In The Know
The Weekly Newsletter of
The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
Friday, August 21, 2020
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The Volatility of the Gold Market, Explained
From the Wall Street Journal: "The price of gold is going haywire, driving a frenzy of investment that’s calling into question the metal’s reputation as a safe-haven during times of economic uncertainty."
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Check Out the Newest Episode of Our Podcast!
Get To Know Mike Chadsey, Director of Public Relations,
Ohio Oil and Gas Association
Presenting the second episode of the Chamber's newly-launched podcast,
In Good Company. This month's episode is sponsored by A.R.M. (USA), Inc. in Wintersville. Each monthly episode introduces a business or community leader who is impacting our area. Listeners will get to know them on both a business and personal level, learn more about their organization, and hear their views about the future of our region. Pierce Media serves as co-sponsor of In Good Company and coordinates the taping and editing of each episode. Click below to hear today's episode or to listen to past episodes on the Chamber's Youtube channel.
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Chamber Job Bank: Helping Connect Employers To Quality Candidates |
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Latest PPP Updates and New Omega Program - Great Articles & Information |
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Upcoming Webinar!
DATE: Wednesday, August 26, 2020
TIME: 2:00 pm EST
Presenters:
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Rebekah Kowalski (moderator), Vice President of Manufacturing Solutions, Manpower
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Kristin Fritz, Vice President of Human Resources, Rockwell Automation
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Kent Lynde, Vice President of Corporate Quality Assurance, Procter & Gamble
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Carroll A. Thomas, Director of the NIST-Manufacturing Extension Partnership
You’ll walk away with:
- Insight into how other organizations are addressing COVID-19 era workforce challenges
- Ways you can support employees within your workforce while achieving business goals
- Access to high-quality resources and workforce experts to help you navigate the future of work
From balancing work and childcare responsibilities to attracting skilled talent to keep your business performing at top capacity, get access to the ideas and examples tested by other organizations that you can implement with your own company.
ManpowerGroup is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRMSCPSM. This webinar is valid for 1 PDC for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM. For more information about certification or re-certification, please visit www.shrmcertification.org
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"Let's Eat!" Continues To Keep You In The Know On Our Local Food & Drink Businesses.
Remember to continue supporting our local, Chamber member food businesses. They are working hard to adapt to your needs to remain safely open. Click here for the latest issue of "Let's Eat!."
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Updates from Ohio Governor DeWine's August 20th
Press Conference
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Below are the updates from yesterday’s press conference with Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Tuesday, August 25th at 2:00 PM. You may watch it live on WTOV9.
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Ohio’s COVID-19 case data:
- 104,999 confirmed cases
- 5,882 probable cases
- 110,881 total cases
- 12,529 hospitalizations
- 3,627 confirmed deaths
- 280 probable deaths
- 3,907 total deaths
- 2,827 ICU admissions
- 91,656 presumed recovered
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More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE.
- Upgraded to Level 3 (Red): Clark, Lorain, Preble, and Trumbull
- Remaining at Level 3 (Red): Clermont, Erie, Franklin, Lucas, and Mercer
- Downgraded to Level 2 (Orange): Brown, Cuyahoga, Fairfield, Licking, Marion, Montgomery, and Muskingum
- Downgraded to Level 1 (Yellow): Highland, Huron, Jefferson, Morgan, Richland, and Ross
- There are no counties on Ohio’s Watch List
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Governor DeWine announced that adult day care centers and senior centers may open at a reduced capacity beginning on September 21 if the facilities can meet certain safety standards outlined in a forthcoming health order. The Ohio Association of Senior Centers and those representing adult day centers nationally and locally assisted in developing the ResponsibleRestart Ohio plan for adult day care and senior centers. The full plan and health order will be posted soon at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
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Governor DeWine announced that a statewide testing initiative for Ohio's more than 765 assisted living facilities is now underway to offer baseline saliva testing to all staff and residents at no cost to the facilities. The tests can be self-performed or performed with assistance, under the observance of licensed medical staff. Baseline saliva tests are minimally invasive and provide reliable results in approximately 48 hours upon the lab’s receipt. An order requiring all assisting living facilities to participate in the testing initiative will be posted soon at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
- Governor DeWine asked the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Board of Directors to send up to $1.5 billion in dividend payments to Ohio employers this fall. This dividend equals approximately 100% of the premiums paid in policy year 2019. Dividends like this, as well as previous ones, are possible because of strong investment returns on employer premiums, a declining number of claims each year, prudent fiscal management, and employers who work hard to improve workplace safety and reduce injury claims.
