March 17, 2017 - In This Issue:
A NOTE FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO 
On March 7th, the Annual Meeting of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce was held in front of a crowd of 360 community investors, members and guests. Our keynote speaker this year was author Marti MacGibbon, who spoke about her life of recovery from addiction and human trafficking. Her story is amazing and compelling. And like any speaker, her comments and topic can be related to the lives of many, especially throughout our community. We try every year to get a speaker that is relatable to our community. With what we have gone through over the last two years, and the accomplishments of turning our community around, we felt this topic and this speaker was the right one at the right time. And she didn't disappoint. We have had numerous comments about how she energized people to continue to fight against the addiction of abuse and drugs. Many people in attendance deal with users and abusers on a daily basis and after hearing Marti speak, they were reconfirmed in their commitment to saving lives and celebrating the successes that we are now seeing on a daily basis.

For some, it wasn't the topic for them. And that's ok. I've been to many conferences in my career that have hit home and some that have left me with less consumption of topic. But I felt this year, we needed to hear words from someone who has walked the walk. Marti spent two full days with us, visiting with women who are being held in the county jail, speaking with them directly about how important it is to stand for themselves, be women of power and to not fall into the hands of others. She met with others who are fighting through recovery and even left many of her books to be used as fundraisers for local shelters. Marti even sponsored a student in the county's M.A.D.E program through our schools and the Drug Free Clubs of America. Before our event, we spent three hours with local agency leaders to discuss our community's efforts in fighting drugs and human trafficking. Marti became invested in Chillicothe. She knows the struggles we have and are going through. And on our way back to the airport, she congratulated our community on being the model that others should follow. We may not always seem like we're winning the fight. But we are in a better place, facing our issues and sharing them with one another. It isn't something we can ignore. This is our gathering place and we'll continue to make it the best it can be for everyone living and visiting here.

The Annual Meeting was a great event. Thank you for participating and for sharing the evening with us. Congratulations to all of our table decorators, winners and award recipients. A big thank you to Horizon for sponsoring this year's red carpet entry. Click here to see photos from this year's event.

We look forward to 2017 and what this year will bring to greater Chillicothe and Ross County.

President & CEO
Randy Davies 

2017 AWARD RECIPIENTS
Annually the Chamber presents three awards to recognize those in the community who the membership and board nominate. 
Pictured L-R Briana Hood, Seth Ash, Kirk Maxwell, and Josh Harrington. EPIC Executive Board Members

This year the Chamber also introduced a new award, The Young Professional Of The Year award.  The Young Professional of the Year is determined by a nomination and selection process overseen by the members of EPIC. This person must be a member of EPIC in good standing, between the age of 21-40. He or she must be actively involved in EPIC, attending a minimum of 30% of the activities throughout the year (Includes meetings, professional development activities, social engagements, and leadership events). He or she must have dedicated time and effort in education/career development programs to achieve a higher level of knowledge and expertise in field of business, demonstrate leadership in the field of business/role in EPIC, and be involved in community, civic, church, or charitable activities.
 
The first Young Professional Of The Year has been a life long resident of Chillicothe, graduated from Zane Trace High School, attendee Shawnee State University and Ohio University-Chillicothe. He volunteers with the Ross County Humane Society and enjoys golf, OCR events, and soccer. He works as a financial advisor trainee at Janney Montgomery Scott and is the current President of the Young Professionals Network. Seth Ash was suprised with the honor of this award and is excited about helping to guide YP's through EPIC to help Ross County thrive. 

The second award of the night was t he Corporate Citizenship Award is one that is presented to a business that exemplifies corporate citizenship in giving back to the communities in which it operates, enhancing th
Pictured L-D Susan Gearhart Board Chair, Randy Davies President & CEO, and Assistant Plant Manager Paul McCormick 
e economic heath and quality of life of its employees and its community. This year, the committee would like to recognize this manufacturer for their dedication and long-standing commitment to Chillicothe and Ross County. This company in 2016 worked hard in their commitment to our environment by instituting programs in recycling, received the Encouraging Environmental Excellent Program Achievement Level by the Ohio EPA, was part of the Ohio EPA Energy Savings program and received AEP's Energy Efficiency Award. In our community, their employees and management volunteer in the United Way Day of Caring, the Jaycee's Special Santa Program, Relay for Life, Touch a Truck at the YMCA, support 4H livestock sales at the county fair, voted Best Place to Work by the Chillicothe Gazette, donated tens of thousands of dollars in man hours and financial support to area schools, the United Way, supporters of Junior Achievement and many other programs throughout our schools. This is a company we are proud to have in our community since 1974 and it is with great pride to recognize Kenworth Truck Co. with this year's Corporate Citizenship Award. Accepting tonight on behalf of Plant Manager Judy McTigue was the Assistant Plant Manager Paul McCormick. 

