Business/Entrepreneur of the Month: Fissel Floor Covering, Inc.

Chamber Chat April 2014 Edition

Live Logan County

Hiring Our Heroes, a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, was launched in March 2011

as a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find mean-

ingful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s vast network of state and local cham-

bers and other strategic partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, our goal is to create a

movement across America in hundreds of communities where veterans and military families return every

day. Hiring Our Heroes has hosted more than 600 hiring fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District

of Columbia. 20,200 veterans and military spouses had obtained jobs through March 31, 2013.

Please join us in helping out this great cause. Tuesday, April 22, 2014 the American Legion Post 210 on

State Route 703 in Celina, Ohio will be hosting this event from 10:00am-2:00pm. Admission is free and

open to the public. Please direct all questions to 202-463-5807.

Please join us is congratulating Fissel Floor Covering as our Business/Entrepreneur

of the month. Fissel Floor Covering has been in business for 41 years.

Both Roger and Gwen Fissel grew up in the West Liberty area, and moved to Belle-

fontaine after they married in 1972. With Logan County as home, they chose to estab-

lish their family and business here. After working as an installer for another local floor

covering company, Roger decided to start his own installation service for the Tri-

County Area in 1972. Then on June 29, 1979 Roger and Gwen expanded their busi-

ness to a retail floor covering store in the same location where it currently is. Many of

their contractors and employees have worked for the Fissel’s for over 15 yrs. Roger

and Gwen are grateful for and acknowledge all who have helped make Fissel Floor

Covering what it is today.

Fissel Floor Covering offers flooring products of all types: carpet, vinyl, laminate, hardwood, ceramic tile, as well as window treatments of all types.

They have full installation service available for all products that they offer, as well as Do-it-Yourself applications. The sales staff at Fissel Floor

Covering believe in educating their customers on what is realistically going to be a long-lasting quality product at a price within their budget. The

Fissels’ goal is to provide their customers with choices in fashion, style and type of flooring, as well as offer floors that are long-lasting and durable.

With regard to their installation services, in a constantly changing industry they strive to provide customized installation with traditional quality

workmanship for each and every customer. The Fissels’ core values are: Honesty, Style, and Efficiency. Their goal is to “Wow” every one of their

customers.

Roger and Gwen chose to be a part of the Chamber because they feel the Chamber is a local entity that is working toward the success of small

businesses and well-being of our entire county. They feel it is important to be involved with other area businesses, working together to make our

community a more desirable place to live. They find some of the benefits of being a Chamber member are networking with other like-minded busi-

ness folks, getting to know them better, and supporting other local businesses. Fissel has been a member of the Chamber since 1985.

On behalf of the Chamber Board of Directors and membership, we congratulate Fissel Floor Covering for this accomplishment.

Awards and Recognition: 2006, Flooring Plus Dealer of the Year—2010, Integrity in Business Award—2012, Mannington One Certified Dealer

Being a member of the chamber you will receive continuing EDUCATION through legislative events and free business and

entrepreneurial seminars.

Hiring our Heroes

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Transportation Museum Grand Opening The weekend of April 26th and 27th, 2014, will

truly be an historic day for the Logan County

History Center and all of Logan County with the

grand opening of the Logan County Transporta-

tion Museum.

Festivities will begin with an 11am parade on

the 27th, celebrating the history of transportation

in Logan County. Area schools are invited to

create float entries in the following categories

that depict Logan County’s rich transportation

history: Early modes of transportation, railroad,

aviation, A.J. Miller & Company or modern-day

Logan County automobile manufacturing. Prizes

include $200 for the best float and numerous

other prizes for the most creative entries.

The Parade will be full of all past and present

ways of transportation as well as local high school bands. The parade will also feature the Model T Group, High Wheel Bicycle Group

and Ed Bobblit riding his unicycle. Ed was featured in Life Magazine for delivering the Bellefontaine Examiner on his unicycle back in

the 1950’s. Bob Notestine, Logan County Historical Society and former railroader, will be the Grand Marshal. While watching the

parade don't forget to lookup to see the Bi-Plane flyover. Immediately following the parade the public is welcome to tour the new Lo-

gan County Transportation Museum as well as Orr Mansion that will also be featuring a number of new exhibits. Taking place on

Sunday will be the Logan County Transportation Museum Dedication and Open House. This event is open to dignitaries from all lev-

els of government. There will be special recognition of the Ohio Department of Transportation for awarding a $2.4million grant, as

well as the other major donors to the project. Also taking place during this time will be the Dedication of LCHC Time Capsule which

will not be opened until April 27, 2114. This is one weekend full of excitement that you do not want to miss!

