Throughout the Toledo Region, businesses are dedicated to creating safe and inclusive spaces that encourage employee productivity and create a culture of wellness.
​
Recently, Weber Clark partnered with the Toledo Lucas County Health Department, a relationship stimulated in part by the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, to support working mothers.

By: Sue Wright, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

The 39th Annual America's Small Business Development Center Conference (ASBDC) took place September 3-6, 2019, in Long Beach, California, at the Long Beach Convention Center. The conference attracted over 1,300 Small Business Development Center (SBDC) professionals from all over the nation. These advisors, trainers and directors all come together for 3 days of professional development and networking.

The 2019 America's SBDC Exchange/Experience Conference set out to explore trends in consumer expectations and how both big and small companies are adapting to these changes in technology and behavior.  There were over 180 workshops available for the attendees of this year's conference. The workshops covered topics such as marketing, sales, social media, management/leadership, finance & accounting, business planning and more. Three members of the Toledo SBDC staff attended and came away with valuable insight. 

If you'd like to schedule an appointment with our SBDC staff, call our offices at 419-243-8191.

By: Jill Badger, ​Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

​Every day the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) tries to help business owners have a better understanding of their financials and here is why. Financial literacy is the education and understanding of various financial areas including topics related to managing personal finance, money, borrowing and investing. This includes but is not limited to understanding how a checking account works, the knowledge of the cash flow of your business, what using a credit card really means, taxes (personal and business) as well as how to avoid debt. 

By: ​Sabrina D'Onofrio, CGBP, CBA, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

​Export Success 2020 registration is OPEN! Are you looking to export your product or service and don’t know where to begin? Are you looking to improve your current exporting process? Do you just want more information on exporting? If you answered YES to any of these questions, then Export Success is for you. The Export Success program is strategically designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses interested in expanding into global markets. Export Success at The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce can help you and your company develop plans to identify global markets, improve export efficiencies, understand export financing, and develop market entry strategies. Export Success participants meet approximately once a month over a catered breakfast for a targeted topic session. 

​By: Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

​At its regular meeting scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on September 17, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Ordinance 436-19 which would authorize a new agreement for the city to continue providing fire and emergency services to the Village of Ottawa Hills. The new agreement would terminate the city’s current lease on the village’s fire station and adopt a $300,000 annual service fee with the option for adjustment based on changes in inflation. The city absorbed the village’s fire and emergency operations following a 2011 agreement which included the city operating the village’s fire station. The city recently determined following an 11-month trial agreement that it is able to provide better and lower-cost service to the village using stations within the city.

By: Jeffrey Korzenik, Chief Investment Strategist, ​Fifth Third Bank 

​“Would you rather pay someone $30,000 to do a job, or pay $30,000 to keep someone in jail?” That was the question posed to me by Dan Meyer, CEO of Nehemiah Manufacturing. The Cincinnati-based manufacturer of consumer products has pursued the former option, hiring dozens of employees with past criminal records. The national dialog on the U.S. justice system largely focuses on sentencing reforms, but proposed changes will be fruitless if those with criminal records have no job opportunities and no recourse but to return to illegal activities. Nehemiah and others are pioneers in developing paths for “second-chancers” or “returning citizens” (those who have been released from prison) to lead productive and meaningful lives.

Welcome to the following new members who joined the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce in August. 

Just like the weather, energy prices are cooling down. Learn more about the state of the natural gas and electric markets from our Chamber Energy Solutions (CES) Consultants at Palmer Energy. And then check out how you could be saving with our CES program.