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Chamber asked for assistance |
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Wednesday, 03 October 2007 |
By B.J. BETHEL
Assistant Managing Editor
NEW BREMEN – The Southwest Auglaize County Chamber of Commerce recently received an e-mail asking for help.
The Findlay Chamber of Commerce e-mailed other outside groups seeking assistance. The Findlay chamber’s building was a victim of the recent flooding in Northwest Ohio. Over $100,000 in damages was done by the flood.
Three community groups were located in the building that was affected and all had heavy damage. The Findlay Chamber of Commerce has over 500 members.
“This is a very unusual request,” Executive Director Jim Coons said. “This is an unusual event.”
Members of the Southwest Auglaize County chamber’s board at Tuesday’s monthly meeting expressed mixed feelings with contributing. One concern was using funds from local businesses for outside interests.
Findlay’s request went to every chamber in the state of Ohio. Members wanted to know how much money Findlay needed in order to help and what other chambers contributed.
Coons said that there was a possibility excess money in the gift certificate fund could be used as a possible source of a donation. That money could be used without affecting the operational budget.
The chamber is considering changing its bimonthly newsletter to monthly. The change would allow its member spotlight to expand from 24 businesses a year to 48. Four businesses are spotlighted in each issue.
Currently there are 265 members of the chamber and 330 issues of the newsletter are sent out at each mailing. Cost to print the newsletters is $55 per printing and $85 per mailing.
The chamber is also considering distributing its newsletter via electronic means by sending it out through a mass e-mail and allowing it to be available on the organization’s Web site. Ads that are available in the printed mailing would be scanned and would also be viewable on the Internet. Currently, the chamber spends $50 per month hosting its Web site along with charges with having a domain name.
Board member Neil Weideman noted two local businesses merged. Minster Farmers and Auglaize Provico merged to form the Advanced Agri Solutions Co-Op. The co-op is one of the largest in the state and gives both businesses an advantage with partnering benefits. The co-op has over 20 locations in Ohio and in Indiana.
Members of the New Bremen Village Government recently visited a lockkeeper’s house located in Cuyahoga Falls near Cleveland. The visit was to get ideas for the reconstruction of the lockkeeper’s house near Lock One along the Miami-Erie Canal in New Bremen.
The village recently received an Ohio Department of Transportation grant to begin construction. The New Bremen Historic Association is close to having the matching funds needed for the project. The village hopes to break ground on the project in Spring of 2008, but the grant money may not be released until the following year.
The chamber is also ahead of last year’s mark in sales of gift certificates. The majority of chamber gift certificates for local businesses happen during the month of December.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 October 2007 )
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