January 13, 2017 - In This Issue:
A NOTE FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO 
If you haven't looked at the calendar today, there may have been a circumstance or two (or four) that would remind you that it is Friday the 13th.

I never really paid much attention to the superstitions surrounding the date, but events of the day - and really this week, which honestly could be attributed to last night's full moon - may have changed my thinking.

If you follow the Chamber staff on Facebook, you may have noticed we had "an incident" on Wednesday involving our mail into the office. It certainly wasn't the fault of our fantastic United States Postal Service or our dedicated and extremely efficient mail carrier. But it did give us a reason to have a discussion concerning our safety practices and emergency response procedures.

For those who haven't a clue what I'm referring, we opened a letter that contained a white, powdered substance. The wording in the letter did not pose a threat to anyone individually (although I'm actually reconsidering that thought after having a little vandalism done to the saddlebags on my motorcycle this morning). But when the letter was opened and the substance was released from the envelope, it caused some immediate concern.

The city's administration office also received a similar letter the same day. Thankfully, after immediate field testing from authorities, both appeared to be harmless. We still aren't sure what the substance was but no one was injured.

This should be good reminder to everyone. Be aware of what you're opening. I can remember, and I'm sure many of you can, the fears just after Sept. 11, 2001, when many incidents involving mail tampering were seen across the country including a couple of incidents in our area.

And safety concerning the opening of mail shouldn't be the only discussion we need to have with our staff and employees. Precautions also should be taken and planned for in the event of fires, disasters, break-ins, serious illness, cyber security, and there are many others.

Do you have a disaster preparedness plan in place? If not, now is the time to start preparing. If you need additional assistance with these prepardness items please reach out to Ross County Safety Council by contacting the Chamber office at 740-702-2722. 

Be safe.

President & CEO
Randy Davies 

COMMUNITY FORECAST BREAKFAST 
Groundhogs Day at the Chillicothe Country Club 


2017 AWARD NOMINATIONS 
Entry deadline: 4 PM Friday, February 3, 2017

For more than 20 years, your chamber has honored from its ranks an  Entrepreneur of the Year to recognize their value-added contributions to our community and economy. In 2015, two new businesses were honored with the  Corporate Citizenship Award and  Legacy Award.

Nominations for these awards are from the membership and Chamber Awards Committee. To nominate a fellow chamber member or yourself for any of these prestigious awards, please complete the form below. When finished, hit the submit button only once. Nominations must be received by no later than  4 PM Friday, February 3, 2017, to be considered.

The selection committee retains nominations for the last couple of years. The committee considers all retained nominations along with current nominations. We also encourage updates to previous nominations. A committee composed of past recipients and chamber board members will review all nominations. The final selection will be announced at the chamber's Annual Meeting Dinner on Tuesday, March 7, 2017.

Should you have any questions or want to double-check that we received the nomination, give us a call at 740.702-2722.

(Award clarifications)
Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Recognizes those members who best exemplify the essence of the definition of "entrepreneur" - the organizer of an economic venture. One who organizes, promotes, owns/manages and assumes the risk of a business or enterprise that they started.

Corporate Citizenship Award: Honors a business that exemplifies excellent corporate citizenship in giving back to the communities in which it operates, enhancing the economic health and quality of life of its employees and its community.

Legacy Award: Honors members of our community and/or families who have been part of the chamber and business community for at least 25 years. It is both a testament to the member and their commitment to service.

2017 MAJOR EVENT SCHEDULE
Below is a list of event dates for 2017 

-Community Forecast Breakfast- February 2nd at the Chillicothe Country Club 
-Annual Meeting Dinner- March 7th at the Ohio University Chillicothe Shoemaker Center 
-Home and Garden Show- April 1st and 2nd at the Ross County Fairgrounds. *volunteers needed 
-Valero Cup Golf Outing- July 7th at the Chillicothe Jaycee Golf Course
-Women's Conference- September 7th at the Calvary Luthern Church
-Putt'In On The Ritz- October 25th in Downtown Chillicothe
-Annual Business Expo- November 15th 

If you have any quesitons or would like to participate in any of these events please call Bobbi Kellough at 740-702-2722

EPIC MEET & GREET
Empowering Young Professionals in Chillicothe 

SPREAD THE WORD! EPIC is having a meet and greet on January 26th from 6-8PM at The Dock at Water.  This is a great time for anyone interested in learning more to stop out and chat.
 
