In The Know
The Weekly Newsletter of
The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
Friday, December 11, 2020
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Check Out the Latest Episode of
"In Good Company"
This month's guest on the Chamber's podcast series is Dr. Chuck Kokiko, Superintendent of The Jefferson County Educational Service Center. Hear from him how our local school districts have dealt with the pandemic and what the next months and year may look like for them. Also, learn more about what this longtime organization does for our community.
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Covid Defense Team Brings Together Important Resources
Last evening, the first meeting of the newly formed Jefferson County Covid Defense Team was held via conference call with many local leaders in attendance as a result of Governor DeWine calling on community leaders in each county to create a team of professionals to address the spread of COVID-19 in their communities and to focus on what steps are necessary to slow the spread. Spearheaded by the Jefferson County Health Department, the group's primary goal is to ensure on-going communications between local health officials, medical personnel, school districts and the local business community in order to navigate Jefferson County through the pandemic as safely as possible.
As a part of this team's goals, community members and businesses may submit a question via an online form that will be addressed by the group at its next weekly meeting. Click below to submit. And watch your email, the Chamber website and Facebook page and the Jefferson County General Health District's website and Facebook page to stay informed.
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"Ohio Valley Shop Where I Live" - Shop Online At Local Businesses!
Buy products and gift cards from multiple businesses with one shopping cart.
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Last week, the Chamber launched its "Ohio Valley Shop Where I Live" website featuring an online shopping platform that we've made easy, free and effective," Chamber president, Tricia Maple-Damewood commented. "We have over 85 members with no website at all and that just encourages people to shop elsewhere. And I'm excited by the response so far. There are twelve listings already with four gift cards available for purchase."
Want to get involved? The Chamber is very much in need of sponsors to help cover the costs of the program and interns or retired business people to assist our members in getting their online stores set up. (You may do this from home and via phone; and if you're a student, it's a great addition to your resume and a way to meet local businesses). But most importantly, we need businesses to participate to make the site a success. Help us help the local business community as they face incredible challenges. Click below for more information or to get started.
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2020-2021 Shop Where I Live Sponsors: |
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Chamber's Holiday Ornament Sale Is Back.
And they're going fast....
The Chamber is excited to announce the return of their popular Christmas ornament sale. Ornaments may be purchased at the Chamber offices or via phone at 740.282.6226. The price is just $10 per ornament for those picked up and $12 if you would like them shipped. A personal holiday message is included, free of charge, for all shipped orders.
The design features all of the cities and villages in Jefferson County on a clear, acrylic ornament and a bright red ribbon for hanging. Manufactured locally by Nelson's Fine Arts, these ornaments make a great gift and show your support of the local community and the Chamber.
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2021 Membership Directory & Community Guide Coming This Spring
A new look, virtual format and great advertising opportunities
The Chamber's first-ever virtual membership directory & community guide is in the works and will serve many purposes when it goes live in the spring of 2021. The new, interactive version includes ads in the digital GoGuide® that are linked to your website, giving readers one-click access to your business. In addition, advertisers may change out their ad through the year at no charge. This is ideal for businesses and organizations that have seasonal products, special events, or fundraisers to promote. 1,000 hard copy issues will also be printed and distributed at area hotels and throughout the chamber offices to people visiting, new residents, or prospective businesses considering Jefferson County as their home.
You may receive phone calls or emails in the coming weeks from representatives from Lunar Cow, who is partnering with the Chamber on this project.
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Below are the updates from Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor’s latest press conference. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Monday, December 14th at 2:00 PM. You may view it on the WTOV9 website.
- Ohio’s COVID-19 case data:
- 489,078 confirmed cases
- 42,772 probable cases
- 531,850 total cases
- 31,142 hospitalizations
- 6,772 confirmed deaths
- 526 probable deaths
- 7,298 total deaths
- 5,090 ICU admissions
- 361,308 presumed recovered
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More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE.
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Governor DeWine released Ohio's updated Public Health Advisory System map:
- Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark and Summit counties are at Purple Level 4.
- Ashland and Guernsey counties were moved to the Watch List.
- Noble, Harrison and Washington counties moved to Red Level 3 for the first time since implementation of the Advisory System in April.
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Governor DeWine unveiled the new Stay Safe Ohio Protocol. The protocol was developed in partnership with medical professionals across the state to inform Ohioans how to safely live with the virus. Click here to view.
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Governor DeWine announced today that the Ohio Department of Health will be extending the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. statewide curfew until January 2, 2021. Click here for a copy of the order.
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The Ohio Department of Health will issue a variance to the curfew for specific sporting events in Ohio. The start times of these games are dictated by national television contracts, and as a result, the games would not be finished until after the 10 p.m. curfew. More information will be available at coronavirus.ohio.gov in the coming days.
- Lt. Governor Husted encouraged Ohioans to do what they can to support local restaurants during this time, whether it’s by carrying out a meal at least once a week or by ordering delivery. He also recommended giving out restaurant gift cards as gifts for family and friends this holiday season.
