Columbus Chamber Blog: Columbus Business News

The Common Sense Initiative: An Update from the Lt. Governor

This post was originally published on the State of Ohio website.

by Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor

You may have read in the news that "Chief Executive" magazine recently released its 2013 rankings of the best and worst states for business. Ohio made the largest jump, improving 13 spots in its annual poll of CEOs. The CEO comments included in the article focused on Ohio's turnaround and efforts to make the state more business friendly and to solve business problems. Among the efforts Governor Kasich has initiated to do this is the Common Sense Initiative (CSI), which he created in 2011 to reduce and streamline Ohio's business regulations. Governor Kasich appointed me to lead CSI the same day I was sworn into office.

CSI has been designed to operate along two tracks. The first track is focused on the administrative rules adopted by state agencies. Since January 1, 2012, all administrative rules that impact business must be submitted to the CSI office for review along with an analysis to demonstrate that the regulation justifies the impact to business. In 2012, Ohio's rule filings were 44 percent below the state's historical average, largely due to the fact that the CSI reviews have forced agencies to pause and ensure that they have met the CSI criteria and will be able to justify any rules they propose. The CSI Office has also worked closely with agencies to minimize business impacts, resulting in rule packages with better justifications and often changes to the rules themselves.

In addition to the rule review process, CSI operates along a second track which allows it to work directly with businesses to resolve issues that are affecting them.  In one recent example, CSI was able to assist a small restaurant that was looking to expand but struggling with the state permitting requirements. With CSI's help, the restaurant was able to add 40 new seats and four employees. Other examples of CSI's successes include assistance to an asphalt company as it fought duplicative and expensive emissions testing; helping a small business avoid a six-month delay in receiving a $65,000 refund for overpaid sales taxes; and helping local pharmacies navigate the Medicaid system to open new locations in underserved areas.

For more information on Ohio's Common Sense Initiative, visit www.governor.ohio.gov/CSI or call (614) 466-3396.

Member Insights: How to Cultivate a Culture of Caring

By Robert Shenton, managing partner of Plante Moran’s Columbus office, FORTUNE Top 100 Places to Work Winner 15 Years Straight

Want to set a higher standard of performance for your company? Want to edge out the competition? Then start by making coffee for the line workers on the factory floor or the account executive down the hall. Try sending a graduation card to the daughter of your plant manager.

Yes, building a strong, lasting relationship with your customer base starts with building a thriving, supportive culture in your own workplace. Building a positive company culture is good for business because it creates an atmosphere of excellent customer service.

When workers see the CEO or an executive vice president making copies for a presentation or cleaning up after a meeting, the atmosphere becomes contagious. This culture of caring recognizes that we are all in it together and forms the basis of the Golden Rule at Plante Moran.

Many business leaders see company culture from the cost side of the ledger. And they’re partially right. A workplace where employees love their jobs cuts down on turnover, employee training and the cost of recruitment. You can save money in a happy workplace.

But company culture also adds to revenue.

Let’s say that your company has two competitors that make the exact same product or offer the same service. Would customers rather do business with the supplier that takes extra steps to ensure they’re satisfied and are great to work with or would they pick the company that doesn’t return phone calls in a timely manner and requires vendor management?

There are a number of companies that belong to the Columbus Chamber of Commerce that understand the value of a positive company culture. They’re the ones that have been in business from generation to generation, or the ones with a growing client list. Those companies are to be applauded for getting it right.

The reason why a strong company culture works is that it’s a commitment to service, to staff, to clients and to the community. This is what successful businesses are all about.

So the next time you think your company environment needs a reboot, start with a cup of coffee. But make sure you take the cream and sugar with you as you walk down the hall serving it to your colleagues.

Member Insights: Bureau of Workers' Compensation Rebates

From Savings Partner Careworks Concultants, Inc. (CCI):

Good news is on the horizon for Ohio employers in regards to the workers’ compensation premiums. The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) recently announced a proposal to pay a dividend in the amount of $1 billion back to private employers and public-taxing districts. Under the dividend, more than 210,000 private employers and public-taxing districts would receive approximately 56% of their annual premium payment made in the 2011 policy year which ran from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. The next step is for this potential dividend to be presented to the BWC board of directors in the near future.

In addition, the BWC is asking the legislature to change the way premiums are collected by moving from a retrospective program to a prospective program. This will be discussed in the legislature and has been targeted for implementation in mid-2014.

Important Eligibility Items:

• Private employers and public taxing-districts that pay premium into the State Insurance Fund and have active, up-to-date policies will be eligible for the dividend.
• Employers that have an outstanding BWC balance will have their dividend payment reduced by the amount of premium owed to the BWC. If the amount owed is greater than the dividend the employers account will be reduced by the amount of the dividend.

