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“The Business Voice
of Erie, Huron,
Vol. 14 No. 9 Ottawa, Sandusky
Published and Owned by Schaffner Publications, Inc. SEPTEMBER 2008 and Seneca Counties”

INSIDE THIS
MONTH Focus on Port Clinton
What’s That You
Said?.................2 An Update from the Port Clinton Mayor’s Office
SUBMITTED BY but also city, county, state and federal govern- to continue exploring ways of attracting new
Legal: FDIC - MAYOR DEBBIE HYMORE-TESTER ment representatives, all pledging their assis- development and jobs for Port Clinton.
tance in getting Port Clinton onto a new path, Restructuring city hall is part of this, so a
Personal Accounts As the new mayor of the City of Port Clinton, moving forward into a brighter future. Record’s Retention schedule for all the depart-
........................5 the first nine months have been a real whirlwind With this in mind, there are several things to do: ments was created and has now been into place.
of support from not only citizens and businesses, One of the first objectives was the appointment New ideas and suggestions brought forward by
of a new Safety Service Director. To accomplish the citizens, business men and women, city
Retirement: this task, a selection committee was formed, and council members, the administrations, and other
Playing ‘Possum as a result, Mr. Robert Berner has taken on that agencies, are being carefully reviewed. During
.......................9 position working with the city’s administration. our most meetings, the administration, elected
Another objective was that of organization. officials and department heads discuss goals,
Therefore, the Safety Service Director Rob visions, and action plans for this year’s and future
IT: Surfing Tips Berner, Law Director George Wilber, Auditor department projects.
.....................15 Steve Benko, Council President Linda Hartlaub, Finally, the poor acoustics in city council
staff members and supervisors are now meeting chambers have been addressed by installing new
weekly in order to solve problems, to increase
Sales: Whose effectiveness and efficiency of city services, and ... continued on page 4
Shoes Are You
Walking In?......19 Main Street Port Clinton
SUBMITTED BY LAURA SCHLACHTER, ization is a comprehensive, incremental, self-
Taxes: Overview of AICP PROGRAM MANAGER help economic strategy that focuses on develop-
Various IRAs ...21 ing public-private partnerships to enhance com-
Main Street Port Clinton, formerly Historic munity livability and job creation while main-
Port Clinton, is a local non-profit organization taining the character and charm of downtown
started by residents of the community who were Port Clinton.
interested in the preservation and revitalization MSPC has four active committees which have
of downtown Port Clinton. Main Street Port been extremely busy. We are working on a num-
Clinton (MSPC) is striving to protect, preserve, ber of activities and projects to help make down-
promote, and improve downtown Port Clinton town Port Clinton an amazing place to live,
Mayor Tester presented the check to Dr.
as a vibrant center for businesses, entertainment, work, and vacation.
www.ncbj.net and cultural activities for residents of the com-
Thomas Rowe, President of MSPC and
Main Street Port Clinton is pleased to Duane Myers, Ex-Officio Board Member
munity and visitors to the area. at the Stensen Foundation Award
Main Street Port Clinton believes that revital- ... continued on page 25 Ceremony in June.

Fostoria Area Chamber Marblehead Peninsula Oak Harbor Area Chamber Tiffin Area Chamber
We’re a proud member of the following: of Commerce Chamber of Commerce of Commerce of Commerce

Bellevue Area Chamber Elmore Chamber Genoa Chamber Milan Chamber Port Clinton Area Vermilion Chamber
of Commerce of Commerce of Commerce of Commerce Chamber of Commerce of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce of Erie County Chamber Huron Chamber Norwalk - Huron County Put-in-Bay Chamber Willard Area Chamber
Sandusky County of Commerce of Commerce Chamber of Commerce of Commerce of Commerce
2 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal

Commentary
In our August issue, my editorial suggested how Sales
What's That You Said? Promotion tools could give sales "...That Needed Shot
of Adrenaline."
Jeffrey H. Bryden, Editor better than a bad mechanic who can spell), but you
can see it in today's workplace. Jeff:
Sadly, your commentary won't be read by many who I think your recent commentary was mostly on the
Few things please a writer more mark. Your final comments are good, but I would
than having a reader respond to ought to read it. Too bad it's not posted in every class-
room. caution the use of coupons and incentives, except in
their creation. While your favor- the most extreme case like discontinued and/or dam-
able comments are received with Nice job.
Douglas W. Foster, President aged product. Your statement that we use incentives
greater glee than your negative because the consumer likes them, only is true for
responses - it's good to hear from Foster Chevrolet-Cadillac, Inc.
Sandusky about 50% of the market. The other 50% is looking
you nonetheless. This month's for a business they can utilize as a trusted resource
column is dedicated to sharing some reader thoughts on *****
and know that the value is good and fair. As you
editorials from recent NCBJ issues. know, there is an old advertising saying "perception is
Dear Editor,
This spelling and grammar mess is a real problem. reality." When the I-Phone was introduced folks
In our June issue, I lamented on weak spelling and stood in line for hours, why? The perception of value
math skills evident in my junior-level college classes. Here is an example. I am in the process of leasing a
new office. The lease, prepared by a lawyer, has so and quality! There are plenty of examples like this.
many spelling and grammar errors that it is irritating Your example that "nobody" pays retail for pizza,
I just finished reading your commentary "A just emphasizes my point. The pizza industry has
Generation That Can't Spell or Make Change" and to read. For instance, I am required to have a "com-
mercial liability insurance policy shall include cover- trained their customers to only buy the pizza with a
agree with you wholeheartedly. I have made the same coupon. Some pizza chains advertise that on certain
comments over the past years when talking about find- age's for ..." Here's another, "If an ant of Default
shall occur, Lessor..." I wonder who the ant of days you can buy a buffet and get one free. Guess
ing good, qualified persons to hire, not necessarily for which day has all the business? I would think if the
our business (as a good mechanic who spells poorly is Default is? Perhaps he belongs to the coverage. There
are errors like this on almost every page of the lease. pizza were tasteful, presented well, and had good
These are particularly funny because no spelling and value, then the customer would buy the pizza. But
grammar checker is going to find them. no, we have to go into the cents off business, and tell
Merl Miller our customers that our product is only worth what the
Financial Advisor coupon says it is worth.
***** We are seeing a very similar thing happening right
now in the auto industry. Rush out right now and you
Dear Mr. Bryden, will get the biggest discount ever (Employee Pricing)!
I enjoyed reading your commentary in the June 2008 Will this incentive make me speed up my purchase?
“The Business Voice of Erie, Huron, Ottawa,
Sandusky and Seneca Counties” issue of North Coast Business Journal. I couldn't Perhaps, but at what cost to the dealer or auto indus-
205 S.E. Catawba Road, Suite G, agree with you more! try? The next time I need an auto, I will just hang on
Port Clinton, Ohio 43452 Unfortunately, one of my favorite "hobbies" is cir- to the one I am driving until the next big incentive
419-734-4838 • Fax 419-734-5382 cling typos in articles/ads that I read; they can be so comes along. It doesn't take long for the customer to
aggravating. One of my favorites from a few years ago figure out, that if I wait, the price or incentive will
Publisher JOHN SCHAFFNER
was in a caption for a Halloween picture in a local come along. What the retailer has done, is create the
Editor JEFFREY H. BRYDEN
jbryden@ncbj.net newspaper. It went something like this: "Little perception that the product is overpriced to begin
Sarah Covington dressed up like a WHICH".......aag- with, so just wait awhile, it will go on sale. It is a
Director of Sales DAVE KAHLER
dkahler@ncbj.net ghh!!!!!!!!!!! vicious cycle, that quickly turns into a free for all,
My husband and I owned and operated a pharma- with no one winning, as the profit margins keep
Production Manager HEIDI RIFE falling.
hrife@ncbj.net cy/gift store here in Clyde for 29 years. Teaching the
clerks how I'd like them to make change was a chal- By using incentives in this manner, we have trained
Business Manager, CFO MARY TORREY
mary@thebeacon.net lenge! I always made them start with the purchase our customers and future customers to "come on
price and count back the change to the amount the down" because the "price is right." But next time,
Layout & Graphic Design GINNY WISE
ginny@thebeacon.net customer gave them. They always complained and maybe your competitors' price will be more right, and
JENNIFER DAUBEL said, "Why do we have to do that, when the register he will get your customer.
jdaubel@thebeacon.net tells us how much to give back??"......and I said, Richard Hawkins
Circulation Manager BRUCE DINSE "What if you put the wrong "tendered" amount into Christian Broadcasting
North Coast Business Journal is owned and published monthly by Schaffner the register??"..."If you put $20.00 into the register
Publications, Inc., and is mailed free to chamber of commerce members in a five-coun- instead of $2.00 that the customer gave you for a Thanks to these readers and others who have taken
ty area: Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Seneca counties.
The editorial deadline is the 25th of each month, with the advertising deadline the $1.75 purchase, you'd be giving them $18.25 back the time to call, write or e-mail their agreement and
end of each month. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in instead of $ .25!!". "Oh......." suggestions, and thanks even to those who might have
any form without the expressed, written consent of the Publishers.
Good luck at your alma mater, professor! disagreed with me. Please know, on behalf of all of us
We welcome submissions from readers in the form of letters, articles or photographs,
although we reserve the right to edit and condense any articles submitted. Submissions who write for the NCBJ, we appreciate you taking the
should be sent to the editor at the above address. Include a stamped, self-addressed
Name Withheld by Request time to let us know what you think - after all, we are
envelope if you would like an item returned. We prefer material (copy & photos) to be
submitted electronically. Clyde, OH writing to you!
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 3
Port Clinton City Schools:
“Charting a Course for Success”
The Port Clinton City School District is design in preparation for life in the age of
proudly charting a course for success with technology.
Port Clinton High School achieving the Port Clinton Middle School is comprised
highest test scores in the tri-county area onof students in grades 6, 7 and 8. These stu-
the 2008 Ohio Graduation Test. PCHS stu- dents experience an interdisciplinary cur-
dents also now have an outstanding oppor- riculum approach for students to learn a
tunity to earn college credits within the variety of practical methods involving the
walls of Port Clinton High School. This teaming process. This instructional process
year alone students can earn 24 hours of col-is designed to directly benefit students at the
lege credits without stepping onto a college most critical stage of their academic, social,
campus! and emotional development. A core of
teachers pool their resources,
interests, expertise, and
knowledge of students to
jointly take responsibility for
meeting student needs. This
core group of teachers share
the same students and plan-
ning time each day. The
groups of students are referred
to as “Fleets.” The philoso-
phy of Port Clinton Middle
School offers students and
teachers a sense of belonging.
Teaming provides successful
experiences for every middle
level student.
Port Clinton High School students have the The foundation of educa-
opportunity to earn 24 college credits without tion in the Port Clinton City
leaving the building through an expanded Post School District begins at the
Secondary Educational Options Program.
(Pictured from left to right Kristen Brahier and
elementary level. The dis-
Nick Passabet taking a distance learning college trict has two elementary
course at PCHS offered through a partnership schools separated by grade
with BGSU Firelands. level to improve educational
resources at each level.
Students in grades 9-12 not only benefit Bataan Memorial Elementary School is the
from classes in the core subjects but may primary building serving grades kinder-
choose from a wide array of technology, garten through 2; Jefferson Elementary
world language, field study programs, art, School is an intermediate building for chil-
music programs, and extracurricular activi- dren in grades 3 through 5. Both buildings
ties to enhance their education experience. start the process of learning by offering
PCHS is proud to be the only school district
in Ottawa County to offer three music pro- Continued on page 13...
grams: Band, Choir and
Orchestra. These choices in
academic programs maximize
student achievement and pre-
pare them for their future
beyond high school.
Port Clinton Middle School
is now offering a basic
Spanish Class for grade 8 stu-
dents. As the education
requirements become more
stringent at the high school
level, world language begin-
ning in grade 8 allows these
students the opportunity to
take a wider array of classes
once they reach high school.
In 2008-09, middle school The foundation of education in the Port Clinton
students will have a new City School District begins at the primary level.
Industrial Technology labora- Here, Isaiah Rojas listens intently to his teacher
tory to introduce the con- while working on writing skills. A variety of
cepts of STEM (Science, programs at the elementary level place an
Technology, Engineering, and emphasis on skills to improve achievement
Math) and computer aided throughout each child’s education.
4 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal
Phase I of our waste water contributing by percentages in each area. Officer Edmonds
MAYOR ... continued from the cover treatment plant improve- watches the safety of our school children, while also
communications among citizens, the administration, ments has been completed. While we have had some set- becoming a mentor to many of them.
council members and employees. backs with the construction, we are now proceeding with The Port Clinton Volunteer Fire Department, led by
In the area of Economic Development, the community Phase 1A and Phase 2. Financing has been obtained for Chief Kent Johnson, is held in high regard throughout the
has mandated through the passage of Issue 10 the impor- these improvements, and Past Mayor Tom Brown secured community. Receiving the Flag Ship Award from the Port
tance of moving forward with the development of Water a third stag grant for the city in the amount of 1.2 million Clinton City Schools, these firefighters have continued
Works Park and the downtown area. This mission and pur- dollars. their constant involvement with the pre-schools, church-
pose remains clear as a long-term goal in providing a rev- Phase I of the joint sewer project involving Camp Perry, es and School Advisory Board.
enue stream for our city. Ottawa County, the State Adjutant General and the city With the passage of the Fire Levy, this department has
Developers are proceeding with their plans of renovating has been substantially completed. Camp Perry and Willow become more financially secure and able to function with
the recently purchased Island House our Historic Hotel Beach have been connected to the new sewer line, and a part-time Chief and volunteer staff putting in over 3,500
that was built in the 1800’s and just put on our National Fenner Dunlop is connected to the city sewer system as hours of volunteer time.
Historic registry in the form of “condotel” units and restau- well. These customers will provide a new revenue stream Fred Bice, department head for the street department,
rants. They are opened their doors this pass month, with for the city to assist in the expenses of operating the sewer and Councilman John Folger, streets, sidewalks, and alleys
the restaurant coming soon. system. Revenue collected with the expansion to date is committee chair, understand the continuing need for obvi-
New owners of the Old City Hall have received over $108.222.85, total cost of the project is right under ous repairs in these areas. Therefore, a list has been com-
$600,000 of tax credit to help start the renovation of the $6,000.000. posed creating an inventory of the condition of all streets
property forming condominium and office space. Within the next month, Port Clinton’s Buckeye Blvd. which will be re-evaluated after this year’s spring-thaw in
The Master Walleye Circuit and FLW Tournaments were Waterline Project will be completed. This was our Ohio order to prioritize and reassess. The finance committee,
hosted by Port Clinton and Wal-Mart this year, an event Public Works Project the cost was almost $500.000 dollars. chaired by Councilwoman Val Culver, must allocate the
that promises to bring in nationally-known champion fish- The Brooklyn Street Pump Station ($750,000), the funds necessary for such repairs, and will be seeking addi-
ermen/women from across the country while boosting our Lakeshore Dr. Force Main ($695,000) and the Phase 1A/2 tion grants to expand this program.
local economy. Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades ($2,300,000). We have also started with the city’s resurfacing program:
Recently an announcement was made by the Under the direction of Chief Thomas Blohm, serving the 3,500 square feet of road repairs, 18 catch basin replace-
Department of Homeland Security to add a station in department for 25 years, Port Clinton residents and busi- ment and repairs, 350square feet concrete repairs, 1,800
Ottawa County with the creation of 65 jobs. nesses enjoy the benefit of an effective, highly-visible square feet of mill and fill and 1,200 square feet of widen
Changes have been made to our City departments. The department that is well-trained and quickly responsive, and over lay
departments have been combined into one service depart- having made approximately 12,000 calls in the past year. The Laurel and Second St project was Ottawa County’s
ment headed by Fred Bice; Tracy Colston is the supervisor The Cops-in-School program is a joint effort of funding first TIF (tax increment financing).
of the dept. among surrounding townships, with the schools and city
MAYOR ... continued on page 10

