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

Chamber Member Spotlight: Arthritis Foundation

The Arthritis Foundation is the largest private, not-for-profit contributor to arthritis in the world, funding more than $380 million in research grants since 1948. Through the support of more than 600,000 volunteers, the Foundation helps individuals take control of arthritis by providing public health education, pursuing public policy and legislation and conducting evidenced-based programs to improve the quality of life for those living with arthritis.

Why We’re Chamber Members:
We joined the Columbus Chamber to take advantage of opportunities to network with other local business and community leaders, to contribute to the marketing and growth of Columbus whenever possible, to use the many resources the Columbus Chamber offers to its members and to promote the important mission of the Arthritis Foundation in central Ohio.

Facts About My Company:
Arthritis is our nation’s No. 1 disabling disease, costing the U.S. economy more than $128 billion in treatment and lost wages. There are more than 100 forms of arthritis affecting joints and the surrounding tissues. Currently, 1 in 5 Americans suffer from this disease and it can affect anyone, regardless of race, gender or age. Nearly 12,000 children in central Ohio have arthritis, and women have a much higher disease rate than men. 

Featured Product/Service:
Exercise is the key to remaining mobile, so we offer many classes in warm water aquatics, tai chi, land-based exercise and walking programs. We also sponsor free equipment loans, a free rheumatology camp for kids, home assessment programs, physician referrals, support groups and many educational opportunities. Nationally we support research to find the cure. We hold fundraising events all year long for anyone interested in sponsoring or volunteering to become part of our mission.

For more information, visit www.arthritis.org.

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

Chamber Member Spotlight: Crimson Cup

Since 1991 Crimson Cup has roasted and packaged quality, great-tasting coffee in Columbus and has taught businesses how to be successful in specialty coffee. We have more than 300 customers throughout the United States including: independent coffee houses, grocers, colleges and universities and food service establishments. In 2007, we opened our very first company-owned coffeehouse, which is located on High Street in Clintonville.

We truly believe in the power of community, so the majority of the businesses we work with are local businesses in small towns. This is also the reason we are not a franchise; we want customers to know we have a vested interest in their success. The only way for us to succeed is for our customers to succeed.

Why We are Members:
The Columbus community has been a huge support system for Crimson Cup and being a part of the Chamber is just one way for us to get involved in the local community. We also want to be sure we do all we can to help the Columbus business community thrive, and joining the Chamber is one more of the many ways to do so.

Fun Facts About My Company:
• Crimson Cup was founded by Greg Ubert a Columbus native and Worthington High School graduate.

• Our company name comes from part of the coffee plant called the coffee cherry. When ready to be harvested, it turns a bright crimson color.

• We help our customers with marketing support, training and coffee shop layout and design.

• We only roast Specialty Grade Class 1 beans, which represent the top 5 percent of coffee beans grown around the world.

• To celebrate our 20th Anniversary the coffee house in Clintonville will offer $1 drinks all day on Tuesday, May 10.

Featured Product/Service:
Our signature coffee blend is called Armando’s Blend® and was created in 1992 by Crimson Cup. This blend has won several taste tests and is used in coffee houses in more than 29 states. In addition to great coffee, we also provide organic black and green iced teas, hot teas, syrups, sauces and much more.

Tour the Crimson Cup Headquarters:

For more information, visit our website.   And, be sure to check out our social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

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

Chamber Member Spotlight: Good As Gold Promotions LLC

Good As Gold Promotions LLC is a woman-owned full-service brand and apparel solutions company. In our 17 years, we've established our business by developing partnerships, providing superior quality products and services, with unprecedented accessibility and attention to detail. Good As Gold develops unique avenues in which to promote your name through active listening, creative planning, innovative products and competitive pricing. We know that our success is measured by your success.

Why We’re Chamber Members:
We joined the Columbus Chamber seeking a professional business organization in which to promote our name and services. Scheduled events and venues create valuable situations in which to meet other members and perspective clients, thus gaining a better understanding of who the members are and what they do. Often times these initial conversations provide a catalyst for proposing marketing strategies in which to creatively advertise their own name, brand and/or services. Our primary goal is creating long term relationships and providing targeted products and specific solutions for our valued customers, which is only one of the many reasons we became a Chamber member and part of the Ambassador Program.