- If approved by the Board, this would be the second dividend of $1 billion or more since April and the third dividend since 2019. BWC anticipated providing a dividend next year, but with Board approval, they will issue one now to provide some immediate economic relief to employers amid the ongoing pandemic. Checks would be distributed by BWC in late October.
- Additionally, Governor DeWine asked BWC’s Board of Directors to approve of a second distribution of face coverings to Ohio employers and their workforce as part of BWC’s Protecting Ohio’s Workforce- We’ve Got You Covered program. This second round will consist of approximately 23 million masks to employers and are meant to replace any masks that have exhausted their effective use. Governor DeWine has also asked that BWC work to purchase as many masks as possible made in Ohio. In the first distribution of face coverings, BWC shipped 20.6 masks to 197,000 employers and their workforce.
- Governor DeWine announced that the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) will be working with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to ensure that Ohio's 88 boards of elections have the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to execute early in-person voting and voting on election day. DAS will provide an estimated 800,000 masks, 64,000 face shields, and 26,000 gowns, and the Secretary of State's office is expected to distribute the PPE in early September.
- Following a deadly week of gun violence that resulted in at least 56 people shot, including 17 people who were killed, Governor DeWine again called on the Ohio General Assembly to consider legislation currently pending to address gun violence.
- Ohioans filed 21,663 initial jobless claims last week, according to statistics the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported to the U.S. Dept. of Labor today. This was 252,552 fewer than the peak earlier this year. Ohioans filed 359,585 continued jobless claims last week, which was 416,717 fewer than the peak earlier this year.
- Over the last 22 weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $6 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 784,000 Ohioans. Of the more than 1 million applications the agency has received, about 94% have been processed, with about 6% pending. In addition, ODJFS has issued more than $5.2 billion in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments to more than 529,000 PUA claimants.
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Ohioans can apply for unemployment benefits online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at unemployment.ohio.gov. It is also possible to file by phone at 877-644-6562 or TTY at 888- 642-8203, Monday through Friday 7AM to 7PM, Saturday 9AM to 5PM, and Sunday 9AM to 1PM. Employers with questions should email UCTech@jfs.ohio.gov.
As always, Coronavirus.Ohio.Gov and the Department of Health hotline, 1-833-4-ASK-ODH are great resources for those who have questions.
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The 2020 Trinity Health System Chamber Golf Classic is set for Tuesday, September 22nd, at the Steubenville Country Club. There are still a limited number of sponsorships and team spots left. Please contact the Chamber offices with questions or click here to register. For a printable registration form, click here.
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Member Morsels
Member Morsels are free and an easy, fast way to reach hundreds each week. It reaches the entire Chamber database each Friday - that's over 850 local business owners, managers and employees.
Remember to visit individual member websites by clicking on the business name or logo. And submit your Member Morsel by clicking the button below.
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NOW HIRING!
Who doesn't like earning more money?!
We have an immediate need for experienced, quality caregivers in Jefferson, Brooke, and Hancock Counties!
When you join the Ohio Valley's premier home care agency, IC Care, you're setting yourself up for better financial security. We offer good pay wages, referral programs that allow our caregivers to earn more, and currently a $600 sign-on bonus.
There is no better place for home health aides than IC Care! Apply now online at iccare.com/hiring
For more information, please call 304.905.8160.
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Don't forget to support our local farmers and spend your money near home by shopping at both Steubenville markets all summer long. The Gateway Market is held on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Eastern Gateway Community College and the Downtown Steubenville Market is held on Thursdays from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the corner of South 4th and South Streets.
For more information on the Gateway Market, visit the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District website at www.jeffersonswcd.org. For information on the downtown Steubenville Market, contact the Steubenville & Jefferson County Visitors Center at 740.283.4935 or visit www.visitsteubenville.com.
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Announcing a Special Promotion
Amanda's Gifts & More is partnering with SmartLife Chocolate, a healthy chocolate designed with probiotics that are good for your gut health.
With a minimum $20 purchase from Amanda's Gifts & More (excluding readings), you will receive a FREE box of SmartLife Probiotic Chocolate.
Amanda's is the only vendor for SmartLife Chocolate in the Ohio Valley. The regular price of this chocolate is $11.99 on the SmartLife website (plus shipping).
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The Winter Drive-In in Wintersville is featuring some great throwback movies this weekend. Shows start at dusk.
Check out the drive-in's website and Facebook page for next week's listings. We'll see you at the drive-in!
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Around the State. Around the Country.
Up-to-Date Information from the Ohio and United States Chamber of Commerce
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Fiscal Year 2021 State Revenue Starts Strong, But...
On Monday, August 10, Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management (OBM) released preliminary data on general revenue fund (GRF) receipts for the month of July. This is the first month of the new fiscal year. The total tax receipts for the month of July beat estimates by 8.2%. The total revenue produced from the tax receipts were nearly $2.43 billion dollars.