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www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 5

Legal
FDIC-Personal Accounts ing beneficiaries. Mary would have six months from
Bob's death to correct this situation.
INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS
If the person has ownership in several joint accounts This is an account that is owned and directed by you
By Jeffrey Roth,
you must add his ownership in all accounts and he will and not the plan administrator. This includes, IRAs,
Partner, Roth and Bacon
be entitled to a total of $100,000.00. Roth IRAs, 401(k), Keogh plan, simplified Employed
Bob and Mary $120,000.00 Bob insured $ 60,000.00 Pension Accounts, and all 457 accounts. All self direct-
Bob and son Joe $ 50,000.00 Bob insured $ 25,000.00 ed funds owned by the same person are added together
Last month's article was about Bob and grandsons -
FDIC insurance and revocable and protected up to $250,000.00 in each banking insti-
Jim and John $ 90,000.00 Bob insured $ 30,000.00 tution. It is irrelevant how many beneficiaries are list-
trusts. This month, we will discuss Total $260,000.00 Insured $100,000.00
the Government insurance protec- ed. The only determination is $250,000.00 for each
tion of individual accounts, joint accounts, payable on owner in each banking institution. Remember, this
Bob is uninsured for $10,000.00; Mary is insured for
death accounts and Individual Retirement Accounts. relates only to money accounts in an insured bank.
$60,000.00; Joe is insured for $25,000.00; Jim & John
Protection is granted based on ownership and/or stated This has nothing to do with stock. If an individual has
are each insured for $30,000.00; if they have no other
beneficiaries. Most of the same rules apply but again, it seven different accounts ranging from $20,000.00 to
accounts in that bank totally over $100,000.00. The
takes the manual in hand to insure that your accounts $100,000.00 and many beneficiaries listed such as chil-
use of and/or can complicate the computation. Bob or
are fully and correctly protected. dren and grandchildren only a total of $250,000.00 is
Mary or John are three owners while Bob or Mary and
SINGLE ACCOUNTS covered and the balance is uninsured.
Bob could be considered as two owners since it can be
Single accounts are accounts that are held by one per- A special thanks to Cheryl Wieber of the Huntington
interpreted that Mary and Bob must both sign as one
son in their individual name. The total insured in any Bank for suggesting this topic. Many bank depositors
owner. It is important to be consistent. Review the sig-
one banking institution is $100,000.00. This would are concerned about the protection of their funds. Be
nature card. Many times the teller prepares the card
include checking, savings, money market, Christmas sure to ask a qualified employee to verity that your funds
and does not follow the FDIC rules or ask the right
club, Certificate of deposits, NOW accounts or any are protected to their fullest extent.
questions. It is important to remember that there are
form of those listed. All of these accounts are added qualified and nonqualified beneficiaries. The list was set
together and considered one for insurance purposes. It Jeff Roth is a partner with Forrest Bacon and David
forth in last month's article but it is important to
has nothing to do with the number of accounts but Bacon of the firm ROTH and BACON with offices in
remember.
rather the ownership of the accounts. Port Clinton, Upper Sandusky and Marion, Ohio.
PAYABLE ON DEATH ACCOUNTS (Informal
Included in this category are any business accounts Mr. Roth is also licensed and practices in Florida.
revocable trust accounts)
that are held in a "doing business as" nature. The His practice is limited to wealth strategy planning and
An account with a beneficiary that is not a standard
account is separate only if it is a corporation or totally elder law in both states. Nothing in this article is
revocable trust is insured up to $100,000.00 per owner
separate entity and has its own identification number, intended for, nor should be relied upon as individual
for each qualified beneficiary. One must know the cor-
otherwise it is included in the above account totals. legal advice. The purpose of this article is to help edu-
rect rules to guarantee protection. It is important to
If the account is determined to have two owners such cate the public on concepts of law as they pertain to
remember that children and grandchildren are qualified
as a husband and wife then it would be considered as estate and business planning. Jeff Roth can be
beneficiaries while aunts, nieces, nephews, and cousins
one half in each person's account totals. If it is deter- reached at ohiofloridatrust@aol.com (telephone: 419-
do not qualify. If you have an account payable on death
mined that the wife or other person is just a signatory 732-9994) copyright@Jeffrey P. Roth 2008.
to your father it is insured for you and the bene-
then it has only one owner and qualifies for the single ficiary. If the account is payable to your father-
$100,000.00 total. in-law, it is insured for you but the father-in-law
Deposits held by a partnership or corporation are will not be counted as a qualifying beneficiary.
insured only to $100,000.00 no matter how many part- The following is an example of how a portion is
ners or shareholders. Again, you must make a con- not protected for non-qualifying beneficiaries.
science decision as to how many banks to use and sepa- Bob and Mary each have a separate POD
rate the business activities. If an account is held in a account for Bob's parents in the amount of
fiduciary capacity with a separate identification number $150,000.00. Each parent is a qualified benefici-
then it would be held under the decedent account cat- ary of Bob and the account is insured for
egory and be separately insured. $150,000.00 ($75,000.00 each). Mary's account
JOINT ACCOUNTS is $150,000.00. The in-laws do not qualify as
This is an account owned by two or more individuals. proper beneficiaries of Mary. The account is
This would include Joint with right of survivor, Tenants only insured for $100,000.00 as the total protec-
by the entirety or Tenants in common. Each person tion is for Mary as the owner. The additional
may have a total of $100,000.00 in any one banking $50,000.00 is not protected. It must also be
institution. Each owner is considered to have an equal remembered that if someone dies it can change
ownership interest unless clearly stated otherwise. If the protection. If Bob died then the only pro-
there are three owners then each has a one third own- tection of all of the accounts would be
ership. Each co-owner must have signed the signature $100,000.00, the amount for Mary as an individ-
card. The use of the social security number is not rele- ual. The $200,000.00 would not be insured since
vant for insurance protection qualification. one owner died and the in-laws are not qualify-
6 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal

