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.

With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving ahead of us, November has come! We're thrilled to ​celebrate our newest members who joined the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce in October 2020. By joining the Toledo Chamber, you help to support our mission of advocating for a thriving business environment, leading the charge to attract and retain talent in the region, and connect business with resources and opportunities for growth.

By Amanda DePerro, communications manager

On Sept. 30, the Toledo Chamber sat down with Sheila Eason, founder and CEO of Elevate People Solutions, for webinar “Did I Say That?” Recognizing and Combating Microaggressions in the Workplace. Eason covered everything from what microaggressions might look like and the various types of microaggressions, how to respond to a microaggression from the point of both a bystander and the victim, and what to do if someone tells you that you’ve said something that has made them uncomfortable.

On Sept. 8, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Capitol Conversation presented by AT&T series welcomed Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State, to discuss issues currently impacting Ohio’s businesses.

In line with the goal of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Northwest Ohio Business Reboot Initiative to help businesses throughout the region successfully reopen and retool through the COVID-19 pandemic, the chamber has been celebrating reopenings with ribbon cuttings throughout the region. The effort, called the Business Reboot Ribbon Cutting Blitz, is comprised of five-minute ribbon cuttings and is the perfect way to commemorate your business’ return to work, the office or retooling initiative.

​While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has provided guidelines to help give individuals with disabilities the same opportunities when accessing public accommodations since it was signed into law 30 years ago by President George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990, there is still much work to do to encourage our community – and the world – to take proactive steps to create welcoming and inclusive spaces.

​Recently, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce hired four interns to assist with day-to-day tasks within the center. The internship will enable them to gain valuable, real-world experience with local small businesses.

Here at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, we're working hard to help promote a thriving business environment. Please join us in welcoming our newest members, who joined in March 2020. Don't forget to visit our Business Resources page, where you'll find all of the initiatives we're working on and supporting in order to help you succeed.