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Presidents Report |
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It is great to see the completion of two sizable renewable energy installations in Lorain County. Sheffield Lake added a 100 kilowatt wind turbine in the parking lot of the Shoreway Shopping Center. The Shopping Center is across the street from the two 1.5 kilowatt wind turbines they installed last year. Watteredge, located in Avon Lake, installed a 100 kilowatt solar array on their roof.
The recent solar installation is the second largest solar power installation and the wind turbine is the largest wind power installation in Lorain. Oberlin College’s Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies has the largest solar installation in the County.
What is unique about the recent installations is how the installation costs were financed. NexGen Energy Partners, a distributed renewable energy company will install large solar and wind turbine systems, absorbing all capital costs. The client only pays a small site fee deposit and agrees to purchase the power produced from the wind turbine or solar array for a period of ten years. The client eliminates uncertainty by fixing their electrical costs.
NexGen Energy Partners, a Lorain County Chamber member, has partnered with Engineered Process Systems (EPS) another Chamber member to do the installations and maintenance of the renewable energy systems. According to Glen Ginesi, President, EPS if your facility uses over 200,000 kilowatt hours annually, EPS should be able to engineer a renewable energy solution customized for your facility.
This financial model allows an organization obtain a multimillion dollar renewable energy project simply by purchasing renewable energy power at a cost lower than typical electricity prices. If your facility uses over 200,000 kilowatt hours and you would like to learn how your company can participate in the expanding renewable energy industry, I encourage you to contact Glen Ginesi at EPS to see what your options are.
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2010 COSE Small Business Conference |
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The Lorain County Chamber is happy to offer our members a special invitation with our friends at COSE as The Council of Smaller Enterprises brings you a premier conference experience with the 2010 COSE Small Business Conference. Join over 1,400 other small business owners for two days packed with nearly 70 workshops, three inspiring national keynote speakers, networking opportunities, and a business-to-business trade show featuring the latest innovations for your business.
You will gain practical strategies with immediate application for your business. Personalize your conference experience with peer led workshops in the areas of sales, marketing, money, personal and professional development, human resources and legal, social media, technology, sustainability and COSE Business Networks.
You will also be inspired by keynote addresses from three nationally recognized business leaders delivering messages to motivate you. Hear from Bill Rancic, business entrepreneur and winner of “The Apprentice,” brand innovation consultant, Sally Hogshead and Warren Brown, inspirational entrepreneur and founder of CakeLove. In between sessions, you will have access to over 60 different solution providers - all in one place. The Exhibit Hall puts resources at your fingertips. You can explore products and services from a wide array of companies that can help your businesses. Round out your conference experience by attending networking events and visiting to our Social Media Learning Lab or interactive business roundtables and take advantage of everything the 2010 COSE Small Business Conference has to offer.
The Lorain County Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with COSE, is pleased to offer all Chamber members a special rate of $99 to attend this two day event - a $400 savings! Visit www.cosesmallbusinessconference.com for full conference details and enter the following information when registering to receive your chamber member discount.
Login Name: ChamberPartner
Password: SBC2010
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Networking Success Story |
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Below is a letter we received from a satisfied member, Marydale Rogan of Wesleyan Village.
I want to thank you for doing such a good job of coordinating events for the Chamber. Throughout my career in New York, Pennsylvania, and now Ohio, I belonged to many, many organizations and I have to say that the Lorain Chamber is one of the best - not only for fun events but ideal for networking. If I did not volunteeer for the golfing outing last week, I would not have met Colin and Mike and I would not have bought a 2011 Hyundai! But Colin is now playing in the golf outing for WSL next month and is sponsoring a hole - networking at its best!
Your efforts are sincerely appreciated by me and many other members. The Jet Express was great fun.
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Change of Date for Oktoberfest |
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Be sure to mark your calendar that the upcoming October Business After Hours “Oktoberfest” has been moved to October 12. Denny Pavan and the folks over at BFL Marketing Communications are busy planning the event and know that with our supportive County Chamber members, they will help to make the event a success. Denny, if you need help sampling some German Beers and/or Brats, I am sure you will have plenty of volunteers!
