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.

For 85 years Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio has been changing lives through the power of work in Toledo and throughout the Northwest Ohio region.
 
Earlier today, Goodwill hosted an anniversary celebration and ribbon cutting at its new headquarters located in Uptown Toledo at 1120 Madison Avenue. Supporters including clients, long-standing community partners, members of the business community and staff joined in the festivities.
 
“Goodwill’s impact begins with the generosity of community members and business partners, so we were particularly excited to kick-off our anniversary celebration with them by our side,” said Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio President and CEO Amy Wachob. “Together, we create life-changing opportunities and, ultimately, a stronger community right here in the Toledo Region. While Goodwill has a new downtown location, we remain committed to our mission of changing lives through the power of work.”

The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce congratulates the 30 emerging leaders who graduated from the 2018 Institute for Leadership & Advocacy. These graduates join the more than 300 leaders who have completed this training and are prepared to effectively serve their communities and engage in the government decision-making process.
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The graduation ceremony took place March 26, 2018 at the Fallen Timbers Battlefield Metropark Visitor Center in Maumee. The ceremony included opening remarks from program facilitator Tim Schneider, Manager, Local Government Advocacy for the Chamber, and Ben Brown, Vice President, USI Insurance Services, and Chairman of The Leadership Fund PAC.

Owners: Mariah Peake & Josef Pipoly
Established: April 2017
Location: 4949 Stickney Ave., Toledo, OH 43612
Website

Mariah Peake & Josef Pipoly are both native to the Toledo Region. With two very different backgrounds, the two have combined their unique skill sets to form PACENERGIES, a consulting firm that helps clients maximize their energy efficiency, while minimizing business costs associated with energy. PACENERGIES helps clients procure financing while developing, engineering, and completing energy savings projects for commercial, industrial, and governmental spaces.

​Regional water – it’s a topic that has headlined every major news outlet in the region in the recent weeks. But what does it really mean for you, your family and your business?
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Regional water is our opportunity to ensure that clean, AFFORDABLE water continues to flow from our taps for generations to come. Collaboration among multiple communities like the proposed Toledo Area Water Authority, or TAWA, is unprecedented – we can make positive, national headlines for setting history, borders and politics aside to protect our residents and our water source – before we hit crisis mode.

Get informed on the proposed regional water plan by visiting the TAWA website at ToledoWater.org.

The benefits of TAWA are numerous. Watch this quick video to learn more or read our previous article, Why TAWA. Beyond keeping rates affordable, TAWA has the opportunity to establish a low-income assistance and lead line replacement programs to maintain safe, affordable water supply. It also a commitment to establish additional water sources, so that in emergency situations our residents still have access to water.

​​The Schedel Arboretum & Gardens is located 25 minutes from Toledo in Elmore, Ohio just off Exit 81 of the Ohio Turnpike.  Established in 1991, the SA&G is a sanctuary for the appreciation and study of nature and the arts.  Over 17 acres of unusual plant species, annual flowering plants, themed gardens, water features and much more combine to provide a unique way to experience nature. 

This year, United Way of Greater Toledo is pleased to celebrate its Centennial Anniversary. The nonprofit has proudly served the region for 100 years, and envisions a community where all individuals and families achieve their human potential through education, financial stability and healthy lives.
 
Early in 2018, Wendy Pestrue was selected as president by the United Way Board of Directors and officially assumed the role on February 12. She is the organization’s seventh President and CEO.