Lake Erie Business Park Making Progress


It has been a busy year at the Lake Erie Business Park, the Steve Benko, who assists
home of some of Ottawa County’s most exciting econom- McKinney and Fahrbach.
ic development initiatives. Since purchasing the former “In short, the site has
Erie Industrial Park in December 2005, owners James some of the best wind
McKinney and David Fahrbach have worked diligently to resources in Ohio,” said
revitalize the site and attract new businesses. “We’re try- Benko. “Once we’ve gath-
ing to do all that we can to be competitive in today’s mar- ered a year’s worth of data
ketplace,” said McKinney. “It is definitely a challenge, but we’ll be able to compare it
I think our efforts are beginning to bear fruit. In addition to historical data from
to offering good manufacturing space at very affordable other locations and calcu-
rates we can also offer several other unique advantages.” late how much power a
One of those advantages is renewable alternative energy. turbine at the site would
The installation of a 60-panel solar array on the roof of the likely produce.”
site’s 756,000 square foot facility was completed in August. “At some point we’d like Another asset that will soon be available at the Lake Erie
The 13.4 kW array is expected to produce approximately to get a turbine installed,” said McKinney. “It could pro- Business park is a rail “transload” terminal. The terminal,
14,900 kWh of electricity per year, which will moderate vide green energy to our manufacturing facilities and serve which will be operated by R. Good Logistics of Camden,
power costs for any business interested in occupying the a spinning billboard that would attract investment to the Ohio, will offer onsite and area businesses convenient
42,000 square feet of vacant space beneath the array. park, potentially from companies that make component access to Norfolk & Southern’s rail line. Companies will
“With energy prices on the rise, today’s companies want to parts for turbines, gear boxes, blades, and towers.” be able to transfer raw materials and finished goods from
be able to have more control over their electric bills,” said The team has been very aggressive in promoting the rail to truck and vice versa. According to Fahrbach, the
Fahrbach. “The existence of solar panels will help them Ottawa County site to manufacturing companies from presence of an experienced third party logistics provider
do that. They’ll also be able to say that their products are across the nation and around the world. Benko attended can help improve the bottom line of many area businesses.
made with green energy, which can give their products an the Renewable Energy World Conference in Las Vegas in “A truck loaded with twenty tons of goods gets seven miles
edge.” February while McKinney and Fahrbach represented the per gallon of diesel fuel,” said Fahrbach. “Via rail, that
Solar is not the only alternative energy initiative under- park at the Washington International Renewable Energy same gallon can transport twenty tons of goods 436 miles.
way at the park. The team erected a 60-meter tower in Conference in Washington D.C. in March. McKinney Given today’s high fuel prices, it is easy to see that using
September 2007 to gather wind speed data, and the results and Benko joined over 8,000 businesspeople at the rail can substantially reduce your transportation costs.”
have been very encouraging, according to consultant American Wind Energy Association’s WINDPOWER New Century Systems joined the list of companies with
2008 Conference and Trade a presence at the park with the installation of a 20,000
Show in Houston in June square foot “Envirodome” at the site’s entrance off of State
and Benko promoted the site Route 2. The unique air-supported, energy efficient struc-
at the American Coalition ture has a variety of potential applications, everything
of Ethanol’s Ethanol from disaster relief to specialty agriculture to warehousing.
Conference and Trade Show The start-up company is testing their prototype so that it
in Omaha in August. can be modified and improved. “We think it is important
“We’ve gotten on the radar to support new and growing businesses,” said McKinney.
of a lot of businesses who “One day they might make a permanent home right here
never would have considered at the Lake Erie Business Park.”
us because they didn’t know The site’s business development efforts coincide with
we existed,” said McKinney. ongoing upgrades of the property. The team has renovat-
“When we tell them about ed several of the site’s existing facilities and has demol-
all of the assets our site and ished ten obsolete buildings to make room for new con-
our local community have to struction adjacent to the park’s two rail spurs. McKinney
offer, they begin to show real and Fahrbach hope that a state grant through Ohio’s Job
interest.” Ready Sites Program will accelerate their efforts to mod-
ernize the park’s facili-
ties and upgrade its
transportation and util-
ity infrastructure. 57
applicants are compet-
ing for $30 million.
“We’re scheduled to
give a full presentation
to the Ohio
Department of
Development next
week,” said McKinney.
“We hope they’ll appre-
ciate our efforts to date
and make an invest-
ment to help bring jobs
to Ottawa County.”
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 7

Port Clinton City Council of sirens and pause in thought for those suffering. What
many in our community do not witness is the dedication
and desire required to respond to the call for help.
The North Coast Business Journal asked several Port great deal of use and it’s equipped with lights for night First hand observations of how the hours, days, weeks and
Clinton City Council members to share some insight into games. years of training for ‘the unthinkable’ results in a life saved,
some of the important committee work going on every Continuing our walk, we come to the roller skating facil- property protected or unsafe setting secured really puts the
day. Here are submissions by two of them. ity where you can try out your skills on in-line skates. value of our area emergency services in to perspective.
Lastly is an area called the Derby Pond; a good place to What is most impressive about our area emergency servic-
COUNCILMAN JIM HANSON hold kids’ fishing derbies or, in the winter, to ice-skate. es is how well they work together. The uniforms and
As the Parks and Rec committee chair from City One great feature of this is Lake Erie, which borders the badges our area Fire, EMS and law enforcement wear dis-
Council, I should like to let you, the public, know about north edge of the park. This feature combined with the tinguish them from one another. However, their actions
our city’s parks. river makes for a great walking tour of the facility. demonstrate that they are all of one mindset. Quite often
The City of Port Clinton has nine parks available to the Moving further to the East along Perry Street, we come their actions are so well planned and practiced that an
citizens of Port Clinton for various types of activities and to our largest park, Lakeview Park. On the north side of almost unspoken coordination is enacted to achieve their
events. The city’s mayor and administration realize the Perry Street is the city beach. To the south of Perry is a goal.
importance that our parks have taken on with the costs of very large park. This park has a shelter house where fami- The only way this activity can be orchestrated in such a
gasoline and the economy affecting the public and tourists lies can have reunions and groups can have activities. professional manner is through excellent leadership with
in selecting destinations. The city can and must upgrade Also, there is a very large playground area with various clear goals as well as a
and maintain our parks and provide various groups, citizens pieces of equipment for children’s use. A big thanks goes clear understanding
and service organizations with a place to schedule events. to the Port Clinton Rotary Club for this playground equip- that everyone respond-
With the extensive marketing tools that are available for ment and their generosity. ing has someone watch-
park users, by expanding their announcement /publicity for These are just three of the parks available. Contact the ing their back for the
their event, it should contribute to success. City of Port Clinton for information and scheduling of unknown.
your events or family reunions. Sleep well tonight as
you can be assured that
COUNCILMAN MIKE SNIDER your Fire, EMS and
The State of Emergency Police services are there
From the dinner table with family, from a night of well- when you need them
deserved slumber, from aisle #3 at the supermarket, from and will perform their
the baseball field behind the high school and many other duties at the highest
parts of the City of Port Clinton the sound is easily recog- level of professionalism
nizable. One long beep followed by a pattern of shorter and character.
beeps and then these words; “Attention Port Clinton Fire
and North Central EMS.
You are requested to ...”
Those twelve words have
the remarkable ability to
stop time and activity as well
as rapidly increase heart rates
One example of our park network is the Veterans Park for many brave men and “At the Clyde Clinic,
located by the Post Office and Coffee Express Coffee Shop. women in our community.
This park offers you a chance to “Buy a Brick to memorial- Men and women who serve I walk right in, say hello,
ize your loved one” by getting his or her name and unit their community in different get my blood drawn and
engraved on the brick. You can contact Port Clinton’s uniforms responding to a call
American Legion for information if you would like to do of duty not for personal glory I’m out the door.”
this for someone. Ceremonies are held at the park to honor but the personal satisfaction
our fallen heroes. The Memorial Day parade is a great that comes with a job well
done in service to their “Saving gas is
example of the community getting together for the parade
and activities at the park. Bring your lunch and relax neighbors, friends, strangers just a bonus.”
while you reflect on those who gave their all to make our and even their own family
country a great nation. members in need.
- Robert Dietze, Clyde Resident
The next park I should like to bring to your attention is Often hours, days and
weeks will pass with relative- w it h Ruth Davis, Medical Assistant
Waterworks Park. This park is large. The west edge bor-
ders the Portage River-a great place to observe the Jet ly little call for assistance.
Express coming and going and all the pleasure craft sailing However, these periods of
in and out of their marinas located on the river. Purchase tranquility are punctuated
a carryout lunch from a local restaurant, take it to the park with the seconds of terror, as
looking out over the river’s traffic, and enjoy a relaxing this usually quiet town is My Test - My Hospital - My CHOICE
lunch hour. abuzz with the sound of first
responders moving in to
Walking through this park, you see an area dedicated to
the Erie Dearie fishing lure —promoting the sport of fish-
ing which helps the economy of the area. Next, is a foun-
action.
Most of us do not live our
Lab Services You Can Trust
tain with seating, and nearby is a cannon from the War of lives in close proximity to Clyde Lab Hours:
Lake Erie, a good place to take pictures. Next to this is a the area’s first responders. M - Th 8am - 4pm
well-equipped playground that the family can enjoy. We observe them from a dis- Friday 8am - 3:30 pm
North towards the lake is a softball diamond that gets a tance with silent admiration.
We hear the distant clatter 402 W. McPherson Hwy. • Clyde, Ohio • 419.483.4040 Ext. 4285
8 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal
Promoting Tourism in a $4.00/Gallon Economy
SUBMITTED BY LARRY FLETCHER, had a very good summer season and perhaps actually ben- Ohio’s tourism campaign was also playing up the “mini-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR efitted from the slower economy. The two Lake Erie Shores vacation” and their messages melded nicely with ours.
LAKE ERIE SHORES & ISLANDS WEST & Islands Welcome Centers (Route 250 in Sandusky and We can’t say that all businesses experienced the level of
Every year in late April phones at the region’s Visitor Route 53 in Port Clinton) have seen no decrease in the visitation they were hoping for and even those that did
Bureaus and at many tourism attractions in the area begin number of visitors coming through the doors and response have a good summer probably wish they could have done
ringing at a steadily increasing rate. As usual, most of the to advertising and website activity is up from last year. better. What we can say is that this part of Ohio is without
callers are people planning to visit the area. They are look- We are fortunate that Ohio is located within a few hours’ a doubt an area that provides visitors with an experience
ing for lodging, wanting to know what discounts are avail- drive from many major population centers and much of our that transports them much further away than the two or
able, and what is new in the area for them to see. All ques- marketing was targeted to these places, primarily three hours it took to get here. As we move toward 2009
tions we expect to hear as people plan their trips. Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Pittsburgh, we will again be looking at the economy, travel trends,
This year a large number of calls were also coming in and Windsor/Detroit. The message these people saw and what our tourism business partners are offering, and other
from the media, and at a level not seen in this area for heard was that “a trip to the shore and the great variety of factors to create a marketing plan aligned with current
quite some time. Television and radio stations, newspapers, attractions they are seeking is a lot closer than they think”. events.
and magazines from across Ohio were calling asking the There was no need to get on a plane or make a lengthy For more details on marketing of the Lake Erie Shores &
same big question...”how do you think the high fuel prices multi-state drive... just hop in the car and in a couple of Islands call or stop by one of the two regional Welcome
and slowing economy will impact tourism this year?” In hours you will be here. Centers - East/Sandusky: 800-255-3743 or West/Port
answering this question I had the benefit of knowing about Our marketing also was tailored based on an anticipated Clinton: 800-441-1271.
some of the creative concepts that were in the works for trend of shorter trips. People
the Lake Erie Shores & Islands summer advertising cam- were still going to travel but
paign. I also knew where the ads were to be placed and in a slower economy they
who they were being directed toward. This plus data gath- might stay for only two or
ered by talking with tourism industry friends and reading three nights instead of a week.
articles in trade publications allowed me the confidence to A variety of itineraries were
answer that despite higher fuel costs and a downturn in the created that grouped experi-
economy we expected an overall strong summer tourism ences into a “Day 1, Day 2,
season. Day 3” scenario. Shortly after
Now that we have reached September and can look back the Lake Erie Shores &
I am pleased to report that what we anticipated did occur Islands campaign was released
and there is evidence that many businesses in our region we found that the state of

