Frank recently participated in a Chamber of Commerce Small Business survey.  He would like to share these results with you. 

Please click here to view the survey.

As an investor in the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce, you are joining the ranks of the many businesses who take advantage of their membership and access our various Value Added Benefits. One of our most popular VAB’s is the discount provided for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield group health discount . The Anthem discount is available through our affiliation with NOACC and is an exclusive discount for Chambers who belong to the Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce. You are able to offer your employees some of the best health coverage available all while getting it at a discount – which is a great financial benefit to our members. Click here for a free no obligation quote today or call Tony at the Chamber office to get a list of local agents who can talk to you about the Anthem Advantage. Let your Chamber membership pay for itself by saving money on your health insurance today!

The Lorain County Safety Council is pleased to provide OSHA approved 10 and 30 hour training course for General Industry. It will take place May 19 – 26 (10 hour May 19 & 20 and the 30 hour those 2 days plus May 24, 25 and 26 ) and it will be taught on the 5th floor of the County Administration Building located at 226 Middle Avenue in Elyria. This course complies with OSHA Outreach Training Program requirements set for by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration – Office of Training and Education. All participants will receive OSHA course completion cards upon successful attendance of the required number of hours. Course topics include: Introduction to OSHA Act; Inspections, Citations & Penalties; Recordkeeping; Walking & Working Surfaces; Means of Egress & Fire Protection; Electrical Safety; Flammable & Combustible Liquids; Persona Protective Equipment; Machine Guarding; Hazard Recognition & Communication; Lockout/Tagout; Safety & Health Programs. Cost for the 10 hour OSHA training course is $79/per person for Lorain County Chamber of Commerce members and is $149/per person for the 30 hour OSHA training course. It includes lunch for the attendees on each day. Please sign up today on our website. Preregistration is required, as is pre-payment – we cannot “bill” for these courses. 

The Lorain County Chamber is proud to announce our first ever "Oh What A Night" Membership Campaign contest for members. Get a company to join the County Chamber from now until June 21 - and you will get your name on a ping pong ball that will be drawn at our Summer Solstice Party at Smitty's. The winner will get 4 loge tickets to see "Jersey Boys" at Playhouse Square and dinner for 4 at Bricco beforehand! Now is the time to get those members to join!

With Summer Break around the corner, many families are starting to plan their vacations. Many of these vacations will take families away from their home for multiple days. Following these simple safety and security steps can help keep your home safe and you at ease to enjoy your vacation.

1. Make sure the stove, other appliances and computers are turned off. Double check just before you leave.
2. Leave curtains and shades in their normal positions. Also use times to turn lights on and off at normal hours.
3. Lock all doors and windows. This includes windows on the 2nd floor and in the cellar.
4. Don’t hide keys outside. Leave them with a neighbor or family friend.
5. Cut your lawn. If you don’t have time to cut your lawn before you leave, arrange to have it cut while you are away.
6. Stop newspaper delivery and mail delivery. Or ask a neighbor or family friend to pick them up for you.
7. Leave your second car in the driveway. This makes it look like someone is home.

If your vacation involves driving, take the following safety steps into consideration before hitting the road:

1. Give your vehicle a safety inspection. Check oil, tires, fluids and lights.
2. Stow your vacation gear safely. Do not block visibility out the rear window. Secure items on the roof rack and make sure bikes are secured on a bike rack.
3. Pack an emergency and first aid kit.
4. Insist all passengers buckle up. Make sure they stay buckled up during the entire trip.
5. Avoid night driving. Night driving is when most accidents occur because people are not as alert. If night driving is necessary, make sure you are well rested.
6. Stop to rest every few hours. Pull over to stretch, make phone calls or check maps. 

The smell of fresh grass is in the air, and we are nearly a third of the way through the “new” year! It’s hard to believe that baseball is back in downtown Cleveland and we will soon have baseball being played by the Lake Erie Crushers and the Lorain County Ironmen in our backyard. So with a baseball theme, let’s talk about what’s been happening in and around the County Chamber during our Spring Training.

Our networking events always hit it out of the park and our Business After Hours at Oberlin College in March was definitely in that category. So many members were excited to be on the prestigious campus of Oberlin with many never having been before. Walking around campus gave you a quick glimpse into the history that is in our County. With buildings named after Orville and Wilbur Wright and the Severance Family, it is really a hidden gem. Unfortunately the weather proved to be too cloudy for us to get a chance to use the Observatory, but Oberlin promised to have us back again in the future to gaze up into the stars. We got another runner on base when 2 weeks later we were up bright and early at Costco in Avon for our Coffee, Tea and Contacts with nearly 60 in attendance. It was a great chance to do some networking before hitting the office and people seemed to really take advantage of that (or they had too much coffee!). Our CTC’s have really hit their stride this year, so be sure to check out our next one coming up in May at Discount EMS Supply in Amherst. We rounded out our networking triple play with our April BAH at Massotherapy Arts in Elyria. Everyone who went got a chance to see what Betty Campbell and her staff have to offer their customers to relieve stress: massage therapy, aromatherapy, manicures, pedicures…just name a few. We kicked off our “Oh What a Night” Membership Campaign at this BAH as well, which was a great place to do it since Betty joined at the urging of another Chamber member – Doug Mauer from Brian Kyles Construction.

Some things take place out of the public eye and inside the “dugout” here at the Chamber. Meetings took place at the Ford Plant in Avon Lake and at the US Steel operations in Lorain as well as with smaller manufacturers and businesses throughout Lorain County. Continued meetings of the newly formed Lorain County Arts Council also took place and seem to be moving toward a cultural outreach for our residents. Some are more public like the Community Open House at Lorain High School as well as Lorain County Urban League’s annual Equal Opportunity Day Luncheon or the Elyria Sunrise Rotary’s Pizza Challenge. We are also glad to have helped celebrate the French Creek Y’s one year anniversary and their Healthy Kid’s Day in Avon too. These are always monster homeruns for our community!

We had our annual contingent of Chamber members and guests for the Home Opener at Progressive Field and while they got off to a rocky start, we are back on track and enjoying good baseball. There are so many great ways to get involved with the County Chamber in the upcoming months: The Jet Express Adventure, our annual Golf Outing, nights out with the Crushers and the Ironmen as well as Best of Lorain County, Elected Officials Reception just to name a few! Don’t sit on the bench any longer – get out there and get yourself into the game. Take advantage of your membership or join the Big Leagues today! Your Lorain County Chamber is the leader today and will always be there to help you make the playoffs!