Event Schedule

April 26th:

11:00am Parade & Grand Opening

Parade Route:

Starts at Logan County Fairgrounds

Go north on Main Street through downtown,

past Court Ave. (Oldest Concrete St. in U.S.)

Turn right on to E. Columbus Ave. End at

Logan County History Center

1:00pm—4:00pm Open House

Public will be able to tour the new

Transportation Museum and Orr Man-

sion as well as Miller cars in the park-

ing lot

Did you know being a part of the Logan County Chamber gives you and your company CREDIBILBITY? The Chamber has over

70 years of history. It show consumers you are a committed, reputable business who cares about its customers.

PAGE 4 CHAMBER CHAT

Through Business gatherings and sponsored events, the Logan County Chamber offers many NETWORKING opportunities to

meet and greet. You can host after hours events so people can come in and find out what your business is all about!

PAGE 5 CHAMBER CHAT

Thomas & Marker

STRONG HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY BODES

WELL FOR THOMAS & MARKER

The healthcare construction industry is looking up this year, and the growth is already evident at Thomas & Marker, which has four major health care projects in the works. With several new projects in the pipeline, Thomas & Marker Construction is off to a healthy start this year. The company recently broke ground on a $2.5-million expansion at Ridgeview Behavioral Hospital that will nearly double the size of the facility and create an estimated 150 new jobs. “This is an exciting time for our healthcare division,” said President Randy Marker. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact some of our projects can have on the surrounding communities.” The new, $12-million, 122-bed Dublin Heartland facility and The Ohio State University Havener Eye Institute renovations will be finished shortly. The new Nationwide Children’s Hospital Marysville Close to Home Center, a project Thomas & Marker designed and built, will conclude in late spring. The firm also completed an approximately $8.5-million mental health hospital in Springfield in 2013, among other medical projects. Executive Vice President Pat Ellis, who oversees the firm’s healthcare work, noted that much of Thomas & Marker’s good fortune can be contributed to clients being more and more selec-tive about who provides their building services. “With so much attention on safety and patient care, Thomas & Marker’s experience and knowledge of infection control, working in highly sensitive areas such as operating rooms and surgery wings, and other challenges unique to the health care industry, sets us apart from many other less experienced firms,” he said. Technology is playing a larger role, too. Three-dimensional building modeling, including photo-realistic renderings and other advanced features, now allows the client and construction team to anticipate conflicts before the work begins and communicate more effectively with the project team. “The available software has really revolutionized the way we build,” Ellis said. “It not only streamlines communication, but it also saves time. For fast-track projects, this is especially valuable.” Thanks to strong growth not only in health care, but also in the industrial, civic, recreational, and higher-education sectors, Thomas & Marker, with offices in Bellefontaine and Columbus, has expanded its staff nearly 15 percent since 2012 and plans to expand by another 8-10% in 2014. “Our evolution has been fun to watch, and I’m eager to see where it will take us,” Marker said.

About Thomas & Marker Construction Company

Thomas & Marker is a full-service construc-tion and design-build firm, serving industrial, education, civic, healthcare, commercial, religious, and specialty markets. The compa-ny currently operates out of two offices – Bellefontaine and Columbus. They offer a variety of construction services including design/build, budgetary estimating, con-struction, and consultation. For more infor-mation, please visit

www.thomas-marker.com

Award and Recognition: The Akron Zoo is proud to announce their new exhibit, the Mike & Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge, has won the Cleveland Engineering Society Design and Construction Award of Excellence. The Award of Excellence recognizes and honors Northeast Ohio projects that reflect excellence in design, engineering and construction. Thomas & Marker Construction

served as the Owners Representative.

As a Chamber member your business has the potential of being highlighted in the community as the Entrepreneur and Business

of the month. You get increased RECOGNITION.

