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

Guest Post: 10 things every employer should know about workers’ compensation coverage in Ohio

We asked our Workers' Compensation provider what 10 things should every employer know about workers' compensation. Here's what they said:

1. It's a payroll driven system
2. Premium payments are made in arrears
3. Group Rating discounts are applied one year after enrollment into the group rating program
4. Injured Worker is given the benefit of the doubt
5. It's no Fault System
6. There are three factors to determine premium calculation:  1) industry classification; 2) claim costs; 3) payroll
7. Claims effect your premium rates for 4 years; employers should reapply annually for group rating to check eligibility status
8. There are 5 ways to control premium costs:  1)  accurate payroll reporting; 2) reduction in claim costs; 3)  implementation of safety practices; 4) implementation of hiring best practices; 5)  risk management strategies enforced
9. There are 5 ways to control claim costs:  1)  aggressive claims management; 2) handicap reimbursements; 3) settlement; 4) transitional work/vocational rehabilitation; 5) salary continuation
10. There are multiple alternative rating (discount) programs available to reduce rates including group rating, safety council, drug-free workplace program, $15k medical program, deductible program, group retrospective rating, and self insurance

A no-nonsense guide to signing up for the Columbus Chamber’s workers’ compensation program.  It’s as easy as 1 – 2 – 3 !

1. Request a free, no-obligation quote through one of the following quick and easy methods:
2. 1. a.    Over the Phone - contact our third party administrator, CompManagement at (800) 825-6755, option 3 and speak to a Customer Support representative
   2. b.    Complete the sign-up form online
3. Watch your mail for information from CompManagement on your Group Savings Estimate
4. Complete the enrollment materials and return to CompManagment by the Group Rating application filing deadline of February 26, 2010

Guest post by CompManagement, the Columbus Chamber's Workers' Compensation provider.

View more information on Columbus Chamber Savings Programs here.

Learn more about CompManagement

Susan Merryman Interviewed on Strengthening Brand America Blog

Here's an excerpt from Ed Burghard's post - an interview with three economic development marketers about Social Media in regard to place/community marketing:

Interview with Sandy McMerty, Susan Merryman, and Lorna Shepard - Experts in the use of Social Media for Economic Development

The 2009 IEDC Annual Meeting is now in the history books. It was a very well run educational meeting with a number of excellent presentations. This year, everybody was interested in learning more about the successful application of social media in economic development. I had the good fortune of attending a plenary session entitled "Doing More With Less: Using Web 2.0 for High-Impact, Low-Cost Marketing". Jessica Tuquero, Account Supervisor with DCI, moderated this session and the panelists were Sandra McMerty, North Dakota Department of Commerce; Susan Merryman, Columbus Chamber of Commerce (Ohio); and Lorna Shepard, Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. The presentations and subsequent Q&A impressed me so much, I thought it would be great if I could interview the panel so if you weren't able to attend their session, you could potentially still benefit from their experience with and knowledge of social media.

1. Question: Many Economic Development Organizations are keenly interested in social media because they believe it is a free communication tool to get their message out broadly. Based on your experience, what are the key questions you would encourage EDOs to answer before deciding to make social media part of their media mix?
   
   Sandy McMerty - The questions that lead to good marketing decisions rarely change for the medium, social media is no different. In the end the keys are: What product are you selling? Who is your audience? What is the message you want to convey? If the organization is targeting an industry it needs to know what messages support that before it starts using social media to get the word out.
   
   Susan Merryman - I agree. Social networking needs to fit in the organization's broader strategy. It's a tool, not a stand-alone strategy. Although it's a "free" medium, organizations must still consider sustainability. Once you've determined if/how this fits in the overall strategy, consider: What is your goal? Do you have the resources - mostly human -- to sustain a presence? How will you measure success? Do you have policies in place to guide participants?

Lorna Shepard - Adding to the experts' advice (with which I wholeheartedly agree), it's critical to understand your target audiences. Not every EDO's target is using social media currently; however, if an EDO has a goal of exposure or coverage, social media may make sense. Alternatively, if an EDO knows that the best way to reach their goal and target is direct sales or personalized communication, social media is not a replacement for (the typically more costly) sales efforts required to successfully locate a company.

Check out the full interview here.

What do you love about downtown Columbus?

The Create Columbus Commission (Columbus's Young Professionals Commission) wants to hear from you about your favorite downtown Columbus art, landmarks, buildings, signs, oddities and otherwise for a downtown walking map database. Please take a few minutes to add your favorites here.

