Regionalism has been a buzz word for some time and the Chambers in Lorain County became part of it back in 1987 when the Elyria Chamber of Commerce and the Lorain Chamber of Commerce chose to merge into the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce to provide more efficiencies and create an economic development team to move Lorain County forward.

Since then the Lorain County Chamber has been involved in a number of efforts bring organizations together to promote resource sharing and collaboration for the betterment of Lorain County. A few of our efforts are – the Lorain County Community Alliance, the Workforce Institute, South Lorain Community Development Corporation, Great Lakes Organized Labor Management Council, Workforce Institute of Lorain County, Great Lakes Innovation Development Enterprise (GLIDE), Team NEO, Team Lorain County, the Lorain County Growth Partnership and PULSE Magazine.

Recently we have been asked to help facilitate a number of communities to determine if the development of a Regional Wastewater Treatment Authority would provide Lorain County communities, who choose to participate, the leverage to comply with the U.S. and Ohio EPA and stabilize rates in Lorain County for wastewater treatment into the future.

It certainly is a credit to the communities that have chosen to participate in this extremely complex enterprise. It is also important to note that the City of Lorain has recognized the need for this collaboration and has agreed to engage the services of Malcolm Pernie, a century-old environmental consulting firm that provides comprehensive services in water and wastewater engineering to assist us in examining the issues.

This project has just begun, but at its conclusion, I believe that it could have a major impact on the way that we see services delivered in Lorain County into the future.
From time to time I’ll provide you updates of our progress…
 

The Lorain County Safety Council is part of the County Chamber’s Program of Work that touches many businesses, organizations and institutions throughout the entire Lorain County region. The upcoming fiscal year 2011-2012 will see a change in the eligibility for employers who are currently “group-experience rated” to be able to earn a 2% performance bonus rebate this year. They are not eligible to earn the 2% participation rebate, however. Employers that are enrolled in BWC’s group-retrospective program, self insuring employers or state agencies are not eligible for either discount. Click here for the application and additional information about the requirements for earning the rebate/discount through the Lorain County Safety Council. Contact Tony Gallo at 440-328-2554 for more information. The first meeting of the new fiscal year is August 17, 2011.

Most homes and buildings have ladders for all kinds of maintenance jobs required around structures. Ladders are useful tools to have, but certain safety measures must always be obeyed to help prevent accidents. For example, always make sure that ladders or stepladders are not left out unattended. Ladders must never be left by themselves as children, passersby and even pets may find them tempting or accidentally trip on them.

Ensure the safe use of ladders and you'll help save yourself a trip to the hospital-keep safety in mind at all times when you are working on a ladder. It always pays to be careful as the slightest error in judgment could cause you to have an awful plunge.

So whether you are a simply changing a light bulb, lopping off a branch over the roof or painting the walls, you have got to be just a bit more careful while on a ladder. It's wise spending time setting up ladders efficiently. Make it safe before you climb up. It only takes a little time to provide that firm footing and stabilize it. Here are some suggestions to ensure ladder safety:

• Make thorough scrutiny of the ladder before using it. Inspect the rungs carefully and make sure they are not loose or skidding. Attach skid-resistant strips to be safe.
• Always watch out for signs of any cracks or splits. In case of bent rungs, make sure you repair them before you use the ladder. Bent rungs are very unsafe and should not exist above three feet.
• Take care to position the ladder so that the distance between the base and the wall is a minimum of one-quarter of the ladder's length up to the point of support.
• Extension ladders provide additional reach but you must ensure that when you open them, there is at least three feet of overlap. Also be very sure to click shut the rung locks to engage them properly.
• Whenever you climb up and down the ladder, have your face towards the ladder. Also, keep at least one hand on the rails at all times. In cases where you need both hands to do a job, secure yourself firmly to the ladder.
• Stepladders should not be opened halfway up. They ought to be fully opened and the braces should be locked tightly.
• You should always ensure that the feet of the ladder are always on a dry, even surface. Wet and uneven surfaces can be very hazardous.
• Never use an aluminum ladder near live electrical sources.
• See that you climb only as high as the ladder is designed to go up. Under no circumstance should you ever climb past the final rung; where your hips are above the top of the ladder.
• Remember to store tools or smaller equipment in your back pockets or your tool belt. This way you will not have to climb up and down too often.
• At no point in time should you allow more than one person on a ladder. Also, avoid having someone stand directly beneath you while you are on the ladder in case you drop anything.
• Most ladders come with written instructions on them advising you exactly how to use them. It's always a good idea to read these warnings and follow them closely.

There was a time, not that long ago, that as we approached the summer months, the County Chamber staff would get a “break” from all of our events and actually be able to catch our breath and relax for a few weeks. Not so much, anymore. With more and more organizations competing for networking dollars and our members in desperate need to keep leads and business coming in all 12 months out of the year, our calendar actually gets busier as the weather gets warmer. Since our last newsletter that went out in April, we have been busier than ever with events to make your Lorain County Chamber membership worth every dime you pay!