- This evening, we learned that we’re one step closer to Ohioans receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. Today, the U.S. FDA Vaccines & Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, a panel of outside experts, voted in favor of endorsing emergency use authorization for the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This recommendation is onto the next step, which is consideration by the FDA.
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First Lady Fran DeWine encouraged Ohioans to consider donating to The Ohio Association of Foodbanks, which serves all 88 counties. The Ohio National Guard has assisted foodbanks throughout the state this year in distributing more than 79 million pounds of food. More information about how to donate can be found at OhioFoodbanks.org/Coronavirus.
- As part of the Administration’s efforts to continue sharing information about COVID-19, our team has created several “Coalition Communication Fact Sheets” for industries, including: agriculture, healthcare, philanthropy, higher-ed, k-12 education, faith based, business, tourism and arts, law enforcement, and local government. These documents will be updated each week and include helpful talking points, sample social media posts, resources, updated COVID data, etc.
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Click here for a COVID-19 vaccine myth vs. fact document.
- Ohioans filed 36,327 initial jobless claims and 271,518 continued 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. In addition, 253,598 Ohioans received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) last week.
- Over the last 38 weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $7.4 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 859,000 Ohioans. Of the more than 1 million applications the agency has received, about 95% have been processed, with about 5% pending. In addition, ODJFS has issued more than $7.2 billion in PUA payments to more than 727,000 Ohioans.
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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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Business Start-Up Web Chat LIVE
Part 1 - Mon., December 14, 2020, 5-6 p.m.
Part 2 - Wed., December 16, 2020, 5-6 p.m.
Have you ever considered starting your own business? Or are you in the early stages of starting a business? If so, join the Ohio Small Business Development Center's Start-Up web chats LIVE with Sue Gaiser, SBDC Advisor and business owner.
The Business Start-Up web chats are an overview of issues related to starting and operating a business. Part one will include how to develop a business idea, preparing for business ownership, considering advantages and disadvantages, writing a business plan, and funding. Part two will include outlined steps to file registration documents, permits and licensing, types of business structures, and record keeping. Each session will last one hour and there is no charge.
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Need Assistance With Covid-Related, Financial Or Accounting Issues?
Utilize our Chamber Member SBA Approved Lenders, Financial Planners & Accountants
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The Chamber Job Bank: Check Out Our Latest Job Openings |
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CONTINUE TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL EATERIES, BREW PUBS, BAKERIES, AND WINERIES.
As the Ohio Valley continues to reopen safely, remember to continue supporting our local, Chamber member food businesses. They are working hard to adapt to your needs and come back from months of restrictions and limitations. Click here for the latest issue of "Let's Eat!"
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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. Submit your Member Morsel by clicking the button below.
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Your best friend needs our best coverage, so give him the health plan he deserves.
Your dog isn't just a companion. He is more like a family member, always ready to lend an ear or an affectionate snuggle. At State Farm, we understand how connected you feel, so we're teaming up with Trupanion to give your furry friend the health coverage they deserve. You can rest easy knowing your dog is covered. There are no payout limits for life. You can choose any vet, and Trupanion can pay them directly. Finally, you choose your own deductible.
For more information, please contact Toni Moreland at 740-537-9500 or email her here. For a downloadable flyer with more information, please click here.
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How does free college sound?
Enroll for the 2021 Spring Semester at EGCC with no out-of-pocket costs.
The Gateway Guarantee offers students in Columbiana, Jefferson, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties FREE College for the Spring Semester starting January 11th. This includes new, continuing and returning EGCC students. An online application and FAFSA form must be completed to be eligible.
On-campus, online, or blended class options, hands on or contactless, Eastern Gateway offers an accelerated, affordable path to the 21st-century workforce. Your future starts here.
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Treat Your Employees to Dinner at Two Undo's Family Restaurants!
Receive a free $25 gift card when you buy $100 worth of gift cards.
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Holiday Inn Of Weirton Offers Extended Black Friday Special!
Book By December 31st!
Their special Black Friday offer has been extended to offer you great discounts for business or leisure travel with 30% off rates for ANY DATES in 2020 or 2021.
Book online at the Holiday Inn Weirton Website or Download the IHG App. Enter Corporate ID: 100279334.
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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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Ohio Chamber’s Employment Law Uniformity Act Takes Important First Step in the Senate, But Further Action is Needed
The Ohio Chamber’s longstanding Employment Law Uniformity Act – HB 352 – took another step towards reaching the governor’s desk and becoming law as the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the bill on Wednesday.
Unlike most first hearings however, the committee also heard from the bill’s proponents which include the Ohio Chamber, NFIB-Ohio, Ohio Farm Bureau, the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice and SHRM-Ohio. For the Ohio Chamber, two members from our Labor & Employment Law Committee shared their expertise with the committee members to highlight why the enactment of HB 352 strikes the appropriate balance of reforming Ohio’s workplace anti-discrimination statutes in a way that improves the Buckeye State’s business and legal climates while also assuring employees who face discrimination at work can pursue appropriate remedies.
Read the article in its entirety by clicking here.
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How Trade, Immigration, and Global Supply Chains Will Defeat the Pandemic
Amid a pandemic that has taken nearly 1.5 million lives worldwide, there’s light at the end of the tunnel: The imminent introduction of two COVID-19 vaccines, with more in the pipeline.
