Goodbye Miller

Today I took my staff on a "field trip" to Miller Elementary School. I wanted them to see how the students and teachers decorate for an Author Visit. It is an incredible experience. The school has also been preparing for the Miller Goodbye Ceremony taking place tomorrow from 1:00- 4:00 p.m. (Miller is closing) I really love Miller School. Two of my daughters went there from K-5th and my youngest is in 1st grade. They have all had a wonderful experience there and have had exceptional teachers who really care about the students. They will be sorely missed! Here are some shots from our road trip today:

Grand Opening for Fiberglas Federal Credit Union

Fiberglas Federal Credit Union officially unveiled its new facility at 215 Deo Drive in Newark, Ohio on Saturday, May 16th. Located between Kohl’s and Kroger, the new structure is a full-service center for members of the credit union, as well as an operation center for staff. Fiberglas FCU worked with Jerry McClain Construction and North Point- Philip Claggett Architects on the 26,000 square feet facility, which includes a six-car drive thru. The building contains a community/training room that can accommodate various groups up to 125 within the community.

Fiberglas Federal Credit Union was established in 1940 and now serves over 170 Select Employer Groups, churches, associations, civic and fraternal organizations, and their families.

Industrial Bus Tour A Success

Today the Chamber, with much help from Rick Platt at the Port Authority, hosted an Industrial Familiarization Bus Tour featuring local companies who manufacture types of advanced materials. I want to thank The Advocate for taking part in the tour and for the great story. It was enjoyed by all; Chairman Kurt Harden even sent a "tweet" about it, and Jennifer McDonald posted a story about it on the Community Capitalism blog.

And thank you to Arboris and Bayer MaterialScience for the wonderful tours today.

If you missed it, not to worry - there will be another one in the fall. Just let me know if you would like to attend, and I'll be sure to include you.

Another great Chamber day for Licking County.

Congratulations to Rotarians

At today's Rotary meeting, one of our own members and a member of the Chamber's Board of Directors was presented with the BRAVO award for his tireless dedication to his profession and to the community. Congratulations to Steve Layman!

And two other Rotarians and fellow Chamber members received the prestigious Rotarian of the Year award: Congrats to Gary Baker and T.D. Griley!

The Measure Of A Man

Below is a poem written for the late Howard E. LeFevre:

The Measure Of A Man

by Patricia Myer Moffitt

What is the measure of a man when we sum up his life?

Is it the money that he makes or how he copes with strife?

Is it the loving role he plays as father and as mate?

Or is it the community that he helps to create?

Is it the many charities that he contributes to?

Or is it that all who know him can count him to be true?

Is it his wit and intellect that makes them seek him out?

Or the grasp of many subjects that he can talk about?

Is it his enthusiasm for projects that will last -

For history and improvements that link up with the past?

Or is it a sense of future that oft propels his mind,

That prompt people to say of him, "He's sure one of a kind!"

Or is it his belief in God, his prayers that touch the heart?

To know that he's a friend of God and doesn't act a part.

It might be just his caring ways that people notice most,

Or maybe it's his thoughtfulness or charm at being host.

Then there's his generosity (we must not leave that out).

As gentleman he wins the prize. There isn't any doubt.

Not many men could claim all these but one I now will name:

Howard LeFevre fills the bill. In life he's won the game!

Making Customer Service Memorable

I had the the wonderful opportunity to watch this moving video today at Licking Memorial Hospital regarding customer service:



I hope this will motivate you to create a memorable experience for your customers and clients that draw them back to you time and time again.

A Perfect Day

Last night I returned home from a short vacation. In the Ft. Myers airport, I picked up a new book (like I really need more books to read, since I have a stack of unfinished ones) called Six Mornings on Sanibel by Charles Sobczak.

Very good book. I'm half-way through it. In one of the chapters, one of the fishermen described the day this way:

" The wind had died and the air was calmer. It was colder than it had been all week. The air was dry. The sun was already well on its journey to zenith. It was going to be a perfect day. It was going to be a chamber of commerce day."

That made me smile. Hope you have a Chamber of Commerce day today!

Shipments Have Arrived

If you stop by the Chamber office, you may think we are packing up and moving out, but that is not the case. The 2009 Membership Directories have now arrived and will be sent every member early next week. Look for your copy in the mail.

