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

Member Spotlight: Knight Innovative Wellness

About My Company  

Knight Innovative Wellness is a distributor for Qivana, the makers of Metaboliq. Dr. Donald Layman, "the father of metabolism," with over 90 peer reviews and studies, helped develop the first and only permanent and patented weight loss system in the world. It turns back your metabolism to your early 20s and recharges it so you can maintain it for the rest of your life. It is scientifically developed with proven results. This scientifically validated program will naturally improve your lean body tissues and help you lose fat. In addition, you can stabilize your cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels. By following the Metaboliq system, not only will you lose weight, but you will lose the right weight and forever improve your body composition.

Why We’re Chamber Members 

We are Chamber members so that we can help support other Chamber members by helping them network and grow their business as well as ours. We have a cutting edge permanent weight loss system and a great health regimen that will enable Chamber members to be at their optimal health.

Fun Facts about my Company

We have multiple Olympic Gold Medalists using our products.

Featured Product/Service
 
The Metaboliq system is our signature item. It is a complete system that re-sets your metabolism to when you were in your 20s. It is 100 percent natural and tastes delicious. Dr. Layman, "the father of nutrition," developed these products. It is a scientific-based system with proven results.

Website:  innovativewellness.myqivana.com

Sales Tips 101

By Shaun Frecska, Sales Director

As an entrepreneur and longtime sales professional, I have found an excessive amount of sales tips and advice for businesses and organizations. Narrowing these tips down to practical solutions and strategies are the key. Over the next several months, I will post various tips/suggestions that I have found to be the most effective. 

Back to the Basics

Direct eye contact, positive body language, engaging tone of voice, firm handshake – social media will always be challenged to replace these established basics of sales.  It’s amazing how often these intangibles are left behind or never used.

Thankfully - in this fast-paced society, there are three truths in sales you can always rely on:

1. The more “work” you can do for your prospect, the greater success you will have.  Filling out paperwork is a great example of taking it one step further. The last thing you want them to do is to  “close themselves.”
2.  Limit your talking and purposely engage the prospect.  Oftentimes, they will reveal their “touchstone” or reason to buy your product or service through this conversation. Look for opportunities to interact not present.
3.  Believe in your product/service and definitely in yourself.  It’s easy to be happy on your good days but learning to pace yourself on the sales rollercoaster will create the greatest return. Momentum will carry you through each day.

To learn more, check out this great resource 100 Best Sales & Marketing Ideas.

If you have further questions or need additional assistance, contact me. We are here to help businesses thrive and succeed.

Chamber Member Spotlight: Stenger Creative

Chamber Member Spotlight: Stenger Creative

Stenger Creative is a visual communications firm that specializes in targeted creative solutions for our clients’ marketing needs. We are recognized in the industry as a respected creative design firm with a professional approach to communications. We are always ready to face new challenges as well as expand creatively on a good foundation. Our clients benefit by receiving superior, business-focused communication solutions, prompt attention and unmatched quality control throughout the process.

Why We’re Chamber Members:

We have been members since September 2010. We hope to use our membership to increase awareness of Stenger Creative, generate leads for new business and to improve our networking skills.

Fun Facts About My Company:

• Stenger Creative was established as a sole proprietorship on October 19, 1992 as Stenger Graphic Design and registered as Stenger Creative Inc. on January 1, 2002.

• Our strength is in strategic thinking and a formidable understanding of marketing principles enables us to fuse a meaningful connection between the needs of your audience and the values of your company.

• Stenger Creative thinks in terms of programs that increase awareness and drive sales.

Featured Product/Service:

Advertising

In today's fast-paced, hectic business world advertising is only effective if it breaks through the clutter. Stenger Creative crafts a message that grabs the attention of your target audience and then makes sure it is placed in the appropriate venue to get to those people.

Brand Development

Stenger Creative works with our clients to develop brands that successfully communicate the personality of their products or services which in turn creates the emotional connection to the consumer. 

Marketing Collateral

Stenger Creative can offer you many ideas and solutions for collateral, from tri-fold brochures and standard pocket folders to dimensional direct mail and elaborate sales kits. 