Fun Facts About My Company:
Every day we supply products and solutions for an array of exciting projects. One of our most unique projects was supplying Mission Patches for NASA that were flown on the Space Shuttle. We also became a part of history when we provided commemorative transit pass holders for the inauguration of President Obama.  

Featured Product/Service:
Good As Gold, established in 1994, has worked with a wide variety of wonderful individuals from small business owners, to committees and government entities, to executives with large national and international corporations. We value these relationships formed from day one to almost two decades later, and many have become like extended family. We take great pride in building strong relationships and welcome the opportunity to work with you.
 
For more information and to enter our $1,000 drawing, visit our website. Click here to visit our online retail apparel catalogs; http://www.4logowearables.com/ and http://www.imprintablecatalog.com/.

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

Member Spotlight: Chute Gerdeman

Chute Gerdeman is an award-winning strategic brand and design firm. Founded in 1989 by visionary leaders Elle Chute and Denny Gerdeman, Chute Gerdeman has grown into a multi-disciplinary brand experience company with a global presence. Known for creating unforgettable environments, compelling communications and innovative business strategies, Chute Gerdeman connects client, customer and brand.

The firm’s core capabilities include intelligence, brand, design and implementation with expertise across a wide range of retail, restaurant, service provider and CPG brands. The firm’s client list includes Bob Evans Farms, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Express, Nationwide Arena, Huntington Bank, HER Real Living, Jimmy John’s, Kohl’s, Levi Strauss, Mattel (Barbie Shanghai), M&M’S/Mars, RadioShack and Target.

Why We’re Chamber Members:
We’re members of the Chamber to stay connected with the Columbus community and maintain a strong presence in our hometown. Our associates are deeply embedded in the Columbus scene, from our involvement with Columbus College of Art and Design and The Ohio State University, to local professional associations. As a hot bed of retail activity, Columbus has served our company well as a home base and we’re proud to call Columbus home. 

Fun Facts About my Company:
- Chute Gerdeman’s headquarters was built in 1885 and originally housed state-of-the-art ice making machines that could produce 220 tons of ice a day.

- We are a group of people with one very important common bond: we are passionate about inspiring and energizing our clients’ customers. Plus, we know how to have a heck of a lot of fun. Look for Chute Gerdeman in local bowling and kickball leagues, on bike rides through the city’s parks, at charity events and fundraisers.

Featured Product/Service:
Creating authentic brand experiences, via our four core capabilities of intelligence, brand, design and implementation. Look for our work—retail, restaurants, consumer goods and service providers—wherever consumers interact with a brand. We look at brand in every dimension.

Chute Gerdeman offers a truly collaborative approach focused on your business, your customer and your specific objectives. We have developed a unique and scalable offering that allows us to focus on holistic solutions with the widest focus or the narrowest view.

For more information on our services, visit our website, company blog or read our company newsletter.

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

Green Member Spotlight: Consider Biking

Consider Biking is Columbus’s member-supported bicycle advocacy organization which hosts fun events like the BikeColumbus Festival, July 15-16, offering a range of free tools to knock down barriers to bicycling and working in the trenches so you can focus on riding. Its staff and volunteers are working to improve the bicycling environment throughout central Ohio.

Why We’re Chamber Members:
Bicycling is good for your health, the environment and businesses’ bottom lines. When bicycling programs are integrated into company wellness plans, there’s an ROI of at least 3:1 in health care cost containment, decreased parking costs, decreased absenteeism and increased productivity. Board members representing Hahn, Loeser & Parks LLP, Nationwide Insurance, M/I Homes and other companies see this value and support Consider Biking.

Fun Facts About My Company:
The sbBicycle Card:
Consider Biking has a new, unique bicycling incentive program, the sbBicycle Card, in partnership with the Small Business Beanstalk. With the sbBicycle Card, employers can reach out to the affluent bicycle demographic and provide a free benefit to employees.

RideNet Online Bike Community
Consider Biking encourages riders to register with and record rides on its RideNet social networking website. The more rides logged, the more chances to win great prizes.To get started with RideNet, create a rider bio. Then, keep a ride log, find or build a team/company/school page, locate and promote cycling events and rides and connect with other riders. Individuals can also log their rides by joining Consider Biking’s team.