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Get the most out of your Membership

Board member of the Month: We would like you to meet Bart Patterson. Bart is a graduate

from Bowling Green State University with a Masters in Accounting. He is married to Ashley Patterson. They have 1 son Milo, and will be welcoming their 2nd child in just a few months. After graduation Bart worked at Ernst & Young LLP in Toledo before moving back to Bellefontaine in 2008 to work for John Belser. Bart became a partner with John after only 2 years, renaming the company Belser Patterson Financial Group LLC, and they are a proud member of the Chamber. Bart is a member of The Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as several other local non-profits. “We at Belser Patterson Financial Group believe that the Chamber and it’s excellent staff are a critical piece of the economic development puzzle. In being a Chamber member we are supporting their ability to recruit new business to our area, while working hand in hand with existing companies to make sure Logan County continues to be a business friendly community. It’s not really about what the Chamber can directly do for our business, but more about helping the Chamber support and facilitate economic growth and re-tention within Logan County as a whole. We understand that a strong County is good for our business and we are extremely thankful for the hard work of the Logan County Chamber Staff and it’s Board Members” — Bart Patterson.

Thank you Bart for being a part of the Logan County Chamber Board.

The Chamber can help bring AWARENESS to your business. You will get exposure in monthly newsletters and business press

releases. We will increase your visibility.

Getting to know your board members.

Being a part of the Chamber of Commerce is a wonderful opportunity to help your business

and your community grow. So why not take advantage of all of the options the chamber has to

offer?

Our website is member interactive and features business marketing tools, chamber member-

ship database and much more. Log in today to update your information and take advantage of

these features:

Business Directory Listing: Your business information is available to consumers through the chamber’s website. Visitors can search by cate-

gory, keyword or alphabetically.

Online Informational Brochure: Your own page on the chamber’s website which can include your business description, hours of operation,

location information, up to eight keywords (these help identify your business when a website visitor does a keyword search on the Business Directory)

Job Postings: Add your own job openings to the Chamber’s website.

Hot Deals: Include store coupons and special offers on the Chamber’s website.

Event Posting: Add your business events to the Chamber’s online events calendar and increase your event attendance.

Networking: Host an “After Hours” event and let people know what your business has to offer. The chamber will email the members and let

them know when it is what is happening as well as posting it on the event calendar.

Live Logan County

Empty Bowls of Logan County The Empty Bowls of Logan County Fundraiser is on Thursday April 24, 2014 at Ohio Hi-Point Career Center from 4:30-7:00pm. Did you

know that in 2013 the Second Harvest Food Bank distributed over 605,000 pounds of food through our 11 partner agencies in Logan County?

They helped our emergency food providers serve over 504,000 meals and distributed 209 senior food boxes every month through our commodity

supplemental food programs. With the support of United Way in Logan County, we served 2,262 families (over 7000) through our mobile food

pantry distributions. Come and Break bread for a great service!

PAGE 8 CHAMBER CHAT

Lima Regional IT Alliance

PAGE 9 CHAMBER CHAT

Tuesday April 8th at 7:30am: Please join us at the Main Street Marketplace for the monthly legislative committee

meeting. You will get a chance to hear from your state representative candidates. Don’t forget to VOTE, Tuesday May. 6th.

Attend the Safety Council Meeting Thursday April 17, at 7:30am The next safety council meeting will be held at Ohio Hi-Point Career Center at 7:30am on April 17th. The topic will be Emergency

Preparedness given by Helen L. Norris, Director of Logan County EMA. Safety Council meets every month for continuing education

on how to stay safe in the workplace.

Would you know what who to call In Case of Emergency? If you were at work who would know how to get to your emergency con-

tact person and where that information is kept? If you have a mobile phone and have it with you at work here are a few tips to help

with these questions.

What is ICE? ICE provides emergency personnel with contacts in emergency situations. Police, fire and other emergency personal

check cellular telephones if the injured are incapable of providing the necessary medical information.

Why and how do we use ICE? Using your ICE features on your phone can take minutes instead of hours to get vital information

and contact next of kin. If your phone does not come with ICE already in the contacts you can add a contact called ICE. Enter the

name and number of who to contact along with medical information they may need to know.

INVESTMENT, the Chamber opens many opportunities for you to invest in the success of local businesses and our community.

References for this article provided by the BWC website. Article written by Amy Stewart.