Ohio’s Association Executives Live Learning Event


Meet in Sandusky Highlights September Schedule
Motivational speaker Scott Brown will pres- Sept. 18 - 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. - “Get a Job or a
CONTRIBUTED BY LAKE ERIE SHORES & ent “Create a Culture of Service in Your Better Job, POD.” Learn how to prepare for and
ISLANDS Business” Sept. 19 at the Sandusky County conduct a successful job search. This session
Last month, the Ohio Society of Job Store. Brown spoke to a packed house at includes a review of unemployment services
Association Executives (OSAE) held their Terra Community College earlier this summer. provided by the state, information about other
annual conference at Kalahari Waterpark Based on Brown’s Six Essentials of Service, this community resources and a free lunch.
Resort. This event attracted nearly 200 session will provide attendees with the information Sept. 25 - 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. - “Individual
meeting/event planners and businesses that and education to profoundly impact the way to Resume Writing Assistance.” Work one-on-one
provide service to this market. The confer- provide service to internal and external customers. with a specialist and produce a good resume
ence featured educational sessions, nation- Registration is $15 per person and includes a before you leave. By appointment only through
ally known keynote speakers and opportu- continental breakfast. For more information, or to the Job Store.
nities to experience other Lake Erie Shores register, call 419-559-2255. Deadline is Sept. 11. Job Store officials are asking that people who
& Islands area destinations during off-site The Northcoast Jobs Connection and Seneca are interested in these workshops should register
tours. The Village of Put-in-Bay took cen- One Stop system offers numerous services and by emailing Carol Guice at cguice@terra.edu or
ter stage on one evening when attendees resources for those looking for work and employ- by calling her at 419-307-1189.
were treated to a tropical-themed water- ers with jobs to fill. Seminars are free and open For more information on the Job Stores, log
front dinner as well as a tour of the island’s to anyone in the community. The seminars are onto www.northcoastjobs.org. Or in Ottawa
many meeting and event venues. also available to be customized for employers County, call the Job Store at 800-665-1677 or
and delivered on site. 419-898-3688, ext. 270 or call Denise Ventrone
For more information, call 419-559-2239. at 419-898-6242 at the Community
The area seminar dates in September are: Improvement Corporation.
At the Ottawa County Community Resource Funding is provided through a collaboration of
Centre, 8043 W. SR. 163, Oak Harbor 23 partner organizations in Erie, Huron, Ottawa,
Sept. 12 - 9 a.m. to noon - “Employment Sandusky and Seneca counties through the
Follow-Up.” Discuss the proper follow-up tech- Workforce Investment Act, under contract with
niques after getting a job offer. Learn about Terra Community College. The Job Store is
appropriate correspondence and communication located at 8043 W. State Route 163, Oak
techniques. Examine child care and transporta- Harbor and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on
tion issues and options. Address the employer Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 8
side of hiring and following instructions. a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All
basic services are free of charge.
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 9
example, Fred and Wilma have three children. Fred and Wilma have all the money they
Retirement and Estate Planning will ever need. In fact, they have a whale of an estate tax problem. Two of their children
live comfortable, though modest, middle class lifestyles. Their third child, Dino, is a high-
ly successful entrepreneur who has accumulated a large estate of his own. Dino, who was
single, passed away in an offshore power boat race. Under state law, Fred and Wilma are

Playing 'Possum to receive the estate. They elect to "play possum" and disclaim their interest knowing that
Dino's estate will automatically be shared by their other two children.
These are the requirements for a "qualified disclaimer" under federal tax rules: 1) it must
be irrevocable and unqualified, 2) it must be in writing, 3) the writing must be received
Douglas Gildenmeister, by the transferor or his/her legal representative, 4) this receipt must come no more than
Senior Vice President, Investments 9 months after the transfer is made (or, if later, 9 months after the disclaimant turns 21),
Retirement Plan Consultant 5) the disclaimer must be made before any benefits of the gift are accepted, and 6) the
The Gildenmeister Wealth Management Group of interest must pass to another without any direction by the disclaimant. The disclaimant
may refuse all or a fractional interest in the items transferred.
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
A disclaimer may be useful in minimizing estate taxes. For example, assume Harry and
Wanda have a combined estate of $3 million and two children, Sam and Diane. Of this
Here's a way to save taxes by simply "playing 'possum." No, I
amount, $1,500,000 is owned by Harry individually. Harry had a simple, "I love you" will
don't mean that there's some tax benefit in wandering out at
that left everything to Wanda upon his death in 2004. Wanda can use the disclaimer rules
night into the middle of a well-traveled highway. Actually, I'm
to renounce $1,500,000 of the assets left to her under the will. These assets will then go
referring to the 'possum's defense mechanism of "playing dead". The use of a "qualified
to Sam and Diane, thus saving about $705,000 in estate taxes at her death. Note, that a
disclaimer" can be useful in keeping the IRS from feasting on your family's wealth.
disclaimer generally cannot be used to renounce property received as a surviving joint
A qualified disclaimer is a device that can be used in post-mortem estate planning.
owner. However, the disclaimed property may be transferred into a trust in which the dis-
Although it does seem like an oxymoron, post-mortem estate planning is not only possi-
claimant has an income interest as long as the disclaimant did not create the income
ble, it is often beneficial. Traditionally, a disclaimer was a device under state law that per-
interest.
mitted the recipient of a gift, the heir to an estate, or the beneficiary of a trust to renounce
Of course, this brief article is no substitute for a careful consideration of all the advan-
his/her gift, inheritance or share of the trust. The state statute would provide a mecha-
tages and disadvantages of this matter in light of your unique personal circumstances.
nism for individuals (called "disclaimants") to avoid receiving an unwanted benefit.
Before implementing any significant tax or financial planning strategy, contact your finan-
Typically, the statutes provide that the person making the disclaimer is considered to have
cial planner, attorney or tax advisor as appropriate.
predeceased the transferor. The property disclaimed then goes to whomever would
receive the property given the prior "death" of the disclaimant.
This material was prepared by Raymond James for use by Doug Gildenmeister, Senior
Why in the world would anyone refuse a gift or bequest? Well, generally because they
Vice President, Investments of Raymond James & Associates, Member New York Stock
don't need it and the person who would receive the gift if they were deceased does. For
Exchange/SIPC or Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC.

f  &#+ %&# ###)  i iii SZS&UdWSf[hW Ua_


10 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal
The Past, Present, and Future of Camp Perry
SUBMITTED BY SGT LISA C. RAMSEY the Center. The kitchen of the conference center can pro- of the commander. The several hundred huts that are dis-
vide accommodation to any caterer for a variety of events, integrating will be removed and replaced with five one
In 1906 the Camp Perry Training Site was founded by large or small. The beautiful Camp Perry beach, located hundred person barracks in the next five years. The last of
Adjutant General Ammon B. Critchfield. The National just outside of the Lodging and Convention Center, is the old remaining cottages by the beach will all be demol-
Rifle and Pistol Matches have been held at the camp ideal for a multitude of outdoor gatherings. There also are ished as well. There will be a total of 28 new cottages
since1907. The first National Matches were held in several electrical outlets directly on the beach for user con- available for military and civilian use in place of them.
Creedmoor, New York in 1873 hosted by the National venience. The original shooters mess hall that was destroyed in the
Rifle Association (NRA). In 1908, the site was officially The newest addition to the training site is the Joint Use 1998 tornado is scheduled to be rebuilt. The building will
named Camp Perry in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry, the Facility (JUF) which was constructed in the summer of replicate the original and will be re-dedicated to Medal of
victorious commander of the American Fleet in the Battle 2008. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) and Honor Recipient Private First Class Joseph J. Cicchetti.
of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. In 1941 Camp Perry the Ohio National Guard combined their funds to build Range improvements are also in Camp Perry’s future. The
was a Reception Center for Ohio National Guard Soldiers this remarkable state of the art system. The facility con- equipment on Rodriguez Range is dated 1917. All of the
and from 1943-1945 it was an Italian and German Prisoner tains an 80 point air rifle and pistol range. There are two lifters for the targets will be operational and the electric
of War Camp. Camp Perry was fully operational with a 10 point engagement skills trainer (EST) ranges, but is and drainage will be repaired. The collapsing walls behind
Fire Department, Theater, Chapel, Barbershop, Post capable of expansion to two 15 point ranges. The EST is the targets will be repaired as well.
Office, Telegraph Office, Telephone Exchange, used for simulated military marksmanship training. The Camp Perry Training Site has made a sizable impact on
Photographers Studio, Dry Cleaners, Military Outfitters, computerized system replicates actual battle environments many lives throughout the past one hundred two years.
Mess Hall, Commissary, Boxing Ring, Athletic Field, Club such as urban warfare. Different weapons are used depend- The staff, competitors and soldiers that utilize the facilities
House, and so much more. ing on the required scenario. It also has the capability of would like to express their gratitude, and thank the sur-
The original Club House was built in 1907 and was used simulated night firing. The air rifle and pistol ranges rounding communities for their continued support in
as a private guest house and meeting place. The current accommodate Sporter air rifles/pistols which fire up to 450 keeping this amazing history alive.
club house, now called the Lodging and Convention feet per second. These weapons run from approxi-
Center, was completed in 1996 in the same location, and mately $200-$300 each. The ranges also use preci-
cost approximately $2.4 million. This is an ideal place for sion air rifles/pistols which fire 600-700 feet per sec-
holding workshops, conferences, wedding receptions and ond. These start at about $2600. The targets are
business meetings in rooms that accommodate groups of made in Norway by MEGAlink. They are con-
people from ten to five hundred. Internet access is also trolled by motors that adjust them into the prone,
available. For all-week conferences, there is lodging avail- kneeling or standing positions. All of the targets
able, such as single rooms, suites, cottages, and the new RV have four microphones in them for scoring purposes.
and tent camping area located within walking distance of When the pellet strikes the target, the paper sends
sound waves to the microphones
allowing them to judge where the pel-
let hit within a hundredth of a mil-
limeter. This system is identical to
the systems used in the Olympics.
Camp Perry’s future is looking very
bright. The post will be undergoing
several construction projects.
Improving the quality of the housing
on post is one of the main objectives

