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Message From the President
Save The Date
Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting
October 26

5:30 p.m.: Social Gathering
6:00 p.m.: Dinner
6:45 p.m.: Program
Keynote Speaker: State Representative 88th District William Reineke, Jr.

Camden Falls Reception & Conference Center
2460 S. SR 231, Tiffin

$25 per person
$200 reserved table for 8
Cash bar.

RSVP by October 17 to Deb at 419-447-4141 or here.

Courthouse Time Capsule: Business Cards Needed!
   Please bring a signed business card with you to the annual meeting on October 26. We will be collecting them to be included in the Courthouse's time capsule to be opened in 2067.
Small Business Saturday
    American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010 to encourage individuals nationwide to support small local businesses. Last year, 95 million people went out to shop at small businesses. 
     Small Business Saturday is most successful in helping local retail businesses grow their revenues over this key weekend, when public/private coalitions of small business leaders have come together to provide coordination and leadership. 
     This year’s event is celebrated on Saturday, November 25. For more information and to sign up for promotional materials,  visit here!
Christmas & 2018 Event Information Wanted
   We will be creating a brochure to promote Christmas and Holiday events taking place in Seneca County. Please send us all the pertinent information by October 1, 2017. 
   We need your help! Please look at the events, you have held this year and what you have planned for the rest of the year. Did you plan a spring or fall open house? Are you going to repeat the event in 2018?
   Please think of what you did last year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Did you do something special for Thanksgiving? Did Santa make a visit to your store? Dust it off, revise, update with 2017/2018 dates and send this information to us as soon as possible. We will be accepting information until 5 p.m. Oct. 3 for the special holiday brochure and for the 2018 Visitor Guide.
   Please send your information to  Deb or  Brittany!
Upcoming Events

October 7:  Storybook Festival
October 11:  Candidates Night
October 20:  Ambassador Meeting
October 29:  Trick or Treat in Tiffin


For more information, please visit our new  Community Calendar , which has complete and up-to-date information on all these events. We hope to see you there!

Saturday, November 4, 2017
6 p.m. — 10 p.m.
  
Keynote Speaker:    Pam Tebow

Pam is a Christian Missionary, renowned Pro-Life Advocate, and mother of five children, including Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow.    
Sponsored by the Tiffin Right to Life.

Sponsors, donations, and volunteers are needed.
To order tickets,  R.S.V.P. or for event information, call Gretchen at 419-447-3872.
Fundraiser for Local Museums and Tiffin Art Guild
   The American Civil War Museum, 217 S. Washington St.; The Enchanted Moment Doll Museum, 174 Jefferson St.; Seneca County Museum, 28 Clay St.; Tiffin Art Guild, 130 S. Washington St.; Grammes-Brown House, 172 Jefferson St., and Tiffin Glass Museum, 25 – 27 S. Washington St. have Tiffin Prints for sale for $20. The Tiffin Montage Prints were created by Community Creations and donated by the Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce to the museums and art guild. 
   Frames for the prints are available to purchase at Frameworks, 643 Miami St., Ste. 4 and Tiffin Glass & Mirror, 204 W. Market St.  
Businesses:
Have you picked up your copy of the Tiffin montage? If not, pick up your copy from whichever entity you were instructed to pick it up at: Frameworks or Tiffin Glass & Mirror!
The Ritz Theatre College Rush Discount
   Full-time matriculated college students can purchase Rush seats for $5 each with a valid college ID 30 minutes prior to curtain time.
   To purchase a College Rush Ticket, a student must present a current college ID (to any college, university or technical school) when purchasing tickets.
   A student with a valid ID may purchase up to 2 tickets at the Rush price.
   The price of each Rush Ticket is $5.00.
   College Rush Tickets are only available ½ hour before the performance. (Exceptions may occur by special notice.)
   Tickets are available at the Will Call window. Rush Tickets are only available if the event is not close to a sellout. Rush Tickets are not available if such a discount is prohibited by the artist’s contract. Individuals cannot choose their seats.
New Member to Member Benefit
The Heidelberg School of Music and Theatre are offering a $5 discount on their upcoming Theatre Season and Playwright’s Festival.  The Theatre Season which includes: Diary of Anne Frank, Little Women the Musical, How I Learned to Drive and Sister Act the Musical. 
The Thursday night shows include the opportunity to talk with the cast, crew and special guests following the show. Sunday Matinee includes a pre-show talk to get an insider’s look at the history, themes and design elements incorporated in the production (45 minutes before curtain). 
The Playwright’s Festival takes place on April 26 th and 27 th. It will feature: Glass House, Disenchanted and The Penguin Tango. The coupon for discount is available with all the other Member to Member coupons.
Digital Billboards Wanted!
   If you're looking to advertise your business or upcoming event, contact us to place it on our digital billboard at the corner of SR 18 and US 224!
   Cost is $125 a month. Time frame can be negotiated. 
   Contact Deb at 419-447-4141. 
Be In The Know Breakfast
Pictured left to right: Sarah Betts, Seneca County Park District Director and Kelly Lowry, CompManagement, a Sedgwick Company.
Kelly Lowry shared a power point presentation covering a lot of changes in the BWC’s rules and regulations.
Sarah Betts shared information about our county parks and her power point include some beautiful pictures and facts.
Ritz Theatre Discovery Series
   This year, "The Unknown Soldier" written by Sandra Eldridge will be presented by the Monkey BAA Theatre Company to grades 6 – 12 as part of their Discovery Series.  Brittany Cook, DSC’s Marketing Director is offering a Frost Parkway Monument Tour to the schools attending the production.
Friday, October 27, 12 p.m.
  Enhance your students’ experience by taking the Frost Parkway Monument Tour. Within walking distance of the The Ritz are monuments to honor those who served in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and to remember those who were lost on 9/ll.
To make arrangements for your school, contact: Brittany Cook at 567-220-6387 or by  email .
Halloween Celebrations
Trunk or Treat   
Join Tiffin Park & Recreation, together with the Tiffin Community YMCA, Franciscan Earth Literacy Center (FELC), Seneca Conservation District, Seneca County Park District, and OSS Solid Waste District for the annual Fall Fest Celebration! 
Events include Trunk & Treat, games, s'mores, hay rides, story walk, apple bobbing, crafts, and much more!
Please bring a canned good for a donation, the festival begins at 6:30 PM Friday October 13 with the Trunk or Treat in the YMCA parking lot. 

