Columbus Chamber Blog: Information about economic development, economic and business trends, Columbus workforce, programs, events and the Chamber of Commerce in and around Columbus, OH

The Pickaway County economy

I was honored to be guest speaker Wednesday at a Pickaway County Chamber event.  Part of my talk included some analysis of the Pickaway County economy.  I always enjoy these deeper dives into local economies because of the significant economic differences among the eight counties of our region.  Pickaway County’s economy is driven by manufacturing.  The 2,450 manufacturing jobs in 2007 represented almost 17 percent of the county’s total employment – a concentration 63 percent greater than the U.S. and twice that of the Columbus region as a whole.  As is true of other manufacturing-oriented areas, efficiency increases and consolidation among producers caused employment declines for Pickaway County earlier in the decade.  Manufacturing lost more than 2,000 jobs (46.5 percent) between 2001 and 2006, which led to a total loss of nearly 1,900 jobs (11.6 percent) over that period.  Unlike most other manufacturing-based economies, though, Pickaway County has enjoyed strong growth more recently.  The county gained 100 manufacturing jobs (4.2 percent) between 2006 and 2007, and about 40 more in the first three quarters of 2008.  As a result, Pickaway County’s total employment increased 2.7 percent in 2007 – twice the rate of the Columbus region and the U.S. – and declined only marginally in the first three quarters of 2008 relative to the same period of 2007.  The earlier employment declines and current recession, however, have led to a May 2009 seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of 11.3 percent.

State government is also important, contributing more than 10 percent of employment.  There are two sectors that, while still below average in terms of employment share, are growing nicely and becoming far more important: professional and business services and private education and healthcare.  Transportation and logistics has declined since 2001, but has a bright future thanks to the recent opening of the Norfolk Southern Intermodal on the county’s northern border, and the completion of the Heartland Corridor rail project next year.

Some happy employment news

We now have preliminary Columbus MSA employment numbers for May and they are surprisingly good.  On a seasonally-adjusted basis, jobs in the region increased 2,300 (0.25 percent) from April.  The national job total decreased by exactly the same 0.25 percent, but this was the smallest national job decline since last September.   The largest local gains were registered by professional and business services, which has been a little soft lately but gained 2,300 jobs in May, and private education and healthcare (up 1,600).  Government and manufacturing lost 800 jobs each and retail lost 700.  Other sectors showed modest changes up or down of 100 to 300 jobs each.  Since the recession began, the local area has lost 19,000 jobs (2.0 percent), much less than the national loss of 4.3 percent and Ohio’s 5.3 percent.

The May regional unemployment rate was a seasonally-adjusted 8.5 percent, nearly a percentage point lower than the U.S. rate of 9.4 percent.  These two rates were essentially equal in January.  The Ohio rate, meanwhile, was 10.8 percent.

Before we get too excited, it is important to remember that these employment totals are preliminary and will be revised next month.  But it is clear that the Columbus region continues to fare far better than elsewhere in this recession.

Getting Results with Social Media II: The Presentations

Thanks for everyone who attended "Getting Results with Social Media" last Thursday at Columbus State Community College's Center for Workforce Development, our sponsors (GREENCREST, Anthem, TechColumbus and CSCC), and of course our speakers (Bill Balderaz, Lara Kretler, Kevin Pfefferle, Gary Moneysmith, Matt Dickman, Bobby Whitman, Stephanie Busack, Shawn Morton,  and Matt Yuskewich).

Our presenters shared a lot of great insights, tips and cases on using online tools to accomplish business goals, so we wanted to make sure everyone had a copy of the slides and a direct connection to our experts. The slideshare pack is available below.

| Get your Presentation Pack

Member Spotlight: Mainstream PR/ Top Communication Coach

Each week, the Columbus Chamber will spotlight one of our member businesses, their presence in the Columbus Region, what they do and how they’ve involved at the Chamber. To submit your member business for a member spotlight contact the Chamber's marketing department.

About Mainstream PR: Mainstream was founded five years ago by principal John Millen, former VP of communications for Nationwide.  Mainstream helps businesses and individuals position themselves and break through the clutter with a clear story, compelling messages and the confidence to deliver.  Mainstream has two divisions: Mainstream PR, for public relations, branding and marketing; and Top Communication Coach, for keynotes, coaching and training.  John works with expert partners to serve every size of organization from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies.