Attend the Legislative Meeting Tuesday April 8, at 7:30am

April 28, Time to enroll —Do you have a MCO? CareWorks is proud to be selected as the preferred works’ compensation Man-

aged Care Organization (MCO) of the Logan County Chamber of Commerce.

If you are responsible for your workers’ compensation program, it is important to

have a fundamental understanding of the roles of a MCO and Workers’ Com-

pensation Third Party Administrator (TPAS). MCOs and TPAs play unique roles in helping employers control workers’ compensation

cost.

The Core MCO functions include: Transmitting reports to BWC, Management and authorization of medical treatment to be re-

ceived by an injured worker, Medical review and bill payment processing, Maintaining a network of BWC-certified healthcare provid-

ers, Return to work services, Utilization review, Providing peer review as necessary for treatment decisions, Processing treatment

appeals through the ADR process, Training and education.

Judge Doug Chamberlain Nino Vitale Robert Luckey

PAGE 10 CHAMBER CHAT

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Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 21, 2014, the 23rd annual Rotary-Kiwanis

Golf Outing at Liverty Hills Golf Club. There will be 1 flight only this year starting late

morning. You can receive a free round of golf with cart for each paid team entry that is sub-

mitted by May 1, 2014. We hope that you will help the Bellefontaine Kiwanis and Rotary

Clubs in support of the Logan County Drug Free Youth Coalition and Logan County Youth

Leaders in Action Workshop. Please call Linda Botkin with questions 937-593-1849

23rd Annual Rotary-Kiwanis Benefit Golf Outing

International Friendship Center receives a grant The International Friendship Center is proud to announce the receipt of a $600 grant from the Logan County Community Connection Fund. The grant from the Logan Coun-ty Electric Cooperative, will be used to cover some of the costs of the Japan Study Tour 2014. Ten students from Logan County will be participating in

the Suzuka City cultural exchange program. In July they will spend two days sightseeing in Kyoto, followed by a “Home-stay” in our Friendship City of Suzuka, Japan. The home-stay will allow our students to learn

first-hand about the customs and culture of Japan.

The International Friendship Center has been hosting cultural exchanges with Suzuka since the City of Bellefontaine signed the Friendship City Pact in 1991. Our first group of students went to Suzuka in 1992. Suzuka has faithfully sent us students every year. This will be the first time in ten years we have been able

to take a group to Japan!

The Holland Theatre Conducts Try Outs for “The King and I” Auditions for “The King and I” will take place on April 19th at the

First Lutheran Church Auditions will begin at 9”00am. Please call the Holland Theatre at 937-592-9002 to sign up for your time slot.

You will need to have a song memorized and a short reading. They are looking for both adults and children. The show will be per-

formed at the Holland Theatre on June 27th, 28th, and 29th.

Legends of Motown: Lets go back in time and enjoy some great music from the

past. Friday April 4th at 7:30. Call 937-592-9002 for more information.

The iBuyLocal campaign encourages residents of Logan County to buy local which in turns strengthens and grows our local

economy. No fee Chamber Choice Gift Certificates enhances this campaign with annual purchases of nearly $60,000.

Zanesfield Annual Bicycle Race Sunday April 6

The Holland Theatre

Last year over 300 bike racers from five states and Canada came to Zanesfield for

the annual bicycle race. The Logan County Sheriffs Office will provide safety ser-

vices at each of the five intersections on the race course. Local food vendors are

welcome to setup near the registration booth and serve food to bicycle racers and

related attendees. If you are a local business and would like to setup a table as

well or assist with the event please contact Mark Farmer at 614-205-7860 Please

visit https://www.bikereg.com/osrs-3-zanesfield-team-sixonefour for more details.

PAGE 12 CHAMBER CHAT

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PAGE 13 CHAMBER CHAT

Business recommendations come through your chamber office, relocation packets and visitor packets. Membership listings are

available in glossy full color printed directory and on the Chamber Website.