-What is EPIC?
The newly formed Ross County Young Professionals network! (membership organization for ages 21-40)

-What is our mission?
To promote a community that attracts and retains young professionals in the Ross County/Chillicothe area. The Ross County Young Professionals efforts are to focus on connecting individuals to each other and to the community through social, civic, professional development and charitable endeavors.

-EPIC is a part of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Janney Montgomery Scott and Metropolis Design Studios.

-For more information about EPIC please call Seth Ash, President at 740-773-2163 or Briana Hood, Communication Officer/Chamber Rep at 740-702-2722. Details are also available via email at [email protected]


QUICK CLIPS FROM OUR MEMBERS 
  • Winter coat give-a-way January 14th at the Ross County Community Action 10AM-12PM
  • Julie's Shop On Paint is having a 10%-50% off sale January 12th through the 14th. Visit their paint st. location for more information 
  • Did you know Paper City Coffee has a conference room? To reserve the space for your next lunch meeting call 740-851-5920
  • Crack the screen on your mobile device? Don't forget to visit FixAPhone on Bridge St.
  • Edify Health Foods has launched a new online shop, visit edifyhealthfoods.com to shop for all your favorite gluten free items
  • OU-C Continuing Education is now offering Ceramics Wheel Throwing, to sign up visit commerce.cashnet.com/oucconted 
  • 3rd Rock Vapor now has batteries, chargers, mods, tanks, and coils available. Stop by the 79 N. Paint St. location to stock up 
  • EmbroidMe in Downtown Chillicothe now has military hats back in stock, shop on Paint St.to purchase yours
  • To submit information for this section of the chamber newsletter follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChillRossChamber or email [email protected] 
WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS
Thirty One- Nicole Bullock, Independant Consultant 

UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS  

January 18th- Connection Luncheon on Business Plan and Goals 12-1PM at the Chamber (Bring your own lunch) 

January 18th- Business After Business at Wagner's Roadhouse 5-7PM

February 2nd- Community Forecast/Groundhog Day Breakfast at the Chillicothe Country Club 7:30AM 

February 7th- Health Network Luncheon- 12-1PM at the Chamber 

February 20th- Informational meeting about Italty trip 5:30PM at the Chamber 

March 7th- Annual Meeting at OUC Shoemaker Center- Register Online NOW! 

April 20th & 21st- OSHA 10HR Training hosted by Ross County Safety Council learn more online 

July 7th- 3rd Annual Valero Cup golf outing at the Chillicothe Jaycee Golf Course 

September 7th- Women's Conference- More details TBA 

October 25th- Putt'In On The Ritz in Downtown Chillicothe 

November 15th- Chamber Business Expo 


For more information or to register for any of these events please call 740-702-2722 or 
visit the Chamber Calendar at www.chillicotheohio.com
 

2017 PREMIUM MEMBERS

Platinum Level
Adena Health System
Advanced Services Heating and Cooling
C. Walters Management
Central Ohio Financial Services
Centrus Energy Corp. 
Chillicothe City Schools
Chillicothe Paints
Classic Brands
Glatfelter
Horizon
Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC 
McDonald's
Ohio University- Chillicothe
Pepsi Cola Bottling Company of Chillicothe
Printex Same Day Printing
Ross County Banking Center
Signature HealthCARE of Chillicothe
WesBanco

Gold Level
National Church Residences   
Staff Source 


JANUARY ROSS COUNTY SAFETY COUNCIL MEETING


Ross County Safety Council members- don't forget your second half semi-annual report is due by 5PM on January 25th. 
A fillable PDF is downloadable below.

Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce
45 E Main Street *  Chillicothe, OH 45601
P: (740) 702-2722   F: (740) 702-2727
bkellough @chillicotheohio.com

The Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce promotes economic and community development by providing services and addressing issues important to business.