Welcome to The Carnation City!
The Alliance Chamber of Commerce, located in Alliance, Ohio, has been a staple in the community for over 90 years, providing leadership to its members, protecting their interests while promoting their businesses.
With a membership totaling over 400, the Chamber's tradition of community leadership continues strong into the 21st century.
CHAMBER FORMS NEW HR COMMITTEE
We hope you are having a wonderful summer in Alliance and want to share some exciting news with you! On behalf of the Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce, we would like to introduce to you, and invite you to join, the new HR Committee (or the revamped committee depending how long you have been a chamber member).
The HR Committee of the Alliance Chamber of Commerce plans to host its first meeting on Wednesday, October 2nd from 11:30 am to 1 pm in the Alliance Community Hospital Cafe Conference Room (Conference Room 1A). For future meetings, please share with us your preferred meeting time by circling one of the options below:
Morning Meeting - 7:30 to 9 am
Mid-day Meeting - 11:30 am to 1 pm.
These meetings will provide you with local resources, experts, and panel or roundtable discussions covering important topics today in Human Resources. Please circle any of the topics below that interest you as a Human Resource Professional or Business Owner:
- Benefits/Health Care Reform
- Internal Investigations
- Wellness/Health Fairs
- Dealing with Difficult Employees
- Wage & Hour/FLSA/Exempt Audit
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Personnel Manual
- Other Topic ______________________
We hope you are as excited about this committee as we are! Please look for a meeting announcement to be sent out at the end of the summer. We look forwarding to seeing you at our first meeting this fall.
Nicole Russ, MBA, PHR, GBA, RPA
Co-Chair, HR Committee
Director of Colleague Relations
Alliance Community Hospital
200 E. State Street
Alliance, OH 44601
(330) 596-7905
nicoler@achosp.org
Sue Neil
Co-Chair, HR Committee
Human Resource Director
Robertson Heating Supply Co.
2155 W. Main Street
Alliance, OH 44601
(330) 821-9180
suen@rhsonline.net
Chamber News & Upcoming Events
Membership Investment Invoices are in the Mail
Several of our Chamber members have already renewed their investment for the year 2014 and to those members we say "Thank you"! Invoices were mailed out this week and are payable by January 1, 2014.
We realize that many of our members are still struggling to make ends meet and you need to justify each of your expenses. We feel that you return on investment with your Chamber dues is high. We are not asking you to give away your money. Your return is the continued growth and prosperity of the Alliance community. The membership dues (which are tax deductable under business expense) amounts to pennies per day. Such a small amount that you can't afford not to belong.
Here are eight great reasons for renewing your Chamber membership:
1. New Business Contacts- Networking and new business contacts help your business grow. We offer numerous opportunities to network with other Chamber members including Business After Hours, Tip Clubs, Golf Outing, Business Alliance Awards and Annual Meeting.
2. Credibility- Credibility to make a statement that you are committed to the future of the Alliance area.
3. Community Commitment- Promote the community to help Alliance residents enjoy greater opportunities.
4. Referrals- Referrals and sales opportunities to help deliver a return on your investment.
5. Publicity and Exposure- Publicity and heightened name recognition so customers know who you are.
6. Marketing and Advertising- Targeted and affordable advertising (Chamber media) to help you advertise your business effectively on a small budget.
7. A Healthy Local Economy- Create a strong local economy to keep our business momentum moving forward.
8. Gain a Voice in Government- The Chamber is your representative on the local, regional, state and federal levels. Your voice is heard on vital regulatory, legislative and educational issues affecting your business.
The Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce is a business organization supported entirely by membership dues investments and fundraisers. We value your membership and want to make sure you benefit from it. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Chamber office.
More Chamber News...
RE: Group-Rating Safety Accountability
Dear Employer:
Each year Ohio employers have the opportunity to participate in BWC's Group-Experience-Rating Program or Group-Retrospective-Rating Program. While these programs are not required, they do provide you with an opportunity to significantly reduce your workers' compensation premiums, while increasing your awareness of safety and risk-management strategies.
Workplace safety is an important component of these programs. To succeed in accident prevention, we encourage you to use the many resources available to you. We believe a group-rating program is a partnership that includes you and your employees, your sponsoring organization or third-party administrator (TPA) and BWC. Each has specific roles and responsibilities, all designed to assist in preventing workplace accidents. This letter outlines the safety services expectations you should have as an employer enrolled in a group-rating program.
The employer will:
- Maintain a safe workplace;
- Attend safety training to enhance workplace safety;
- Use BWC's safety services as needed;
- Fulfill the required two-hour training requirement and provide proof of attendance to sponsor for claim(s) occurring within the last year.
The certified primary and affiliated sponsoring organizations will:
- Sponsor eight hours of safety training (this may be done at one time or may be provided incrementally as long as the total is at least eight hours);
- Provide information regarding safety resources to group members;
- Possibly assist an employer in achieving its safety needs;
- Manage employer fulfillment of the two-hour training requirement, where applicable;
- Publish this letter to group members.
The TPA may:
- Assist sponsoring organizations with fulfilling the group-rating safety requirements;
- Assist an employer with its safety needs;
- Work in conjunction with sponsors to develop safety training and deliver safety resources;
- Provide resources for claims handling.
BWC will:
- Monitor all group-rating safety activities to confirm requirements are met;
- Remain in communication with sponsoring organizations to provide recommendations for fulfilling safety requirements;
- Provide safety training through Ohio's Center for Occupational Safety & Health;
- Offer on-site safety consultation (hazard assessments, air and noise monitoring, ergonomics evaluation training) by a BWC safety professional;
- Offer publications and videos for safety program support;
- Conduct employer visits to confirm the employer is meeting group-rating requirements, when appropriate.
The goal of this collaborative effort is to make sure all your safety needs are met. Using these resources will assist you in preventing accidents, reducing claims costs and achieving the highest discounts possible. Below you'll find contact information for various resources.
Group Sponsor:
TPA:
BWC:
