​We are pleased that after the region’s elected leaders considered the various proposals before them that the effort to create the Toledo Area Water Authority (TAWA) is moving ahead. It was agreed by all that the creation of a 6119 (TAWA) was the best path forward.  We expect Toledo City Council to support this proposal that will be in the best interest of both residents of the City of Toledo and our region as a whole. The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce will continue to advocate for a solution that benefits the entire region.

To learn more about TAWA, visit www.toledowater.org.

In a ceremony last week, Fifth Third Bank in Rossford, Ohio officially turned over the Ford Plate Glass Factory Whistle to Industrial Power Systems (IPS). The whistle is remembered by many throughout Rossford, as it was blown at the Ford Plate Glass Company factory to signal shift change and the occasional accident or fire.
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IPS recently renovated and moved into the historical Ford Club building that was built in 1917. The building is recognized as an anchor building in downtown Rossford. The building, which will be open to the public for an open house in June, is designed in a way that supports the forward looking vision of IPS, while giving nods to tradition and history throughout. The whistle will be permanently enshrined in the lobby of the building, along with other artifacts and historical photos of the space.

​​Wyse Coaching is a coaching organization focused on maximizing business opportunities and leadership development. Although the company was officially founded in 2017, Andre Mello, Wyse Coaching’s founder and principal, has been applying coaching techniques to his leadership teams for over a decade. 

Andre, a 17 year Marketing Industry veteran, decided to start Wyse Coaching as a way to partner with people who are looking to do great things. Doing so allowed him to focus 100% on the development of his clients, instead of having to also juggle business priorities of organizations he was a part of. Being a Business Coach allowed him to build strong relationships within the community, while enabling him to live vicariously through his clients’ successes. 

For just over twenty years, they’ve considered their factory on Door Street in Toledo their main headquarters. They’ve been named a 2018 Top Place to Work by the Toledo Blade. This distinction comes from feedback provided by employees of area companies.

​A family business that has recently welcomed the third generation on board, Chuck Gotberg (son of the founder) recognizes the unique team that he has assembled. Most of the management team has been with the company for more than 20 years. Currently the company employs 110 people in the Toledo Region.
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American Manufacturing is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce manufacturer’s round table. Attending monthly meetings and several events a year, they strive to make relationships with local companies and keep manufacturing a main part of Toledo.

​National Small Business Week has been designated by the U.S. Small Business Administration as April 29th through May 5th, 2018. In the Toledo Region, we recognize that It Matters Where You Make It ® and we are proud of the small businesses that contribute to our dynamic culture built upon a heritage of hard work and a can-do attitude.

​All 4 Kids, LLC was recently awarded 5 star rating from the Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services (ODJFS) and the Ohio Department of Education. This is the highest rating available to daycare centers in Ohio. All 4 Kids is an early childhood education center in Holland, Ohio and enrolls children from 6 weeks to 11 years. Founded by Camille Harris, the center provides morning and afternoon pre-k classes & daycare services.
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Ohio Department of Jobs and Family and Ohio Department of Education is requiring all daycare centers who keep publicly funded children to become star rated by 2020.  By the year 2025, in order to keep publicly funded children, the center must be highly rated 3 star, 4 star or 5 star.

By: Tim Schneider, Manager - Local Government Advocacy, TRCC

​Graduates of the 2018 Institute for Leadership & Advocacy program joined members of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce for its annual Legislative Day in Ohio’s capital on April 18. This event was an opportunity for those in attendance to have lunch with our region’s state legislators and receive updates from key agency leaders.
 
The luncheon, held at The Athletic Club of Columbus near the Ohio Statehouse featured speakers Andrea Boxill, Director, Governor’s Opiate Action Team, and Joe Testa, Tax Commissioner, Ohio Department of Taxation. Ms. Boxill spoke about the national opiate epidemic’s impact on the workforce and societal challenges that exist in addressing the problem. Mr. Testa spoke about recent tax changes at the state level and implications for Ohio businesses.

​ARK Restoration & Construction was started to support local residential and commercial development. Ambrea Mikolajczyk and team are obsessed with designing and creating something special from “undesirable properties” — to restore and beautify buildings that have been forgotten about, paying close attention to quality and detail.
 
ARK Restoration & Construction offers clients a hands-on, customized approach to bring projects to fruition, specializing in construction management, masonry, carpentry, consulting, general contracting, and residential/commercial remodels. With a combined 100+ years’ experience in the field of construction, they employ highly skilled masons, carpenters, project managers, and laborers. The portfolio includes countless residential remodels, including bathrooms, kitchens, fixer-uppers and the complete restoration of 10 buildings, with budgets ranging from $250,000–$6,000,000 and square footage from 1,000–82,000.

​The HandleBar Toledo, LLC was founded in September 2016 by downtown Toledo resident Tom Van Wingen and his friends from college, brothers Brian and Stephen Lindsay.  Tom, Brian, and Stephen share a love for biking, great beer, being active, and all things outdoors, so starting a business that combined those passions into one was a natural fit! 
 
The HandleBar is Toledo’s first 16-person pedal powered pub on wheels, offering two hour bicycle bar tours of Downtown and Uptown Toledo.  Each of the company’s 4 bicycle bars can accommodate up to 16 guests.   Tours are provided in two categories:  Private Group Tours (where the entire bike is reserved for a fixed price and the customer brings between 6 and 16 guests) and Public Individual Tours (where single seats are sold and you’re matched with other fun riders).  The HandleBar Toledo requires that tours be booked in advance online and operates from 10:30am to 10:30pm 7 days a week from St. Patrick’s Day until Thanksgiving.  Tours feature a company designated driver (called the Bar Handler) who drives the bicycle bar and leads the tour, and each tour usually makes about 3 stops along the way at great local bars that feature exclusive HandleBar discounts.  Customers may bring their own beverages (beer/wine ok!) onto the bike and can expect to get some great group photographs with the help of their Bar Handler along the tour.  An on-board stereo capable of connecting to the customer’s iPhone / iPod / Android blasts great tunes throughout the ride, creating a truly unique and customizable experience for each group tour.

​The mission of Bittersweet Farms is to positively impact the lives of individuals with autism and those whose lives they touch.  Founded in 1983, Bittersweet is the first farmstead program for adults with autism in the United States.  For the last 35 years, we have provided innovative and person-centered residential, vocational, and social services to individuals across the autism spectrum.
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Our founder, Bettye Ruth Kay, was a public school teacher in Toledo, OH specializing in working with students with autism.  As her students approached their high school graduations in the late 1970s, they were confronted with the lack of autism-specific services available for adults.  Bettye longed for her students to live meaningful, active, and independent lives in a caring community. Together with the parents of her students, she founded Bittersweet in nearby Whitehouse, OH to fill this gap in services.  The students in Bettye Ruth’s class were among the first residents to move onto the farm, and most of them, now in their fifties, still live and work here.