MAYOR ... continued from page 4


Tracy Colston supervises the cemetery department, Hospital in the implementation of local activities
and with the help of local resident Dana Alvarez, a for adults and children.
citizens’ volunteer group has been formed to help Spring’s senior fishing trip was a very cold, wet
city employees beautify and maintain the cemeter- and only 8 fish caught on the boat, looking forward
ies. The Veterans’ Circle has been completed with to better weather next year.
the exception of the new monument and black In the tax department, Jeff Bugbee continues to be
stone for ground cover. Most of the $25, 000.00 was active working to contact and to bring in non-filers.
donated by various organizations and capital Thanks to the efforts of the Law Director George
improvement money from the city. Wilber, there is now a payment agreement for delin-
The recycling program has relocated behind the quent taxpayers to sign. Even though adhering to
Fire Station which allows the cemetery more area the payment schedule each year is important, there
to plot new grave sites. are some exceptions made as long as the tax payer
Under the leadership of Tracy Colston, a shade faithfully makes restitution each month.
system was installed late last fall in Lakeview Park. As Mayor, I realize there are many challenges. But
Working to improve that area, this department will there are also many more new opportunities for all of
continue to assist the Friends of Lakeview Park us to grow along with our community. Port Clinton
with their projects. is a great place to live and to visit. Working togeth-
A goal for 2008 is to create more senior citizen er will make Port Clinton a destination.... Not only
programs, while continuing to work in partnership for others but mostly for its citizens.
with the Port Clinton City Schools and Marauder
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 11
Rebirth of Harbor Light Landing Historic 1886 Island House Hotel
Shopping Center on Track is Now Open for Business
It has been over a year since Port Clinton Island Petting Zoo, Custom Hot Rod and It started as an exercise in Real Estate says room that was ready, rented out that first
Sleep Inn LTD bought the Shopping Classic Car show, and the opening of the Realtor Larry Freedman of Re/Max Lake weekend. The second weekend was a com-
Center. After many improvements the new Harbor Light Landing Play Gym and Shore Realty. And ended up being a labor plete sell out too. Many buyers who had
shopping center is on track. New stores entertainment Area. Prizes were given out of love for the former Island House Hotel. reserved their condotel rooms began to
Include Glow Worm Mini Golf, Golden I to participants in the Car Show. Freedman showed the closed hotel to Real close. The idea of owning a piece of Port
Jewelry, Casa Las Palmas Mexican The developer states it still has room for Estate Developer Scott Prephan in early Clinton’s history and being able to use the
Restaurant, Clemons Boats, Bodinbalance businesses or offices to expand. The 2007, with an idea of restoring the hotel hotel as their weekend getaway in Port
24 Hour Fitness, Thomas Kinkade Shopping center changed its image from an and then selling each of the 39 rooms as Clinton was very appealing.
Signature outlet center commercial hotel condos. The hotel would Since this is the first Downtown project
Gallery, Kiwi to a multi- remain a hotel and would be managed by a in many years, all eyes are on the Island
Bay Gift use center in Hotel Management House Hotel. Two more
Shop, The 2007. Realtor Company. A “Condotel” is investors have jumped
Church of L a r r y a deeded commercial on the Island House
T r u t h Freedman of condo. Investors can use “band wagon.”
Ministries, Re/Max Lake the hotel unit as a condo Restaurant owners Larry
Northern Shore Realty or they can put their unit Williams of Bowling
O h i o is handling into a rental pool for Green and Tom
Medical the lease income. Hutchinson were ready
Specialists, options, and The Condotel idea came to invest in the former
D o c t o r stated that from a project in Florida dining room and
Jessica L space is that Freedman had kitchen. At press time,
Crow, and available researched. After many two new restaurants
Verizon Wireless Premium Retailer. from 1000 sq ft to 8000 sq ft. The center meetings and discussions, were planned to open
The rebirth Celebration was officially has many options from a fixed rent to a cus- the hotel was purchased in on Labor Day Weekend.
held in late August of this year. The cele- tom built out lease. Future plans include a April 2008. Scott Prephan One is to be a Sports Bar
bration included a Rock Concert sponsored Coffee Shop, Beauty Shop, Medical, and brought in investor Ken and the other will be a
by the Church of Truth Ministries, free hot Professional offices. MacLaren of MacLaren full service restaurant
dogs, a live remote from Eagle 99, Jungle Management and began offering catered events
restoring the hotel room in the two large banquet
by room. The plan was to facilities located in the
restore the 1886 historic historic dining room.

YOUR COMMUNITY BANK hotel and have it open for the Memorial
Day Weekend. Once renovations began,
many road blocks became apparent. Issues
Weddings, conferences, seminars, and full
service event planning is all in the future
plans for the Island House. Breakfast,
Providing Financial Solutions with the 122 year old building began to
show up. The history of the Island House is
lunch, and fine dining with hand cut steaks
will be the signature for the New Island
for Everyday Life as diverse as its age, as it played host to
presidents, celebrities, and many other fas-
House Restaurant.
Now that the Island House is Open what
cinating and influential people. is next for Downtown? Freedman stated
The Memorial Day weekend came and that other investors have contacted him
went without the hotel opening, the 4th of and are interested in Port Clinton’s down-
Ź FREE Checking July came and went and the hotel still was town so stay tuned to the North Coast
Ź FREE Online Banking not ready. Then on July 31st, the hotel was Business Journal for further details.
Ź Personal Checking ready to open the doors to the public. Every
Ź Commercial Checking
Ź Overdraft Privilege
Ź Passbook Savings FIRELANDS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Ź Statement Savings C A R L TO P I LOW, M U S I C D I R E C TO R
Member FDIC Ź IRA Retirement Plans
Sep 13: Opening Night, Sandusky State Theatre (SST), 107 Columbus Avenue, 8:00 p.m.
Ź 24-Hour ATM Access
1840 E. Perry St., Port Clinton Sep 14: Opening Night, Norwalk Ernsthausen Performing Arts Center (NEPAC), 350 Shady Lane, 4:00 p.m.
(419) 734-5568 Ź VISA Credit/Debit Cards Dec 7: Family Holiday Concert (SST), 7:00 p.m.
Ź Home Loans Jan 31: Family Discovery Concert, Adams Jr. High, Sandusky, 11:00 a.m.
207 W. Washington Row, Sandusky Ź Construction Loans Jan 31: Family Discovery Concert (NEPAC), 4:00 p.m.
(419) 626-5576 phony.co
Home Equity Lines of Credit ssym
Ź Mar 21: Now That's Italian! (SST), 8:00 p.m.
427 Main St., Huron Ź Investment Property Loans
Apr 25: Scotland Meets Shakespeare (NEPAC) 8:00 p.m.
nd m
Check
a
Apr 26: Scotland Meets Shakespeare (SST), 7:30 p.m.
www.firel

(419) 433-2437 Ź Personal Loans


Ź TouchTel 24-hour Telephone
BOX OFFICE: 419-626-1950 or 877-626-1950 our
Also Serving: Lorain, Avon and Amherst
Banking For premier musical and visual arts instruction, choose
website!
www.firstfedlorain.com The FSO School of the Arts: 419-621-4800 to learn more!
12 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal

Bellevue Area Chamber of Commerce September 25


Chamber Calendar
Community Lakeside at Wesley Lodge Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce
Conversations & Coffee Lighthouse Tours and
September Farmers Markets 7 - 8:00 am festivities at September 15 Board Meeting
13- 27 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Fostoria Country Club The Keeper's House 8:30 am, Chamber

Erie County Chamber of Commerce Genoa Area Chamber of Commerce October 16 Business After Hours September 16 Annual Golf Outing
5:00 to 7:00 pm CIC
September 12 Seminar: September 9 Business After Hours Hosted: Huntington Bank
Thriving in a Recession 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. October 2 Downtown Committee
Presented by Andy Birol. Open Houses at Norwalk-Huron County Meeting
Castaway Bay Ballroom Downtown Genoa Chamber of Commerce Noon, Chamber
Businesses
September 16 Second Annual Participants TBA September 11 Membership Committee, Business After Hours
Multi-Member 8am at Kaiser-Wells Catawba Mini Storage
Business After Hours September 20 Third Annual Street Fair Pharmacy
4:00 - 7:00 p.m. 9:00am to 4:00p.m. October 9 Candidate's Night
Kalahari Board of Directors, Elks Lodge 7 p.m.
Marblehead Peninsula 4pm, Chamber office
September 26 "Healthy Families Act" Chamber of Commerce Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce
Workshop by Kula Lynch September 24 Fall Finale Golf Outing,
7:30 a.m., at Kalahari. September 18 Business After Hours Eagle Creek Golf Club, September 11 Business After Hours
No cost, but reservations 5:00 to 7:00 pm 1:30pm shotgun Sandco Industries
are necessary 419.625.6421 The Keeper's House and 1101 Castalia Road
Marblehead Bank September 25 Employer's Practices 5 to 7 p.m.
Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce The Keeper's House Committee,
October 2 Directors Meeting - 7:30 8am, Chamber office September 19 Annual Chamber
September 10 Power Marketing Seminar Otterbein North Shore Foundation Golf Outing
8-10 a.m. October 2 Program Committee, Fremont Country Club
(Breakfast @ 7:30 a.m.) October 11 Lighthouse Festival 8am, Chamber office
Fostoria Country Club. 10:00 am to 6:00 pm September 25 "iDecide"
October 9 Board of Directors, 2008 Candidates Forum
4pm, Chamber office Tech Center
Great Prices - Volume Discounts - Bulk Deliveries 7 p.m., Cedar St.

