In line with the goal of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Northwest Ohio Business Reboot Initiative to help businesses throughout the region successfully reopen and retool through the COVID-19 pandemic, the chamber has been celebrating reopenings with ribbon cuttings throughout the region. The effort, called the Business Reboot Ribbon Cutting Blitz, is comprised of five-minute ribbon cuttings and is the perfect way to commemorate your business’ return to work, the office or retooling initiative.

As a result of the regular council meeting being cancelled on June 30, a special meeting will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7. Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Resolution 212-20 which would adopt the Downtown Toledo Transportation Study. The study was conducted by a consultant team led by Mannik & Smith Group on behalf of the city to address future transportation needs of downtown. It recommends key roadways for improvement alternatives including designating:

July is here, and that means plenty of sunshine, socially distance outdoor fun and blue skies. The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce has a lot to celebrate, including plenty of business reopenings and Ribbon Cutting Blitz celebrations. But we also want to take the time to celebrate and welcome our newest members. Congratulations and thank you to the new Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce members who joined in June 2020!

​​By Sabrina D'Onofrio, CGBP, CBA​, Export Assistance Director

Beginning July 1, 2020, the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), or sometimes referred to as NAFTA 2.0, will replace the North America Free Trade Agreement, more commonly known as NAFTA. An agreement was made to modernize the 25-year-old agreement into a 21st century agreement with the highest standards.  

​While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has provided guidelines to help give individuals with disabilities the same opportunities when accessing public accommodations since it was signed into law 30 years ago by President George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990, there is still much work to do to encourage our community – and the world – to take proactive steps to create welcoming and inclusive spaces.

​Recently, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce hired four interns to assist with day-to-day tasks within the center. The internship will enable them to gain valuable, real-world experience with local small businesses.

Earlier this week, Governor Mike DeWine signed HB16 to grant residency status for college tuition to active duty military service members and their spouses and dependents. This legislation requires the Chancellor of Higher Education to grant residency status to any military service members on active duty, as well as their spouses and dependents, to qualify for in-state tuition at state institutions of higher education.

​By Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

At its regular meeting on June 16 at 4:00 p.m., Toledo City Council is expected to vote on ordinances that would advance the Colony development planned by ProMedica and Continental Real Estate Co. which would include two apartment buildings, a hotel and a mixed-use structure near ProMedica Toledo Hospital. Ordinance 188-20 would approve an agreement authorizing the city to spend $1,899,840 on storm sewer and water line improvements at the site, with the developer being responsible for $700,000 of related costs. Ordinances 189-20 and 190-20 would approve 15-year, 100 percent Community Reinvestment Area property tax incentives for the increase in taxable value on the parcels. Total investment for the development is estimated to be $50 million. The property owner would be required to make payments in lieu of property taxes to Toledo Public Schools for the term of the incentives.

As we enter the month of June, we'd like to look back on and celebrate our new Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce members. Join us in recognizing our new members for the month of May:

Had you visited Put-in-Bay in 1905, you would have seen the beginnings of Miller Ferries to Put-in-Bay & Middle Bass Island. It’s now the biggest ferry service on Lake Erie, but it didn’t start that way. Back in the early 1900s, Miller Ferry began as a fishing charter and water taxi business in the summer, and an ice harvesting business in the winter.