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P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E G R E AT E R S P R I N G F I E L D C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E
EXPANDING THE DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT:
DOUG FRATES GLASS STUDIO PAGE 4
AT HOME. Chamber wins Nat’l Award. 2
AT WORK. Konecranes Expands. 6
AT PLAY.
Golden Leaf & Monte Carlo. 8 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
INSIDE VIEWS
Finalist:
Chamber of the Year
L to R: Chamber Board Chairman, William Fralick, Kathy McPommell, Michael McDorman, Amy Donahoe, Chris Schutte THE GREATER SPRINGFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RECEIVED NATIONAL RECOGNITION IN AUGUST, HAVING BEEN AWARDED FINALIST FOR CHAMBER OF THE YEAR.
“We are very thankful for the great leadership and support of our board, as well as our staff members, our community partners and key stakeholders who help make this opportunity possible.”
The Springfield Chamber was one of three finalists for the award that was presented at the American Chamber of Commerce Executives annual convention in Louisville. Other chamber finalists in this category (based on annual revenue) were Fargo Moorhead West Fargo (ND/MN) and Lubbock, Texas – which was named Chamber of the Year.
Winners were judged on chamber operations, products and services as well as electronic and printed communications, promotional brochures and strategic plans. Applicants were asked to demonstrate two chamber-led initiatives to better the community. Greater Springfield submitted its award-winning economic development program, HITS (Hire-Invest-TrainSpace) and the community strategic visioning process: Greater Springfield Moving Forward.
Chamber of the Year is the most prestigious national award presented to chambers of commerce. It is the nation’s only award recognizing the dual role chambers have in leading both businesses and communities. Finalists were judged and selected by chamber professionals from across the country. Their comments for Springfield included: • “This is clearly a strong chamber that deserves national recognition.” • “This chamber should be proud of its communications efforts.” • “Very good application with two strong examples of leading businesses and leading the community.” “We are extremely honored to have been awarded finalist for this highly competitive award,” said Mike McDorman, president and CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.
“We were excited to show the judges the collaboration that made Greater Springfield Moving Forward a success,” McDorman said. “We were able to showcase the hundreds of volunteers and our partnerships with the City of Springfield, the Springfield NewsSun and other key stakeholders. And of course, our board, which had the original vision and made the decision to launch us on this very ambitious program two years ago. “This national recognition shows we are on the right track for our organization, for our members and our community.”
GreaterSpringfield.com
Good news for largest employer:
Tourism on the rise
Chamber Open 2012!
Congratulations to Team Springfield Foundation who claimed the coveted Claret Cup in the 22nd annual P. Dennis Sheehan Memorial Chamber Open on Aug. 20.
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST REPORT FROM TOURISM ECONOMICS, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM IN CLARK COUNTY HAS INCREASED 6.3 PERCENT OR NEARLY $20 MILLION SINCE 2009.
According to the report, commissioned by the new TourismOhio, we saw a modest 1.7 percent increase in 2010, followed by a 4.6 percent increase last year. With nearly 10 percent of Clark County’s salaried jobs supported by tourism, you can see why we are very pleased by the news. There’s also the tax benefit. In 2011, tourism generated about $42 million in taxes - $8 million of that was local taxes. Our Convention and Visitors Bureau is funded by a portion of the bed tax collected from overnight stays and functions as the marketing agency for local tourism. Among the CVB’s many marketing projects are the quarterly Inside Springfield Visitors Guide, the new So Springfield billboard campaign, and ads in outside publications, such as Ohio Magazine. Our local hoteliers, attractions, conference centers, recreation providers and arts groups all work together with the CVB to help promote our community and support our residents who work in this important industry. To continue this positive momentum, the CVB, in cooperation with downtown tourism stakeholders, has launched the National Road Convention District. The marketing program is designed to attract meeting and convention business to the downtown core, capitalizing on the new Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts & Conference Center. The campaign will include a dedicated website, new signage and direct-mail advertising. If you’re affiliated with a club or organization that holds regional, state or even national conventions, we’d love the opportunity to bid for that conference to be held here. Just provide us the information and we’ll do the rest! You can contact us via Facebook, Twitter: @springfieldococ or email Kelly Mori at kmori@greaterspringfield.com. Have a great Chamber day!