If you have any questions on the BWC announcements or your status please contact Jason Bainum with CareWorks Consultants at 614.526.7114 or via email at jason.bainum@ccitpa.com. 

Read more and view the news release.

Learn more about savings opportunities with CCI.

Young Professional Spotlight: George Yui

Since 2009, the Columbus Chamber has spotlighted a local young professionals organization each month to showcase what they offer, how to get involved and when to check out their next event. We have recently expanded this series to also feature young artists, entrepreneurs and professionals who are helping to make Columbus a talent magnet city. Meet George Yui. 

Name: George Yui

Title: Graphic Specialist

Employer: Columbus Regional Airport Authority

Number of years you’ve resided in Columbus: 10

Your neighborhood: West side - Columbus/Hilliard-ish

What YP or professional organizations are you involved with and in what capacity? NAAAP Columbus – I am the Past President and National Liaison for the local chapter.

What do you value most about Columbus? I value the creative energy within the people. I’ve been here a decade, and I’ve never witnessed the exponential growth and development like what Columbus has been going thru in the last 3-4 years. The people really seem to want to be a part of the progressive movement to make Columbus, and ultimately, the region better.

How have you made a difference in Columbus? I think it’s safe to say that Columbus has changed me. When I first moved here, I was very much a person who was disinterested in making the community better. Over time, I started participating in Asian community organizations such as NAAAP Columbus (helped found), Asian American Community Services (AACS) and Asian Festival. All these organizations do great things in different areas. NAAAP Columbus fosters leadership development skills within the Asian Professional community, AACS provides social services for low income Asian families, and Asian Festival promotes diversity through cultural/educational exhibits/festivals/performances. These organizations helped me understand the value of volunteerism, to giving ones time and energy to possibly help an individual, a community, or a cause. And I hope I have helped other future Asian leaders realize this as well through my 7+ years of working in the community.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? To be honest, I’m bad at remembering good advice (and funny jokes). So I’ll just quote from my favorite comic strips, Calvin & Hobbes. “It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy…Let’s go exploring!” - Calvin

What one word best describes Columbus? Evolving

What is your favorite event or activity in Columbus? I can’t whittle it down to one. I’ll just say “Summer festivals” (which encompasses Art, Asian, Dragonboat, Food truck, Jazz & Rib, Comm, Gay Pride, etc. Festivals)

Young Professional Spotlight: Jordan Davis

Since 2009, the Columbus Chamber has spotlighted a local young professionals organization each month to showcase what they offer, how to get involved and when to check out their next event. We have recently expanded this series to also feature young artists, entrepreneurs and professionals who are helping to make Columbus a talent magnet city. Meet Jordan Davis.

Name: Jordan Davis

Title: Manager, Events and Development

Employer: Columbus Partnership

Number of years you’ve resided in Columbus: I grew up in Westerville, but have lived in the city of Columbus for six and a half years.

Your neighborhood: German Village

What YP or professional organizations are you involved with and in what capacity? I am actively involved in the Create Columbus Commission.  

What do you value most about Columbus?  I most value Columbus' constant desire to improve. Everyone I meet who is committed to this community is genuinely invested in making Columbus the best place for everyone to live, work, play, and be educated.

How have you made a difference in Columbus? My most significant contribution to the community thus far in my career was my involvement in launching Columbus' first ever collegiate Welcome event. I served as a co-chair for Ohio State's Columbus Welcome Event this fall which mobilized OSU's 7,000 first year students downtown on their first day to hear about the many opportunities and adventures to be had in their new home. This program is now a new tradition for the University and the community. It is an event that I hope will continue to evolve and develop into a more integrated strategy for engaging our area college students in Columbus. I am looking forward to continuing to be involved in this project.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Let your work do the talking.

What one word best describes Columbus?
Advancing.

What is your favorite event or activity in Columbus?
There are many Columbus events and activities I enjoy!  I have and always will love OSU football Saturdays and trying new local restaurants. More recently, my anticipation for Short North's HighBall Halloween has grown. HighBall presents such a unique and authentic experience that even our country's biggest cities can't replicate!   This year's event was the best one yet and I can't wait for what next year will bring!

Connecting Talent: Is Technology a Problem?

By Michael Dalby, President and CEO, Columbus Chamber

We’re a Chamber of Commerce with about 2,000 members. We meet one-on-one with about 500-700 individual business owners/managers each year. The number one “need” they express is frustration over trying (and failing) to “find qualified workers.”  The job openings are in all kinds of categories – IT, sales, customer/client support, manufacturing, etc. But I question whether it’s really a people problem (the people with these skills don’t exist) or a systems problem (the connecting system for posting jobs and applying for jobs is broken). Is there really no one out there that can do the work, or are we just not efficiently connecting the talent to the work?