Disposable Cloth Wipers


October11 Monte Carlo Night,
Huron Co. Fairgrounds Tiffin Area Chamber of Commerce

Oak Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce September 8 Small Business Basics


Seminar, Chamber Offices
For Commercial & Industrial Use September 25 Business After Hours
Riverview Industries September 18 Business After Hours,
5-7pm Community Hospice,
Wipers can be picked up in 5-lb. bags at 5pm, RSVP:
October 11-12 Annual Apple Festival 419-447-4141
these SBA Goodwill Retail Locations: 30th Anniversary
Bellevue Fremont New London October 8 Small Business Basics
October 16 Board Meeting Seminar, Chamber Offices
Huron Norwalk Port Clinton
Sandusky Willard October 23 Business After Hours Willard Area Chamber of Commerce
Heintz Realty,
OR We can arrange delivery of palletized bulk wipers. Hair Illusions
& Oak Harbor Chamber
September 14 Hispanic Heritage Festival
Daily Dipper Downtown
held combined offices.
CHALLENGED BY RISING September 25 Business After Hours
MANUFACTURING COSTS? Hillside Acres-5-7p.m.
For more information or
We can help with: to place an order call
To advertise in
Light Assembly Packaging
419-625-4744
Sorting Sanding
& Lots More!
The North Coast Business Journal,
contact Dave at 419-734-4838
Wiper sales support SBA Goodwill employment programs for the disabled
and disadvantaged in Erie, Huron, Ottawa and Sandusky Counties. or fax 419-734-5382.
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 13
Ottawa County...Together We Can! Port Clinton City Schools ...
While many areas of the country Downtown Port Clinton has start- The Ottawa County Chambers
continued from page 3
are feeling the pinch from a down ed to see some rejuvenation with the have also just graduated their third interesting and creative cur- achievement throughout the
economy and high gas prices, re-opening of the Historic Island class in the Service Excellence riculum for our students. Grade child’s education.
Ottawa County and the Port House Hotel. Downtown Elmore is Experience (SEE). This is a cus- level buildings allow for Art, Music, and Physical
Clinton area have tried to capitalize. alive with antique stores, Lakeside tomer service-based training for any increased teacher collabora- Education are part of the week-
The north coast of Ohio, primarily and Marblehead are booming with business in Ottawa County and tion, a team approach to educa- ly routine in each elementary
Ottawa County, is located a short retail outlets, and Oak Harbor has a graduation shows a business’s com- tion and concentration on the school and taught by specialists
drive from a substantial portion of large agricultural and vacation area. mitment to service for their cus- specific educational needs of with additional programs for
the population of the entire nation. While tourism is still a main focus of tomers. Each year a SEE Certified students by grade level. reading intervention, special
Because of this short distance, many business in Ottawa County, several Business must attend continuing Classes at Port Clinton education, and talented & gift-
people have decided to stay close to manufacturing facilities have also education and pass a mystery shop. Elementary Schools average ed students. Informative
home and vacation right here in been growing. Fenner-Dunlop in To-date there are 29 See Certified 20.1 students per teacher offer- assemblies, field trips and use of
ing an intimate learning envi- the Distance Learning Centers
Ottawa County. The Ottawa Port Clinton and Brush Wellman in Businesses in Ottawa County with ronment for children in the in each building, all enhance
County Visitors Bureau and Erie Elmore have both recently approximately 10 more in class to be beginning stages of their educa- each child’s experience at Port
County Visitors Bureau along with announced expansion projects. certified. tional career. Due to the dis- Clinton Elementary Schools.
the Ottawa County Chambers of The Ottawa County Chambers Through all of these joint efforts, trict’s belief that the greatest Yes, students and staff of the
Commerce have been advertising represent local businesses at the The Port Clinton, Marblehead impact on student achievement Port Clinton City School
and pushing the north coast as a Cleveland Boat Show, Kalahari Peninsula, Oak Harbor, Genoa, and starts with the youngest stu- District are Proudly Charting a
great place to vacation and relax. Home Show and many local events Elmore Chambers of Commerce dents, an additional grade 1 Course for Success as education
From the Marblehead Lighthouse to throughout the year. In January the along with the Ottawa County classroom was added this year. in the district continues to
Schedel Estate in Elmore to the Erie joint chambers will begin distribut- Visitors Bureau have worked togeth- With smaller class sizes at the evolve in order to prepare stu-
Islands, Ottawa County offers ing the first-ever joint chamber er to help area businesses grow and primary level more individual- dents, not just for their educa-
attractions to fit any budget and directory. This directory will help prosper. In Ottawa County...togeth- ized instruction in reading can tion, but for life!
some of the nation’s most beautiful area visitors with one local directory. er, we can and will. take place, thus improving
beaches and sunsets.

Regional Business News is just a “click” away www.ncbj.net


14 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal www.ncbj.net

Monroeville: “Best Little Town by a Dam Site”


Monroeville has its own water, sewer and electric servic- Note just closed for the preliminary costs and final con-
es to offer the community. These utilities give Monroeville struction of the building.
the ability to be highly competitive with its neighbors and Monroeville is proud to have Venture Packaging, with
the region, in addition to its Ideal location which is in the Berry Plastics as its parent company, as its largest employer.
close proximity of two airports, a railway line, Ohio inter- Venture Packaging manufactures plastic containers for
states, and Lake Erie. The Village is currently facing US many of the food items on the market today , such as pota-
and Ohio EPA mandates to resolve infiltration/inflow to and macaroni salad containers and five-gallon ice cream
(I&I) problems within the next five years. Council has containers. Also among its largest employers are Midway,
identified this as an immediate action issue, and the Inc., Janotta & Herner, and Underground Utilities.
Water/Wastewater Department has been diligently work- The Village Administrator has been working on creating
The Village of Monroeville in Huron County has seen an ing on performing I&I tests to identify problem areas. The a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA). Council must
exceptionally busy year in 2008. After entering into an construction of an equalization basin has been discussed, pass legislation designating a CRA, acknowledging areas in
agreement with a local government consulting firm, the and an application for financial assistance from the Ohio which housing facilities (or historic structures) are located
Village Council actively participated in a SWOT analysis, Public Works Commission has recently been submitted for and new housing construction and repair of existing facili-
identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the potential rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment ties or structures are discouraged. Property owners can
threats of the community, and developing a strategic plan. plant. Council has acknowledged the necessity of creating receive tax incentives for investing in real property
Establishing their priorities, which includes economic and a storm water utility and is now considering legislation for improvements, and permits, while municipalities can
industrial growth, maintaining and operating the Village’s that utility fund. Establishing a rate structure , as well as encourage revitalization. This remains to be a work in
utilities for growth, downtown revitalization and renova- rules and regulations for that utility, are in process. progress.
tion, capital improvement planning, satisfying Village A positive aspect for downtown Monroeville is the his- Monroeville’s Dam Festival realized a successful event
finances, and construction of a new municipal building toric architecture of its buildings. Revitalization of the this past June. Established for the third weekend of every
among them, Council and the Village Administrator downtown area to fully take advantage of these features has June, this year’s third annual Festival saw the comeback of
moved forward with establishing a retention and expansion been discussed at length, and preliminary engineering data mud volleyball, as well as the addition of several bounce
program. Local businesses were visited, and the R&E team has been compiled for downtown lighting and landscaping. houses and new vendors. The Dam Festival Committee
spoke with management about the strengths and weak- The proposed construction of a new municipal building in has high expectations for their 2009 event, where new
nesses of their individual business. Establishing a local the downtown area will enable various public bodies a events and attractions will be featured.
industrial roundtable is now being considered to utilize the common place to hold their meetings, as well as providing The Shade Tree Commission is proud to announce the
feedback and guidance from industrial, commercial and easier access to the public of its Administrative Offices Monroeville has been named a Tree City USA for the sec-
residential owners in the economic development areas. and Police Department. Funding has been set aside for the ond straight year. The Commission, in a joint effort with
past several years for this project, and a Bond Anticipation Council, recently purchased eight sidewalk planters for the

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fessional businesses. Locate your business here! Contact Pat Spettel at PLUM BROOK COUNTRY CLUB
Re/Max Quality Realty for an information packet.
1-800-496-7362 Ext. 316. Cell 419-677-9445. 3712 Galloway Rd., Sandusky • www.plumbrookcc.com
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 15
device driver is software that acts as an interpreter between your PC and a Modem,

Information Technology Video card, Sound Card or other device. Driversguide has hundreds of thousands of
these files available. It also has some very efficient search options to help you find the
right file. Along with the name and location of each file, users' feed back files are
posted that allow you to quickly evaluate the file. It is a free site for those that only
need it rarely, but, as a professional who needs it often, I have no problem paying

Surfing Tips 2008 their low annual fee that allows me frequent use of the site.
The final veteran site I'm recommending is http://www.gasbuddy.com, which has
been around for quite a few years, but is more important today than ever. It tracks the
By Don Knaur gas prices in the United States and Canada. It will allow you to look up the gas prices
Very few things change as rapidly as the Internet. Even though by State or Province and then by metropolitan area, city or type of station, i.e. Flying
most sites change often, some sites have been able to stay ahead J, Speedway or Shell. When prices are changing rapidly, you can even limit your
of their competitors. New sites pop-up on a regular basis and search to prices reported in the past four, eight or twelve hours, so that you have a
provide innovative approaches to information that can make realistic idea of what is happening. Caution: since this site depends on user input to
our lives easier or better. Half of the sites described here are keep it up to date, you may find multiple listings for Service Stations and also multi-
older sites, while the other sites were developed for Internet ple prices. That is why the time stamp is an important feature.
Explorer 6.0. In other words, they are newer than Windows XP Service Pack 2. A newer site that has become very helpful is http://www.filehippo.com, a one-stop
One of the oldest and still one of the best sites is http://www.metacrawler.com. This source for downloading all of the best free security programs. From this site, you can
Web Search site has been around for over twelve years. It is not the site to use to find quickly and easily download the latest versions of programs such as AVG Anti-virus,
a large volume of responses. However, if you want to find a specific company, product Spybot Search & Destroy, AdAware Anti-Spyware and Ccleaner. Actually, the soft-
or Web Site, it will find it for you quickly and accurately without having to sift ware downloads faster from this site than it does from the developers' sites. This site
through pages of responses. Technically, it is not a search engine; it just queries the also includes utility and browser software, such as Adobe Reader, Firefox, FlashPlayer
top twelve search engines (Google, Yahoo, Ask, etc.) and gives you their top ten and Windows Media Player.
responses. It returns these responses almost instantly and will also allow you to search Another fairly new site called http://www.restaurant.com is a good site to visit, if
an exact phrase along with the normal search options. you like to eat out. This site offers specially discounted coupons for hundreds of
Another site in its second decade, that most computer techs love and use exten- restaurants. Warning: read the restrictions on coupon use before purchasing. Even if
sively, is http://www.driversguide.com. This is the site to find and download device you don't purchase a coupon, the site provides you access to each restaurant's menu
drivers that have been lost. For those of you that are not familiar with the term, a
SURFING TIPS 2008... continued on page 23

1250 Fulton Street


Port Clinton, OH 43452
419-734-0699

Thomas Rowe, M.D.


