Chamber News
February 2020
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CHAMBER CELEBRATES 35TH ANNIVERSARY
1985-2020
By: Chamber President/ CEO
Joe Kleinknecht
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The original Chamber of Commerce was incorporated on April 14, 1949 and served the Galion business community until the mid 1960’s when it ceased to operate as a Chamber of Commerce. There were several organizations that served the local business community until talk of bringing back the chamber began in 1984.
After months of discussion and dozens of committee and interim board meetings, the Galion Area Chamber of Commerce was formed on February 21, 1985, with the articles of incorporation being submitted to the State of Ohio February 25, 1985.
The original officers were, Al Kingseed, President, Joseph Walls, Vice President, Russell Vose, Treasurer, and Robert Hickle, Secretary.
Original Board of Directors included, Don Barr, Gerald Bonnar, Donald Bowman, Lonnie Eagle, Homer Fox, Pat Gehrisch, Eric Geyer, Garland Gledhill, Dale Hess, Kenneth Hessler, Edgar Koehl III, Thomas Livingston, Gerald Nicholls, Edward Siemer, Jack Steel, Stephen Tilson, Charles Walker, Don Covert and Dr. Bernard Mansfield.
The first Executive Director to serve the chamber was Dan Ritchey who served from 1985-1997. He was assisted throughout his years at the chamber, by his wife Ruth and Judy Dyer who began in 1992.
The second Executive Director was David Dayne and he served from 1997-2003. He was assisted throughout his tenure by Judy Dyer (administrative assistant), Carol Finney, Martha Palmer & Jette Cander.
Joe Kleinknecht, the third Executive Director of the Chamber, began on January 21, 2003 and still serves in this capacity.
Until her retirement, in January of 2017 his administrative assistant was Judy Dyer, at which time the chamber hired, Miranda Jones to serve as Member Engagement Director and to fulfill the responsibilities of the administrative assistant position. Miranda was recently name Executive Director and will take Joe’s place when he retires in May of 2020.
In 2013 the Chamber joined with the Crestline Chamber of Commerce and became known as the Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber currently has 311 full-time members and 25 associate members.
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The Chamber held a ribbon cutting January 6th at Spicy Nails, located at 216A Portland Way North in Galion. Welcome to the Galion business community!
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The chamber held a ribbon cutting January 7th at the Main Street Grill, 819 E Main Street in Crestline to welcome their new owners. Stop in and check out this great Crestline business!
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The Chamber held a ribbon cutting January 18th the
1803 Brewery & Taproom
located at 123 Harding Way East in Galion to celebrate their grand opening.
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The chamber held a ribbon cutting January 21st
at the new bus garage for the Galion City Schools. The bus garage is now located on campus and will reduce transportation cost for the school district.
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2020 Membership Renewal
Statements Were Due January 31st
You will be receiving a second notice soon if you have not paid the renewal yet. If you have any questions, or would like to pay with a credit card, please call Miranda at the Chamber office 419-468-7737.
Thank you for your continued support of the Chamber!
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Join us for our monthly Chamber Chat this Wednesday, February 5th at 8:00 am at The Willow Coffee Shop (formerly the Candi Bar) located at 125 Harding Way East in Galion. This is a free networking event open to all. The first half will be networking and the second half we will hear about TechCred opportunities available to employers. The first phase was completed January 31st, but the second round is fast approaching.
TechCred helps Ohioans learn new skills and helps employers build a stronger workforce with the skills needed in a technology-infused economy. These technology-focused credentials take a year or less to complete and prepare current and future employees for the technology jobs Ohio employers need.
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There are still a few seats available for the OSHA 10 Class held at the Chamber on Wednesday, February 26th and Thursday, February 27th.
Call the office, 419-468-7737 or
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Join the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce and the Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce at a business after-hours to celebrate the kickoff of efforts in support of the upcoming Crawford County Senior Services Levy vote. The event will feature appetizers and refreshments courtesy of KFC of Bucyrus, and live music from Harvey & Friends. Everyone is welcome - come and get information about all of the great services the Council on Aging provides for seniors in our community
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CHAMBER ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Galion-Crestline Chamber of Commerce has announced Miranda Jones as its new Executive Director effective February 10, 2020. Jones will work closely with current President/ CEO, Joe Kleinknecht, to assume leadership responsibility for the Chamber as he works towards retirement in May of 2020. Kleinknecht has served in his current role for the past 17 years.
Jones has served as the Member Engagement Director for the Chamber since January of 2017 and previously held roles as a member of the Board of Directors and a Chamber Ambassador.
“Miranda has a great knowledge of our community. Her experience with the chamber will help her jump right into the position and gain ground immediately,” Kleinknecht. “She will be able to move the chamber forward in a positive manner, strengthening our membership and forming strong community partnerships.”
Jones is also active in the community as President of the Kiwanis Club of Galion and the Crawford Young Professionals. She and her husband, Brandon, have three children; Ethan, a 2019 graduate of Galion HS; Reilly, a third grader at Galion; and Victoria Grace, a preschooler at the Galion YMCA.
“I look forward to building on the Chamber’s history and helping add to the growth and success in Galion, Crestline, and Crawford County,” said Jones. “These areas are experiencing revitalization and the opportunities for our chamber and the business communities are endless.”
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CoreCare Chiropractic;
celebrated on January 14th their 1 year of practice at their Galion Office located at 692 Portland Way North, Galion.