We ended April with our Elected Officials Reception, the annual event that we co-sponsor with our friends from Team Lorain County, North Coast BIA and LoCAR. We again held the event at Quaker Steak and we had a very good turnout of elected officials as well as our members who were anxious to talk to them one on one. The event was held before the May primaries, so there were many officials who were still working the room and liked the fact that they could get some face time with their constituents. We had May get started fast and furious with our Business After Hours at Friendship APL in Elyria. Not only did everyone get to hear the great things that Greg Wiley and his staff are doing there, we got to see (and pet) firsthand. Our nearly 100 members and guests enjoyed food from Tom’s Country Place and some tasty beverages with names like Labrador Lager, Old Brown Dog Ale, White Cat and Rabid Red Wine! Who knew? With a T-Shirt that said “It was love at first purrrr” Greg Wiley encouraged networking with our members as well as considering bringing home a new best friend! Thanks Greg and staff. May also saw us with Safety on our minds, with our monthly Safety Council luncheon, but also our OSHA 10 and 30 Hour training that took place at the County Admin Building. We had nearly 30 people go through the 2 or 5 day training and received great feedback from our instructor (Dave Roll from the BWC) and from our caterer (Judy Keys from Pink Peppercorn). Look for training again next year. While not necessarily “safety-centric” we hosted our Coffee, Tea & Contacts event in May at the Discount EMS Supply location in Amherst. Our host Herb de la Porte made sure to show us the safety related items for sale there, but also the attached LifeCare Ambulance facility and retrofitting of the existing building and updating of the exterior. It fits in so well with downtown Amherst and our members enjoyed being a part of the networking event. We also had our Annual Beer and Food tasting event at Diso’s Bistro in Lorain. Again, it was sold out and all in attendance had an amazing meal and a great time. Thanks again to all of our attendees and door prize donors! See you again next year.

June was an amazing month with activities. We held our annual Golf Outing event at Sweetbriar again this year with the weather holding out and everyone having a great time. Our sponsors and volunteers make that the “must attend” golf outing of the year. Special thanks to our major door prize sponsor Lormet, who this year sponsored the I-pad that we gave away this year. From golf we went to baseball as we co-hosted a joint Chamber event at All Pro Freight Stadium with the Rocky River Chamber and watched the Crushers take on the Southern Illinois Miners with fireworks afterward. We wound up the fiscal year for our Lorain County Safety Council in June as well and are currently taking applications for the new Safety Council year, which starts July 1 (with our first meeting not until August 17). The weather the morning of the Jet Express Adventure 2 did not look promising, but by 5:00 p.m, the sun was shining and we had another amazing night out on the Black River and Lake Erie. Over 150 of our members and guests took advantage of this jewel in Lorain which included a Champagne Welcome toast courtesy of Heidelberg, Hors d’oeuvres courtesy of Sprenger Health Care Systems, music from pOUT and spectacular views courtesy of our sponsors (Key Bank, Campana Insurance, Best Technology, Lorain Growth Corp., Sibley Inc., and Hospice of the Western Reserve). The evening was an overwhelming success and thank you to everyone who attended again this year. To kick off summer, we did the drawing of our “Oh What a Night” new member contest at our Summer Solstice party at Smitty’s. Mark Hausman from i-Print Technologies won the tickets to see Jersey Boys and dinner beforehand. Congratulations Mark and thank you for bringing in our new member Robert Martin from Great Lakes Computer Corp. And lastly, anyone who missed the 2nd Annual Best of Lorain County event at LCCC’s Spitzer and Stocker centers missed THE event of the summer. 70+ booths filled with what makes Lorain County so great – food, wine, food, flowers, food, celebrities, food, health centers and did I mention food? What a great event and one that people who attended will be talking about for a long time or at least until the 3rd Annual Best of Lorain next year! Thanks to Pulse Magazine for a first class event to help showcase all that is right with Lorain County and thanks to our partners who make Pulse Magazine possible: The Lorain County Chamber, The Lorain County Commissioners, Team Lorain County, LCCC, LCJVS, EMH Healthcare, Lorain National Bank.

Stay tuned for July and August when we will have Summer Networking at Common Ground, baseball at the Pipeyard in Lorain to watch the Lorain County Ironmen, Summer Happy Hours at Harry Buffalo at Midway Mall, Chamber Night with the Crushers (part 2) and our annual New Teacher’s Reception. Man, it’s going to be a busy summer! Enjoy.
 

Congratulations to our Lorain County Chamber of Commerce Board members – Ed Oley from Mercy and Dr. Don Sheldon from EMH Healthcare for making the cover of the newest edition of Pulse Magazine. There is a great article inside talking about the 2 hospital systems in our county that employ many individuals and what it means to our area. Also inside the Summer edition is an article about local auto dealers, including another Board Member – Bob Fisher from Premier Toyota. If you do not receive Pulse Magazine, be sure to sign up today for your free subscription.

The Lorain County Chamber is pleased to announce and welcome the following new members that have joined recently. Please be sure to introduce yourself and make them feel welcome at one of our upcoming events. We haven’t posted the new members since February, so there is a lot this time! Which is always a good thing!
Amerisafe’s Tari Reph and RAK Corrosion Control’s Guy Reph at our BAH held at Oberlin College. If all of our members got their spouse to join the Chamber, we would double our membership! Welcome them both when you see them at our next event.

Ahola Payroll Services
Amerisafe Services, Inc.
Boys & Girls Club of Lorain County
Buderer Drug Co.
Campana Development
Dunlap’s Garage, Inc.
Faith House
Giardini, Cook & Nicol, LLC
Gold Star Awards
Great Lakes Computer Corporation
Gregory Trucking
Hematology Oncology Center, Inc.
Henderson & Henderson, DDS
J & J Commercial Lighting
Key Bank Elyria Midway Branch
Lorain County Port Authority
Merrill Lynch
Minute Men HR
RAK Corrosion Control, Inc.
RDF Logistics Inc.
Simplifying Medicare Plans
TeleTech Holdings, Inc.
Victory Park Ohio
Village of Grafton
Wolfey’s Bistro & Pub