Given today’s economy, small businesses and professional services firms have been most interested in coaching on how to effectively sell their services as a team. For most professional services and many small businesses, they’ve not had to make truly effective presentations as a team to sell themselves until now. It’s a new era.

Why we are Members: As a sole proprietor, belonging to the Columbus Chamber of Commerce gives me the opportunity meet and stay engaged with other business people facing similar challenges. This is a great resource.  I think of the Chamber and staff and other members as partners in one big mastermind group, where I reach out to find answers and support. I try to help others in the same way.

Featured Services:  How to pitch your business as a team; using social media to brand yourself and your business; and improving your communication skills to get or keep a job.

Representative Clients:  Allstate, Wells Fargo, Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services, the Columbus Chamber, The Ohio State University, the California State University System and CharityChannel.com.

Cool Facts:

• Studies show that peoples’ number one fear is not death, it’s public speaking.
• John coaches and trains at every level in business, from front line sales to CEO.
• The average sound bite on TV is six seconds long—shorter than an elevator speech.
• John has done media training with clients prior to appearances on Dateline and 60 Minutes.
• Even 13 years after moving to Columbus from Los Angeles, John still gets seasonal mood disorder from a lack of sunshine in the winter.

For more information visit www.mainstreampr.com and www.TopCommunicationCoach.com.

Robbie Banks Featured in Alive & Unedited

Check out the feature in today's Alive! on the Chamber's Young Professionals' Manager Robbie Banks:

Attracting and retaining young professionals has been a hot topic among Columbus leaders for several years, and the city's ability to nail down a strong workforce will shape its future in coming years. One person devoted to that project is Robbie Banks, an ambassador for the Columbus Chamber.

I was born and raised in Columbus. My whole life. I grew up on the South Side, and then in high school we moved to Olde Towne East. I currently reside on the South Side, the Children's Hospital area.

My job at the chamber is to wake up every day thinking of how to make Columbus a stickier city for young talent. Our focus, since I've been here, has been on retention in all aspects. You know the old saying, "It's much easier to keep a customer happy than it is to attract a new one."

The key to success for anyone is building relationships.

I feel like this position was my calling. I feel like I'm a great advocate and spokesperson for Columbus and why it's so great. I'm truly homegrown. I've actually left Columbus, but not to live. I have left for vacations. [Laughs]

Full Article Here

Member Spotlight: NESCO Direct

Each week, the Columbus Chamber will spotlight one of our member businesses, their presence in the Columbus Region, what they do and how they’ve involved at the Chamber. To submit your member business for a member spotlight contact the Chamber's marketing department.

About NESCO: NESCO Accounting & Finance specializes in the recruitment of financial and accounting professionals. Our clients and candidates rely on our unparalleled experience in matching talented people with great career opportunities.

Whether your interest is to fill a direct hire, contract-to-hire, consulting or temporary position, you can look to Nesco Accounting and Finance for all of your staffing needs.

Why we are Members: Belonging to the Columbus Chamber of Commerce allows us to build mutually beneficial relationships within the Columbus business community.

Featured Services: Direct Placement, consulting, temporary services and contract to hire.  From helping our clients fill that unexpected opening, or helping you determine the right staffing strategy to accomplishing it, we profile and discover the people you need.

Cool Facts :

• NESCO has gone green and offers electronic payroll
• Excellent benefits are offered to our contracting associates including paid holidays and vacation
• Payrolling services
• Contractor-of-the-Month recognition
• Referral bonuses
• Recruiters have over 25 years staffing experience
• Written guarantee of our services
• 8 hour guarantee on all temporary placements

Young Professionals Spotlight: Friends of the Red Cross

Beginning in June, the Columbus Chamber will spotlight local young professional or professional organizations to showcase what they offer, how to get involved and when to check out their next event. This month, Friends of the Red Cross is featured.

When and why was Friends of the Red Cross started?
Friends was started in 2004 as a way for Young Professionals to get involved in the Red Cross in a different way than had been offered before. The group was formed for YPs looking for a meaningful way to give back to the community, but may have limited time to dedicate to volunteer hours because of their busy professional schedule. It gives YPs a way to learn more about the Red Cross, how it helps the community and directly contributes to helping others.

