We're back! After a week of vacation and a round of COVID, I'm finally back to work. Just before we left, I had the great honor of assisting with the ribbon cutting for the Great Darke County Fair.

We are adding new benefits for our members on a regular basis. See below for an exciting new opportunity to save money on shipping costs, whether you ship once a day or once a year!

I don't mention our Board of Directors enough. We recently added some new members to the Board and I want to thank each and everyone who is serving and has served to set the focus and direction of the Chamber. Below you will find a list of our officers and directors.

Have a great week!

Peggy

For a complete list of Member Benefits, Programs and links for more information, please check out our website!

I am so excited to share this new benefit with all of our members. We are able to provide this through a great partnership with the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance.

Chamber member businesses now have two ways to save on shipping:

Receive exceptional discounts on small package shipments through the FedEx Advantage program.

45% off on FedEx Express® shipping

25% off on FedEx Ground® shipping

25% off on FedEx Home Delivery®

PartnerShip helps members reduce their LTL freight costs and ship smarter.

Receive competitive pricing from TForce Freight, YRC, XPO, Saia, and others

Benefit from personalized service from industry experts

Gain access to tools to easily manage your shipments and save time

Friday, September 9, 2022 8:30 AM

Thursday, September 22, 2022 8:00 AM

Justice Pat DeWine began his six-year term on the Supreme Court of Ohio on Jan. 2, 2017, following his statewide election in November 2016. An excellent writer, Justice DeWine is known for the quality and thoroughness of his legal opinions. His opinions reflect his strong belief in judicial restraint and his respect for the constitutional roles of the other coequal branches of government.

Justice DeWine will join the Legislative Committee for an update on what is happening at the Supreme Court.

Get registered now for our September Safety Council Meeting. Go to www.darkecountyohio.com to get registered!

Want to know more about benefits that are available to Chamber Members? Check out www.darkecountyohio.com/benefits

COVID forced many employees to work from home, whether they wanted to or not. As recovery continues employee and employers are deciding between their preferred work location. Many employees chose to remain at home even when their business called them back. Some employers, on the other hand, decided to trim costs and allow employees to stay home indefinitely. This battle between home and the office also created a third group--those who are leaving the traditional workforce to “do their own thing.”

As we have seen with recent rising costs like skyrocketing property and rent, increasing fuel charges, and groceries, the dollar just isn’t covering what it used to. Salaries aren’t keeping up with costs. The average increase in salaries since 2021 is 3.4%, while the average increase in costs (the inflation rate) is 8.5%. For this reason, it is becoming increasingly harder not only for business owners to make a sizeable profit, but for their employees to make what they need to cover running their households. 58% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and with inflation outpacing salary increases by more than double, financial troubles are getting worse.

What previously was an “either or” situation of working for someone or working on your own, has become yet another “hybrid model.” Many employees are now working for someone and on their own to make ends meet. It’s possible a good portion of your employees have a side hustle. Here’s why you should be happy about that:

Why You Should Support Your Employee’s Side Hustle

When some business owners hear their employees have a side hustle, they get concerned. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

Click image for more information.

Small business owners continue to hire, but 49% (seasonally adjusted) of owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period.

“The labor market continues to be a significant challenge for small business owners,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. “Owners are managing several economic headwinds and continue to make business adjustments to mitigate lost sales opportunities due to staffing shortages. Almost half of owners are raising compensation to attract workers for their open positions.”

Small business owners’ plans to fill open positions remain elevated, with a seasonally adjusted net 21% planning to create new jobs in the next three months, up one point from July.

A net 46% (seasonally adjusted) reported raising compensation, down two points from July and four points below the record high set in January. A net 26% plan to raise compensation in the next three months.

Overall, 63% of owners reported hiring or trying to hire in August. Of those trying to hire, 89% of owners reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. Thirty-one percent of owners reported few qualified applicants for their open positions and 26% reported none.

Forty-one percent of owners have openings for skilled workers and 24% have openings for unskilled labor. Sixty-six percent of the job openings in the construction industry are for skilled workers, up six points from July. Seventy-one percent of construction firms reported few or no qualified applicants, up four points.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee (OCCPAC) announced the endorsement of 50 candidates for the Ohio General Assembly and 6 candidates for statewide office in the November 8 general election. The endorsements include 12 candidates for the Ohio Senate and 38 candidates for the Ohio House of Representatives. This is in addition to the previously announced endorsements for the Ohio Supreme Court in June of 2022.  “The OCCPAC confidently endorses these candidates for election in the 2022 general election,” said Steve Stivers, President and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. “Through our comprehensive research and interview process, we concluded that these candidates will fit the needs of Ohio’s business community by working to create a strong, competitive economy in which businesses can thrive.” Click here for the complete list.

We thank the Diamond Circle and Executive Prestige level members

for their ongoing support of the Darke County Chamber of Commerce.