The third  award of the night honored businesses and/or families who have been part of the Chamber and our business community for 25 years or more. The Legacy Award is a testament to the member and their commitment to service. This year's Legacy Award goes to a family-owned and operated business that have been a staple and comfort to many of our community for more than 100 years. The family's great-great grandfather started what today is a downtown staple, after purchasing an existing store in 1905 and renaming it. The store has moved three times, all on Main Street, including to its current location. This family has been involved in the past with the Chamber of Commerce, Ross County Development Fund, Downtown Associates, Rowton's Boys Ranch, Goodwill, one of
Pictured L-R Susan Gearhart Board Chair, Randy Davies President & CEO, Linda Brown, Susan Bales, Max Barnhart, and Seth Brown of Globe Furniture
the original founders of the Scioto Society, Kiwanis and more recently family members are involved with the Jaycees, Junior Civic League, Noon Rotary, OSU Advisory Council, Economic Development Alliance of Southern Ohio, Downtown Associates, First Capital District, Ross County Safety Council, Design Review Board and this family's business also contributes to our community through the YMCA, United Way, Leader In Me, Scioto Society, plus many, many others. Through the generations this family has not only had the downtown store, but are also owners of other downtown properties. And with the 4th and 5th generation still working in the store there are some exciting new things planned for this spring and early summer. Congratulations to the Globe Furniture Co. and its family employees Linda Brown, Seth Brown, Susan Bales and Max Barnhart for being honored this year with the Chamber's Legacy Award. 

In 1985, the Chamber began to recognize those individuals who best exemplify the essence of the definition of "entrepreneur" - the organizer of an economic venture, one who promotes, owns and manages and assumes the risk of a business or enterprise.

This year's winner is no stranger to rebuilding and re-purposing history and distressed properties into thriving economic successes. He grew up in an auction house so buying and selling was also in his blood. He had vending machines and started selling things such as video games when he was very young. At 16, he traveled across the country buying and selling antiques and has sold many items at prestigious auction houses, including Christie's of New York City. When Ebay started in the early 1990s, he started selling and shipping items worldwide and at one time was one of their top sellers and shippers for many years. One of the most notable historic fronts in our
Pictured L-R Randy Davies President & CEO, Susan Gearhart Board Chair, Chad Walters 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year, and Kevin Ross 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year
downtown sits on West Second Street. This facility was built as a bank, then sold and used as another business, then turned into a music hall before our entrepreneur purchased the facility in 2014 and reopened it after extensive renovations. The building is now home to many businesses and continues to stand as a beautiful landmark in our historic downtown. His passion for preserving the past and growing for the future remains a key part of his entrepreneurial efforts and is again evident through other ventures in property ownerships and renovations, both here in Chillicothe and in neighboring counties as well. One local business is a favorite for kids and indoor sporting events. This facility houses many attractions, including inflatables, a pizza shop, arcade and much more. It has expanded in size and additional advancements are planned in the future. Our award winner this year is the owner of Capital ATM, the Lake White Club, Triple Crown Family Fun Center and Landmark Properties Group. Congratulations to the 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year, Kevin Ross.


Please join us for the 2017 Southern Ohio Home & Garden Show

THE BENEFITS OF BLUE VISION ARE CLEAR
Eye doctors are often the first to discover signs of chronic health conditions during an eye exam. That's why it's important for your employees to have access to Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's industry-leading vision plan.
 
Blue View Vision SM is included in all Anthem small group health plans and includes benefits for both children and adults.
  • Adult plans include coverage for routine eye exams. Standalone vision material plans are also available and include coverage for eyewear.
  • Pediatric benefits include full Essential Health Benefit coverage for routine eye exams and eyewear.
  • Access to one of the largest vision care networks in the industry. Choice of more than 33,000 eye doctors at over 26,000 locations.
  • Our national network includes a wide selection of independent eye doctors, as well as online and regional retailers, or members can visit Glasses.com, ContactsDirect, 1-800 CONTACTS, LensCrafters®, Pearle Vision®, Sears Optical®, Target Optical® and JC Penney® Optical stores.
  • Discounts available from network providers.
  • Clinical and administrative integration with medical plans including one ID card and one account team.
You can learn more by watching our Blue View Vision video . Ask your Anthem Sales representative for more information.

