WEDNESDAY: Employers from southern and central Ohio will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Shoemaker Center at OU-C for a job fair. It is open to the public and is being sponsored by veterans organizations in the area, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, OU-C and the Workforce Investment Network.

 

RECIPIENTS SOUGHT FOR FUNDS: Charitable organizations are eligible to apply for participation in the next Combined Federal Campaign of South Eastern Ohio. Last year, more than $42,000 was pledged. Applications must be received by April 30. For more information and an application, call Mark Sentieri at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 773-1141, Ext. 7611 or Linda Kight at Ext. 7248.

 

SPONSORS SOUGHT: The Kiwanis Klassic Car & Motorcycle Show, sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club and Ricart Ford Lincoln Mercury, is seeking trophy sponsors. The event is set for June 6 at Ricart on North Bridge Street. To learn more, e-mail adkinsfinancial@yahoo.com or jerry@ejpcfp.com.

 

VENDORS LICENSES: Here's who's received licenses recently from the Ross County Auditor:

WEBSITE UPDATED, REDESIGNED: Compensation Consultants Inc., the chamber's partner in offering discount premiums for workers compensation premiums, launched its redesigned website recently. The site now has an online application form, current news and information on workers compensation and links to help employers. Check it out at www.cciworkerscomp.com

 

HORIZON WATCHING THE TREND: Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is getting a lot of notice these days as some businesses are looking to switch from the old technology to the new which can result in lower costs. Horizon's John Wilson said the company is staying on top of the developments and will transition to VoIP when it makes sense. He also added that Horizon probably has made its last major investment in legacy voice switching equipment as it moves to server/router equipment than can handle both voice and data.

 

STUDY OUT ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS USE AND SPENDING: Very small firms pay four times more per employee for local and long distance services than large businesses, according to a new study completed for the Small Business Administration. It also found small business use of wireless telecommunications is substantial, especially in industries such as construction. For a complete report, go to www.sba.gov/advo/research.

 

UPSCALE APARTMENTS PLANNED: An 84-unit addition to the Scioto Woods complex off Western Avenue behind Regal Cinemas is under construction. Preleasing is under way for the units that are two and three bedrooms with walk-in closets and washer-dryer hookups. Details are available by calling 779-6580.

 

CHARTERING CEREMONY WEDNESDAY: Don't forget the Membership Drive and National Chartering Ceremony Wednesday for the new local chapter for the Society for Human Resource Management. Activities are 4:30-6 p.m. at Horizon Technology Center on Ohio 104 north. For more information, call Cheryl Barlage at 774-5181.

 

KENWORTH PARENT HONORED AGAIN: Paccar, the parent of the Kenworth Truck Company, was named one of America's best performing companies by the Wall Street Journal in its ninth annual Shareholder Scoreboard of 1,000 major U.S. companies. the firm ranked 12th in the 1,000 based on the combination of its impressive five-year shareholder annualized return of 30.3 percent and meeting other yearly financial return thresholds. This comes after Paccar also was named by Fortune magazine as one of the country's "Most Admired Companies."

 

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