The goal is that both visitors and residents will be able to create an online custom map based on things to do, visit and experience in downtown Columbus. You may want to walk through German Village and choose to visit local delis, historical markers and gardens. Someone else might choose to stroll downtown and look for the public art pieces, historical buildings and Italian restaurants in the area. A visitor to the Short North might want to map each gallery and grab martinis. The options are endless: oddities, architecture, cool views, interesting buildings, wine bars, whatever you deem "can't miss".

The end goal is to encourage more people to walk around Columbus and check out our diverse districts and neighborhoods. Please be as specific as possible when you respond here.

Congratulations 2009 Small Business Leader Award Finalists

Under $1 million:

Bill Balderaz, Founder, Webbed Marketing
Mike Figliuolo, Managing Director, thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Over $1 million:

Kamal Boulos, President, The Refectory Restaurant and Bistro
Kristen Harris & Catherine Lang-Cline, Owners, Portfolio Creative
Dan Bashore, Jerry Spencer, John Killacky, Bartha Audio Visual
Bernard & Sandra Senser, Owners, CycleMET, Inc.
Raymond Bohac, President & CEO, CallCopy, Inc.

Small Business Forum and Leader Awards will be held Nov. 10, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. at The Columbus, A Renaissance Hotel, 50 N. 3rd St. The program will begin with a morning forum highlighting best practices and be followed by the awards luncheon which will recognize the finalists and award recipients, plus former honorees.

Congratulations to our finalists!!!

Being Prepared for H1N1

We have partnered with Columbus Public Health and the Franklin County Board of Health, to provide information to the business community.

A recent Harvard study said that businesses are not prepared to handle a major outbreak of illness, such as H1N1. In this study businesses said that if a majority of their workforce had to be away from the workplace, they could not sustain business operations.

I have also heard a prediction that at least 70 percent of us will personally be affected by this illness. Not that we’ll all have H1N1 but that we’ll need to care for a family member, cover for a colleague who is not at work, or change our travel or meeting plans.

Think about how this will affect your business operations.

As a business community, we need to be prepared. There are numerous steps you can take including:

• Consider telecommuting options for those who have been exposed or who are caring for a sick family member.
• Offer flexible leave policies so those who are ill will stay home – to protect the rest of your employees and customers.
• Cross train employees now to make sure you have the capacity to sustain vital operations.
• Educate your workforce on steps they can take to stay healthy such as washing hands and obtaining flu vaccinations.
• If you rely heavily on outsourcing, check with your vendors to insure they have a plan.

You need to take the steps that work for your business. But remember that the plans you implement in your business affect the health and wellness of our community as a whole.  We want your business to be sustainable and our community to be healthy – economically and physically.

This year’s economy has presented a challenge for many businesses. We know that you are resilient and that you will persevere. Thank you for taking the time to discuss and plan for what could be a business-changing situation. 

Young Professionals from Columbus Attend 2009 Next Leaders Summit

The 2009 Next Leaders Summit (formerly called the "YP Summit") was held in Cincinnati, OH, September 17-19, 2009. The 6th annual summit built on our tradition of being the only forum in the world committed to developing the skills and capacity of our future leaders - and unleashing the power of the next generation to build better cities and workplaces. Summit attendees from Columbus included: Robbie Banks, young professionals manager at the Columbus Chamber, Sarah Black of 100(+) Women Who Care - Columbus Metro, Kristen Jensen of Young Professionals of Columbus (YPC), Elissa Schneider of YPC, Lynn Walsh of YPC and Kim Wingfield of Columbus Rotaract.

This guest post was written by Lynn Walsh, communication and marketing chair of Young Professionals of Columbus (YPC).

A room full of enthusiastic leaders waiting to learn ways in which they can continue to make a difference. The recent Next Leaders Summit was inspiring and contagious. One cannot help but be overwhelmed with energy and drive after leaving a conference like this. To help myself better take all of the information and ideas from a “dream” to reality, I will keep in mind these four things:

“Make it Matter”
Whether it is an e-mail or a huge event, the goal in anything you do yourself or as an organization should be to “make it matter.” Make sure it is relevant and significant to those around you. A YP's time is valuable and you do not want to waste it. The moment people do feel their time has been wasted is the moment you become irrelevant to them.