PREPARE AND PREVENT. DON'T REPAIR AND REPENT 
As we come out of the winter doldrums, it's a good time to plan for how to approach the remaining three quarters of the year. There are many educational opportunities coming up, including our annual workers' comp seminars in April/May. We encourage you to promote these seminars to your members to help them fulfill any required safety training and to help you fulfill your requirements as a Certified Sponsor.  Attached is a flyer and registration form.
 
Dates to remember:
 
*         March 3, 2017 was the most recent premium installment due date.
 
*         March 31, 2017
  • o    Deadline to complete the annual report for the Drug Free Safety Program.
  • o    Last day you can request a change in estimated annual payroll exposure for the 2016 policy year.
  • o    Last day to request a change to your premium installment schedule for the 2016 policy year
  • o    Deadline to complete the One Claim Program education requirement.
  • o    Last day to complete the EM Cap program requirements.
Cost Containment Strategies: In an effort to keep you and your members aware of the services provided by CareWorksComp, we thought we would share a series of brief articles about our commitment and approach toward different cost-containment strategies. One such claims cost inhibitor that we employ is filing for a handicap reimbursement. Please feel free share the attached article with your members.
 
CareWorksComp Annual Seminars: Our annual workers' comp seminars will be presented at the end of April/beginning of May. This year, in an effort to make these as convenient as possible for our clients, we will be offering the same material in a webinar format as well. Identical materials will be provided for the seminars and webinars, and both will satisfy the BWC's Two-Hour Group Safety Training requirement. We encourage you to share this safety education opportunity you're your members.  Please see the attached flyer with all the details! The seminar schedule is:
 
April 25, 2017: Cleveland / May 2, 2017: Columbus /   May 3, 2017: Cincinnati
 
2017 Premium Installment Notifications: BWC is in the process of voting on the manual base rates for policy year 2017 (beginning 7/1), and they will be notifying employers of their new annual premium rates in early May. Updated premium installment schedules will be sent out at that time, and our recommendation is to use that schedule to keep track of payments all year, as sometimes the BWC's monthly invoices have different due dates listed and it can be confusing to know which date to use. 

QUICK CLIPS FROM OUR MEMBERS 
  • Brianna Willits with Edward Jones Investments is holding information sessions about retirement planning and pensions on March 21st at 10:00AM. Please call 740-775-5630 for more information.   
  • Sinfully Tan in Central Center is offering a St. Patricks Day special gold package for $25 + tax 
  • R Kitchen On Paint is currently working on a new patio and menu. Visit their 66 N. Paint St. location to learn more 
  • Interested in winning a $100 Lowe's gift card? Attend the Southern Ohio Home & Garden Show for more information 
  • Looking to advertise on a digital billboard? Call Rocket VII for more information 937-474-9427 
  • eSource will be hosting a seminar on "Preparing for Scam Season" on April 26th at the Chamber, call 740-772-2600 for more information 
  • Central Ohio Financial Services is hosting a complimentary luncheon and seminar on March 21st at the Chillicothe Country Club featuring guest speaker Anna Sanchez from SSA, for more info call 740-779-3738
  • Experience water damanage from the recent flooding? Let ServPro assist you with cleanup, call 740-772-2172 for more information 
  • Monday, March 20th is FREE cone day at your Chillicothe Dairy Queen locations
For a complete listing of Chamber members please visit chillicotheohio.com and click Member Directory. To submit your "quick clips" email bhood@chillicotheohio.com 
WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS
Your Local Concierge Service LLC
Trinity United Methodist Church
Chillicothe Living Magazine 
A2Z Sanitation 
United Fire Awareness 
Cricket Wireless 
UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS  

 March 23rd- EPIC, young professionals network, Business Over Beverage (BOB) event at Old Canal Smokehouse 6-8PM 

April 1st and 2nd- Southern Ohio Home & Garden Show at the Ross County Fairgrounds 

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 

Ross County Banking Center Business After Business
Congratulations on 150 Years! 

 

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.