Why should I become a member?
• Opportunity to improve the quality of life for greater Columbus communities through affiliation with one of the most-trusted and effective charitable organizations in America and throughout the world.
• Build a well-rounded resume through inclusion of community service activities.
• Build a network of like-minded young professionals and gain access to community leaders serving on the ARC board.
• Serious work need not be grim! Friends’ activities will include social events and provide the basis for lifelong friendships.
• Opportunities for ARC training, like First Aid and CPR, disaster preparedness, professional development, diversity training and more, and regular updates on critical Red Cross activities.

How do I become a member or get involved?
There are no fees to become involved! Just email ARCFriends@usa.redcross.org and you'll be added to our email distribution list.

Tell me about your upcoming event(s).
On Wednesday, June 17, 5:30 – close, we are holding a social Happy Hour at Gresso's in German Village. On Wednesday, July 15, 6 - 8pm we are hosting our annual Wine Tasting event at The Winery.

What are some successes or cool facts about Friends of the Red Cross?
Friends is a great blend of social events, networking, and community service.  And you can get involved as little or as much as you want! In 2008, we raised more than $2,500 for our local Red Cross chapter through individual donations.

Where can I go to learn more information?
http://columbus.redcross.org/join_friends.asp

Hear from the president of Friends of the Red Cross at the Young Professionals’ Exchange on June 23
Corinne McManus is the president of Friends of the Red Cross. She will be participating as a panelist in an upcoming forum for young professionals, Young Professionals' Exchange: Raising the Profile of the Young and Talented in Columbus. This is a professional development event, and your participation at the panel discussion is needed!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009
4:00 – 5:30pm
Nationwide Arena – Activity Center

Registration and tickets are required. Complimentary tickets will be mailed to you for event entrance. Ticket must be presented to enter YP Exchange and EXPO. Register here.

This forum will explore how Columbus can strengthen the young professionals community within the region and identify opportunities to improve the perceptions of Columbus. You’ll hear from professionals who market Columbus globally, a local blogger and member of the Create Columbus Commission, and a leader of a young professional organization among others.

•  Walker Evans: Founder of ColumbusUnderground.com and Member of the Create Columbus Commission
• Jung Kim: Director of Community Data Services at Community Research Partners
• Bill LaFayette, Ph.D.: Vice President of Economic Analysis at the Columbus Chamber
• Corinne McManus: President of Friends of the Red Cross

Join us before or after the YP Exchange to make contacts, learn about new products, services and innovations, and get connected at the Business2Business Network EXPO.  3:00 – 8:00pm at Nationwide Arena. Presented by the Columbus Chamber and Experience Columbus.

For more information, contact Robbie Banks at robbie_banks@columbus.org.

Meet Thousands of Business Professionals on June 23

One of the main reasons people join the Chamber is connections - connections to information, their next clients and to resources to move their business forward. Each year, the Columbus Chamber convenes a business EXPO for the business community to show off their products and services. This truly is the who's who of business in Columbus - big businesses, medium-size businesses and small/entrepreneurial businesses will be there to find partners to collaborate, showcase their successes and gain exposure.

This year's we've turned it up a notch - to increase visibility for our exhibitors, we've partnered with Experience Columbus with a goal of exposing all exhibiting companies to thousands of attendees and added a professional development component called PowerShots (10 min sessions on business trends).

Exhibit tables begin at $150. Upon registration you will also receive complimentary tickets so your staff or customers can attend and network. 

If you would like more information, contact our event director Phyllis VanArsdale at events@columbus.org or 614-225-6946 or you can register online at www.columbus.org.

The Doctor Is In: The Unemployment Rate and Reality

Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics released initial estimates of U.S. employment and unemployment for May (actually the second week in May).  As usual, the headlines are focusing on a single number, the unemployment rate, which rose to 9.4 percent from 8.9 percent in April.  This is a very easy number to communicate and fits well into a headline.  But for a couple of reasons, the unemployment rate is not the best gauge of the status of the economy, either nationally or locally.

