V o l . 5 , 2 0 1 2 PUBL ICATION OF THE GREATER SPR INGFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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 STUDIOPAGE 4

AT PLAY. Golden Leaf& Monte Carlo. 8

AT HOME.Chamber winsNat’l Award. 2

AT WORK.Konecranes Expands. 6

Finalist:Chamber of the Year

THE GREATER SPRINGFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RECEIVED NATIONAL RECOGNITION IN AUGUST, HAVING BEEN AWARDED FINALIST FOR CHAMBER OF THE YEAR.

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.

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:

• “Thisisclearlyastrongchamberthatdeservesnationalrecognition.”• “Thischambershouldbeproudofitscommunicationsefforts.”• “Verygoodapplicationwithtwostrongexamplesofleadingbusinesses and leading the community.”

“Weareextremelyhonoredtohavebeenawardedfinalistforthishighly competitive award,” said Mike McDorman, president and CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

“Weareverythankfulforthegreatleadershipandsupportofourboard,aswellasourstaffmembers,ourcommunitypartnersandkey stakeholders who help make this opportunity possible.”

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-Train-Space) and the community strategic visioning process: Greater Springfield Moving Forward.

“WewereexcitedtoshowthejudgesthecollaborationthatmadeGreater Springfield Moving Forward a success,” McDorman said. “Wewereabletoshowcasethehundredsofvolunteersandourpartnerships with the City of Springfield, the Springfield News-Sun 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.

“Thisnationalrecognitionshowsweareontherighttrackforour organization, for our members and our community.”

INSIDE VIEWS

L to R: Chamber Board Chairman, William Fralick, Kathy McPommell, Michael McDorman, Amy Donahoe, Chris Schutte

GreaterSpringfield.com

Good news for largest employer: Tourism on the rise

3www.greaterspringfield.com

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.

LtoR:OttoLarson,TedVanderRoest,ShannonDoyle,Chris Wells

And Special Thanks to our Golfers and SponsorsPresenting: JeffWylerSpringfieldAutoMallGolf After Hours SponsorNew Carlisle Federal Savings BankClaret Cup:Springfield Masonic CommunityEagle Sponsors:SheehanBrothersVendingSecurity National BankTexas RoadhouseSpeedway LLCAssurant Specialty PropertyHole Sponsors:SO SpringfieldChampion City Guide and Supply CoxMedia GroupCerium GroupRocking Horse Community Health CenterHampton InnRed Roof InnWesBancoA.F. FickertCommunity Improvement CorporationFrank Gates Managed Care ServicesBenjamin SteelORETOxiemReliant RestorationBaker-Krizner Financial PlannersValeoInsuranceandFinancialServicesWallace & Turner, Inc.Littleton & Rue Funeral Home and CrematoryVillaSpringfieldComfort KeepersClark State Community CollegeLagos & LagosBobby Fisher Distributing

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. OurConventionandVisitorsBureauisfundedbyaportionofthebedtaxcollectedfrom overnight stays and functions as the marketing agency for local tourism. AmongtheCVB’smanymarketingprojectsarethequarterlyInsideSpringfieldVisitorsGuide, 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 allworktogetherwiththeCVBtohelppromoteourcommunityandsupportourresidents who work in this important industry. Tocontinuethispositivemomentum,theCVB,incooperationwithdowntowntourismstakeholders, 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!

YOURBUSINESS

FRATES GLASS:ART APPRECIATION

4 VOLUME 5, 2012

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. Motioningthathe’llbe“justaminute,”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. “Youcameattherighttime,”Fratesshouts

overtheroarofthefurnace.“We’reexperimentingwithsomenewdesigns 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. AnOperationIraqiFreedomwarveteran, 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.

“WelookedinColumbusforaboutsixmonthstoayearandnever really found our neighborhood or niche we wanted to moveinto,“Fratessaid.“Oneofourfriendsbroughtusouthereto Springfield to look at houses. “Wejustimmediatelyfellinlovewiththecommunityandtheinvolvement that people have.

Doug Frates in his North Fountain Avenue Glass Studio

5www.greaterspringfield.com

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. “Springfieldhasthisreallygreatdowntownfeelandit’sstillmaneuverable,”hesaid.“Iseealotofpotentialfordowntown 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–forthefirsttime,he’llbeintroducingaretailelement to the studio. He’ll do it through a partnership with the retail store “RunningWithScissors,’whichwillbemovingfromtheHeritage Center to the Fountain Avenue store front this fall. “They’llbehandlingtheretailendofitformesinceI’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 custom-designed 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.

CICNEWS VIEWS+

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 profes-sional 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 In-dustrial 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 added24,000squarefeet,andisagainatcapacity.

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, Horti-cultural and 4-H and the Clark County Soil and Water Con-servation 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,whichwillput“allofourcontractualagenciesunderone roof,” said Clark County Commissioner John Detrick. “ItmakesSpringviewaone-stopshopfortheseservices.”

The company had possible sites in other states but wanted to create the center in Springfield, Sothard said.

“We’recommittedtothearea,”hesaid.“Thisiswherewe wanted to grow.”

The high-paying positions are the kind this area is actively

seeking, said Horton Hobbs, the Chamber’s vice president of economic development.

“Communities across the country are competing for these types ofprofessionaljobs,”hesaid.“We’rethrilledKonecraneschoseto add those positions here.”

The impact is more than just the new jobs, Hobbs said.

“Wewereabletokeepour12thlargestcompany,itsmorethan300 employees and $23 million payroll here in Springfield,” hesaid.“WecouldhavelostthisveryimportantcompanytoHouston, Texas if we hadn’t been able to accommodate their expansion.”

Konecranes creates Global Training

Center at PrimeOhio

6 VOLUME 5, 2012

Tom Sothard, president Konecranes North America

NEWS VIEWSCVB +

7www.greaterspringfield.com 7www.greaterspringfield.com

chamber to openretail & 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,

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 will serve as a “non-traditional” marketing vehicle, designed to inspire pride in the community while also promoting everything Greater Springfield has to offer.

Champion City Guide & Supply will feature merchandise created by former Abercrombie and Fitch designer Andy Hayes, owner of Springfield-based Hucklebuck Design Studio,

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.

“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”.

For updates on the progress of the store, you can follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChampionCityGuideSupply

SPECIAL EVENTS

8 VOLUME 5, 2012

Images from the 2011 Golden Leaf Gala

Oct. 18, 2012 Don’t Miss It!!