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Call Us:
937.548.2102
Email:
info@darkecountyohio.com
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Darke County's Premier Source For Business And Community Development |
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Greetings!
One of my favorite weeks of the year is Vacation Bible School! And I've spent my mornings with a great bunch of local kids this week (here are a few of my bucket drummers!). Next week is back to normal but it's good to know our future is in the hands of some pretty amazing young people here in Darke County.
Below you will find an article from the Ohio State AG's office about watching for home improvement scams. Be sure to check that one out and share it with anyone you know, especially those who have had recent storm damage.
Golf Outing registration is open and linked below. Let us know if you would like to donate "swag" for the golfers' bags. We need about 100 of each item!
Peggy
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New Members
We want to welcome the following new member to the Chamber of Commerce:
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CLR Eggs, LLC
13250 St. Rt. 118
Rossburg, Ohio 45362
937-730-0288
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We cannot wait to see everyone for our 60th Annual Golf Outing on August 1, 2022.
The Chamber Golf Outing is the oldest in Darke County and sign up is currently underway for golf teams as well as hole and cart sponsorships.
The team fee this year is $400 and includes a full breakfast, green fees and golf carts, Buy the Pro, Skirts, and Mulligans, plus a great dinner. Individual golfers are $125.
Hole and cart sponsorships are available for $100.
The event sponsors are Park National Bank and Wayne HealthCare.
Hole-In-One Sponsors are Dave Knapp Ford Lincoln, Hittle Buick GMC, and Troutwine Auto Sales.
Click the link below to register your team and/or reserve your sponsorship. (Don't know who will play yet? That's OK! Just enter "Player" in each name slot until you are sure who the team will be!)
Deadline to register is Friday, July 22, 2022.
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SAFETY COUNCIL
We are excited to officially announce that Safety Council is back in action! Companies who wish to participate will need to register for the year by July 31, 2022.
Cost is $120 per person, which covers the cost of lunches. For more information and to sign up, please click the button below.
July 14 - Mark Pohl from Pohl Group will be speaking on threats in the workplace and how to protect your customers and employees in case of violence. You won't want to miss it!
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Want to join a committee or council to get more involved?
Contact the Chamber to let us know.
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(Please include the Chamber on your press release distribution list so we can include your information and updates here.) |
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The State of Small Business
The chamber is the Voice of Business and as the Voice of Business, there’s something we feel the need to express to everyone in this community. Inflation is being felt everywhere, from Fortune 500 companies to solopreneurs just starting out.
However, the difference between large-scale companies and smaller ones are their reserves. According to JP Morgan Chase, the average small business runs with only 27 days of operating expenses in reserves. Increases in utilities, goods and services, real estate, and gas costs; supply chain issues impacting delivery; and employee shortages have taken a toll on businesses, especially our smaller ones.
In this challenging time, while you are dealing with your own concerns over stretching your paycheck, we want to share some things you might not realize.
Small Business Pricing Stats (April 2022, Goldman Sachs)
- 91% of small businesses said they have been negatively impacted by rising costs, supply chain, and workforce challenges, up from 86% in January 2022
- 73% said increasing energy costs are negatively impacting their bottom lines
- 56% believe the issues have gotten worse since the start of the year
- 74% are currently hiring, 90% are finding it difficult to fill the positions
- 88% have said inflationary pressures have increased in 2022
- 67% have increased wages to keep/attract employees
- 42% have lost employees to larger companies
- 75% are seeing a rise in their operating costs, yet only 40% are raising prices
Let’s repeat that last one. Three quarters of small businesses are seeing a rise in their costs but less than half have raised prices. Costs are going up. These businesses have held out as long as they could. Soon those that haven’t already will raise their prices. It’s inevitable. Before you react to this, please consider…
Responding to Increased Prices
Businesses need our support, and they need our patience. This is a last resort for many small businesses because they are very close to their customers. They don’t want to pass on their costs. They know customers have their own pricing concerns and their paychecks are not going nearly as far as they used to.
You may see closures on days the businesses used to be open or experience limited hours to help with staff shortages. Be understanding of this. By limiting their hours, they are trying to remain in business and cover the employee shortage they’re facing.
Businesses may reduce the services they offer or the secondary costs. Bars, for instance, may cut back on bands to save money. Table your complaints. They’re doing the best they can right now to make enough profit and cut costs to stay in business.
According to the National Federation of Independent Business, 31% of small businesses are taking on debt to help keep costs low. So, they need your continued support and understanding.
This may seem like a bleak picture for small businesses, but we have had some wonderful success stories over the past year as well. There are new businesses growing. People are starting their own enterprises even through these tough times.