For one thing, changes in the unemployment rate are driven both by changes in employment and changes in the labor force – equivalently, the number of people working and the number of people looking for work.  This latter number is defined in a very specific way: you are looking for work – and in the labor force – if you have actively sought employment within the last 30 days.  If you have not, you are not counted at all.  (These totals are estimated from a monthly survey of households called the Current Population Survey.)  In reality, being available for work is not a yes-no question; it is a more-or-less question.  For this reason, the labor force fluctuates from month to month as people who do not work steadily step up or step down their job search.  This can cause some odd results.  In April, the number of people looking for work jumped, leading to the largest monthly percentage increase in the labor force since November 2007.  This caused a fairly big increase in the unemployment rate (8.5 percent to 8.9 percent) even though the estimated number of people working actually increased slightly.  In May, the number of people fell back somewhat while the labor force increased again, producing the unemployment rate increase to 9.4 percent.

Just the opposite can happen as well.  The initial estimates for the Columbus region during mid-2003, as the labor market was bottoming out after the last recession, showed employment and labor force both declining.  But because the labor force was falling faster than employment, the unemployment rate was declining.  People were asking me, “The unemployment rate is falling at last.  Isn’t this great?”  My reply was, “Well, no.”  Actually, this is the worst of all possible worlds: jobs were declining and workers were expecting not to find work, so they were not even looking.  Conversely, the increases in labor force we have seen during the past three months are a sign that workers may be expecting jobs to be easier to come by during the summer.  Thus, the unemployment rate increases aren’t quite as bad as they seem.

That leads to the second problem with the unemployment rate: it understates the pain as the economy worsens.  As jobs disappear, people stop looking for them, which puts downward pressure on labor force and the unemployment rate.  Thus, the unemployment rate increases less in a recession than it would if the number of discouraged workers weren’t increasing.  If people hadn’t dropped out of the labor force over the course of the current recession, the May unemployment rate would have been an even 10 percent.

A much better labor market indicator is the total number of jobs (nonfarm payroll employment).  This declined in May by “only” 345,000 – half the 700,000-job pace between December and March and the smallest decline since last September.  It is hard to imagine the disappearance of 345,000 jobs being good news, but that is a sign of the current times.

We will get local payroll employment estimates for May in two weeks, but thus far we are weathering the recession fairly well.  From the beginning of the recession through April, U.S. employment fell 4.2 percent, while Columbus region employment fell 2.1 percent – again, good news only in context.

Pyramids, Sand Storms and Mummy Brains: Discover Lost Egypt at COSI

I recently got to experience COSI’s newest exhibit, Lost Egypt: Ancient Secrets, Modern Science.  What an amazing exhibit!  I was transported to an archaeological dig in Egypt and got to try my hand at building a pyramid, rebuilding some ancient pottery, figuring out which mummy x-ray was a fake, controlling the winds to transform the desert landscape – and I got to see a REAL mummy!!!  I won’t tell you the secrets of how mummies are made; you’ll have to see that for yourself.  I’ll just say it involves, among other things, an interesting method of removing the brain -- eeew!  Whether you’re young or not so young, learning is fun at COSI.  Go once and you’ll understand why COSI was named the #1 science center in the county!  When you head out to be transported to Egypt, make sure to linger in the hallway on the way to the entrance to the exhibit.  The photographs of Egypt are worth the ticket price all by themselves.

“But Ruth,” you ask, “you’re an economic developer.  What does a cool exhibit at a great science center have to do with business attraction and retention?”  Lots!  If you were a CEO and you were deciding what region of the country to invest in a new facility, a well-educated workforce and a good quality of life would be very important to you.  And COSI helps to provide the Columbus Region with both!  Students in our region have ample opportunities – at COSI and other venues – to have learning experiences outside the normal classroom.  And imagine if you were CEO of a company that does research and development, wouldn’t you want your future employees to be exposed to just how exciting a career in science can be?  It’s not enough to have employees today – companies need to know that there will be employees tomorrow so they can continue to operate in our region.  COSI’s exhibits spark the interest of our students to consider careers in science and research, a workforce that we want to cultivate in the Columbus Region. 

Additionally, Mr. or Ms. CEO, you would care about your employees’ life outside of work.  Is the community I’m considering an interesting place to live?  If I need to transfer some of my managers to run the new facility, will they want to live there?  What can my employees do after 5:00 p.m. and on the weekends? The Columbus Region has loads to offer our citizens – restaurants galore, fantastic shopping, award winning museums, galleries, sporting events, concerts, great parks. . . the list goes on and on.  Columbus is a great place to live, work, and play (for more on that check out our Web site at www.LiveWorkPlayColumbus.com).

So, I’ll putting on my archaeologist outfit and going back for more of the dig – hope to see you there!