Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce

Weekly Update    May 23, 2003

 

SUMMER’S HERE!: Maybe not on the calendar, but the Memorial Day weekend signals for many the kickoff to the vacation season and more time outdoors. Which makes it very appropriate that the Chillicothe Paints open their new season tonight at 7:05 at VA Memorial Stadium. (For more details, click on the photo at left.) To drive home the value of tourism to this area, Lissa Cleary, director of the Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitors Bureau, pointed out at a recent reception that in 2001, tourism pumped $3.3 million in sales tax dollars to the county and that 3,000 people are directly employed in the tourism industry here. In addition, $351,000 was generated in 2002 from the local bed tax, an increase of 5.1 percent from the previous year which halted a three-year decline in the tax revenue which fuels the bureau.

 

 

GET THEM IN YOUR DOORS: The July 4 weekend also promises to be a big one with the first all-county, all-class reunion. To help your business take advantage of the affair, the local Bicentennial Commission will be promoting discounts that you offer. Maybe a free cup of coffee, or free fries or 20% off merchandise. As people register for the reunion, they will be given a wristband for access to events as well as a sheet of paper detailing all of the discounts merchants make available. Merchants will make the discount available only to those wearing the wristband. If you’d like to participate, call the commission’s office at 779-2003 for more details or to list your discount.

 

OU-C ICON RETIRING: Dick Whitney, director of Student Services at Ohio University-Chillicothe, officially retires June 1 after 32 years with the college, 30 at OU-C. He has seen enrollment climb from 571 when he began to 1,999 this year. He has been very active in the community and continues to serve on the boards of Red Cross, Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health, Kiwanis and the local council of the Boy Scouts, in addition to running the scoreboard for the Paints.

 

Text Box: In Memoriam The chamber family notes and mourns the passing recently of two of its former leaders: James Savage and Ed Gerber. Jim was the executive vice president of the chamber as a “loaned executive” from WearEver back in the late 1980s. His untiring efforts and leadership helped make the Streetscape project in downtown Chillicothe a reality. Ed was chairman of the chamber Board of Directors in 1972, a time when the chamber was taking a very active role in economic development. Our sympathies to their families and our heartfelt thanks for their dedication to chamber work. ANGLE PARKING VIEWS SOUGHT: If you haven’t had a chance, make sure to weigh in on the angle parking experiment on North Paint Street. The chamber, as a service to the Downtown Associates, is conducting an online survey to determine if customers are in favor of making the move permanent. Go to www.chillicotheohio.com and follow the link.

 

COME TOGETHER: On June 11, you'll get a chance to have lunch with fellow chamber members, maybe get a chance to talk a little about your business, definitely get a chance to hear about other businesses, have a chance at a door prize and hear about the state of the tourism industry in Ross County. Lissa Cleary, director of the Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitors Bureau, will be the featured speaker at the Networking Luncheon in the back room at the Dock at Water. The event runs 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is $10 (paid at the door). Register online: Networking Luncheon Registration

 

YOU LIKE US, YOU REALLY LIKE US!: At least 15 of you told us why you feel chamber membership is a real benefit to your business. The call for testimonials a few weeks back yielded many good results that will be used in promotional advertising the next few months. The winner of the $50 gift certificate drawing was Jennifer Miller of Chillicothe Ob-Gyn. From Jennifer: “I believe that strong business relationships are the best investments of time that any organization can afford to make.”

 

WELCOME NEWEST MEMBERS: T-N-T Occasions at 950 E. Main St. is a party and gift specialty shop owned by Tammy Tanner. Her phone number is 772-2025. The Sulzer Law Office at 84 E. Second St. has Joseph Sulzer as the principal. Van Horn and Associates at 83 W. Main St., is an accounting and payroll firm owned by Judith Van Horn. Welcome to all.

 

SBA CAN BE A REAL RESOURCE: The Small Business Administration has several programs or resources that might help your business become even more successful. The SBA is making a real push, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and HP, to hook up small businesses with federal, state and local government agencies that have actual contract opportunities. “This is a real program with a real mission – to give small businesses around the U.S. a chance to generate revenue by doing business with government agencies and large corporations,” says SBA Administrator Hector Barreto. For information, go to www.businessmatchmaking.com. Also, you might want to think about subscribing to the online newsletter of the SBA. This month’s edition has articles about marketing on a shoestring budget, honing your presentation skills and launching a direct mail campaign. Go to www.sba.gov/sbasolutions for the material.

 

CALLING ALL PATHFINDER ALUMNI: If you’re a graduate of the Pathfinders Leadership program and would like to put some of that knowledge to work, the chamber’s Steering Committee could use your help. A major overhaul of the program, to make it more relevant and exciting, is under way. It won’t require a huge time commitment, but could yield a great personal reward for you. If you’re interested, give the chamber a call at 702-2722. The photo at left has the graduates from the most recent class that graduated May 9. They are: front row, from left, Rae Lynn Pitstick of Zane Trace High School, Jacqueline Shope of Horizon Telcom, Michele Hertenstein of Fifth Third Bank and Dotti Mitchell of First Capital Enterprises. Back row: Walter Diekroger of the VA Medical Center, Trevor Kendall of Horizon Telcom, Ryan Hoselton of Chillicothe High School, E.J. Harris of First Capital Enterprises, Robert Halfmann of MeadWestvaco and Phil Rutherford of Ohio University-Chillicothe. For individual photos, go to: Pathfinder Graduation photos

 

 

BWC OFFERS TO LESSEN THE PAIN: When you receive your next invoice for your Bureau of Workers’ Compensation premium, you can make two payments if you pay using its online service. Instead of having to pay the full amount by Aug. 31, you can make the half the payment by that date and the other half by November. Details are available at www.ohiobwc.com.

 

REMINDER ON MACKER: If you still haven’t made that commitment to help at this year’s Gus Macker tournament, there’s still time to become a Gus Buster. Go to www.chillicothemacker.org for details. The event is June 12-14 in downtown Chillicothe.

BE EFFECTIVE WITH YOUR TIME AND MEETINGS: Steve Hummel of Transitions Unlimited! will present "Optimizing Time and Pathways to Effective Meetings" at the Workforce Academy on Tuesday, June 24 from 8 a.m. until noon. Steve will help you identify the big time wasters in your life and how to attack them as well as examine innovative and creative ways to set your meetings on a course of continuous improvement. The sessions will be held at the Ross County Service Center and the cost is $15 per person, paid at the door. Workforce Academy registration

 

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This newsletter goes weekly to more than 350 chamber members and their employees 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 or your company is a chamber member and this was forwarded to you and you would like to be included in the original mailing, reply to this e-mail. If you’d like to be omitted from this mailing, reply and ask to unsubscribe. To stay abreast of chamber activities, make sure to visit www.chillicotheohio.com frequently.