L to R: Otto Larson, Ted Vander Roest, Shannon Doyle, Chris Wells
And Special Thanks to our Golfers and Sponsors Presenting: Jeff Wyler Springfield Auto Mall Golf After Hours Sponsor New Carlisle Federal Savings Bank Claret Cup: Springfield Masonic Community Eagle Sponsors: Sheehan Brothers Vending Security National Bank Texas Roadhouse Speedway LLC Assurant Specialty Property
Hole Sponsors:
SO Springfield Champion City Guide and Supply CoxMedia Group Cerium Group Rocking Horse Community Health Center Hampton Inn Red Roof Inn WesBanco A.F. Fickert Community Improvement Corporation Frank Gates Managed Care Services Benjamin Steel ORET Oxiem Reliant Restoration Baker-Krizner Financial Planners Valeo Insurance and Financial Services Wallace & Turner, Inc. Littleton & Rue Funeral Home and Crematory Villa Springfield Comfort Keepers Clark State Community College Lagos & Lagos Bobby Fisher Distributing
www.greaterspringfield.com
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YOURBUSINESS
FRATES GLASS:
ART APPRECIATION
Doug Frates in his North Fountain Avenue Glass Studio THE FIRST THING TO GREET YOU WHEN YOU WALK INTO DOUG FRATES’ GLASS STUDIO ON NORTH FOUNTAIN AVENUE IS THE INTENSE HEAT EMANATING FROM THE MASSIVE FURNACE INSIDE.
The second is a wide smile that welcomes you to come watch the magic this glass artist is about to perform. Motioning that he’ll be “just a minute,” Frates turns back to his work. His hands are wrapped around a long metal pole; at the end of it, molten glass is twirling in the orange glow of the furnace. Assistants Dustin Wagner and Adam Delange hover nearby, ready to move into action when the glass is brought out to be shaped or cut. “You came at the right time,” Frates shouts
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over the roar of the furnace. “We’re experimenting with some new designs today.” On a far wall, crude wooden shelves provide a stark contrast to the fragile, ornate glass items on display – items waiting to be shipped out to design houses and clients around the world. Orders come in waves, so any design experiments have to be conducted between the rush. An Operation Iraqi Freedom war veteran, Frates was introduced to glass blowing in 2003 while attending college in Arizona. He studied under foremost glass artists Fritz Dreisbach and Tom Philabaum and started his professional work in 2006. In 2008, he relocated his studio to Columbus and his family to Springfield. “We looked in Columbus for about six months to a year and never really found our neighborhood or niche we wanted to move into, “ Frates said. “One of our friends brought us out here to Springfield to look at houses. “We just immediately fell in love with the community and the involvement that people have.
After three years of commuting back and forth to his Columbus studio, Frates began looking for a location closer to home. He started looking at the downtown. “Springfield has this really great downtown feel and it’s still maneuverable,” he said. “I see a lot of potential for downtown Springfield. I’m excited to be a part of it.” While the majority of his business will be for his current clientele - large design firms and high-end boutiques – for the first time, he’ll be introducing a retail element to the studio. He’ll do it through a partnership with the retail store “Running With Scissors,’ which will be moving from the Heritage Center to the Fountain Avenue store front this fall. “They’ll be handling the retail end of it for me since I’ve not done that before,” Frates said. With pieces ranging well into the thousands of dollars, Frates doesn’t expect a lot of retail impulse buying. The majority of his clients will fly in from around the world to view his latest designs and commission their customdesigned pieces. Their visits will bring in some tourism dollars as well as give downtown Springfield more exposure. That, in
turn, could open the door for more artisan-type businesses to locate here, he said. Watch the video of Frates in his Springfield studio by scanning the QR code at right with your smart phone or by visiting GreaterSpringfield.com.