Halloween Parade
Check out the 51st Tiffin Developmental Center Halloween Parade October 15 at 2 p.m. If you wish to sit while watching, remember to take your own chair. Parade route is 1 1/2 miles. If you wish to sit while watching, remember to take your own chair. Parade route is 1 1/2 miles. 
Check out the  Destination Seneca County newsletter   for more details on upcoming events!
Ribbon Cutting: Fostoria Learning Center
The Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce held a Ribbon Cutting for the Fostoria Learning Center on Monday, September 18, 2017. Picture is courtesy of Sarah Stephens Krupp, Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce.  
The objective of the Fostoria Learning Center is to increase the education attainment level of the residents of Fostoria, Ohio and the surrounding area by fostering a deep and rich community of lifelong learning.
Higher learning increases local economic development principally by increasing the quality of the local workforce and secondly by increasing local innovative ideas. Our region’s competitive advantage depends entirely on the quality of its citizens and workforce, which is one of the reasons this initiative is so important. The Fostoria Learning Center provides an opportunity for the community to make a meaningful investment in its own residents while also becoming a compelling role model for other communities.
Fostoria is surrounded by existing and successful 2-year and 4-year public and private institutions, in addition to technical and vocational training facilities. Our community will be partnering with these existing institutions to provide their programs in Fostoria. An important aspect of our partnership is establishing a strong link between the Fostoria Learning Center, area K-12 schools, business and industry, and the community as a whole. Using the Fostoria Learning Center as a community wide resource will help create the necessary critical mass of support needed to maintain and expand the Learning Center in the future.
"Be a Friend" of the Tiffin-Seneca Public Library
The Friends of Tiffin-Seneca Public Library has declared the month of October “Be A Friend Month” at T-SPL.
Membership costs range from $1 to $15. New members who sign up during the month of October are entered to win a gift basket.
Some of the Friends’ activities include: the Annual Book Sale, summer reading program events, the Books for Kids project (which donates books to children in Seneca County during the holidays,) the Friends’ annual meeting and program, and hosting special Library events.
The Friends also take part in special projects throughout the year which in the past has included the Mystery Dinner Theater, the Wreath Sale and the Silent Art Auction.
For more information, call 419-447-3751 or stop by the Checkout Desk at the Library.
Seneca County Human Resources Association:
Beat the training ‘heat’ with On-Site Learning!
Coppus continues family tradition
Established in 1927 by Harry Coppus Sr. in Fostoria, Coppus Motors and was based on honesty and integrity. Now, John Coppus continues to focus on that business.
John, CEO and owner of Coppus Motors, started full-time in 1980 and later took over operations in the late 80s. He said after 90 years, there is no “great secret,” just hard work, great employees, a business built on the word of the customer, honesty and integrity.
This year, John said the dealership also was honored as one of the oldest dealerships in the U.S. to sell Mercedes-Benz. In addition, Coppus Motors was honored at the Mercedes-Benz Convention June 7 in Miami, Florida. John received the trophy for being one of six remaining dealers who were awarded the Mercedes-Benz franchise in 1957, reaching its 60th year of selling Mercedes-Benz. Before the Mercedes-Benz Corp. was established, buyers could only go through a distributor to purchase vehicles.