Susan Perng, M.D.
Open
Monday-Friday
with Saturday Hours

www.harborlighthealthcare.com
16 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal

MARK OF
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AWARD Less For Ours! More For Yours! IT’S THAT SIMPLE!
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GENOA, OH
419-855-8361
TOLL-FREE 877-992-0969

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www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 17
18 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal
Focht Construction Ottawa County Chambers
Completes Transportation Building Sponsor S.E.E. -
plied by our maintenance Customer Service Program
maintenance garage is sup-

operation. Our shop has a


hydronic, under floor, heat- Customer Service is sometimes the only SEE Training
ing system. In very basic thing that gives a business the competitive Dates: September 23, October 14,
terms, heated water is circu- edge. It is paramount to success! Realizing October 28 and November 11, 2008
lated through the tubes this, Chambers in Ottawa County will Times: 8:00 am - 11:30 am
within the eight inch thick once again sponsor a program for member Location: Ottawa County Resource
Ottawa County Transportation Agency
concrete floor. The water is heated by a companies. Their mission: “Implement a Centre
(OCTA) is the county’s public transit sys-
boiler that is 100% fueled by waste oil col- standard in Customer Service in Ottawa Session 1: Customer Service is Inside
tem, providing over 85,000 rides per year.
lected during vehicle preventive mainte- County through an established certifica- Out: Understanding the Customer
In addition to providing this service, it
nance and repair services.” tion process with a recognized trademark.” Session 2: Modeling Excellence:
delivers over 34,000 meals per year to
He adds “Our new facility has a total of They encourage area businesses to call Customer Service for Managers, Part 1
county seniors. It also repairs and main-
five maintenance bays and a wash bay. soon and not miss out on this opportunity Session 3: Modeling Excellence:
tains 154 vehicles for sixteen different
There are three short bays used to service to be one of the premier S.E.E. Certified Customer Service for Managers, Part 2
agencies throughout Northwest Ohio. The
smaller vehicles and two long bays for businesses in Ottawa County! Session 4: Customer Loyalty/Review
vehicles range from law enforcement cruis-
buses. Our garage has a parts storage area Grant money for up to 50% of the cost Session
ers to 40-fooot Blue Bird buses.
and a shop between the short and long bays
Bill Lowe, OCTA director, states “Our may be available. For details call the coor-
to reduce walking time. The space above
new facility is 11,830 square feet and hous- dinating Chamber, Port Clinton, and speak
the shop and parts storage area gives us the
es both our administrative and mainte- to Jan Hackett. 419-734-5503
ability to expand by approximately 2,500
nance operations. The facility is very
square feet.”
unique in that the fuel we use to heat our

May 2006 December 2007 December 2007 May 2008

Saw my daughter My abdomen Diagnosed with Watched my


get her bachelor’s suddenly became ovarian cancer and treated daughter get her
degree. enlarged. at Magruder Hospital. master’s degree.

The gift of time,compliments


ofMagruder’s expert cancer care.
The diagnosis of ovarian cancer wasn’t the first time Carol Favorite had heard the “C” word. She had already
beaten colon cancer with the help of Magruder Hospital. Now a resident of Toledo, Carol made the extra drive
to Magruder for her cancer care. “I’d do it again because of the way they treat you. I can’t even put into words
how wonderful they are.” That’s how it is at Magruder, where cancer patients receive some very precious It’s how we care
gifts: health, hope and time.
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 19

Sales
Whose Shoes Are You Walking In?
By Roger Bostdorff
Selling is not about you, selling is about your prospect. When
you leave a voicemail does it many times sound like this, "let me
tell you a little about my company" or "let me tell you a little
about my product"? Your prospect cares about neither your
company nor your product but rather they care about solving
their business problems. For someone to be successful in sales
they need to be able to walk in the shoes of their prospect. They
need to be able to visualize the issues, problems and challenges
that this company might be experiencing.
For example, if you are calling on a construction company and you have sold your
solution to another construction company, what problem did your solution solve or
improve? How about the wholesale distributor that you sold your solution to, what
benefits did they derive from your solution? How about the manufacturer? If you
know why these customers bought, then you know some potential hot buttons to grab
the attention of your new prospect. You also add credibility to your story that you
can help them because you have already helped other companies in their industry.
Industry expertise and experience goes a long way in opening doors and getting the
business.
By the way, you noticed that I referenced your "solution" not your "product or serv-
ice." If you are selling a product or service then you are selling a commodity that may
be available by multiple product or service companies. However, if you are selling a
solution you are selling the capability to solve your customer's problems, issues or
challenges. You are helping that customer improve their quality, cut their cost,
improve their customer service, etc. Sometimes this is simply a state of mind or atti-
tude. What you have to sell may not change but how you position it with your cus-
tomer will change the perception and importance of your product/service...your
SOLUTION!!
Voice mail in sales unfortunately is very prevalent, so let me ask you, which voice
mail is going to get your attention if you were the prospect? Which voice mail has a
higher probability of a return call?
1. I called because I wanted to tell you about our company
2. I called because I wanted to tell you about our products
3. I called because I have been working with several contractors/distributors/manu-
facturers (pick an industry) in the area to solve their _(blank)______ problem. We
have been able to solve this challenge with our _ _(blank)______ solution.
Some of you are asking yourself, "What problem or issue did I solve when I sold that
copier, service contract, etc. to the XYZ Company? First, if your answer is they need-
ed a faster copier then I am not communicating effectively. If that is the case the fol-
low-on question is why? What business problem did they need to solve? Secondly, if
you have to ask that question then you also need to re-evaluate your sales approach
to determine if you are really taking an approach to solve your customer's challenges
or if you are simply taking the order?
I heard a neat saying a long time ago and I am going to modify it slightly for sales.
"Your customer cares how much you know when they know how much you care."
Don't just sell your product or service but rather care enough about your customer
to help them solve their problems with your solution. Why not walk in their shoes
for a while?

Roger Bostdorff is the President of B2B Sales Boost, LLC. He spent over 30 years
with IBM in sales and sales management. B2B Sales Boost is a consulting com-
pany helping organizations improve their sales and overall business processes. You
can find more about B2B Sales Boost on the web at www.b2bsalesboost.com or
calling 419-351-4347. If you would like to receive the B2B Sales Boost
Newsletter please send an email to sales@b2bsalesboost.com
20 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal
the very first baby born in
Mercy Welcomes Last and First the hospital's new Family
Birthing Center.
Helmstetters also reside in
The

The new Mercy Hospital Tiffin.


of Tiffin is now open and Both families received a
serving the community from special engraved gift com-
its new location at 45 St. memorating the event,
Lawrence Drive in Tiffin, along with a $100 Tiffin
according to Bernie Area Chamber of
Steinmetz, Manager of Commerce Gift Certificate,
Development & Public to celebrate their special
Relations. Patients were event. The gifts were pre-
moved to the new hospital sented by Dale Thornton,
Sunday, July 27, 2008, President & CEO;
which was the final day of a Zimmerman; and Sue
move process that began Sanford, Manager of the
eight days earlier. Family Birthing Center. The first patient admitted to the new Mercy Hospital of
"Our move from our previ- Mercy also recognized the Tiffin -Fred Haudenshild. Standing left to right: Teri
ous location at 485 West last patient admitted to the Henry, Nurse Manager, Inpatient Nursing: Dale
Market Street to the new old hospital and the first Thornton; and Anne Zimmerman.
one went very smoothly," patient admitted to the new our ability to continue to fulfill the Mission
Anne Zimmerman, Chief The last patient admitted to the old hospital -Jane hospital. Jane Cooley of Tiffin was admitted set forth by Catherine McAuley, the
Nursing Officer, said. "We Cooley. Standing left to right: Anne Zimmerman, Dale to the hospital on West Market Street, trans- foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, and Mother
had great cooperation with Thornton, and Teri Henry. ported and discharged from the newly Mary Bernardine McMullen, our first admin-
our local EMS and our staff opened hospital. The first patient admitted istrator.
in assuring that safety and confidentiality St. Lawrence Drive was Miley Sophia to the new Mercy Hospital of Tiffin on July Thornton was delighted to welcome the
were top priorities for our patients." Helmstetter. Miley's mother, Ashley Poppe- 27 was another Tiffin resident, Fred first baby and new patients to the new hospi-
The occasion marked a number of first and Helmstetter, was in labor when transported Haudenshild. Both patients received an tal.
lasts for Mercy Hospital of Tiffin. The last via ambulance from the old hospital to the engraved gift commemorating them as the "We were very pleased to welcome our last
baby born at the hospital opened in 1913 was new. Ashley and her husband, Dominic last and first patients, respectively, along with baby at the previous hospital as well as our
Alysa Jane Jameson, daughter of Tom and Helmstetter, received their first view of the a $100 Tiffin Area Chamber of Commerce last patient admitted, to close out a wonder-
Jane Jameson of Tiffin. Alysa was born at 4:52 new hospital the day of their daughter's birth, Gift Certificate. Thornton, Zimmerman and ful era of healthcare provided at 485 West
a.m. at the old hospital, thus becoming the after having been admitted to the old hospi- Teri Henry, Manager of Inpatient Services, Market Street," he said. "We were also proud
final baby born at the 95-year old facility. tal. Miley was born at 6:03 p.m. on July 27, presented these gifts. to open a new era of healthcare for Tiffin and
The first baby born at the new hospital on the day of the patient move, thus becoming "The original Mercy Hospital of Tiffin Seneca County on July 27 by welcoming the
served our community with high first baby born at 45 St. Lawrence Drive as
quality healthcare in the tradi- well as our very first patient. We look forward
tion of the Sisters of Mercy for to many more years serving our community
95 years," Steinmetz said. "Now from a campus that we believe will enhance
we are excited to be able to con- our city and county through the provision of
tinue to offer these high quality quality healthcare delivered in a compassion-
services through a beautiful, ate manner."
modern facility that enhances

