​Energy Market Update
Bring on college football and pumpkin spice lattes, we’re ready for Fall!  After a sweltering summer, many are welcoming the cooler temperatures.  The natural gas and electric markets continue to present pricing opportunities for many consumers, so if you have not reviewed your electric purchasing strategy recently, please reach out to your CES representative as winter weather can create market volatility!
CES Program Energy consultant:   Emilie Snider 419 491-1017

By: Emily Dammeyer, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

​Over the course of three days during our membership event, we welcomed 324 new members to the Chamber. It was a marathon event, with short shift sprints scattered throughout each day. This type of event wouldn’t be possible without the dedicated and energetic commitment of our volunteers. More than 300 community leaders came together to share our message and mission.
Our theme for the event was “All In”, inspired by the DC Marvel comic strip The Justice League. Dressed in capes, staff greeted all four shifts with a cheer and a high five. You can see on Facebook and Twitter how our volunteers embraced the energy and had a lot of fun with the event. It was their passion and excitement that gave us so many introductions to new members.

Why did 300+ businesses become members in two days? For two reasons – first, because of our awesome volunteers, and second, because they believe in the work that we do. As a Chamber, with more than 2,000 businesses, we recognize the importance of economic development to moving the region forward. We are committed to lobbying for business, creating opportunities for jobs and workforce development, and recruiting a talented workforce to the area. ​Thank you to everyone who volunteered to make this event a success.

​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 authorizing funding for previously planned projects under the city’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Ordinance 362-18 would authorize $750,000 from the CIP fund for the District Improvement Program which would allot $125,000 for capital projects in each of the six council districts. Applications for the funding from community-based groups and organizations would be reviewed by a to-be-formed three member committee. Council is also expected to vote on Ordinance 368-18 which would authorize $500,000 from the CIP fund for phase 1 of improvements to Levis Square including walks, stairs, landscaping, drainage structures and conduits, utility connections, and other updates.
 
Other legislation expected to be voted on include the following:

​Superior Uniform Sales is celebrating 35 years of supplying quality uniform apparel to public and private sector organizations. From outfitting the Oregon Police Department and Buckeye Broadband’s service personnel to customized shirts for the popular Columbus, OH breakfast spot Hangover Easy, this family-owned business is taking the uniform world by storm.
 
Now in their fourth generation of family leadership, Superior Uniform Sales is proud to say that their employees have a long tenure with the company, some having worked there for more than 25 years. With roots dating back to 1902, Superior Uniform Sales officially opened for business in 1983 when the family’s industrial laundry business, Superior Overall Laundry Co., acquired the Toledo-based Giha’s Uniforms. Initially operated by Bill Darah Jr. and his cousin Louis Darah, less than a decade later the industrial laundry business was sold and Bill and Louis focused solely on the direct sale business.

​For two days our entire staff and more than 300 Chamber member volunteers have been stationed at Buckeye Broadband to collaboratively recruit businesses across the country to join our organization. In a fast paced and lively training session, Jimmy from Your Chamber Connection got volunteers fired up about the growth of Northwest Ohio and excited to continue the development and progress that our region has been making in terms of business development and talent attraction.

Our theme for the event was “All In”, inspired by the DC Marvel comic strip The Justice League. Dressed in capes, staff greeted all four shifts with a cheer and a high five. Each of the four shifts had anywhere from 50-100 volunteers and brought in somewhere between 50-90 new members.

​TRCC ALL IN will be the phrase celebrated this week by our staff and member volunteers. We are hosting a two-day Membership Campaign with the DC Comic inspired theme of ALL IN. More than 300 volunteers will come together at campaign headquarters over the course of two days to bring in new members to the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce. A huge thanks to the leadership and employees of Buckeye Broadband for hosting us and providing the technology to make this event a success.

The goal of the campaign is to bring our existing members together in a fun, collaborative and competitive atmosphere, while sharing the Chamber story with the region at large. It will create community awareness of the important role of the Toledo Chamber and our mission to connect business with resources and opportunities; advocate for a thriving business environment and lead the charge to promote the assets of the region. 