Recovery Zone Champaign & Logan County The Recovery Zone of Champaign & Logan County is a safe and supportive environment which provides education and peer support for those with mental illness during their journey of recovery. The most important aspect of Recovery Zone is Peer Support. One of the missing links in Recovery is day to day sup-port. The Recovery Zone aims to fill in those gaps that are sometimes lost in a recovery plan. They provide home cooked lunch, transportation, community resources, informative classes, and group outings. The programs they offer are Mood and Anxiety Sup-port Group, Nutrition, Yoga, Wellness Manage-ment and Recovery. Additional classes are offered based on need,

skills, and or interest of members. The Recover Zone is open Monday-Friday 10am-3pm and transportation can be provided. They have 2 locations, 1 in Bellefontaine and 1 in Urba-na. Mental Health Services have received continued budget cuts and job losses at the service provider level. That is where NAMI/LC steps in with education, advocacy and support to mental health clients, their families and friends. The programs provided by NAMI/LC and the Recovery Zone are provided at no cost to he consumer and are provided in large part by volunteers. The Recovery Zone and NAMI/LC, are both non-profit organizations and raise funds and awareness by holding a Mental Illness Awareness Walk each year. They are asking for your support, either with a monetary contribution or an item that can be raffled off or given as a door prize. The Walk will take place at Lion’s Park in West Liberty on Satur-day May 3, 2014. Mental Health recovery benefits the entire community with valuable citi-zens that can contribute with their skill and talents.

15th Annual Mental Illness Awareness Walk

Registration begins at 9:30am Ceremony starts at 10:00am Walk begins at 11:00am Lighthouse Donation Levels Beacon……..$1000 and up Lifesaver…...$500-$999 Compass…...$100-$499 Mainsail……$1-$99 For more details and questions please contact

Diana Korte at 937-869-4252 Ross Cunningham at 937-508-5099 Pete Floyd at 937-750-1702

In Memory of Henry Weisz We would like to take a moment and remember a very special person of our community. Henry Weisz., 90 of Bellefon-

taine passed away Sunday, March 16, 2014. Henry was the longtime proud owner of Wolfheim’s and Huber-

Buchenroth clothing stores. Wolfheim’s was the second oldest clothing store in Ohio. He helped run the stores for

more than 50 years before Wolfheim’s and Huber-Buchenroth closed in 2005. Henry was a kind-hearted soul and

friend to all. He was honored to be the recipient of the lifetime achievement award through the Logan County Chamber

of Commerce on his 90th Birthday.

Family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Henry Weisz Memorial Scholarship fund, c/o Hun-

tington National Bank, 201 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine 43311.

References for this article provided by the Bellefontaine Examiner.

Readers want to know... Do you have questions or concerns about Logan County. Do you want to know why you should be a member of the chamber and what we can

do for you? Are you new to the area and want to know what there is to do? We are here to answer your questions. Please email your name

and phone number along with your question to info@logancountyohio.com and we will answer your question in the next edition of the Cham-

ber Chat.

PAGE 14 CHAMBER CHAT

STAFF

Paul Benedetti

President/CEO

937-651-3030

ceo@logancountyohio.com

Carie Forlow

Membership & Visitor’s Bureau Services

info@logancountyohio.com

tourism@logancountyohio.com

Logan County Area Chamber of Commerce Serving Logan County for over 73 years

WWW . LOGANCOUNTYOHIO . COM

100 S. Main St. Bellefontaine, OH 43311

Email: ifo@logancountyohio.com

“Live Logan County”

www.logancountyohio.com

Be a part of one of the most viewed websites in the county—When people are going to visit Logan County they will reference our

website for vacation planning. Local residents are kept up to date with our calendar of events.

Remember the Date Visit our website for full details

APRIL

April 4: The Holland Theatre presents Legends of Motown

April 8: Legislative Meeting

April17: Safety Council Meeting

April 18: CIC Annual meeting

April 24 & 25: The Holland Theatre presents Ramona Quimby

April 24: Empty Bowls of Logan County

April 25: 10th Annual Girls Night Out

April 26: Transportation Museum Parade

April 27: Transportation Museum Dedication & Open House

MAY May 1 & 2: The Holland Theatre presents Ramona Quimby

May 3: 5K walk/run

May 15 Safety Council Meeting & Mental Illness awareness walk

May 16: The Holland Theatre presents Audio Body

May 23: Rotary-Kiwanis Benefit Golf outing

For a complete community calendar visit:

logancountyohio.com/events

Or download the My Chamber App on your smartphone

for event listings, business listings by category, and hot deal listings.