On Monday, April 27, Governor Mike DeWine announced
Responsible RestartOhio, which outlines the phased in reopening of many Ohio businesses as well as responsible workplace protocols including the wearing of face coverings.
Beginning May 1 health care providers will be allowed to perform all procedures and surgeries that do not require an overnight stay in a hospital. This also includes dental and veterinary clinics.
On May 4, manufacturing, distribution, construction, general offices may reopen, followed by consumer, retail, and service oriented businesses on Tuesday, May 12.
Other types of businesses, such as dine-in restaurants, bars, casinos, fitness centers, barber shops and hair salons, and amusements parts must remain closed until further notice. No target reopen date was given but the Governor indicated when they reopen will be determined by how the spread of the virus is contained.
All businesses allowed to reopen will be subject to five broad, safe workplace protocols, with each industry cluster also having to comply with additional, industry specific measures.
The new safe workplace requirements mirror the CDC and OSHA workplace recommendations and are designed to minimize the risk of a significant spike in new cases and to protect the health of employees and customers.
The required workplace protocols include:
- Mandatory face coverings for all employees and customers at all times
- Daily health assessments by employers and employees
- Regular workplace cleaning and sanitizing, including between shifts; and
- Capacity limitations, including maximum capacity of no more than 50% of fire code building capacity and appointment setting when possible
Other industry-specific mandatory practices:
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Personal Protective equipment (PPE)
We know PPE is especially hard to secure. We have compiled a list of vendors where you can find PPE.
Contact John Conlin via
email or call 419-436-1818
-What they could source from their vendors was still being determined.
Please John call for details.
Contact Phyllis Hays via
email or call 419-443-0820 ext 344
-Single Use Masks
-KN95 Masks
-signage, floor decals, protective counter barriers
-Washable Masks with or without your logo options available
This is a Facebook group coordinating individuals making fabric masks from their homes. This could be an appropriate solution for smaller or personal orders.
For large quantity orders of PPE, we recommend using a NOACC (Northern Ohio Association of Chambers of Commerce) vendor with whom they have negotiated discounted rates.
Click here to view the flyer and access the
website
Great Lakes is working hard to order supplies for businesses and will be holding inventory specifically for you. To communicate with Great Lakes about the items you are in need of and what they have in stock please contact either
Jon Marsh at or .....
Items they are working to have in stock:
Cleaning Supplies, Hand Sanitizer, toilet paper, furnace filters, plastic sheeting for barriers
Ohio Emergency PPE Maker's Exchange
This is an online marketplace where organizations that need PPE and related equipment can find a wide selection offered by Ohio manufacturers. This site is well suited for organizations that have lower volume needs such as nursing homes, police departments and small business employers. CIFT, a member of the Ohio Development Services Agency in coordination with Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership, has launched this exchange.
Click here for information and to participate in the Exchange.
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None of us expected to ever be in this situation due to a global pandemic, but here we are and we need to change how we do business and how we move forward with a stronger business model. We have created the
Small Business Resiliency Toolkit
to provide resources to help you during this time to make your business resilient and hopefully come back even stronger. We continue to seek helpful resources and will be adding more regularly. If you are seeking help on a specific topic, please reach out and let us know:
Sarah@FostoriaChamber.com
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Fostoria Area Businesses please send us your photos like those
in the video below. Be sure to use the
#InThisTogetherOhio
logo. Click here for a
pdf
or a
png
of the logo are available on our website, or create your own. Deadline to participate is May 15th. Message your photos in Facebook Messenger to our Facebook page or email them to
Sarah@FostoriaChamber.com
.
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For more legislative updates from the Ohio Chamber visit
allforohio.com
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OHIO COMMON SENSE INITIATIVE
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The BWC continues to make policy and process changes due to the COVID-19 emergency. There are several timely and important topics to review closely at this time:
- BWC is currently delivering Estimated Annual Premium letters to employers for the 2020 policy year (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021). BWC’s 2020 payroll estimates are based on actual payroll reported for the year ending 6/30/2019.
However, BWC is reducing 2020 payroll estimates by approximately 20% due to assumed COVID-19 business challenges. This could impact what employers will owe when completing BWC’s 2020 True-Up Report (due
August 15, 2021).
- Currently BWC does not charge penalties or interest if employers underreport estimated payroll, however employers may want to adjust their 2020 estimated payroll to avoid a large 2020 True-Up (due 8/15/2021).
- Employers can revise their 2020 premium installment schedule to better match 2020 cash flow estimates. Monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual options are available. May 15, 2020 is the last day BWC accepts changes to employer’s 2020 installment plans.
- BWC is also allowing employers to add manual #8871 – Telecommuting, for operational employees temporarily working at home.
- May 29, 2020 is the enrollment deadline for BWC’s Transitional Work Bonus, Drug Free Safety Program and Industry Specific Safety Program for the policy year starting July 1, 2020.
BWC will provide rebates for the 2019 Safety Council Program as long as employers attended at least 4 monthly meetings by February 29, 2020.
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Ohio BWC to offer Free
Trenching Webinar
Monday, May 4 at 3:30-5:30 p.m.
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We added a new section to our member update,
"5 things about your business you would like the community to know." We use this information to post on our #MemberSpotlightMonday on our Facebook page. So complete the update and we will help spread the word about your business!
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Member Benefits that can save you $$$
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Our SOCA Benefit Plan through Anthem can now enroll sole proprietors.
Anthem and SOCA are very pleased to announce that the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance (SOCA) Benefit Plan is making room for sole proprietors. They can enroll in the plan starting
July 1.