Interactive

Stenger Creative provides the visual design and content writing that will communicate your values, both through visual and written forms on your company website.

For more information on our services, visit http://www.stengercreative.com/

Young Professionals Spotlight: YPGluco

Each month, the Columbus Chamber spotlights 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 June, YPGluco is featured.

When and why was YPGluco started?
Mission Statement: To harness the enthusiasm of Columbus' young professionals through advocacy and fundraising in support of the Central Ohio Diabetes Association and with a shared goal of improving the lives of people afflicted by diabetes

YPGluco formed in late 2009 to support the Central Ohio Diabetes Association (CODA), a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has served Central Ohio for over 45 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three Americans may develop diabetes by 2050. Yet, there seems to be low awareness of or attention to the disease. Many Americans don’t realize that diabetes can often be prevented through proper nutrition and by living an active lifestyle, and many diabetics currently suffer because they don’t realize their conditions can be significantly improved through coaching and counselling. CODA is instrumental to detecting diabetes and helping diabetics manage their condition regardless of ability to pay.

“When I joined YPGluco, I knew little to nothing about diabetes,” said Jon Yoon, President of YPGluco. “I know I’m not alone. The biggest opportunity I see is to educate people like my previous self and we can do so in a way that’s easily relatable to any young professional. Many of us care about living healthier lifestyles. CODA cares about that too, and they’re using that as a tool to fight diabetes.”

Why become a member?
YPGluco (YPG) is a group of young professionals in Columbus with a passion for working together to increase diabetes awareness in Central Ohio through educational programming and outreach, to raise funding through YPG-led events and to maximize the impact of outreach efforts to all Central Ohioans afflicted with diabetes, as well as to offer young professionals the opportunity to become involved in YPG-related initiatives.

Through YPG participation, members will develop an understanding of nonprofit organizational management, create a wide professional network, build strategic skill sets and achieve a greater appreciation for community and service.

What are some successes or cool facts about YPGluco?
Despite being a young board with a small but growing group of members, we have so far hosted several fundraising happy hours, led a Mall Walk, and managed to finish the CODA Business Swim twice (without any members drowning!). Overall, we have raised thousands of dollars for CODA.

Tell me about an upcoming event hosted by YPGluco.
We are hosting a charity kickball tournament on July 9 in the Arena District. In between games, you can join our all-day party at Cotter’s Restaurant where we’ll have drink specials, a live DJ, and great food on the patio.

How do I become a member?
Please contact Jon Yoon, YPGluco President, at jyoon1501@gmail.com to find out more details on how you can become involved.

Where can I go to learn more about YPGluco?
Visit our website, join us on Facebook, or contact Jon Yoon.

To learn about nearly 60 other local YP and professional organizations, view the Columbus Chamber's directory of YP and professional organizations.

Join the Chamber's Board of Directors in Youth Development and Employment

By Andrea Applegate, Director of Workforce

Michael Dalby, the Chamber's new president and CEO, recently congratulated the representatives on the Chamber's Board of Directors for their participation in developing the next generation workforce: today's high school and college students. There are many opportunities for your business to get involved.

One such opportunity, which is offered through the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corporation, matches 16- to 24-year-old job seekers to seasonal or short-term employment opportunities. Not only is this a great way to introduce young people to what it means to be in the workplace, it helps uncover for them the variety of companies, industries and occupations in our community, and it gives them something productive to do over the summer. Contact COWIC’s Employment Relations Team Leader, Jo Youngs (614-583-1333 or jayoungs@cowic.org), for more information.

Lonnie Miles, CEO of Miles-McClellan Construction Co., Inc., serves on the advisory board for East High School’s Academy of Engineering, which prepares high school students to pursue college admission in STEM fields. This nationally accredited program is one of the first chosen to participate in the program. They are currently seeking summer internships for their junior students. Contact Monique Jacquet (614-365-6096 or mjacquet3317@columbus.k12.oh.us) for information.

