Rector Celebrates 15 Years

Mandy Rector, Office Manager at the Chamber, is celebrates 15 years of service today with the Licking County Chamber. "We are so fortunate to have someone like Mandy. She is an excellent employee and loves her job. I hope she is here for many more years to come", said President Cheri Hottinger.

Sales Call Gone Bad

I was in a meeting this week with an organization who I thought was there to make a pitch to me and others. I expected and assumed that they would have done their research about who we are and what we do. I was dead wrong.

They had absolutely no idea about their neighboring county. Not only did they not do any research, they didn't speak our language.

Needless to say, I'm not interested.

And The Survey Says. . .

Last month the Chamber conducted an extensive survey of downtown Newark property owners. We asked them a variety of questions about the redevelopment efforts being talked about for the downtown area.

We have compiled the results and you can find the complete report here:

http://www.lickingcountychamber.com/contentment/applications/edocs/docs/Downtown%20Survey.pdf

And the Winners Are. . .

Last night we hosted our 2010 Annual Membership & Celebration Dinner. It was a packed house at the Granville Inn. I am pleased to announce the award winners:

Non-Profit of the Year:
Winner - Mental Health America of Licking County
Finalist - Behavioral Healthcare Partners of Central Ohio, Inc.

Employee of the Year:
Winner - Mike Cadenhead, The Bionetics Corporation
Finalist - Alan Smith - Hopewell Federal Credit Union

Small Business of the Year:
Winner - Doug's Farside Catering
Finalist - Linxus Communications

Mid-Size Business of the Year:
Winner - SharonBrooke Assisted Living
Finalist - Fiberglas Federal Credit Union

Large Business of the Year:
Winner - Park National Bank
Finalist - Licking County Department of Job & Family Services

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners for 2010!

Have A Complaint?

A note from Ohio Attorney General's Office:

Just like individual consumers, small businesses experience advertising misrepresentations, billing disputes, unauthorized charges, shoddy workmanship and poorly performed services. And now, businesses can turn to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for help, too.

For the first time since it came into being 40 years ago, the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection section is accepting complaints from small businesses and non-profits who are being ripped off by scams or who are being treated unfairly in business transactions. In the year since we launched this service, we have responded to over 1,200 complaints to help small businesses and non-profits get their money back or otherwise rectify injustices done to them. Total recovery of funds in these matters so far is over $115,000.


For more information, call Karen Gasper, the State Public Affairs & Outreach Director, at (614) 728-5432 or email her at karen.gasper@ohioattorneygeneral.gov. You may also visit www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/business for more information.

Strategic Planning For Your Business

The Small Business Development Center of Newark and Licking County is sponsoring a three-session seminar on strategic planning for your business. The seminar will be held at the Newark Public Library, 101 W. Main Street, Newark, Ohio, starting August 5th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

The following two sessions will be held on August 12th and 19th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

To participate the attendee must commit to attend all three sessions. To register for this free seminar, please contact Director, Randy Morgan, CBA, at 740-670-5215 or by email: rmorgan@lcounty.com. Seating is limited to 25 participants.

Attendees will be provided with the materials to create and finish a strategic plan on an issue of their own choosing. Explanations will be provided of each step in the strategic planning process and attendees will be given time to fill out their planning templates for the strategic issue they chose.

During the workshop, attendees will:• Session 1 August 5th: Learn about the Strategic Plan process and how to apply it any time on any issue.• Session 2 August 12th: Select a strategic issue specific to his or her business.• Session 3 August 19th: Finish a first draft strategic plan for the issue.

In these tough economic times it‘s critical that each organization creates alignment and focus among its employees. The survival of your company depends upon getting everyone on the same page and creating efficiency. The best way to do this is to implement a strategic planning process.Strategic planning helps you step back and look at your business strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and see what you need to do improve your performance and results. You will be surprised by the results of this program. It will help you avoid missteps and make sure everyone is working in the same direction towards the organization’s survival and success.