The broker community has already received instructions from Anthem regarding new case submission. Quoting starts
April 20.
An eligible sole proprietor must:
· Meet underwriting requirements.
· Work more than 30 hours per week (documentation required).
· Submit a cover page for Form 1040 with Schedule C or Form 1040 with Schedules F and SE.
Regulations limit sole proprietor membership to 10 percent of total SOCA Benefit Plan membership.
This is limited to sole proprietors. Presently this offer is not intended for non-profit organizations with one employee.
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Mix 96.7 and WFOB/ESPN have extended the advertising special for Chamber members. They extended this offer to assist business continue to advertise during this time!
Contact Todd Groves at 419-619-2507 for more information.
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Our Community Energy Program partner, Community Energy Advisors, has stepped up to help Chambers across Ohio including ours. They already provide us with a great benefit for you, saving you $$$ on your gas and electric bills. From this they provide us a commission for each member who participates. They will be increasing our commission on each new member that signs up for the cost savings program to help our Chamber face our financial hardships due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
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The Review Times
NWO
H&R Block
Callies
RR&D Master Automotive Care
Charter Steel
Clouse Construction
Hitchings Insurance
Filmtec Fabrications
Financial Design Agency
Southside Carryout
Oak Villas
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CSI Insurance
NSI Crankshaft
Superior Credit Union
First Insurance Group
Olmstead's Hauling
BR Pallet
UIS Insurance
AEP
Zender Electric
Diversified Graphics
Fostoria Kiwanis Club
Alpha Coatings
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The Whippy Dip is the oldest ice cream shop in Fostoria, first opening 65 years ago. The new owners are Fostoria natives Joe and Melissa Mason who have fond memories of walking to the Whippy Dip for a cool treat as kids. They saw the great potential in the Whippy Dip and have embraced the community's nostalgia for the historical spot and are excited to have brought it back to life.
The Whippy Dip will offer traditional flavors of soft serve ice cream, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, but will also offer eight specialty flavors thanks to a new Flavor Burst system. In addition they will offer shakes, sundaes, flurries and sandwiches including the Whippy Dip's original shredded chicken sandwich recipe.
To see updates and the full menu follow
Whippy Dip
on Facebook.
Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Be sure to stop our and support this local, veteran owned business!
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In May, ProMedica Fostoria Community Hospital will proudly celebrate 90 years of serving the citizens of Fostoria and its surrounding three counties. Since its opening in 1930, the hospital has deepened its roots and has grown to become an anchor institution in the community.
Fostoria Community Hospital lives out its mission to improve health and well-being not only by treating the community when they are sick, but also by looking beyond its four walls and investing in the people they serve.
One way they do this is through volunteerism. In 2019, members of the hospital’s leadership team dedicated over 900 hours of volunteering to different causes and community organizations. Additionally, its emergency center nurses provided education, training and kits to the
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Fostoria Police Department, Geary Family YMCA, Fostoria Community Schools and Hopewell Loudon Schools as part of the Stop the Bleed campaign, which encourages bystanders to become trained, equipped and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives.
Beyond volunteerism, the hospital strives to give back to the community in other ways, including by hosting its annual free community health fair, supporting local students pursuing healthcare with annual scholarship awards, and holding pop tab drives to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Fostoria Community Hospital is pleased to be a strong community partner and live by its motto:
here
today, here to stay
.
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ProMedica Fostoria Community Hospital Marks 90 Years Serving the Community this May
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Our members are doing GREAT things!
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Shelly Thomas owner of
Fit N Dance Shakin it with Shelly
is doing her part to help honor area seniors. She is inviting parents of graduating seniors to put something together honoring their student on an 8.5 x 11 sign of which she will display in her storefront.
Private message Shelly on FB for details.
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Students
3D Print Face Shields
The Sentinel & Hopewell-Loudon /New Riegel Agricultural & Engineering Technologies and Robotics programs have printed over 350 face shield head gear for Seneca County Emergency Management to be distributed to Tiffin Mercy Hospital, first responders, nursing homes, & health care offices throughout Seneca County. Great job!!!!
Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow!
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Big Bear Muffler
showed their appreciation to all medical personnel by sending out their Big Bear to spread some cheer to passers by. He practiced social distancing of course and even donned a mask.
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Naomi Karr Photography, local entrepreneur and one of our Get Started Workshop participants, was hoping this would be her year to turn her hobby into a thriving business. With the current economic situation, she has had to pivot and is now offering free porch picture for graduating seniors in their cap and gowns to spread cheer and encouragement during this time. She is also offering $10 family porch pics. Find details on her
FB page.
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The 2020 Census is underway. Please encourage your employees to complete the census as information gathered in the census helps our community in a multitude of ways, one of which is funding.
Click here to view an info graph about the Census.
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Download the PocketSights mobile app from Apple App Store or Get it from Google Play
to take this self-guided tour on your GPS-enabled mobile device.
The app will guide you through downtown Fostoria, Ohio to see outdoor sculptures, murals and barn quilt squares, including more information about each stop along the way!
Downtown Art Walk – Fostoria, Ohio
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Art Work in Downtown with a Walking Tour:
“Downtown Art Walk - Fostoria, Ohio”
There is a separate PocketSights tour specifically for the eight sculptures that are part of the 2019/2020 Midwest Sculpture Initiative tour in Fostoria.
Check them out!
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Callies Performance Products
AgCredit
Financial Design Agency of Ohio
Beerco
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Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau | 419-435-0486 | www.FostoriaOhio.org
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