By Brian Dicken, Vice President of Advocacy and Strategic Initiatives

May is Military Appreciation Month and the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce is recognizing the many contributions of our service members and veterans to our community. You may have seen some of the profiles of veteran-owned companies in our region, but there is so much more.

By Megan Stretavski, ​Workforce Initiatives Manager

​Why take a chance on hiring a returning citizen? If  lower turnover rates, lower absenteeism, higher retention rates and being more loyal than the general workforce don’t have you convinced, there are several programs in the Toledo area that “coach up” this population. On April 30, 2021, during the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Re-Entry Development Initiative (REDI) Lunch and Learn, we discussed the ways in which attendees could get their organization started on their own second chance hiring journey.

Over the last year, it’s undeniable that every facet of our lives has changed. Whether by the state-mandated shutdowns, the shortage of goods like toilet paper or by the major shift to working from home, the last 12 months have challenged us in unexpected ways.

Each year here at the Toledo Chamber following our Annual Meeting, we launch our Year in Review publication, recapping and commemorating the previous year’s biggest moments, events and news. The year 2020 was like no other, so, of course, the 2020 Year in Review is like no other.

The first month of 2021 is behind us, so let's kick off the month as we always do: by celebrating our new members! By joining the Toledo Chamber, businesses in the region are supporting our efforts to uplift and empower businesses in the Toledo Region through advocacy with elected officials, talent and workforce initiatives to keep your employees here and to bring new talent into the region, young professional development programs, and more. Let's start February off right – by welcoming our newest members who joined the Toledo Chamber in January 2021!

The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce would like to introduce one of our newest members of the staff to the community: Ebony Carter, Toledo Small Business Development Center counselor. Ebony is a Toledo native, and though we'd love for you to get to meet her in person at our events, we asked her to answer some of our most pressing questions.

Until you're able to safely meet Ebony at one of the Toledo Chamber's fabulous in-person events, we invite you to learn a little bit about what makes her tick and what brought her to the Chamber and Toledo SBDC.

Happy New Year, Toledo! We've closed the books on 2020 and we are excited to get started on everything to come in 2021. However, we wouldn't be sending December off right without recognizing our incredible new members who joined the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce in December 2020. Let's take a look back at what the month brought for the business community of northwest Ohio.