Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce

Weekly Update     October 25, 2002

MEADWESTVACO CLOSING OPAS PLANT: Word came Friday afternoon that MeadWestvaco plans to permanently close its OPAS (On/Off Press Application Systems) plant on U.S. 23 north of Chillicothe before the end of the year. The closing will result in the loss of 17 jobs. The plant produces carbonless coating used by printers to convert plain paper to carbonless paper. “We remain committed to the production and sale of carbonless papers at Chillicothe,” said Mike Marziale, vice president and general manager of carbonless papers. “For us to remain competitive and enhance our position in the carbonless business, we will continue to fine-tune our operations. This will include focusing squarely on superior product quality, excellent customer service and efficient manufacturing.” The plant formerly was operated by Flintkote and Johns-Manville.

DEVELOPMENT TOPIC OF NETWORKING LUNCHEON: Matt Allen, the city’s development director, was the keynote speaker at Friday’s Networking Luncheon at the Ross County Service Center. The group heard Allen, right, discuss the various projects in which his department is involved, including downtown renovation and the Yoctangee Park entrance. Allen also is chairman of the chamber’s Downtown Committee of the Business Growth Council. Our thanks to Christina Schramm of Chillicothe Nursing and Rehabilitation for providing the Lowe’s gift certificates as door prizes. The next luncheon will be after the first of the year.

SURE SIGNS FALL IS HERE: There’s no doubt that the Fall season is upon us, given the weather the last few days. Other signs are the end of Daylight Savings Time this weekend when we “fall back” at 2 a.m. Sunday and gain an extra hour of sleep. Other signs include the annual Halloween Parade Saturday in downtown Chillicothe at 7 p.m. and the start of the Area Artists Series with Riders in the Sky at 8 p.m. Saturday at Smith Middle School auditorium.

MAP SALES BEGIN: Members can expect to receive a phone call in the next few weeks from Ron Sheets of the Performance Publishing Group. He’ll be offering opportunities for you to advertise on the chamber’s newest map which will be printed early next year. The maps will be available to visitors to the city through motels, restaurants and other outlets and will be available as a handout by those who advertise. This also is a revenue-generating event for the chamber. The map itself will have Ross County on one side and Chillicothe on the other. A special feature on the city map will be an inset for a downtown walking tour.

THE EXPERIMENT BEGINS: Angle parking is now in place on Paint Street from the courthouse north to Water Street and is on both sides. This controversial move by the City Council is one of the recommendations coming from the latest downtown parking study. The purpose is to increase the number of spaces and thus, the number of people coming downtown to shop. It is a 6-month experiment, after which the council and administration will be making recommendations on its future.

WEBSITE EXPANDING: Want to know when and where the next Business After Business will be held? Want to see how folks enjoyed previous BABs? Want to see when your company might be able to host a BAB? It’s all available now on our website, http://www.chillicotheohio.com. Click on the Business After Business link on the left side of the home page. More content will be coming, so you might want to visit our home page frequently.

INVITATION TO WELCOME NEW INDUSTRY: All chamber members are invited to attend a special reception this coming Wednesday. It will be to welcome Uranium Disposition Services which received a $558 million contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to design, build and operate a plant in Piketon that will convert depleted uranium hexafluoride. The reception will be at The Ohio State University South Centers at 1864 Shyville Road. The social hour begins at 6 and the program at 7 p.m. To get to the centers, take U.S. 23 south to U.S. 32 (Appalachian Highway) just south of Piketon and head east for a couple miles. The center will be off to the right.

CONSTRUCTION ALMOST DONE: The renovation at Chillicothe Mall is almost complete. The new façade, pictured at right, provides a refreshing update to the shopping center and just in time for the holiday season.

TECHNOLOGY SURVEY REMINDER: Your chamber is participating in a survey of technology needs conducted by the Information Technology Alliance of Appalachian Ohio. The survey results should provide data on the IT needs of businesses. To participate, log on to: http://www.itaao.org and click the link at SurveyVault.

This newsletter goes out weekly to more than 350 of the chamber’s members for whom we have e-mail addresses. If you have an item you’d like to include, e-mail Executive Director Marvin Jones at mjones@chillicotheohio.com. If you’d like to be omitted from this mailing, reply and ask to unsubscribe.