Know Your Constituents
A key in making it matter is to know who you want to attend your events and participate in your organization. If your group is focused on environmental issues, hosting a “bar-hopping” event may not resonate with your constituents. One great way to know your constituents is to survey them as much as possible. Sick of surveys? Find ways to disguise them: use Twitter to ask questions or post discussion items on Facebook and LinkedIn. Another key part of knowing your constituents is to involve as many people as possible in event brainstorming. Some groups I have been involved in keep the decision makers so close-knit that they and then the group become irrelevant. Be as welcoming as possible to new members and encourage feedback.

Clearly State the “Bargain”
Every organization has a “bargain.” Every event has a “bargain.” If not, then you need to create one. A great question posed to the Summit attendees was this: "If your organization did not exist, would it matter?" It may sound harsh, but if nothing would be different, then it is time to make changes. By creating a reason for being you are then creating a bargain for your members. If you provide something they cannot get anywhere else, they now have a reason for joining, committing their time, money, and resources, and a reason to come back. They will look at it as a bargain and not a requirement.

Personalization is Priceless
This is obvious in almost anything. Think about how you feel when you get mail that has your actual name on it or an invite to an event that was not sent to more than 20 people; you are more likely to pay attention than if it was addressed to “current resident” or sent to a listserv of e-mail addresses. This can take time, but remember time is money. It is more beneficial to reach out to new members right when they join rather than assume they know how to get involved. Another easy way to create personalization is have nametags printed ahead of time for those who RSVP. People will feel as if you were expecting them and it also makes those who did not RSVP feel as if they should next time.

 
Summit attendees (from left to right), Elissa Schneider, Lynn Walsh, Kristen Jensen and Robbie Banks, at The Bacchanalian Society's wine tasting fundraising event at Fountain Square in Cincinnati.

The Summit was organized by Next Generation Consulting and Mayor Mallory's Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet. Pictured from right to left: Sarah Black, Lynn Walsh, Rebecca Ryan of Next Generation Consulting, Kristen Jensen, Molly Foley of Next Generation Consulting and Clara Rice of Mayor Mallory's Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet.

Member Spotlight: 2Checkout.com

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 2Checkout.com: Established in 2000, and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, 2Checkout.com (2CO) is a full service e-commerce solution servicing thousands of web-based businesses throughout the world. 2CO provides online businesses a merchant account alternative and a fully automated suite of backend services. In addition to a fast and secure checkout system accepting a wide variety of payment methods, 2CO offers built-in fraud protection, 24-hour customer care, PCI data storage compliance, an automated shopping cart and easy to use plug-n-play code.

Why We're Members: Our involvement with the Columbus Chamber allows us the chance to connect socially and professionally with other local businesses. Being a part of the Chamber also provides us with opportunities to give back to Columbus and support our own cultural and artistic communities. We have also individually been able to exchange ideas and have learned so much from the relationships we have formed through the Chamber.

Fun Facts 2Checkout.com: No person in our office is more than a few steps away from a coffee maker. We realize that coffee is what makes business hummm. We also fully support the real diversity of our employees - not just the idea of a "diverse workforce" - We even welcome Michigan fans.

Young Professionals Spotlight: GenNext

Each month, the Columbus Chamber will spotlight a local young professional or professional organization to showcase what they offer, how to get involved and when to check out their next event. For the month of October, GenNext is featured.

When and why was GenNext started?
GenNext launched in October 2008 to provide young people a way to become involved in their community through volunteerism. A lot of YPs want to volunteer, but don't know how to get started. GenNext is the place to start.

Why should I become a member?
Volunteering with GenNext is fun and gives YPs an opportunity to meet new people and see a variety of community organizations who are working hard to make Columbus a better place to live.

How do I become a member?
To become a member simply go to www.gennextcolumbus.org and sign up! Membership is free.

Tell me about your upcoming event(s).
GenNext is celebrating our 1st Birthday during the month of October. On October 3rd we are hosting a community-wide food drive to benefit the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Volunteers can sign up to collect food in various central Ohio neighborhoods. We have set a goal to collect 10,000 pounds of food, so we need as many volunteers as possible.

On October 9th we are inviting the community to join us for our 1st Birthday Party at A&R Music Bar. Come out between 6pm and 9pm to help us celebrate more than 1,200 hours of service and nine community projects we've done in the past year.

What are some successes or cool facts about GenNext?
Since October 2008 GenNext volunteers have donated more than 1,200 hours of service through nine community projects. We've saved central Ohio agencies approximately $17,000 by donating our time.

Where can I go to learn more information?
www.gennextcolumbus.org