​We believe that effective leadership in our businesses and communities is as important as ever for the region to succeed. Registration is now open for the 22nd edition of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Leadership & Advocacy. The Institute is designed to build and strengthen our region’s leaders and future advocates. It is the longest-running program of its kind in the state which to date includes an alumni community of nearly 500 leaders.

On October 12, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and City of Toledo announced the launch of The Ramp, presented by Kroger, a resource portal for small business owners and entrepreneurs in Toledo. The Ramp is a technology-enabled solution that integrates all the tools, knowledge and support entrepreneurs need to start, launch and grow a business into one platform, powered by Economic Impact Catalyst (EIC).

The Toledo Chamber’s implementation of The Ramp, presented by Kroger, will create a community for diverse business owners to easily connect with needed resources from local technical advisors offering no-cost services. Priority areas include access to capital, contracting, consulting, and community.

Please help us welcome the following business who joined the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce last month!

The Northwest Ohio Small Business Impact Program Showcase was held with Chris Eischen of Toledo Custom Apparel taking home the $10,000 first prize!
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The program was the conclusion of an intensive 12-week program hosted by Jumpstart. Mentors to program attendees were on hand from the Toledo Lucas County Library, the Small Business Development Center at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, the City of Toledo Economic Development Department, and the Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI). 

The 12-week course allows entrepreneurs to build a structured business that is prepared to take on real world challenges. Attendees worked on developing in depth understanding of their business models, customer identification, value propositions, milestones and goal setting, and how to present their business financial position to potential investors. 

Chris plans to use his winnings to reinvest in his business. He plans to purchase additional equipment, expand into a larger space, and hire additional staff. Toledo Custom Apparel already does work with several national brands such as Eddie Bauer and Pac-Sun, but with an expanded staff behind him Chris can compete for additional large accounts which will continue to grow his business. Along with the grand prize, contests who finished second and third received $2,500 to use towards continued growth of their business. 

Congratulations to Chris and all of the competitors in the field. 

Raquel Brown from Healthcare in Motion won the first round of the Stepping Up in the Glass City Small Business Pitch Competition!

The competition was a hosted by Assets Toledo for their program graduates, funded by Jumpstart, and getting additional support from the Small Business Development Center at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.  
The Glass City Small Business Pitch Competition is a chance for startup businesses to display the efforts they are making in order to establish their business in the Toledo market. The competition was aimed at bringing increased visibility and growth to the Uptown and Junction neighborhoods. 

Competitors were given 4 minutes to present their businesses, what drives them, and why they wanted to start their business. Event attendees were also given the opportunity to patronize and meet the business owners during the competition period. 

For her efforts, Raquel took home $200. She plans to use the money to increase awareness of her services including patient understanding of medicine and prescriptions as well as getting clients to their medical appointments. Second and third place competitors each received $50. The top three will now move on to compete in the final round which takes place on October 26th, 2022 in Toledo, Ohio.