Like others in the region, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce was encouraged by the announcement of the creation of the Route 23 Connect Initiative a year ago. This initiative of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), along with regional partners at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG), was designed to determine the feasibility of a free-flowing connection between the Columbus and Toledo regions. Improving the connection has been a long-standing priority for the Chamber, TMACOG and others.

​The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced on Monday, May 2, that the Toledo Small Business Development Center at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce has won its 2022 Great Lakes Regional Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Award. Through this award, the SBA recognizes the year's most outstanding SBDC among the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Recently, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce was once again Reaccredited with 5 Stars by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This reaccreditation process, which the Toledo Chamber completes every five years, defines excellence in chamber planning and recognizes chambers for outstanding contributions toward positive change in their communities. We are so proud to once again be awarded the highest recognition possible by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and look forward to continue serving our business community in northwest Ohio.

August is now behind us, and though our warm temperatures and beautiful sunny skies don't show it, fall is nearing in the Toledo Region. The Toledo Chamber has plenty to look back on and celebrate during the start of September, and we've got even more to look forward to as the year continues on. But before we get into the exciting and important events on the schedule this month, let's highlight and celebrate our newest members who joined in August 2021.

On July 13, 2021, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose joined the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and a group of business leaders to discuss important issues that impact our region and our state’s businesses.

Summer is here and we couldn't be happier to see sunshine and excitement downtown and throughout the Toledo Region. But that's not all we're excited about this summer – the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Toledo Small Business Development Center welcome five summer interns to our team. These interns are providing incredible services to you, our Chamber member community, but until you can meet them in person at one of our fabulous upcoming events, please enjoy this Q&A to get to know a little bit about our interns.

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.