In addition to networking with 1,000-plus other bicyclists, logging rides provides Consider Biking with valuable information to advocate for enhanced and expanded bicycling infrastructure. To join or create a RideNet team, visit http://www.ridenet.net/.

Featured Product/Service:
2 BY 2012
2 BY 2012’s goal is for everyone in central Ohio to ride—instead of drive—to work, school or for errands twice a month by Columbus’ 2012 Bicentennial. To date 80+ local employers are 2 BY 2012 partners, including the Columbus Chamber. The Columbus Foundation sees the value of bicycling to the region’s economy and is a funder of 2 BY 2012. May is Bike Month and a great time to start riding.

For more information about bicycling in central Ohio and Consider Biking, visit our website. To learn more about 2 BY 2012, visit http://www.2by2012.com/, or email Bryan Saums at bryan@considerbiking.org to join.

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

Member Spotlight: Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark Resort

Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark Resort offers a 60,000-square-foot indoor waterpark with 12 thrilling slides,  a relaxing lazy river, 1,000-gallon tipping bucket, 277 guest rooms and 60 villa suites to entertain and accommodate visitors. Fort Rapids also hosts tons of birthday parties for kids.

Beyond leisure travel, Fort Rapids offers a concierge level, first class business center for our business travelers. With over 6,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, The Conference Center at Fort Rapids is the perfect place for seminars, training sessions, banquets and more.

Why We’re Chamber Members:
Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark Resort is a part of the Chamber because we believe that community involvement is very important. Making connections with other local businesses will help our Columbus community grow.

Fun Facts About my Company: 
    - All of the Villa Suite styles are named after areas north of the Grand Canyon.

    - The waterpark and villas were added in 2006. The original building was built in the 1970s as a  
      Hilton hotel.

    - Jamal Lewis, former Cleveland Browns running back, recently purchased Fort Rapids along with 
      hotelier, Brownlee Reagan. 

Featured Product/Service:
Customer Service. We strive to treat everyone who comes for the hotel, waterpark, conference center, restaurant and other amenities with the utmost respect and care.

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

For more information on our services or to make reservations, visit our website, call 877-33-SPLASH or find us on Facebook.

Member Spotlight: Delta Energy LLC

Producers and industrial consumers of natural gas have partnered with Delta to help them make complex  energy decisions since 1997. Through organic growth and acquisitions, Delta is now a comprehensive partner that provides industrial natural gas and electricity consulting services as well as non-residential natural gas supply.

We’re a team of some of the most experienced and dedicated experts in the energy business. Our team is passionate about creating customized energy programs for our growing roster of industrial, utility and commercial customers and energy producers.

Why We’re Chamber Members:
Because Delta is dedicated to the energy needs of the non-residential market, our Columbus Chamber membership makes us an accessible resource for central Ohio businesspeople with questions about ongoing changes in natural gas deregulation and how it might affect their business. Our involvement with the Columbus Chamber is also helping us make it known that Delta is now serving commercial businesses in central Ohio, with the same personal approach that we have used with our large industrial clients for more than a decade.

Fast Facts about Delta Energy:

• Delta Energy has been the No. 1 woman-owned business and one of the ‘Best Places To Work’ in central Ohio (as published by Columbus Business First) since 2007.
• Since 2005, Delta Energy and its employees have donated more than $216,000 to non-profit organizations such as The American Red Cross, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and The Make-A-Wish Foundation.  In our last fiscal year alone, our company and 58 employees donated $69,000.
• Delta Energy’s commitment to customer and employee satisfaction has resulted in employee and customer retention rates of more than 90 percent since 1997.

Featured Product/Service:
Delta has introduced a new hybrid offer for Columbia Gas of Ohio “Choice” business customers. When you sign up before April 18, you can select a rate that’s variable through November 2011 and then converts to a fixed rate through March 2012. Customers who take advantage of this offer will be guaranteed a $0.10 per Mcf savings (when compared to the utility’s rate) through November 2011. This variable rate will then convert to a fixed rate through March 2012 when market prices are most unpredictable.

For more information on our services, visit our website.