I have a sneaking suspicion that the Internet, as wonderful as it may be, may be part of the problem. Thirty years ago if a business had a job opening, they took out an ad in the local newspaper classifieds. If you were looking for work, there was one place to look – the classifieds. Now there are dozens of options to post a job opening, and if you don’t post in the “right” place, your job might not be seen by the “right” audience.

And looking for a job has also become more – not less – complicated. Those same multiple places to list a job opening are confusing for job seekers, and the use of electronic means to sift through and rapidly eliminating candidates (key word searches, multiple different types of applications, etc.) leave little room for finding the truly unique candidate.  Do you really need a bachelor’s degree to be a top sales person? Is it possible for a college dropout to be an ace programmer? Could someone with a degree in 19^th Century British Literature become a great engineering project manager?

I think we all know the answer to those questions. But I think there are other questions we should ask before just assuming the problem lies with one institution (schools not doing their job) or the other (businesses demanding an unnecessarily narrow set of skills yet not willing to pay enough to hire the talent). The problem may lie with the very tool we assumed to be the solution – technology.

So how do we address that? How do we make it better?

I invite you to share your thoughts with us.

Young Professionals Spotlight: Tasha Booker

Since 2009, the Columbus Chamber has spotlighted a local young professionals organization each month to showcase what they offer, how to get involved and when to check out their next event. We have recently expanded this series to also feature young artists, entrepreneurs and professionals who are helping to make Columbus a talent magnet city. Meet Tasha Booker, the Young Professionals Spotlight for August.

Name: Tasha Booker
Title: Director of Development & Public Relations
Employer: I Know I Can
Number of years you’ve resided in Columbus: 33
Your neighborhood: I grew up in Northeast Columbus and currently reside in Canal Winchester though I pay City of Columbus taxes!
 
What YP or professional organizations are you involved with and in what capacity?
Founding member and Chair of the Education Committee National Coalition of 100 Black Women Central Ohio Chapter; WELD Ohio; Board of Directors, First Night Columbus

What do you value most about Columbus?
The diversity in people, culture and artistic expression.
 
How have you made a difference in Columbus?
I like to believe that my personal and professional journey has been an inspiration to young women particularly women from modest backgrounds. I am often asked to speak to young women and share my story of perserverance and persistance. Through my work at I Know I Can, I am helping young people reach their potentional by obtaining a college degree.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
You have to trust yourself enough to make decisions that may be unpopular, and be confident enough to deal with the consequences.

What one word best describes Columbus?
Community

What is your favorite event or activity in Columbus?
Any street festival. I love the Columbus Arts Festival, Jazz and Rib Fest, Red White and BOOM! I enjoy being around people and celebrating all that our city has to offer.

The Chamber develops strategies to attract, retain and engage YPs because they are an energetic, educated and highly-mobile workforce – the future of our region. Sharing information about activities hosted by local organizations is one way the Chamber keeps YPs connected to the community. If you'd like to stay informed, sign up here to receive Activities and Events for Young Professionals, a weekly email from the Chamber to keep YPs connected to the community. Learn more about YPs here.

What Does Innovation and Design Mean to Columbus? Find out at the Young Professionals' Exchange Forum on August 28!

By Robbie Banks,Young Professionals Manager, Columbus Chamber

Join our region's future leaders at the next Young Professionals’ Exchange: idUS | A Celebration of Innovation & Design on Tuesday, August 28 from 4-5:30 p.m. at DeVry University. Sponsored by the Columbus Chamber, YP Exchange forums provide an opportunity to network and learn about some of today's important topics and issues.

For this YP Exchange, we are hosting a panel discussion that will feature several collaborators who are participating in idUS, a multi-day experience of innovation and design that exemplifies Columbus’ identity as a smart and open community from September 28 to October 8, 2012. The discussion will be moderated by Melanie McIntyre, editorial director of The Metropreneur. Panelists and presenters include:

• Andy Aichele - Curator, TEDxYouth@Columbus
• Irene Alvarez - Account Supervisor, Fahlgren Mortine
• Michael Bongiorno, AIA - Principal, DesignGroup/Director, Columbus Design Week
• John Daugherty - Chief Creative Officer, Vital Companies/Co-Director, FFOCOL
• Amy Lowe - Community Affairs Coordinator, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC)/Event Coordinator, EcoSummit 2012
• Shannon Morrison - Creative Director & Principal, IM Creative (producers of idUS)

After the YP Exchange, please join us for the Columbus Chamber Business AfterHours hosted by DeVry University from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Admission for YPs is free for both the YP Exchange and Business AfterHours. All are welcome to attend. Register to attend now.

