Volume 10 | October 01, 2018
Your Monthly News & Updates
President's Post
Valued Chamber Member,

It is almost October and the year just keeps on moving forward. College football is in full swing and the fall air is cooling down and you can see some slight color in our leaves. This a great change from the hot and humid weather we had been experiencing.

October 5th will be our First Friday Luncheon with our guest speaker Dr. Michael Thomson, the new President of Northwest State Community College. Please click the link below to register for this event. This is a great venue to see what is going on at the college. We welcome Dr. Thomson to the community.

Please mark your calendars for our Reverse Raffle to be held on November 8 th at the Kni ghts of Columbus Hall. Doors open at 5:30. The proceeds from this event go to support the Chamber of Commerce Leadercast Event, Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation Reverse Raffle, Economic Development, Scholarships and much more! Each ticket purchased includes accommodations for 2 guests (food, raffle ticket entry, and drinks). Save money by getting your tickets at the early bird price at $75 per ticket until October 5th! Tickets must be paid for in advance of the event. If you would like to join us that evening, please call the Chamber office at 419-782-7946 or go to our website at www.defiancechamber.com to register.

On October 18 th, we will be having our Business After Hours at The Moose Lodge sponsored by Fifth Third Bank. You will not want to miss this one.  This is the first time I ever remember having a Business After Hours at The Moose Lodge and look forward to having them host this month!

Our third Good Morning Defiance series will be at the new location of Cabin Fever at 1882 South Jefferson Avenue. The date for this event is scheduled tentatively on October 16 th from 7:30am to 9:00am. This is a great development on the south side of Defiance with the new Shoney Restaurant and new Dance Studio. I can see us adding more of the Good Morning Defiance series in 2019. Thank you to everyone that has attended these.

Your Chamber is in the process of selecting new programs for its Business Workshops/Webinars in 2019. As a Chamber member you should have received a survey in September to see what training programs you would like us to provide. We would like to receive as many responses as possible so we can set up programs that will fit YOUR needs. Your suggestions are always welcome!.

Thank you again for your support and involvement in your Chamber of Commerce. Enjoy the cooler temperatures and changing colors. 



Darrell Handy
President/CEO
Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce
Everything You Need to Know About the Upcoming Election
As the 2018 General Election quickly approaches, it is important that Ohioans have all the information they need to be engaged and active voters.

To participate in the November 6 General Election, you must be a registered voter. If you are not yet registered, you can do so in a matter of minutes by visiting  www.MyOhioVote.com  . Online voter registration is both fast and easy, and you have until October 9 to get registered.
Absentee voting begins on October 10, which gives voters two convenient ways to cast a ballot.

For those who want to vote without ever leaving home, absentee voting by mail is available. This option gives voters nearly a month to request, receive, and cast their ballot. To make this process even easier, last month Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted mailed absentee ballot applications to every registered voter. Absentee ballot applications must be received by a voter’s county board of elections by noon on Saturday, November 3. Completed absentee ballots can either be returned by mail – provided they are postmarked by Monday, November 5 – or in person at the county board of elections office by 7:30pm on Election Day.
If a voter prefers to cast their ballot in person, but wants to vote prior to Election Day, in-person absentee voting is available. This option gives voters nearly 200 hours to cast a ballot in person at their county board of elections early vote center.

As always, the polls will be open for 13 hours on Election Day – Tuesday, November 6 – from 6:30am to 7:30pm. To ensure the day goes smoothly, an army of roughly 35,000 poll workers is deployed at polling places throughout Ohio to assist voters.

For additional information, voters can access an online voter toolkit at www.MyOhioVote.com  to make sure they’re prepared to participate in the general election. Those visiting the website will be able to check their registration, view a sample ballot, request an absentee ballot, access the early voting schedule, and find their Election Day polling place. 
So, spend some time today making sure you’re ready to be an active participant in our democracy in the 2018 General Election.
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MercyHealth Healthy Happy Hour
First Friday Luncheon
Friday, October 5th
12:00-1:00 PM

October Keynote Speaker
Dr. Michael Thomson
Northwest State Community College
President

Tickets to attend the event are $15.00




RESERVATION DEADLINE - October 4th!

Business Before Hours

Please join the
Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce for
Good Morning Defiance

Tuesday, October 16th
7:30am-9:00am

Sponsored by:
NEW!!
Cabin Fever
1882 S. Jefferson Ave.

Hosted & Catered by: Cabin Fever
Business After Hours

Please join the
Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce for
Business After Hours

Thursday, October 18th
5:00pm - 7:00pm

Sponsored by:
Fifth Third Bank

Hosted & Catered by: The Moose Lodge
Meecheway 5K Trail Run
Free Business Workshop
Supervisor Compliance

OCTOBER 24, 2018
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

During this session you will learn about:
  • The Family and Medical Leave Act Do's and Don'ts
  • Understand the ADAAA
  • How to avoid violations of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act
  • Other Equal Employment Opportunities Issues
  • Preventing Retaliation Claims
  • Update on laws that affect managers/supervisors
PRESENTED BY: 
​Bob Bethel
The Employers’ Association​
Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation Reverse Raffle
DCCC Events
Chamber Gift Certificate Program
The Chamber's Gift Check program is available to all Chamber members as a benefit of your membership.  How would you like to give and/ or receive a gift certificate redeemable at local businesses including restaurants, specialty shops, and so much more? Well, the Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce Gift Certificates can do just that while keeping your hard earned dollars in our local economy!  These make perfect gifts for Birthdays, Anniversaries, Holidays, Employee Appreciation or any special occasion. ​
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Benefits in Participating:
Included in your annual dues, your business is automatically enrolled in the Chamber Gift Certificate Program.

  • It’s good for our Chamber as we are able to offer an additional benefit at no charge to our members while promoting the local community.
  • It’s good for our members as they take advantage of a free benefit that is designed to drive traffic through member’s doors as a result of our promotion and advertising of the program.
  • It is great for our community, as this program promotes shopping local!

Chamber Energy Solutions
Follow the Chamber on Linkedin
Follow the Chamber on Linkedin!
The Chamber is excited to announce it has joined the professional social networking group, Linkedin! Please feel free to click on the badge below and it will direct you to our public page. This is a great opportunity to network with other Chamber members and see what they are doing in their careers and track the success of their companies!