Green Member Spotlight: KLH Engineers

KLH Engineers, an MEP design firm, with offices in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, and Ft. Thomas, Ky., is licensed to practice in 50 states and the D.C. We have a workforce of more than 90 engineers and support staff including electrical and mechanical engineers and designers, plumbing and fire protection designers, energy  specialists, communication and information technology designers, commissioning authorities and field services. The firm’s core values are twofold; uncompromising value for our clients and dignity and respect for our employees.

Why We are Chamber and Green Council Members:

KLH Engineers is highly dedicated to sustainable design features that benefit the environment and satisfy the client. Although ‘going green’ and sustainable design has become more popular in recent years, KLH Engineers has practiced this valuable concept for more than 30 years. We are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as an Energy Star Provider. KLH Engineers is also a registered national member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Fun Facts About My Company:

• Serving clients for more than 55 years
• The obvious choice for engineering services
• Columbus office has tripled the size of its staff since opening in September of 2008
• Autodesk BIM Experience International Award, 2010
• Won recognition in publications:
    - BD+C’s Giants 300 Report
    - South Central 2010 Top Design Firm
    - Consulting-Specifying Engineer 2010 MEP Giants
    - Commercial Construction Magazine - 44 engineering companies you should know

Featured Product/Service:

Our firm has been in business for more than 55 years. The services we provide include those that are traditional as well as progressive.

Traditional Services:
• Mechanical engineering
• Electrical engineering
• Plumbing engineering
• Fire protection

Progressive Services:
• Architectural lighting design, through our alliance partner, Visual Energy
• Communication and information technology
• Commissioning
• Construction administration
• Energy solutions

For more information on our services, please visit our website.

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

Member Spotlight: Premier Services Inc.

Premier has been in the delivery business for more than 30 years and is a consistent annual winner of the Consumer Choice Award for delivery services. In that time, we've moved millions o f packages across  town and across the country for medical, payroll processing and banking clients in addition to many other industry groups. They call us again and again because we keep our word. 

Why We’re Chamber Members:
We have been a long time member of the Columbus Chamber as we believe that it’s important to all residents of our community for business to have a strong voice in its development.

Fun Facts about my Company:
Using Premier is:

• Cost Effective - Our rates begin at less than $3.
• Productive - Your company can’t afford to have idle employees, excess inventory or dissatisfied customers. By delivering what you need, when you need it, we will help you increase employee productivity, inventory productivity and customer satisfaction.
• Convenient - We’re as near as your telephone and ready to go when you are … 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Featured Product/Service:
Our broad range of shipping solutions includes:

• Ground Service by 5 p.m. within one to six business days.
• Second Day Service by 5 p.m. on the second business day.
• Three Day Service by 5 p.m. on the third business day.
• Next Afternoon Service by 3 p.m. on the next business day.
• Express Service by noon on the next business day in our local markets.
• Priority Service by 10:30 a.m. on the next business day.
• Early Service locally by 9 a.m. on the next business day in our local markets.
• Hundred Weight Service locally by 4 p.m. on the next business day.

*These services will save you 30 percent to 80 percent compared to major carrier rates.

For more information on our service options please visit our website at www.prem1erservices.com or call 614-246-4121 ext. 509, Linda Dillard, vice president, sales.

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

Member Spotlight: The Buckeye Ranch

The Buckeye Ranch provides hope and healing to children and families by offering family-focused mental health treatment and services for children coping with behavioral and or psychological challenges.

Why We’re Chamber Members:
As an organization that is focused on treating and providing support to families in our community, we understand the importance of being linked to other businesses that help serve Columbus and surrounding areas. Being able to network with other local businesses provides us with great opportunities to meet other organizations and expand our visibility. 

Fun Facts about my Company:
The Buckeye Ranch has been providing critical mental health treatment and drug/alcohol services to adolescents for 50 years.

In celebrating our golden anniversary, we realize how important it is to stay connected to our community and how grateful we are to have the support of friends gained throughout the years. 

Featured Product/Service:
We offer residential and community-based treatment to both boys and girls in multiple locations across the state, including our residential programs located at our Grove City campus, founded in 1961. With the help and support of those dedicated to our mission, we have been able to help children and families find hope and healing through community-based programs, residential treatment care, foster care and deaf services.

For more inforamtion, visit www.buckeyeranch.org. To hear testimonies from supporters of The Buckeye Ranch and to learn more about donating to help support our mission of providing hope and healing to children and families, please visit www.learncaregive.org.

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