With government approval expected soon, the first people will receive the vaccines produced by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech and, separately, Moderna within weeks.
A third vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, may not be far behind.
These vaccines were produced in record time—beating all but the most optimistic of forecasts. How did this modern miracle of science come about?
The answer is complex but also simple: Scientists, industry, and governments collaborated in an international race against the clock, often with immigrant innovators at the fore, powered by trade networks and supply chains that span the globe.
Read the article in its entirety 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. With each week of "In The Know,"
you to a business book or magazine that will inspire, teach, inform, or elevate you, professionally and personally. This week:
Always Day One
by Alex Kantrowitz
An acclaimed tech reporter reveals the inner workings of the most powerful companies in the world, taking you behind the scenes with Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Google's Sundar Pichai, and Microsoft's Satya Nadella. At Amazon, "Day One" is code for working inventively and urgently, as if it were the first day of your startup. Day Two is, in Bezos's own words, "stasis, followed by irrelevance, followed by excruciating, painful decline, followed by death." Always Day One: How the Tech Titans Plan to Stay On Top Forever takes you deep inside these companies, revealing the uncommon cultures and leadership practices that have kept them from being picked apart by smaller, nimbler competitors. It details how their CEOs will do away with any obstacle blocking the free flow of ideas within their companies, how they're creating systems to bring the best of these ideas to life, and how they're using advanced workplace technology to make it all possible.
View this resource by clicking here.
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Today in History
Billionaire conman Bernard Madoff arrested
- December 11, 2008 -
From History.com: On December 11, 2008, financier Bernard Madoff is arrested at his New York City apartment and charged with masterminding a long-running Ponzi scheme later estimated to involve around $65 billion, making it one of the biggest investment frauds in Wall Street history.
Madoff, who was born in Queens, New York, in 1938, founded a small trading firm bearing his name in 1960. The business was established, in part, with money he earned working as a lifeguard.
Two decades later, Madoff’s firm, which helped revolutionize the way stocks are traded, had grown into one of the largest independent trading operations in the securities industry, and he and his family lived a life of luxury, owning multiple homes, boats and expensive artwork and jewelry.
Based on the success of his legitimate operations, Madoff launched an investment-advisory business as part of his firm, and it was this business that by the 1990s had become a Ponzi scheme, in which he paid his earlier investors with funds received from more recent investors.
For years, clients of this business were sent account statements showing consistently high—and fraudulent—returns. Potential new customers clamored for Madoff to invest their money. However, in 2008, with the U.S. economy in crisis, Madoff’s financial swindle began to fall apart as his clients took money out faster than he could bring in fresh cash.
On December 10, 2008, Madoff revealed to his brother and two sons, who worked for the legitimate arm of his firm, that his investment-advisory business was a fraud and nearly bankrupt. Madoff’s sons turned in their father to federal authorities, who arrested him the next day. Madoff was freed on $10 million bail, and placed under 24-hour house arrest at his penthouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
The fallout from Madoff’s scam was widespread: The victims included everyone from his wealthy country-club acquaintances, Hollywood celebrities, banks and hedge funds to universities, charities and ordinary individual investors, some of whom lost their life savings.
The charitable foundation of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel lost more than $15 million, and Wiesel also lost his personal savings. Public outrage was further stoked when it was revealed that since the late 1990s a private financial fraud investigator, Harry Markopolos, had repeatedly warned the Securities and Exchange Commission about his suspicion that Madoff was operating a massive investment scam.
On March 12, 2009, Madoff pleaded guilty to the 11 felony counts against him, including securities fraud, money laundering and perjury. On June 29 of that year, a federal district court judge in Manhattan sentenced Madoff to 150 years behind bars, calling his actions “extraordinary evil.”
On December 11, 2010, the second anniversary of Madoff’s arrest, his 46-year-old son Mark was found dead in his Manhattan apartment after dying by suicide. Bernard Madoff, who is serving his sentence at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina, has maintained that his family members knew nothing about his crimes and although they have faced intense scrutiny, none have been charged with any wrongdoing.
Several of Madoff’s former employees, including his accountant and chief financial officer, have pleaded guilty in connection with the long-running fraud.
For more events that took place on
December 11th, please click here.
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Did You Know?
The writer who created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was grieving the loss of his wife.
Robert May, a copywriter for Montgomery Ward’s mail order catalog division, was the employee tasked with writing a story and creating a marketable character for the coloring book. May started the process in early 1939, but that summer, his wife died from cancer, leaving him a widower with a 4-year-old daughter. Though his boss tried to reassign the project, May insisted on finishing it himself. “I needed Rudolph more than ever,” he later admitted. He completed the story in August. Though Montgomery Ward could have kept the copyright for themselves, they handed it over to a financially struggling May in 1947.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer can be seen this Sunday, December 13th, at 8 p.m. on CBS affiliate WTRF 7.
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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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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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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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Craig Cribbs, Reso, Inc.
Billing Support
740-275-4940
Contact Craig with invoice or billing questions and to make a dues, event or sponsorship payment.
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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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