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.

​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.
​
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.”

​​The Air Force Reserve is delighted to announce the opening of a recruiting office in Toledo, OH.  It is located in the Jesse James Complex at 559 S. Reynolds Rd, Toledo OH 43616.  The Air Force Reserve provides a way to expand experiences and serve your country while being able to choose where you live and work. The unique location of the Toledo Office provides members the ability to choose between Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Youngstown Air Reserve Base or Grissom Air Force Base. 

By: Jack Martin, PD&B Inc.

Founded: 1998
Location: 5949 American Road East, Toledo
​GEO: North
​Websites: pdbinc.com | pdbcorrugated.com
 
​
Ken Martin started Projects Designed and Built Inc. in 1998 out of his home with the help of a part time receptionist.  Prior to that, Mr. Martin was working for a Toledo-based distributor selling industrial power transmission components, and, it was there he came up with the idea of starting the business.  The idea came from an emerging trend he noticed while working with some of his large customers. Many of them began downsizing their engineering departments, outsourcing the design and build of new equipment and ultimately doing less ‘in house’ designing. That was the opportunity and the motivation for him to begin to design and build machinery that ultimately led to the business as it is today. It has been almost 20 years now and PD&B continues to be a trusted and reliable resource for their customers around the world. 

​​Wyse Coaching is a coaching organization focused on maximizing business opportunities and leadership development. Although the company was officially founded in 2017, Andre Mello, Wyse Coaching’s founder and principal, has been applying coaching techniques to his leadership teams for over a decade. 

Andre, a 17 year Marketing Industry veteran, decided to start Wyse Coaching as a way to partner with people who are looking to do great things. Doing so allowed him to focus 100% on the development of his clients, instead of having to also juggle business priorities of organizations he was a part of. Being a Business Coach allowed him to build strong relationships within the community, while enabling him to live vicariously through his clients’ successes. 

​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.

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.

​​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. 

Owners: Bahaa & Mahmoud Hariri
Established: 2015

Sidon Lebanese Grille & Bakery was opened in 2015 as a wonderful addition to the eclectic restaurant scene in the Toledo area. Bahaa and his father, Mahmoud Hariri, had the dream of offering Toledo with healthy Lebanese food that the community craved. They offer a rustic chic atmosphere where diners can enjoy stone-fire pita bread and natural charcoal kabobs.