Business owners are resilient, hardworking, problem-solvers. People who go to work for themselves believe in the service or product they provide. As the saying goes entrepreneurs would “rather work 80 hours for themselves, than 40 for someone else.” We have faith in business owners and we’re doing our best to help by giving them the resources to work through these extraordinary challenges, but we need your help.
Bottom Line
Small businesses need you to:
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Show up. Keep patronizing them.
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Put up. Costs are increasing for everyone. They are not here to gouge you.
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Support them. If not through purchases than through reviews, word-of-mouth, or referring someone looking for work.
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Pass the message along. Remind others what businesses are going through. It’s stressful wondering how you’ll make payroll, pay your suppliers or your landlord.
We’ll get through this together, but it won’t happen by making small business owners and employees feel dumb or guilty for trying to do what’s necessary to stay open.
Christina Metcalf is a writer/ghostwriter who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She loves road trips, hates exclamation points, and believes the world would be a better place if we all had our own theme song that played when we entered the room. What would yours be?
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost
Watch Out for Home Improvement Scammers
As outside temperatures heat up, Ohioans will no doubt be faced with decisions for home improvement projects ranging from staining decks to installing new roofs. Unfortunately, some contractors prove to be less than reputable. It’s important that you do your homework before approving any contractor improvements to your home. This includes getting more than one estimate and asking for contact information of prior customers who can vouch for the contractor’s work.
Home improvement scammers often ask for large down payments but simply take the money and run, leaving homeowners with no repairs and no refunds. Then, they usually move on to another customer to repeat their scheme.
Some bad contractors may start a significant project only to stop their work without any notice, leaving a job unfinished. They may try to stall with false promises to finish the job, or they may ignore phone calls altogether. Others may simply perform shoddy work, leaving homeowners with projects that need to be completely redone.
In February, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office announced 70 criminal charges against a home improvement contractor in southeast Ohio, who allegedly stole more than $400,000 from homeowners, including four elderly victims. Patrick Wilson, of Morgan County, allegedly accepted large down payments from clients to buy building materials for decks, pole barns, garages and houses, but he never delivered the supplies, completed the work or refunded the money. A total of 34 people from Ohio and West Virginia say they lost a combined $412,000 to Wilson from January 2017 through June 2019.
Follow these tips to help avoid becoming a scammer’s next victim:
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Before signing a contract or making a payment, check a company’s reputation with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau. Conduct an internet search for the business and the names of individuals involved.
- Do not make a large down payment. Instead, pay in increments – for example, one-third at the beginning of the job, one-third after half of the work is completed to your satisfaction and one-third when the job is completed.
- Avoid paying in cash. It leaves you with a limited paper trail when something goes wrong.
- Get any promises the contractor makes in writing.
- Be cautious of contractors who want payment made out to themselves as individuals, instead of a company.
- Understand that Ohio’s Home Solicitation Sales Act provides consumers with a three-day cancellation period for most contracts signed at their own home, including many home improvement contracts. The law also applies to contracts signed at any location that is not a company’s normal place of business (such as a home improvement show).
- Look for the red flags of a traveling scam artist. If a contractor claims to have leftover materials from a nearby job or offers unbelievably low prices, be suspicious.
Consumers who suspect a scam or an unfair business practice should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.
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Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted
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Ohio’s 3.9% unemployment rate is a low only seen at few points in our state’s history. Our team remains hyper-focused on efforts to elevate Ohio’s dedicated business climate and workforce environment by supporting our education and training providers, students, employees, job seekers, entrepreneurs, and employers through smart, targeted funding efforts, deregulation, and modernization, embracing technology, innovation, the efficiencies of the private sector, short-term credentialing and on-the-job training/upskilling investments, and career readiness initiatives. Our ultimate goal remains to make Ohio the most innovative, entrepreneurial, business-friendly state in the country by breaking down regulatory barriers for the private sector, embracing technology and innovation, and offering the highest level of customer service from a public policy standpoint to all Ohioans.
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Upcoming Chamber Events & Meetings |
June 29 - Ambassadors - Double M Diner - 7:30 AM
July 8 - HR Council - Chestnut Village Community Center - 8:30 AM
July 11 - Executive Committee - Virtual - 7:30 AM
July 14 - Chamber Board of Directors Meeting - DREC Community Room - 8:00 AM
July 14 - Safety Council - Birchwood Training Center - 11:30 AM
July 22 - Coalition for a Healthy Darke County Board Meeting - 8:00 AM
July 27 - Ambassadors - Double M Diner - 7:30 AM
July 28 - Legislative Committee - 8:00 AM - Virtual
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We thank the Diamond Circle and Executive Prestige level members
for their ongoing support of the Darke County Chamber of Commerce.
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130 Martz Street, Suite 5
Greenville, Ohio 45331
Phone: 937.548.2102
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