    Congratulations to Tiffin University on the opening of their Performing Arts Lab!
We are very excited that construction continues on the new TU Performing Arts Lab! Phase I of the repurposing of the former Pettibone warehouse buildings is complete, and includes The Marion Center, a 500-seat multipurpose performance space. Now we have completed Phase II, which will include a large band room, a large choir room and dance studio, a professional quality recording studio, a music production and keyboard lab, an outdoor stage, music classrooms, practice rooms, and faculty and staff offices and teaching studios. 
   The entrance to the TU Performing Arts Lab is across the street from the Gillmor Student Center parking lot, adjacent to the new TU Science Labs. The new Performing Arts Lab features a fully-equipped professional quality recording studio. The Performing Arts Lab includes dedicated rehearsal space for TU bands and choirs.
   The TU Music Production & Keyboard Lab provides students with fully-equipped workstations for practice and for classes in music theory, arranging, keyboard harmony, aural skills, recording & mixing, and songwriting. Students will also have full use of these facilities for independent music projects.
Pictured above: Trustee Ron Frisch, Trustee Randy Armstrong, Board President Duane Frankart, General Manager Markus Bryant, Trustee Denny Schindler, and Trustee Steve Seitz unveil North Central Electric Cooperative’s solar array on Sept. 18 in Attica. Picture is courtesy of North Central Electric Cooperative.
North Central Electric unveils community solar
North Central Electric Cooperative (NCE) officially unveiled its community solar array in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday evening, September 18 th . 
Members who are participating in the OurSolar® program, along with community leaders and NCE board members gathered for the event.
The cooperative’s line crew members presented a well-received electric safety demonstration.
General Manager Markus Bryant offered some opening remarks. He and Board President Duane Frankart, flanked by other board members, cut the ribbon before leading a tour of the solar array. A catered meal was enjoyed by all in attendance.
“We have some members who want to have access to renewable energy,” said General Manager Markus Bryant. “The OurSolar program allows the cooperative to invest in solar energy at the cooperative level and sell subscriptions for the output to members who want it and are willing to pay a little more. The average subscription is for five panels over a 10 year term.”
The North Central Electric solar project is part of Ohio’s electric cooperatives’ $4 million investment into the program called OurSolar. Twenty-three cooperatives from across the state are participating. North Central Electric’s solar array with 152 panels is located behind its offices on Stump Pike Road in Attica.
North Central Electric serves approximately 9,600 members and maintains 1,792 miles of line in Seneca, Crawford and Wyandot counties, plus portions of Huron, Richland, Sandusky, Hancock and Wood counties.
Reineke Ford in Fostoria Proudly Selling Fords Since 1967
   Reineke Ford, Inc. of Fostoria celebrates 50 years of partnership with Ford Motor Company. On August 24, 1967, Mr. William F. Reineke, Sr. was welcomed into the Ford Motor Company in Fostoria, and Reineke Ford has been selling new Ford vehicles since that date. 
   William F. Reineke, Sr., took a great risk with the support of his wife, Corrine, and moved his very young family from Toledo, to Fostoria, to fulfill a dream of owning an auto dealership. He moved there in 1960 and first acquired a Buick Oldsmobile franchise. In 1967, he acquired the Ford franchise from Willis B. Hakes, who was an original dealer approved by Henry Ford in 1913.
   Today, Reineke Family Dealerships has Ford & Lincoln franchises located in Tiffin (Reineke’s Tiffin Ford Lincoln), Findlay (Reineke Ford Lincoln of Findlay), and Lima (Reineke Ford Lincoln of Lima) along with Reineke Ford, in Fostoria. “Our long standing relationship defines why Ford continues to be our flagship brand,” said Tom Reineke, President, “from stated values to quality products we’re proud to be a part of the Ford family.”
   Reineke Family Dealerships, founded in 1960 by William F. Reineke, Sr., is a family owned organization that will sell approximately 7,500 cars in 2017 and employs approximately 450 full and part-time employees. Known for strong customer loyalty and high sales and service ratings, Reineke Family Dealerships operates in Fostoria, Tiffin, Lima, Upper Sandusky, Findlay, North Baltimore, and sells Ford, Lincoln, Nissan, Honda, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and RAM vehicles. 
   A customer open house was held on Friday, September 22nd and Saturday, September 23rd, at Reineke Ford, 1303 Perrysburg Road, Fostoria.
Junior Achievement After Five
On Thursday evening, September 21, Junior Achievement in partnership with The Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Services and Heidelberg University hosted an After Five gathering at the Great Wickham Hall located at Heidelberg University.
Approximately thirty attendees were welcomed by Dr. Haseeb Ahmed, Dean of Heidelberg’s School of Business, Computer Science, and Information Technology. Dr. Ahmed also serves as Chairman of Junior Achievement of Seneca County. 
Junior Achievement is in need of volunteers to present JA to classrooms this school year in our community. If interested in volunteering, please contact Jeff Bosch at jbosch@janwo.org .