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Lorain County Safety Council Corner |
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BWC Premium Rate Changes effective July 1, 2010
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Board of Directors recently approved premium rate changes for private employers for the upcoming policy year beginning July 1, 2010. BWC indicated that this rate change will amount to a 3.9 percent overall decrease in collectible premium rates. However, actual premium and rate changes will vary from employer to employer. This change will be realized by employers when they pay their semi-annual premiums in January/February 2011 and again in July/August 2011.
Private employers can expect to receive new premium rate notices from the BWC in July showing their manual classifications and new premium rates effective July 1, 2010.
If you have any questions on how this might affect your rates, contact Mara Manke at Careworks Consultants at 1-800-837-3200. .
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Training Courses Available |
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The Lorain County Safety Council has some great training courses coming up this fall. Starting on September 15, 2010, in conjunction with the American Red Cross of Lorain County, we will be offering our annual CPR and First Aid Training. This is an all day session that includes First Aid Training beginning in the morning, our monthly Safety Council meeting at lunch and conclude with CPR training after the luncheon. First Aid and CPR cards are handed out at the conclusion of the training. Then on October 26, 27, 28, 29 and November 2, The Lorain County Safety Council will hold an OSHA 10/30 hour Training Course
. This will be a General Topic (as opposed to Construction) training. The 10 hour training will take place the first 2 days with the 30 hour going the full 5 days. There are costs associated with First Aid/CPR training as well as the OSHA 10/30 Hour training. All must be pre-registered and we cannot accommodate walk ups at either training. Go to www.loraincountychamber.com for costs and registration. County Chamber members are given discounts for participation of both training sessions.
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Connecting Business and Opportunity |
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This summer has been a very busy one for the staff and the members of the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce. While summer has normally been a time when everyone takes vacations and sits back and relaxes, your County Chamber has stepped things up to provide the most comprehensive and all encompassing networking available to anyone in Lorain County.
Since our last newsletter, we held our Annual Golf Outing at Sweetbriar. Thanks to all those that participated as golfers, and our record number of sponsors and participants in our Networking on the Patio event post golf as well. A week after our golf outing, we boarded the Jet Express IV in downtown Lorain for a beautiful night on the Black River and Lake Erie. Complimentary photos, a champagne welcome toast and live musical entertainment (not to mention the beautiful sunset) made the night perfect and people wanting to sign up for next year already! In July we hosted a Chamber night at The Pipeyard to watch the Lorain County Ironmen take on the Slippery Rock Sliders and had CHP provide commemorative T-Shirts for all who attended. The following week, Brian Kyles provided us with an insiders view of their beautiful landscaped gardens and fountains. And we capped off our July with a
Summer Happy Hours at the Harry Buffalo at Midway Mall – another picture perfect night to be outdoors and networking!
August has started with a bang with our morning networking Coffee, Tea and Contacts which was held at Cornerstone Among Women in Elyria, followed by our Cruzin’ The Chronicle event to see the new facility put on at the Chronicle Telegram. We held our annual New Teacher’s Luncheon with nearly 200 in attendance as the Lorain County business community welcomed the teacher’s that are new in the 16 school districts. And last week we had nearly 60 of our members come to All Pro Freight Stadium for our Chamber Night with the Crushers event – again, another perfect summer evening! Thank you to CommStar for providing t-shirts for all who attended.
And don’t worry, if you missed any of these events, the Fall looks to be just as busy with events. Our next Business After Hours is at the Hospice of the Western Reserve on September 14 and don’t miss our Annual Clambake in the Landscape at Don Mould’s Plantation on September 16. Live music from pOUT, great food from Pogie and again the best networking in ALL of Lorain County! Looking forward to having you Connect your Business with the many Opportunities we provide you with your County Chamber membership!
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September 14 BAH - Hospice of the Western Reserve
September 15 Safety Council
September 16 Clambake in the Landscape IV
Register Now
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