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The North Central Ohio SCORE Chapter,
l
ocated at the Mansfield Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, has been awarded the District Chapter of the Year Award for 2019.This award recognizes the chapter’s leadership, dedication and commitment to serving the small businesses in our communities. The chapter’s innovation and business mentoring has led to this award. The competition was with the Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Youngstown SCORE Chapters and one of the reasons the chapter won this award was for their client satisfaction rating of 100%. Also, this chapter has the highest number of female mentors compared to all other chapters in their district and have been a forefront chapter for diversity and inclusion.
https://northcentralohio.score.org/
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HomeCare Matters Is Now Avita Home Health and Hospice
GALION – Feb 3, 2020 –
HomeCare Matters Home Health and Hospice is officially Avita Home Health and Hospice. Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avita Health System, Avita Home Health and Hospice will continue to provide homecare services, hospice, palliative care, wound care, and grief support, as well as physical, occupational, and speech therapy in the comfort of one’s home. Services will remain in Crawford, Richland, Morrow, Huron, Marion, Knox, Seneca and Wyandot counties. Click
HERE
to read full press release.
*Photo included (left to right): Natalie Earl, Financial Director; Kevin Bryden, Hospice Clinical Director; Catherine Sapp, Executive Director; Patty Robinette, Administrative Director; Leisa Petrozino, Home Health Clinical Director; Nicole Blaser, Clinical Reimbursement
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Construction continues at The Greens at Carter Drive, a future apartment complex that will house a total of 36 one and two bedroom apartments in phase one of their project.
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Galion Historical Society to Hold 2020 Banner Registration
For more info check out the Veteran Banner FAQ & Policy in the link below 👇
Pre- Registration - February 20th - All eligible for pre-registration have been contacted via phone call/message!
Registration - February 27th - 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Historic Grace Church (130 W. Walnut St.)
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Deadline for Safety Grant applications approaches
COLUMBUS — Ohio employers seeking grants from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation to invest in safety measures have until March 31 to apply for funds in this year’s fiscal budget.
Employers who miss that deadline must wait until July 1, the first day to apply for fiscal 2021 funding under BWC’s popular Safety Grants program.
“We appreciate Ohio employers who take safety seriously and seek our assistance funding equipment aimed at reducing or eliminating workplace injuries and illnesses,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud.
Applications for fiscal 2020 funds via U.S. mail must be postmarked no later than March 31. The online application service will close after March 31 and not re-open until July 1, the first day of fiscal year 2021.
BWC offers $20 million a year in safety grants. As of Jan. 3, BWC’s Division of Safety & Hygiene had approved 616 grant requests. Another 304 were pending.
The March 31 deadline applies to the following grants:
- Safety Intervention
- Employers Working with Persons with Developmental Disabilities
- Firefighter Exposure to Environmental Elements
- School Safety and Security
- Workplace Wellness
Safety Grants are available to all Ohio state-fund, private and public taxing district employers to purchase equipment to eliminate or reduce workplace hazards.
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Fake FedEx Messages and Census Scams!
We are warning that a phony text message that seems to come from FedEx is sweeping the country. You could also receive the fake message via email. It addresses you by name and asks that you click on a link to set delivery preferences for your package. Don’t do it! Don’t click!
BBB nationally has received 11 reports of this scam to BBB Scam Tracker in the last few days. Some individuals who got the text and clicked on the link have reported being taken to an Amazon survey site where they were asked to input credit card information.
FedEx Corporate Communications told BBB, “FedEx does not send unsolicited text messages or emails to customers requesting money or package or personal information. Unfortunately, scammers often invoke the names of trusted brands when attempting to take advantage of the public, and FedEx is one of many companies whose brand has been abused in this way. We are committed to protecting the security and integrity of our network. While there is no foolproof method to prevent the FedEx name from being used in a scam, we are constantly monitoring for such activity and work cooperatively with law enforcement.”
BBB Tips to Avoid Phishing Scams:
If something sounds suspicious, confirm it by calling the company directly or checking the company website. Don’t click on links in an unexpected email – type the URL for the company into your browser or do a web search to find the right website.
Don’t click, download, or open anything that comes from an anonymous sender. This is likely an attempt to gain access to your personal information or install malware on your computer.
Be cautious of generic emails. Scammers try to cast a wide net by including little or no specific information in their fake emails. Always be wary of unsolicited messages that don't contain your name, last digits of your account number or other personalizing information.
If you’ve received this text, report it to
BBB Scam Tracker
. Also consider contacting the Internet Crime Complaint Center at
IC3.gov
Census Bureau Scams: The Census Bureau, like many organizations, has its share of imposters, and they can be hard to spot. But knowing how the Census Bureau operates can help you be better prepared.
The Census Bureau may request information through almost all communication outlets, including phone, email, mail, fax and in-person. But there are only three ways to reply to the census: phone, mail or online. The official website of the Census Bureau is
census.gov
; the homepage for the 2020 Census is
2020census.gov
.
Some of the information census takers request is personal. But the Census Bureau states that they will NEVER ask for your full social security number, money, donations, anything on behalf of a political party, your full bank or credit account numbers, or your mother's maiden name.
Never give out your social security number. Census takers will never ask for your social security number, bank account number, credit card number, money or donations.
Census takers will never contact you on behalf of a political party. If someone calls on behalf of a political party that claims to be from the census, hang up.
Make sure you respond to the census through Census.gov, the official website. Your regional Census Bureau may also be able to help.
If something sounds suspicious, confirm it by calling the government agency directly or checking the government agency’s website. Don’t click on any links in an unexpected email. Instead, type the official URL into your browser or do a web search to find the right website. Call a trusted phone number other than one provided by the caller to verify the caller’s identity.
Don’t click, download, or open anything that comes from an anonymous sender. This is likely an attempt to gain access to your personal information or install malware on your computer.
Dick Eppstein, BBB
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