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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!
It's a busy week in Darke County! The Chamber will be in the Annie Oakley Days Parade on Saturday and you can find me staffing the Darke County Visitor's Bureau tent on Saturday afternoon. Stop by and say "Hey!" (DCVB has been posting these awesome photos of Annie Oakley all over. Big shout out to Lauren for doing such a great job taking these!)
Plus MANY of our members have special events and sales all weekend. You won't want to miss the fun in Greenville.
Then Monday, the 6oth Annual Golf Outing is happening at Stillwater Valley Golf Club. It's always a great day to network, but the office will be open limited hours on Monday.
See you around!
Peggy
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New Members
We want to welcome the following new member to the Chamber of Commerce:
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1984 Creative Group
32 E Main Street
Versailles, Ohio 45380
937-423-5050
https://www.1984Creative.com/
We are a full service design, screen printing, embroidery, branding and promotional product store specializing in merchandise for schools, businesses, non profits, events and families. We offer a retail store in downtown Versailles and online sales through our website.
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11:30 AM - Check-in and Lunch
12:00 PM - Program presentation
1:00 PM - Dismissal
Birchwood Training Center
5844 Jaysville-St Johns Rd, Greenville, OH 45331
RSVP Deadline is Friday, August 5
Everyone is invited to our next Safety Council Meeting. Even if you are not a "member" of Safety Council for the year, you are still invited to participate in this great falls training.
3M's fleet of specialized vehicles will bring on-site, hands-on fall protection demonstrations to our meeting. This provides an excellent introduction to fall protection.
There is no charge for the program for 2022/23 members, but we do ask that you RSVP to be sure we have enough great food (Chicken and noodles this time!) Non members have a fee for lunch and the program of $15 per person.
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New Member Benefit Available
Attract and retain employees with this unique benefit
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Click the image below for more information. |
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Legislative Committee
If you missed yesterday's Legislative Committee with our Republican candidates for Monday's Primary, you can watch it here.
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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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Are You a Neurodiverse-friendly Business?
If you’ve recently picked up a write up on Most Loved Workplaces or Best Places to Work, you may be surprised to see that good benefits and higher than average salaries aren’t contributing to those titles anymore, but then neither is having a Foosball table. Employees (and customers) want more.
While many businesses are launching diversity initiatives, there’s one area of diversity you may not have considered—neurodiversity. There are several ways to be designated a neurodiverse-friendly business, whether that’s creating a more inviting atmosphere for neurodiverse customers or creating a workplace where all employees are comfortable and valued.
Over the past two decades, identification as a neurodiverse individual has increased 600% so ensuring your business embraces this aspect of diversity is growing in importance.
Neurodiversity in the Workplace
If you want to make your business more diverse from this perspective, you’ll want to consider:
- Your hiring and recruitment process. Neurodiverse candidates may have a difficult time interviewing in a traditional setting.
- A mentor program. Helping neurodiverse employees see others who have succeeded before them can improve retention rate. SAP’s Autism at Work Program is a model for many companies. Our Darke DD is a great resource for local help!
- Your onboarding program. What is a typical first day on the job and what ways can you design a program that helps neurodiverse candidates thrive? With Dell’s program “neurodiverse applicants are guided through a series of projects and interactions with leaders, drawing upon a wide array of skills. There are multiple career avenues offered to neurodiverse people, ranging from direct hire to paid internships.”
For smaller businesses, these programs may seem out of your reach. However, you can still incorporate aspects of them on a smaller scale. For instance, be cognizant of the interview process and inquiries you receive from potential employees. You may need to alter your expectations on things like eye contact from every interviewee. Understanding the neurodiverse job candidate can help you create a more diverse employee base.
Welcoming the Neurodiverse Customer
In addition to creating a more diverse work culture, think about how you can improve the experience of your customers. The Autism Society is challenging businesses to create more friendly experiences for everyone. You can fill out their form to become listed as an Autism-friendly business. They’re looking for businesses that do things like:
- Train employees to create positive environments. Breeze Airways partnered with Autism Double-Checked and trains its flight attendants to help alleviate the stresses of air travel for its passengers with an autism diagnosis.
- Create appealing spaces. According to the Autism Society, “individuals with an autism diagnosis are impacted by sensory issues such as lighting, noise, and crowds; and because a business’s customer service staff might not otherwise understand autism and how best to address the customer who has an autism diagnosis, becoming autism friendly helps the business understand how to adapt to best serve their customers with autism and allows the customer who is impacted by autism to utilize and benefit from the services of a business.” In 2019, Pittsburgh International Airport opened a space dedicated to ensuring travelers with sensory sensitivities can decompress and get acclimated to a real aircraft cabin, to help alleviate anxiety.
Over 3.5 million people are estimated to be diagnosed with autism in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of autism among children is 1 out of 59, and that does not span all neurodiverse diagnosis, only autism and its spectrum. If you are considering a commitment to diversity in your business, you may want to consider neurodiversity as well.
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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Darke County Health Department |
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To prepare for the next school year, the Darke County Health Department will be hosting two vaccine clinics from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2nd and Tuesday, August 9th. These are walk-in clinics, no appointments are necessary. The Darke County Health Department is located at 300 Garst Ave, Greenville, Ohio. These clinics will run while supplies last.
These clinics are for students who are incoming 7th and 12th graders in the fall. During these clinics, students will have the opportunity to receive Tdap, Menveo, Meningitis B, and HPV vaccines. Those going into the 7th grade can be administered Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis) and Menveo (Meningococcal) vaccines. Incoming 12th graders have the opportunity to receive the Menveo, Meningitis B, and HPV vaccines. Families can avoid the wait late this summer and in the fall by coming to these clinics.
For billing purposes, those who have medical coverage should bring a copy of their insurance card. A copy of the card will be made onsite and then the insurance company will be billed.
Students under the age of 18 need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Those 18 and over must wait 15 minutes after the vaccine if they are driving themselves.
For any questions or additional information on this clinic or state vaccine requirements, please contact the Health Department at 937-548-4196 ext. 224.
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Upcoming Chamber Events & Meetings |
August 1 - Chamber Golf Outing - Stillwater Valley Golf Club
August 8 - Executive Committee - 7:30 AM - Virtual
August 11 - Safety Council - 11:30 AM - Birchwood Training Center
August 12 - Elected Officials Ag Tour
August 19 - Fair Ribbon Cutting - 7:30 AM
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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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