The Columbus Partnership established a successful relationship with OSU’s Fisher College of Business to provide a two-year work experience for an MBA student. Through this internship arrangement, the Partnership leverages the knowledge, skills and fresh perspectives of our region’s abundant student population to successfully continue its economic development strategy. The internship also offers these bright young people the opportunity to network and build their careers in Columbus. Getting started with internships is easy. Register as an employer on www.ColumbusInternships.com to post your positions for free.

For the second year in a row, Nationwide Insurance will host 10 high school interns from Columbus City Schools. This partnership between a corporation and a school system is another great example of how Nationwide grows talent for the future and provides support to students who might otherwise not have an opportunity to participate in a corporate internship program.

OhioHealth offers an Explorer program, through the Simon Kenton Council, Boy Scouts of America, that provides work-site based career discovery opportunities for high-school aged youth. Local community organizations and businesses, like OhioHealth, can initiate an Explorer post by matching their people and program resources to the career interests of young people in the community. The result is a program of activities that helps youth pursue their special interests, grow, and develop. To develop an Explorer Post for your business, contact Ken.Ruppel@skcbsa.org or 614-310-1567

Because of their concern for developing their future workforce with proficiency in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), Battelle and Sterling Commerce actively participate in the St. Stephens Community House program: STEM L.A., that partners with the Linden-McKinley High School’s STEM Academy. The summer STEM L.A. program matches business professionals with students in four-hour mentoring sessions offered every Friday for six weeks during the summer. Mentors help students work on projects that advance their academics and prepare them for internships.

In addition to a number of Chamber staff, many board member companies participate in Project Mentor, administered by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio. Project Mentor's mission is to empower Columbus City School students for success through strong mentoring relationships. They are currently recruiting thousands of mentors from our community to start next school year, one for each student who could benefit from having an adult role model in their life. Become a mentor and in just one hour a week you can change a child's life (and probably your own) while transforming our community.

There are so many opportunities for businesses to connect with young people. I encourage you to participate in whatever manner is best for your business. Contact Andrea Applegate (614-225-6900 or andrea_applegate@columbus.org) at the Columbus Chamber for more information about how to get connected to these different programs or to help you determine the most appropriate opportunity for your business.

Chamber Member Spotlight: County Fire Protection, Inc.

We are a full service fire and safety company that offers products and services that “exceed our customers’ expectations.” We offer our services to all 88 counties in Ohio. We are a well established company that takes pride in customer service and keeping customer relationships. We have state licensed technicians that provide scheduled inspections, testing, and annual maintenance to all fire safety products. County Fire Protection, Inc. also offers onsite OSHA approved fire training.

Why We’re Chamber Members:
We joined the Chamber to increase networking opportunities and to become more involved in the community. The Chamber also allows us to connect with companies in the area who are in need of our services.

Fun Facts About County Fire Protection, Inc.:
● Offer full line of Fire/Safety products
● Member of NFPA, NAFED, and AGC-Ohio
● Quarterly quality assurance audits/inspections
● $8,000,000.00 product and service liability coverage
● Authorized US DOT certified Hydrotest facility. (D955)
● Operate UL Listed Halon reclaim and recovery machine
● 12,000 lb CO2 tank for any customers’ Carbon Dioxide needs
● WEATHERHEAD 100 recipient in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 & 2010
● Stock approximately 400 new fire extinguishers in Columbus, aKent, and Toledo offices
● Inspection of aluminum cylinders with Visual-Eddy current testing equipment
● Utilize on-line bar-code management system for customer inspection reports
● Utilize 24Hr/365 day answering service to meet all after-hours customer needs
● American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) authorized fire protection system contractor for the shipping industry
● CFP Inc. Building, Fire & Safety Inspection reports for all services provided to support existing customers safety measures/teams

Featured Products/Services:
● Fire Extinguisher Sales & Service
● Restaurant Hood Suppression
● Fire Alarm & Monitoring Service
● Sprinkler Systems & Fire Pumps
● Exit / Emergency Lighting Service
● Security / Access Control
● Backflow Prevention Testing
● DOT Hydro Testing / SCBA Cylinders
● Bar Code Management
● FM-200 / CO2 / Halon Suppression Service of:
    • FM-200 Systems
    • Halon 1301
    • Low & High Pressure CO2 Systems
    • All types of special hazard protection systems
●On-Site Ladder Testing
● Fire Extinguisher Training

EMERGENCY 24 HOUR SERVICE PROVIDED

For more information on our products and services, please call 888-528-0928, visit our website www.county-fire.com or email us at sales@county-fire.com.