Setting aside personal income tax for a moment, the good news is that both non-auto and auto sales tax receipts were above estimates. Sales tax from auto sales beat estimates by 36.3% and sales tax from other goods and services beat estimates by 11.4%. This is very good news as Ohio continues to deal with a public health pandemic.
Read the article in its entirety by clicking here.
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Payroll Tax Deferral:
Income Impact Analysis
President Trump recently issued an Executive Order to defer payroll taxes. While well-intended to provide relief for Americans during the COVID-19 crisis, the move has instead raised serious concerns for both employers and employees.
Currently, the payroll Executive Order creates a substantial tax liability for employees at the end of the deferral period. Without Congressional action to forgive the payroll tax, the order threatens to impose serious hardships on employees who make under $104,000 a year, who will be stuck with a large tax bill in 2021.
The following chart demonstrates that while employees will get a relatively small benefit in each paycheck, they will owe a lot in 2021.
Read all articles in this series by clicking here.
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The Library Link
Great Books About Business With Just A Click
Please Note: The Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County is open for curbside service. Visit www.steubenvillelibrary.org to order books, then call your library branch to schedule an appointment to pick up your library items. Library branch contact information and operating hours are available by clicking here on this link from the website.
Your link to success begins at the library. Each week in "In The Know,"
you to a business book or magazine that will inspire, teach, inform, or elevate you, professionally and personally. This week:
One Step Ahead
by David Sally
There's been a revolution in negotiating tactics.The world's best negotiators have moved beyond How to Win Friends & Influence People and Getting to Yes. For over twenty years, David Sally has been teaching the art of negotiation at leading business schools and to executives at top companies. Now, he delivers the proven, clear, actionable insights you need to stay competitive in an ever-changing marketplace.One Step Ahead: Mastering the Art and Science of Negotiation offers the fundamental wisdom that elevates the sophisticated negotiator above everyone else. Readers and listeners will gain the advantage in everything from determining when to negotiate and deciphering a game strategically to understanding which personality traits matter, why emotions are not necessarily to be avoided, and how to be tough and fair.
View this resource by clicking here.
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Today in History
The Equal Educational Opportunities Act
Takes Effect
- August 21, 1974 -
From History.com: The Equal Educational Opportunities Act takes effect on August 21, 1974.
The new law addressed civil rights issues in education, barring states from discriminating against students based on gender, race, color, or nationality and requiring public schools to provide for students who do not speak English.
In many ways, the EEOA was an extension of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned racial discrimination in schools as well as businesses and outlawed the segregation of schools. The Civil Rights Act was one of the most important pieces of legislation in American history, but it did not singlehandedly put a stop to discrimination in public education.
Aside from the famous "Massive Resistance" campaign against desegregation in the South, schools continued to fail racial minorities and students for whom English was not their first language.
The EEOA mandated that schools accommodate students regardless of nationality and that they provide adequate resources for students who did not speak English. In effect, this meant that schools must now offer both English classes for non-native speakers and classes in other subjects taught in students' native languages.
Subsequent Supreme Court cases clarified the full extent of the law. In 1974, the Court ruled that the EEOA mandated that schools offer classes in students' first languages while they learned English as a second language. In 1982, it ruled that, based on the EEOA, undocumented students not only had the right to attend public schools but were obligated to do so, the same as all American children.
Thanks to the EEOA, schools across the country now offer classes in languages other than English, in addition to teaching English to non-native speakers.
The act also provided legal recourse for students facing discrimination in public schools, greatly bolstering the progress that was made during the Civil Rights Era.
For more events that took place on
August 21st, please click here.
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-1,100,000-
"New US jobless claims for the week that ended Saturday totaled 1.1 million, the Labor Department said Thursday. That came in well above the consensus economist estimate of 920,000."
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Questions about Oil & Gas?
These non-profit organizations are here to help you stay up-to-date on the oil and gas industry
in Jefferson County:
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Get The Information You Need - The Chamber Staff Is Here To Help |
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Melissa DeFrances
Administrative & Accounting Coordinator
Melissa is your go to for membership benefit or billing questions, job bank postings, event reservations or any other assistance you may need.
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Tricia Maple-Damewood
President
Contact Tricia with suggestions, input or feedback on member programming, how to get involved on a committee or special project or with questions related to Chamber membership.
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Hannah Ward
Administrative Assistant
Contact Hannah with changes to your membership information, questions regarding events or programs, or assistance with scheduling an Eblast or Member Morsel.
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Contact Us
The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
630 Market Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
Phone: 740.282.6226
Fax: 740.282.6285
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