Please note: Our staff will be off-site at Campaign Headquarters Tuesday, August 28th and Wednesday, August 29th. Chamber offices will be CLOSED for the duration of the event, and reopen at 8:30 am, Thursday, August 30th. For more information about membership or the campaign, please contact Eric Stockard, VP for Membership at the Chamber at 419.344.9626.
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This is the first volunteer driven membership drive the Chamber has embarked on in more than a decade. Sixteen community leaders have stepped-up and agreed to be event Chairs and provide a team. “The response from the business community for this effort has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Wendy Gramza, President and CEO of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce. “This is the perfect time to engage our volunteers to help us share the message of the work the Chamber is doing to move our region forward.”

​Contacts: 
Jessica McClellan, Practice Growth Manager                                              
mcclellan@wvco.com
419.891.1040                                                 
 
(August 27, 2018) – Locally recognized accounting and advisory firm William Vaughan Company is pleased to announce being named one of INSIDE Public Accounting’s (IPA) Best of the Best Firms for the fourth consecutive year in a row.
 
“We are extremely honored to be named an IPA Best of the Best firm for another year,” said Aaron Swiggum, Managing Partner. “Our firm is growing strategically across all industry sectors to respond to the needs of our clients. I think this honor speaks to the level of skill, talent and hard work of our professionals, as well as the legacy of the firm.”
 
IPA’s annual Best of the Best recognition honors CPA firms across the country for their superior financial and operational performance based on more than 70 criteria. The selections were based on responses from more than 550 firms that participated in this year’s IPA Survey and Analysis of Firms.

At its regular meeting at 4:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Ordinance 337-18 which would accept a supplemental $2,560,810 loan from the Ohio EPA for the International Park Storage Basin Project. The ordinance also appropriates $20,000 for loan application fees and other non-loan funded project costs. Factors increasing costs include site conditions discovered during tunneling operations, inclusion of pavement reconstruction on a portion of Richard W. Boers Drive, and postponement of installing an 84 inch diameter pipe across Main Street to lessen impact on local businesses. The storage basin project is part of the overall Toledo Waterways Initiative and includes construction of the basin, dewatering pump station, outfall, diversion structures and conveyance piping to meet requirements of a consent decree with the U.S. EPA.

​At a special meeting just prior to its agenda review session at 2:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on two ordinances on which action was delayed at last week’s voting session.

Resolution 289-18 would place on the November 6 ballot Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz’s proposed changes to the City Charter for creation of a Regional Water Commission. The Commission would consist of representatives from Toledo and its contract communities and make recommendations concerning water rates and capital improvements. Under the plan, Toledo City Council would consider and have the ability to reject Commission recommendations. Recent amendments to the plan include requiring that the president or secretary of the Commission be a representative of Toledo, and expanding the allowed timeframe for Council to consider commission recommendations.

The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce continues to advocate for a regionally-developed solution such as the Toledo Area Water Authority, or TAWA. The TAWA plan would create a regional water district governed by a board of representatives from Toledo and its current customer communities with no one single community having the ability to dictate policy for the entire system.

This week, 30 Chamber members had the opportunity to hear from key officials from Governor John Kasich’s administration and discuss the issues impacting their businesses. Members met with Commissioner Joe Testa, Ohio Department of Taxation, Director David Goodman, Development Services Agency, and Kevin Abrams, Chief Operating Officer of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Topics included the Ohio Business Gateway and Modernized eFile, the state’s small business development centers, export assistance for businesses looking to expand into global markets, opportunity zones, and BWC’s 2018 Billion Back and its impact on future rates.
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After the conversation, Brian Dicken, vice president of advocacy & public policy, accepted a ceremonial check from Mr. Abrams representing the $50.5 million made out to the Toledo Region employers for the “More Than A Billion Back Again” campaign. This spring, Governor Kasich and BWC Administrator Sarah Morrison announced a $1.5 billion premium rebate. Since 2011, BWC has returned over $8 billion in worker’s compensation savings back to Ohio’s economy.