County Chamber of Commerce BUSINESS BRIEFS FEBRUARY 5, 2016 225 W. Washington Row Sandusky, OH 44870 PHONE: 419/625-6421 FAX: 419/625-7914 Website: www.eriecountychamber.com E-mail:
[email protected] Like us on The Business Briefs will be a bi-weekly publication beginning the month of February. Advertising is available to our members at a reasonable fee. Please contact the Chamber office at 419-625-6421 to request a form that outlines the specs and pricing. Business Briefs goes out to over 900 people!
A message from Pamela Smith: WOW! One of the best Taste of the North Coast events yet! So well attended … we estimate that approximately 1300 people came through! The vendors were happy and, most importantly, the people who attended were happy! A BIG thank you to KALAHARI AND STAFF, all of our VENDORS, SPONSORS, VOLUNTEERS, BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS, and all of our MEMBERS for your tireless efforts in the success of Taste of the North Coast! We’re excited to see the video of the event! Look for it on the www.eriecountychamber.com website! Our Leadership group continues to meet and the last meeting’s topic was education held at Sandusky High School. The featured speakers were Jim Sennish, Vice President of Human Resources at Firelands Regional Medical Center and Jim Krancevic, Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer of CIVISTA Bank, Nancy Zeekman, Director of Sandusky Career Center and Brandy Bennett, Financial Aid/Admissions Coordinator, Sandusky Career Center. BW-3’S BUFFALO WILD WINGS BUSINESS AFTER HOURS! Thanks to Tyler, Maurice, and staff for a great business after hours! The wings were soooo good, and the company was even better! One of our established members made the comment that he didn’t know anyone! That’s a good thing! A lot of new members were there and a lot of our regular attendees did show up. There was a lot of networking going on and a lot of connections made! Look out for UPCOMING EVENTS in this newsletter!
_________________________________ BUSINESS AFTER HOURS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
DANNY BOYS ITALIAN EATERY RSVP to
[email protected] or call 419-625-6421!
SAVE THE DATE! WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20TH, 2016, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm The Erie County Chamber of Commerce is presenting the 2016 BUSINESS CONNECTION EXPO at Lyman Harbor Open to the Public! Be on the lookout for Vendor Information and Sponsorship Opportunities!
MEMBERS! For your convenience, Chamber Membership Dues renewals can now be paid online! You can also select re-occurring payments so that your membership renewal is always on-time!
INFORMATIONAL SESSION HOSTED BY GREATER CLEVELAND PARTNERSHIP
Your Chamber, on behalf of our Business Services Committee, just presented the annual Economic Forecast hosted by premier Economist, Dr. Ken Mayland. It was a very well-received program focusing on the Challenges for the 2016 Presidential Election Year. Along that same vein, our friends at the Greater Cleveland Partnership are presenting an information session on how the Fed’s decision to raise the interest rate will impact your company during this time of global economic uncertainty. Information is below:
“As you may know, equities markets have been experiencing a rapid decline over the past few weeks due to falling oil prices, weak manufacturing data from China and the Fed’s decision to raise interest rates. Toward this end, middle market companies deeply troubled about their growth forecasts in 2016. To help our member middle market companies weather the storm, please join me and middle market executives from across the region for an informational session on how the Fed’s policy decision will impact your company during this time of global economic uncertainty. GCP Middle-Market C-Suite Forum "Monetary Policy and the Middle Market: Lowering your exposure to higher interest rates" For the first time since 2008, the Federal Reserve Bank is raising its benchmark interest rate from near zero to between 0.25 percent and 0.5 percent, offering insight on the Fed’s position on the U.S. economy. As a middle-market C-suite executive, you'll want to know how this could impact your company and the Northeast Ohio economy. To find out, please join us on Wednesday, February 24 for our first middle-market forum of the year to hear what the experts have to say. They'll provide insights into key concerns including:
As the economy nudges towards full employment, will the Fed continue to hike rates in light of recent market volatility and a weak global economy?
U.S. monetary policy goes in the opposite direction of other central banks. How will the market distortions affect U.S. companies?
Recently the Japanese Central Bank followed the European Central Bank taking interest rates into negative territory. Will other Central banks follow suit? How does this affect the value of the dollar?
Date: Wednesday, February 24 Time: 7:30 to 8 a.m. Registration and Networking 8 to 9 a.m. Program Place: GCP Offices, 1240 Huron Road East in PlayhouseSquare Our speakers:
Edwin A. Martinez, Managing Director, Derivative Products Group, PNC Bank Kerry B. Stealey, Managing Director, Foreign Exchange, PNC Bank
Click to read more and RVSP.
BLOCK ADVISORS! Thanks to our members, BLOCK ADVISORS, for hosting an open house and ribbon cutting to showcase their beautiful renovated office in the Outback plaza! Block Advisors is open year-round and provide a variety of financial services to the community!
News from some of our members! Wickens, Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista Co. Announces New Appointments Avon, OH, January 18, 2016 – Wickens, Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista Co. today announced the promotions of Benjamin M. Cooke and Philip J. Truax to Shareholder, effective January 1, 2016. "The Shareholders of WHP are proud to welcome and congratulate Ben and Phil on this wonderful milestone. They are shining examples of the professionalism demanded of WHP attorneys and are outstanding stewards in guiding our clients through the challenges of their business ventures," said Firm President Matt Nakon. Mr. Cooke is a member of the Business Organizations & Tax Department and serves on the Firm's Board of Directors. Mr. Cooke focuses his practice on corporate and business matters. He handles business organization and formation, business contract issues, mergers and acquisitions, real estate matters, banking and financing, employment issues, bankruptcy and records retention/e-discovery. He also represents a number of individuals, including professional athletes, in their business ventures from start-up to operation to disposition. Mr. Cooke is active in the community, serving as a committee member for St. Ignatius High School, the West Side Catholic Center, and the National CMV Foundation. Mr. Truax is a member of the Litigation and Real Estate & Construction Departments and serves on the Firm's Board of Directors. He focuses primarily on a variety of construction and real estate matters, and business litigation. Mr. Truax works with contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers to negotiate their contracts and to preserve, pursue, and defend claims in connection with public and private improvement projects Mr. Truax is also active in the community. He is a Board member for Leadership Lorain County, a founding member of the Bridge Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland, and works with the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce, Lorain County Bar Association, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
PAYNE NICKLES & COMPANY NEWS! PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY – Payne Nickles & Company CPAs, a public accounting firm with offices located in Norwalk and Sandusky, Ohio announced they have joined CPASNET. CPAsNET.com is a leading consortium of independent accounting firms that represent more than 100 partners, 300 professional associates and 500 employees. Member firms have pooled their resources to provide their clients with the local, national and international prospective needed to prosper in challenging markets and times. Payne Nickles & Company CPAs was selected based on a number of criteria, including the expertise and business acumen they provide to their clients in the following Ohio Counties: Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, Crawford, Richland, Ashland, Lorain, Cleveland, Erie and Huron. Through their membership in CPASNET, they are able to provide their clients with the multitude of resources available only from the Nation’s largest accounting and business consulting firms for a fraction of the cost. “Payne Nickles & Company CPAs is committed to developing creative solutions for financial challenges. Learning what other successful firms are doing will enhance our ability to succeed,” explains Carl McGookey, managing partner, on why they chose to join CPAsNET. “We are looking forward to being a member.”