Another new arrival is the 2009 Images of Licking County magazine. Sorry, but these will not be available until June 26, due to our unveiling party on June 25 at The Works. Look for more information in the next coming weeks on this annual event.

Local Benefit Concert

On May 31st at 7:00 p.m. a benefit concert will be held at Spring Hills Baptist Church for a local non-profit organization called My Place To Be. They serve families and children with autism and related special needs. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

The featured performer is Christopher Williams, from Nashville, Tennessee. Here is a sampling of his talent:




Please support My Place To Be. For more information, please call Elyn Tibbs at 740.334.2896 or mp2b.etibbs@gmail.com

Making Memories

There are certain songs that I hear or places that I visit that instantly remind me of someone or something from my past. Sometimes it can even be a certain smell. It is interesting to me how my mind works. My husband laughs at me because he will say "remember when we went ..." and I don't remember at all, but drive past a Cross Country Inn and I can tell you the construction order or number it was assigned (I worked in the Construction Department of Cross County Inn Corporate Office for a while in my early 20's). There are just certain things that are forever etched in my mind.

Last month my husband and daughter went to a youth conference with our church. He went as a chaperon and had to drive 6 teenage girls 3 hours each way. He told me an interesting story about what another church does on every youth conference they attend. Every Jr. high trip they take, the seniors pick out a song for the trip and that is the only song that is played. Think about that for a moment. Three hours in a van with teenagers and only one song is played over and over and over again - and the same song is on for the entire trip back too. Why do they do this? They told my husband that they do it to create a lasting memory, so that no matter when they hear that song in their lives, they will always remember that trip.

I try to create good memories for my family, friends and staff. For me, the goal is that after I am long gone, I can still put a smile on their face from a memory I created with them. As the saying goes, people won't remember things you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel.

Happy Mother's Day

Thank You Keith Richards

Today the Superintendent of Newark City Schools, Keith Richards, submitted his resignation. He wants to spend more time with his family and he felt it was "time" to leave.

Keith Richards stepped in when NCS was in turmoil. He was able to bring everyone together and was able to move NCS forward. Under his leadership, major improvement has occurred. In addition, we now have beautiful buildings that our kids and our community can be proud of. Being a Superintendent of any school is a thankless job; there will always be those who criticize every decision that is made.

I will miss Keith, not only as a leader in our community, but as a friend. Thank you Keith, for everything you have done for Newark. You will be sorely missed!

THANK YOU NEWARK VOTERS

It's a great day for Newark City Schools and for the citizens of Newark. Thanks to everyone who worked to get the levy passed. It is very refreshing to see the community come together to support education.

Thank you!

And The Awards Keep Coming

Today Vicky attended a Managers Meeting for Safety Council. When she returned to the office today, she brought with her two additional awards (besides Safety Council of the Year):

Buckeye's Best Award for Website Features

Buckeye's Best Award for Processing Reservation Strategy

Congratulations to Vicky and the Licking County Safety Council!

Biz Fest 2009

Last Thursday the Chamber hosted our annual Biz Fest and Taste of Licking County. I believe we had a record crowd. The Wild Wild Biz Fest was the theme and many businesses participated by decorating their booth and by what they wore. Lois, who did an excellent job again this year, had the Chamber staff in full uniform as usual:

Prizes were given to the best decorated booths. There was a tie for first place:

Congratulations to Sheryl Kraner Behavioral Health and to Bruckler-Kishler Funeral Home.

Email - Dying A Slow Death

Not very long ago, maybe a few months back, the first thing I would do when I sat down at the computer was to check my email. How quickly things change. I remember either reading something or someone trying to convince me that with all the social media choices out there, email would soon be a thing of the past. I didn't believe them back then; but I am beginning to think they may be right.

Use me for an example. As I stated above, I used to check my email first thing. And I still do that at work, but at home, it is now one of the last things I check. I usually start with Twitter. I check out the most recent posts from the people I am following and look to see if I have any new followers. I have been adding a few recently and have no idea why in the world they would chose to follow me, but oh well. I then check out this blog and my personal blog to see if I have any comments. Next I move on to statcounter - the tool I use to get stats about my two blogs.

And if I have some time, I will then log onto LinkedIn and Facebook to check for updates and any requests that I need to handle. After all that, I then check out my email.

My routine on the computer has changed drastically. It makes me a believer in the whole "email will soon be a thing of the past" theory. But it also makes me wonder what the next new thing will be.