Dustin Wagner assists glass artist Doug Frates in the artist’s new studio in downtown Springfield. www.greaterspringfield.com
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CIC NEWS+VIEWS
Konecranes creates Global Training Center at PrimeOhio
THE NORTH AMERICAN HEADQUARTERS FOR KONECRANES IS EXPANDING ITS OPERATIONS ADDING A NEW GLOBAL TRAINING AND SHARED SERVICES CENTER.
The expansion will create 25-40 high-paying professional positions with the potential for more as the company continues to see growth, said company president Tom Sothard. In addition, the global training center will bring about 1,000 visitors to the area annually, creating a significant boost to the local tourism industry. The economic impact is estimated at $4 million annually. The company, which is located in the PrimeOhio Industrial Park, is a major supplier to the automotive, steel, paper, construction and general manufacturing industry worldwide. It has grown from 100 to 328 employees since 1996. Three years ago the company added 24,000 square feet, and is again at capacity. Through an agreement with the CIC and Clark County Commission, the company will be leasing space in the county’s ag building which is adjacent to Konecrane’s facility. Tenants of the ag building - OSU Extension, Horticultural and 4-H and the Clark County Soil and Water Conservation District – will relocate into the county’s Springview Government Center. The OSU Extension will maintain its 17-acre gardens at the agriculture building until it is moved to the Springfield campus. The county will cover the $300,000 - $700,000 cost of the move, which will put “all of our contractual agencies under one roof,” said Clark County Commissioner John Detrick. “It makes Springview a one-stop shop for these services.” The company had possible sites in other states but wanted to create the center in Springfield, Sothard said. “We’re committed to the area,” he said. “This is where we wanted to grow.” The high-paying positions are the kind this area is actively 6
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Tom Sothard, president Konecranes North America
seeking, said Horton Hobbs, the Chamber’s vice president of economic development. “Communities across the country are competing for these types of professional jobs,” he said. “We’re thrilled Konecranes chose to add those positions here.” The impact is more than just the new jobs, Hobbs said. “We were able to keep our 12th largest company, its more than 300 employees and $23 million payroll here in Springfield,” he said. “We could have lost this very important company to Houston, Texas if we hadn’t been able to accommodate their expansion.”
CVBNEWS+VIEWS
chamber to open retail & visitor center THE GREATER SPRINGFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GREATER SPRINGFIELD CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR CHAMPION CITY GUIDE & SUPPLY - a retail store and visitor center featuring
heritage apparel, local artisan goods and Springfield-centric merchandise. The store is slated to open in October and will be located in the Tuttle Building,
and inspired by Springfield’s entrepreneurial spirit and legendary figures including the Champion Reaper Company, International Harvester, the 4-H Club of America, Davey Moore and Johnny Lytle. The work of local artisans and photographers will also be featured, as will products produced in Springfield including Woeber’s Mustard. at the corner of Main and Spring Streets, in downtown Springfield. In combining the traditional visitor center with a retail outlet, the Chamber and CVB hope to capitalize on Springfield’s rich history while creating a link to the area’s numerous heritage sites and tourism destinations. The store concept was developed by CVB Director, Chris Schutte, who previously owned and operated a specialty retail storefront in Hilton Head.
“The store is an opportunity for our Chamber to play an active role in the revitalization of our downtown”, said Chamber President & CEO, Mike McDorman. “We believe that the business will not only bring both visitors and residents into our downtown core, but will also spur other boutique retail development downtown”.
The store will serve as a “non-traditional” marketing vehicle, designed to inspire pride in the community while also promoting everything Greater Springfield has to offer.
For updates on the progress of the store, you can follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ ChampionCityGuideSupply
Champion City Guide & Supply will feature merchandise created by former Abercrombie and Fitch designer Andy Hayes, owner of Springfield-based Hucklebuck Design Studio, www.greaterspringfield.com
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SPECIAL EVENTS
Oct. 18, 2012 Don’t Miss It!!
Images from the 2011 Golden Leaf Gala 8
VOLUME 5, 2012