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
OneBook OneCommunity
"The Essay" by Robin Yocum
The Essay by Robin Yocum has been selected as the featured read of the One Book One Community program for 2013-14, according to the organization's executive committee.
The book's setting is southeastern Ohio where Jimmy Lee Hickam, whose upbringing leaves a lot to be desired, tries to rise above his dysfunctional family by using his writing talents and football prowess to escape his environment. When Jimmy Lee wins the school essay writing contest, there are no accolades. In fact, it creates nothing but resentment and doubt. No one believes this 17-year-old, wrong-side-of-the-tracks kid is capable of creating such a paper. When the school attempts to strip him of the award, his English teacher risks her job to stand up for him, showing him a path away from the cycle of poverty and alcoholism that has defined his family for years.
The Essay was selected among dozens of books that were nominated by members of the Alliance community, according to Pat Stone, director of Rodman Public Library, who chairs the committee.
"This is the eleventh year of One Book One Community in the Alliance area, and it doesn't get any easier to select a book with broad appeal and dovetailing the selection with the availability of the author," Stone said. "With The Essay we have a book that will have broad appeal and lead to meaningful programming and discussions; plus the author is an Ohioan."
Stone said the programming leading to the author's appearance will begin Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 7 p.m. when local educator Joann Jones reviews The Essay in the auditorium of Rodman Public Library. Further programming is still being determined, according to Stone.
Yocum has committed to appearing in Alliance on March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Firehouse Theater. He will also be visiting area high schools the following day.
He is the president of Yocum Communications, a public relations and marketing firm in Westerville. He is well known for his work as a crime and investigative reporter with the Columbus Dispatch from 1980 to 1991 and was the recipient of 30 local, state and national journalism awards in categories ranging from investigative reporting to feature writing. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University. The selected books for the past 10 years for the Alliance area have been The Color of Water by James McBride, Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon, Real Time by Pnina Moed-Kass, Beyond the River by Ann Hagedorn, Plenty by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy Tyson, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, Make the Impossible Possible by Bill Strickland, One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni, and Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson.
"We would not have the opportunity to bring the author to Alliance if not for the resources provided by our partners,including The Friends of Rodman Public Library, University of Mount Union, The Greater Alliance Foundation and The Review," Stone said. "We are also pleased to report that a number of teachers in area schools have committed to teaching from the book."
The Essay, as well as Yocum's other popular title Favorite Sons, are available at the University Bookstore and Rodman Public Library. The cost of each book is $12. Several copies also will be available for checkout at Rodman Public Library and the University of Mount Union Library.
The Essay may be purchased for $12 (tax included) from the following locations:
Rodman Public Library
University of Mount Union Bookstore
Copies are available for loan from Rodman Public Library.
One Book - One Community is cosponsored by Rodman Public Library, Friends of Rodman Public Library, University of Mount Union, the Greater Alliance Foundation and The Review.
More Chamber News...
Ohio Safety Congress & Expo registration now open - Pathways to Safety
COLUMBUS - Registration is now open for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) 2014 Safety Congress and Expo (OSC14). Safety Congress, the longest-running occupational safety, health and workers' compensation conference in Ohio, is free and takes place March 25 - 27 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Registration is available online at bwc.ohio.gov.
"With a stellar lineup of speakers, workshops, training and exhibitions for both Ohio employers and workers, Safety Congress reflects BWC's commitment to the prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses," said BWC Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer. "The event is a one-stop shop for access to the safety education and resources that support safer workplaces and lower workers' compensation costs by preventing on-the-job injuries."
The theme of OSC14 is Pathways to Safety and the event will feature informative general sessions with nationally recognized experts, demonstrations and full-day workshops covering the latest safety and health information and best practices. Those attending can network with more than 6,000 safety-minded Ohioans, choose from among 175 educational sessions and receive continuing education credits, and shop the Expo Marketplace, which will feature 225 exhibitors offering safety services, industrial supplies, and safety equipment and gear.
Who should attend is OSC14?
- Company owners, presidents and chief executive officers
- Safety, health and risk managers
- Human resource directors
- Workers' compensation managers and directors
- Health care and wellness personnel
- Paralegals and attorneys
- Ergonomists
- Industrial hygienists
Download the OSC14 app for the latest event information.
Follow Safety Congress on Twitter: @ohiobwc #OSC14.