This event is a perfect opportunity to be informed, ask questions and discover opportunities to be actively engaged with idUS personally or on behalf of your company or organization. (Not to mention, terrific networking with other YPs and experienced professionals immediately after at the Business AfterHours.) Please help us spread the word on Facebook and Twitter (hashtag #ypx). We look forward to seeing new and familiar faces there!

Young Professionals Spotlight: Rae Reed

Since 2009, the Columbus Chamber has spotlighted a local young professionals organization each month to showcase what they offer, how to get involved and when to check out their next event. We have recently expanded this series to also feature young artists, entrepreneurs and professionals who are helping to make Columbus a talent magnet city. Meet Rae Reed, the Young Professionals Spotlight for July.

Name: Rae Reed
Title: Founder, Editor-in-Chief
Company: OutLoud Magazine
Number of years you’ve resided in Columbus: 23
Your neighborhood: Grove City
 
What YP or professional organizations are you involved with and in what capacity?
WELD, Key4Women, Dames Bond are three of my favorite organizations in Columbus. All are very different from each other, but have the same goal of informing and connecting women. I love attending events where I not only meet wonderful people, but also learn how to better myself and my business.
 
What do you value most about Columbus?
Anything is possible here. We have a community that loves to support purposeful projects.
 
How have you made a difference in Columbus?
My hope is that I’ve helped empower women on personal levels. No matter what path they’re on in life and no matter what they’ve experienced, they are powerful beyond measure; it’s just up to them to harness it.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
That I can do anything I put my mind to.

What one word best describes Columbus?
Proud

What is your favorite event or activity in Columbus?
I love, love, love watching the Ohio Roller Girls. And I love our Farmer’s Markets!

The Chamber develops strategies to attract, retain and engage YPs because they are an energetic, educated and highly-mobile workforce – the future of our region. Sharing information about activities hosted by local organizations is one way the Chamber keeps YPs connected to the community. If you'd like to stay informed, sign up here to receive Activities and Events for Young Professionals, a weekly email from the Chamber to keep YPs connected to the community. Learn more about YPs here.

Member Insights: Time is Money – Stop Wasting It

By Tiffany Crosby, Petra Learning

If you could get more done each week without putting in more hours in the office, would you? If you could get more work out of your employees without negatively impacting morale, would you? You probably answered, of course, I would. But I’m not so sure. Did you know that wasting 1.5 hours each day equates to about 8 hours per week or one work day? Now, you may find it hard to believe that you waste 1.5 hours a day. In my time management class, I go over at least 10 time wasters that most of us are guilty of doing on a pretty regular basis. In this blog, I’m going to share 5 of those time wasters.

Unscheduled or poorly planned activities

1. Impromptu team lunches – team bonding is a wonderful thing and sharing a meal together is a great way to do it. However, when these lunches are done on a whim, they waste a significant amount of time.
2. Impromptu brainstorming sessions – getting different perspectives on issues and brainstorming ideas to solve problems is a critical element of innovation and contributes to a healthy work environment. However, without proper planning, these sessions are often unfocused and unproductive.

Scheduled but unnecessary activities

1. Recurring (standing) meetings – it’s on the calendar, so we are going to have this committee or team meeting. We waste time on the agenda. Attendees waste time trying to prepare for it. After all, they need to have something to say. No real action occurs but it’s a good meeting because you got through the agenda on time.
2. Paper shuffling – Rereading emails, letters, or other documents because we failed to act on it the first time or then 2^nd time or maybe even the 3^rd time is a huge waste of team. Procrastination occurs for very specific reasons that are often fixable with appropriate trying (e.g., avoiding delivering a difficult message or task complexity).  
3. Wheel spinning – hours spent researching on the internet trying to find that one elusive thing that is going to answer your question is the wasteful bane of this information age.

How big is this really? If you have 10 people that waste 1.5 hours a day, that equals 3,840 hours a year or 2 FTEs. If your average salary is $50,000; that’s $100,000 per year wasted. Time truly is money and it’s not difficult to waste it.

This post is part of our Member Insights blog series. The Columbus Chamber’s goal is to provide connections, resources and solutions to help businesses thrive. That’s why we’re offering the opportunity for Growth and Elite Connect level Chamber members to share their business expertise on our blog. Do you have helpful tips or advice for other members? Growth and Elite members can submit content for this series. Posts must be 250-400 words and must be educational, not promotional, in nature. All posts must contain original content, and members can submit up to two posts per year. Posts will be selected based on relevance and the order they are submitted. Submissions can be sent to info@columbus.org for consideration.