Welcome to the following new members who joined the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce in April:

• Arrow Print and Copy
• Chromatism, Ltd.
• Custom Storage Solutions
• DJS Holdings, LLC
• Enterprise Holding Company
• Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
• Gary Schmitz II
• Guac Shop LLC
• Jordan Windnagle, Danberry REALTOR
• Kahle Design & Build, LTD
• Keith David Reitzel Jr. Farms
• Kengo
• KMH Supply Company
• LakePoint Energy
• Lesic & Camper Communications
• Maumee Pediatric Associates LLC
• NBS Commercial Interiors
• Nextup LLC
• Pier 53 Marine
• Tiffin University
• Victoria's Luxury Home Team  - The Danberry Co.
• Work Leads to Independence

​By: Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

​At its regular meeting at 4:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on two ordinances to facilitate an 8,200 square foot addition for a 300-seat digital theater and retail/exhibit space at the Imagination Station science center. Ordinance 205-19 would permit the demolition of the pedestrian concourse over Summit Street currently connecting Imagination Station with the Four Seagate parking garage. Ordinance 206-19 would authorize agreements associated with the project, including a 30-year direct lease from the city which owns the science center property, and specifying the city will finance $400,000 in energy efficiency improvements via the Northwest Ohio Advanced Energy Improvement District.

Melanie D’Evelyn, Director, Detroit Drives Degrees at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce will present at the 2019 Talent Summit on Tuesday, May 14th, sharing her insight on the Detroit Chamber’s ongoing efforts towards education reform, job creation, and talent retention in metro Detroit.

The 2019 Toledo Talent Summit is the official launch of the Toledo Talent Alignment Strategy. D’Evelyn is one of several local and regional experts who will share best practices for attracting, developing and retaining the best talent for our region.
 
D’Evelyn will discuss Detroit Drives Degrees’, a plan to increase the percentage of postsecondary degrees in the metro Detroit region to 60 percent by 2030. Currently, about 40 percent of Detroiters hold a postsecondary degree.

“Detroit Drives Degrees’ goal is to create an education compact and collaborate with different sectors (nonprofits, higher education, philanthropy) toward reaching a common goal,” D’Evelyn said. “We want the public to hold us accountable.”

The compact’s work has already begun. Wayne State University (WSU) Provost Keith Whitfield announced last year that the university is creating a program that allows adults who left college to re-enroll without paying back the full amount of educational debt they accumulated. The idea is that the university will absorb some of that debt to encourage adults to focus on completing their degrees.

Whitfield also announced that WSU is investing in academic advisors to help current students succeed and building partnerships to offer more paid internships to students. Both Whitfield and D’Evelyn are hoping that other universities will see the benefits of these innovations and create similar programs.

To hear more, please register to join us at the 2019 Talent Summit on May 14th from 8 am to 1:15 pm at The Pinnacle in Maumee.
 
* Excerpted from the Detroit Drives Business Blog, “Business Leaders: Education Reform And Job Creation Will Help Michigan ‘Live Long And Prosper’” March 23, 2018

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

​Did you know that the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce Export Assistance Network offers companies export documentation services?

​Join dynamic education expert Mark C. Perna as he unveils the groundbreaking innovations and strategies for working with today’s younger generations. The single most important competitive advantage a young person can possess in today’s workforce is the synergy of academic knowledge and technical skills — and Mark’s insights will demonstrate how they can achieve it. 

​By: Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce​

​At its regular meeting at 4:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to give first reading to Ordinance 186-19 which would authorize $3,543,000 in remaining Capital Improvement Program funding for additional 2019 capital projects. Of the funding, $435,405 comes from dollars remaining from recently closed-out capital projects. Additional projects funded would include $1.7 million for residential roadways, $1 million for software licensing compliance, $450,000 for financial and human resources systems upgrading, $35,000 for a new van to support overweight vehicle enforcement, $283,000 for fire services equipment, and $75,000 for evaluation of the downtown seawall along the Maumee River.

​By: Riccardo Recchione: Regional Account Manager

About the company:
Interstate is one of the largest emergency restoration and reconstruction service providers for commercial enterprises in the U.S. and North America. Interstate specializes in assisting property owners and businesses in recovering from fire, flood, natural and human-caused disasters. With more than 20 regional offices in the U.S., Interstate has the scalability to respond to any-sized catastrophe and help people get back to business and back to life quickly and safely.

President: 
Stacy Mazur

Date of Establishment in the Toledo Region: 
Interstate Restoration acquired American Builders Restoration, headquartered in Toledo, in February 2017. The combination of the companies' resources has provided customers with the most effective relief from disasters such as tornadoes and flooding in the Toledo area and across Ohio.

Employees:
Approximately 500 employees in the U.S. and 800 employees in Canada

​By: Brian Dicken, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

Shortly after taking office, Governor DeWine introduced his first transportation budget. Included in the proposal was an increase in the motor fuel user fee, the first such increase in nearly two decades. Governor DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly should be commended for recognizing the need for additional revenue to provide for new construction and make safety improvements to our roads and bridges. The Chamber worked with a broad based statewide coalition to bring awareness to the funding situation and to call for action to be taken to address the problem. 

​By: Brian Dicken, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

​Second Chance Month is an effort to highlight attempts to provide opportunities to those individuals who have committed a crime and are wanting to re-enter into society. However for some, this may be their first chance at an opportunity to change their life.

In 2018, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce launched Toledo REDI, or Re-Entry Development Initiative. REDI was formed in response to employers’ need to find more employees in a tight labor market. Our region continues to see low rates of unemployment and employers across all industries tell us finding employees is one of their biggest challenges to growing their company. As a result, in May 2018, more than 60 businesses attended the kick-off event to engage experts and hear some of the local success stories from both employers and employees.