The Columbus Chamber member spotlights put the focus on our member organizations. View our archive of past spotlights.

 

 

Chamber Member Spotlight: Sarmir & Associates, Lean Consultants

Sarmir & Associates, Lean Consultants assist companies in becoming more profitable by applying lean concepts to manufacturing and service processes. Being small, we target small- to medium-size companies with the belief that a customer should only have to pay for “what can be saved.” As an engineer with more than 30 years in manufacturing, experience in many different industries and eight years with a Japanese 1st-tier supplier to Honda, continuous improvement has become a way of life.
 
Why We’re Chamber Members:
Networking. We look forward to meeting potential clients, and at the same time, acquiring services from other Chamber members. We have a strong belief in making ourselves and other companies grow so that Columbus becomes a better place to live and work.

Mottos We Live By:
“Don’t expect anything to change if you don’t change anything,” which goes hand-in-hand with the definition of ‘insanity’: “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” And with all the changes taking place in today’s business environment (technology, rising prices, etc.): “The only thing that is permanent is change.”
 
Featured Product:
We have the ability to get to the root cause of a problem. Sometimes, a problem has been identified and help is needed to determine the root cause and countermeasures. At others, a review is needed of the entire system or process to identify and eliminate waste—operator idle time, product defects, machine downtime, etc. Working with the concerned parties insures buy-in, and the teaching environment allows for the methods to be applied to similar situations.

For more information on our services, visit www.djslmc.com or contact David Sarmir at djsarmir@djslmc.com or 614.648.0260.

The Columbus Chamber member spotlights put the focus on our member organizations. View our archive of past spotlights.

Manufacturing's impact on local economy: Read between the lines

By Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., vice president, economic analysis

The May 27 online edition of Columbus Business First (see Ohio, Great Lakes states big production job losers) highlighted a Business Journals study reporting that manufacturing employment has declined significantly in 49 of the 50 states since 2001. This is certainly true. Employment peaked nationally in March 2000. National employment is 33 percent lower now than it was then, while Ohio is down 40 percent and the Columbus MSA is down 38 percent.

These statistics seem to imply that manufacturing is in decline and all these jobs have gone to other countries. The fact is that the primary reason for the decline over the past decade is not offshoring, but rather efficiency gains. Consider this: between 2001 and 2007, manufacturing employment declined 25 percent but the output of U.S. manufacturers increased 20 percent. As a result, a typical manufacturing worker could produce 41 percent more output in 2007 than he or she could produce six years earlier. 

In other words, what took 100 workers to make in 2001 took only 71 workers in 2007. Many tasks that were performed by workers a decade ago are now performed by machines. While some production has certainly shifted overseas, if this were the driving force behind the employment losses, output would have stagnated or fallen rather than increasing at a faster-than-average rate.

Manufacturing employment has increased since the labor market turned in December 2009 – 2.2 percent nationally and 2.7 percent in Ohio. (Local employment, however, has been flat.) This is not surprising: the 41 percent efficiency gain is unusually large and production improvements have hit a wall. This is likely to be temporary.

In fact, the State of Ohio considers manufacturing to be one of the key industries to focus on for economic development. From the Ohio Means Business website, Ohio is "the 3rd largest manufacturing state in the U.S. ($84.1 billion) and 8th largest source for Gross Domestic Product among the 50 states and the District of Columbia ($471.3 billion in GDP) across a wide industry base." Read more about how Ohio's manufacturing knowledge will help your business adapt to changing manufacturing demands.

Over the long run, manufacturing will provide fewer jobs than it has historically – but more jobs among supplier industries. The manufacturing jobs that do exist are far more technology-dependent and higher skill than they were a decade ago.