Last baby born at old hospital - Alysa


First baby born in new hospital-Miley Jameson held by her mother, Jane
Sophia Helmstetter with her mother, Jameson. Left to right standing: Anne
Ashley M. Poppe-Helmstetter. Standing Zimmerman, Chief Nursing Officer;
left to right: Sue Sanford, Miley’s father, Dale Thornton, President & CEO;
Dominic Helmstetter, Anne Zimmerman, Alysa’s father, Tom Jameson; and Sue
and Dale Thornton. Sanford, Nurse Manager, Family
Birthing Center.
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 21
bution without regard to your coverage by an employer plan and without regard to your

Taxes AGI. The earnings in a nondeductible IRA are tax-deferred within the IRA, but are
taxed on distribution (and subject to a 10% penalty if you withdraw money before age 59
1/2, unless one of several exceptions apply).
You must begin making minimum withdrawals by April 1 of the year following the year
you attain age 70 1/2. Nondeductible contributions aren't taxed when they are with-

Overview of the Various drawn. If you've made deductible and nondeductible IRA contributions, a portion of each
IRA distribution is treated as coming from nontaxable IRA contributions (and the rest is
taxed).
If you can't make a deductible contribution to a traditional IRA, you should contribute
Types of IRAs Available (if eligible) to a Roth IRA instead of making a nondeductible contribution to a tradi-
tional IRA. That's because the Roth IRA offers a better package of tax benefits than you'd
get by making a nondeductible contribution to a traditional IRA.
By: Jeff Rosengarten, CPA Deductible and nondeductible IRA limits. The maximum annual IRA contribution
PAYNE, NICKLES AND COMPANY (deductible or nondeductible, or a combination) is $5,000 for 2008 ($6,000 if you are age
At one time, there was relatively little confusion about IRAs 50 or over in 2008). Additionally, your IRA contribution for a year (deductible or not)
because there was only one type available. Now, however, IRAs can't exceed the amount of your compensation includible in income for that year.
have proliferated-there's the regular IRA, which may be funded Deductible and nondeductible IRA contributions can't be made once you attain age 70.
with deductible and/or nondeductible contributions, Roth IRA, IRAs often are referred to as "traditional IRAs" (or "regular IRAs") to distinguish them
SEP-IRA, and SIMPLE IRA. Some of these IRAs are similar, but from Roth IRAs.
others have little in common. To compound the confusion, some
IRAs are known by different names. For example, a non-Roth Roth IRAs.
retirement-savings IRA sometimes is called a traditional IRA. You can make an annual contribution to a Roth IRA if your AGI doesn't exceed cer-
What do all these IRAs have in common? They can help you and tain levels that vary by filing status. For example, in 2008, if you are a joint return filer,
your family save significant amounts for retirement on a tax-favored basis. Here's an the maximum annual Roth IRA contribution phases out between $159,000 and $169,000
overview of the different types of IRAs available today. of modified AGI ($101,000 to $116,000 for single taxpayers). Annual contributions to
Traditional IRAs Roth IRAs can be made up to the amount that would be allowed as a contribution to a
Traditional IRAs can be funded with deductible and nondeductible contributions. traditional IRA, reduced by the amount you contribute for the year to non-Roth IRAs,
Deductible IRA contributions. You can make an annual deductible contribution to an but not reduced by contributions to a SEP IRA or SIMPLE IRA (see below). For exam-
IRA if: ple, if you don't contribute to a traditional IRA in 2008, you can contribute up to $5,000
(1) you (and your spouse) are not an active participant in an employer-sponsored retire- to a Roth IRA for that year ($6,000 if you are age 50 or older in 2008).
ment plan, or Roth IRA contributions aren't deductible. However, earnings are tax-deferred within
(2) you (or your spouse) are an active participant in an employer plan, and your modi- the Roth IRA and (unlike a traditional IRA) are tax-free if paid out (1) after a five-year
fied adjusted gross income (AGI) doesn't exceed certain levels that vary from year-to-year period that begins with the first year for which you made a contribution to a Roth IRA,
by filing status. and (2) once you reach age 59 1/2, or upon death or disability, or (up to $10,000 lifetime)
For example, in 2008, if you are a joint return filer covered by an employer plan, your for first-time home-buyer expenses of you, your spouse, child, grandchild, or ancestor.
deductible IRA contribution phases out over $85,000 to $105,000 of modified AGI. If And if a Roth IRA payout doesn't meet these dual conditions, you're treated as first with-
you're single or a head of household in 2008, the phaseout range is $53,000 to $63,000. drawing nontaxable Roth IRA contributions; the balance (representing earnings) is taxed
For a married filing separately, the phaseout range is $0 to $10,000 (for all years). In 2008, and is subject to a 10% penalty for pre-age-59 withdrawals, unless one of several excep-
if you are not an active participant in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, but your tions apply. Thus, for example, if you contribute $6,000 over the years to Roth IRAs and
spouse is, your deductible IRA contribution phases out with modified AGI of between withdraw $9,000 at age 55 to buy a boat, only $3,000 is taxed (and is subject to the 10%
$159,000 and $169,000. penalty).
Deductible IRA contributions reduce your current tax bill, and earnings within the IRA You can make Roth IRA contributions even after you attain age 70 (if you have suffi-
are tax-deferred. However, every dollar you take out is taxed in full (and subject to a 10% cient compensation income), and you do not have to take minimum distributions from a
penalty if you withdraw money before age 59 1/2, unless one of several exceptions apply). Roth IRA after you attain that age. That makes Roth IRAs an excellent wealth-building
You must begin making minimum withdrawals by April 1 of the year following the year vehicle for your family.
you attain age 70 1/2.
Nondeductible IRA contributions. You can make an annual nondeductible IRA contri- OVERVIEW continued on page 24

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22 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal

Terra and State Theatre's Partnership Will Benefit Students


Additional internships in marketing, business, and hospitality management will also be avail-
able.
"This truly is a great addition to our studies and offerings at Terra," said Michael Shirtz, coor-
dinator for the Department of Music, Arts, and Humanities at Terra. "Literally, our students
can earn an associate or transfer degree at Terra and use the State Theatre as their classroom."
Terra's music and arts programs have grown quickly in the past eight years to include quali-
ty education and opportunities at affordable prices to students and community participants
throughout Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca counties. Terra, which is home to a
state-of-the-art recording studio, offers degrees and courses in music and the performing arts,
presents several student-produced concert series, and presents eleven vocal and instrumental
ensembles, now will add another experience to further the education of its students.
"Students at Terra now have a great advantage to receive the best kind of training for their
careers," said John Cipiti, Terra's Director of Music Studies. "Real hands-on, professional expe-
rience."
State Theatre officials, like Thomas Kazmierzcak III, the theatre's new executive director,
also see the benefits. "This is an excellent opportunity to promote professional theater and
educational opportunities in the arts," said Kazmierzcak, who serves on Terra's Advisory Board
for Music and Performing Arts and will be working closely with Terra's students in this part-
nership. "Working with these students is a great way to build our future theater and music pro-
fessionals."
This partnership also brings with it the development of a new performance series called Terra
From left, Michael Shirtz, Thomas Kazmierzcak III and John Cipiti pose at the at The State. Terra's ensembles will present a series of concerts with the State Theatre.
Sandusky State Theatre's box office. Terra at The State will include a Veterans Music Festival commemorating and honoring
America's brave servicemen and women on Saturday, Nov. 8. This festival will pay tribute to
A new school year is bringing many new and exciting opportunities to music and arts stu- veterans in a gala evening performance called "Salute to Heroes" with the Terra Choral
dents at Terra Community College. Society and Chamber Arts Orchestra.
This fall begins a unique partnership between Terra's Department of Music, Arts, and Also music of World War II will be highlighted by the Terra Thunder Jazz Band and vocal
Humanities and the historic Sandusky State Theatre. The renowned State Theatre located group State of the Arts in an afternoon Stage Door Canteen and a World War II swing dance
in downtown Sandusky will be joining with the college to create a series of educational and following the gala concert.
performance opportunities for students majoring in music and the arts at Terra. Other programs featured in Terra at The State are a dinner and discussion with Michael
Students earning degrees in music business, music technology, performance and music edu- Thomas, writer from SNL and 30 Rock on Dec. 5; a New Year's Eve concert celebrated in
cation will be provided internships and field experience through the State Theatre in the fol- "Vienna Fashion" on Dec 31; and a Tribute to Leonard Bernstein on April 17.
lowing areas: music business, box office management, arts management, stage management, For more information, contact the Department of Music, Arts and Humanities at Terra
music and theater education, performance, recording, lighting and sound, and set design. Community College at 419-559-2233.

FTMC Diabetes Education: A New Way to Live


A Monroeville resident has gained a new outlook on life thanks first started losing weight the belt was notched in the last hole.
to the Certified Diabetes Education program at Fisher-Titus Since then, Zinn has added new notches to his belt as his waist-
Medical Center. line has dwindled. Although 12 new notches have been added to
When Bob Zinn's physician, Dr. Jeffrey Harwood of New his belt, Zinn has no intention of getting a new belt anytime soon.
London Family Practice referred Zinn to FTMC's Certified "People always ask me when I'm going to get a new belt and I
Diabetes Education program, Zinn didn't want to answer any tell them I'm not getting one until I lose as much weight as I want
questions when asked about his health in February 2007. Instead, to," said Zinn emphatically.
he let his wife do all the talking to the Diabetes Educators. Zinn Another self-motivator is a winter jacket, now too big, that
was overweight, a condition that possibly contributed to the wraps around him and almost reaches his side. He also recently
development, progression and diagnosis of diabetes. bought some new shorts which were a smaller size than he had
Because of the diabetes, Zinn was told he needed to make some anticipated.
lifestyle changes. Stubborn at first, Zinn was unsure of what to Instead of eating just once a day Zinn started eating three bal-
expect in the coming months. He did know that he was going to anced meals a day and learned he could survive without eating as
have a hard time and that he would need encouragement. much as he did before. Zinn also needed to cut down on his
That is when FTMC's Diabetes Education Team stepped up to "sweets" intake. Zinn said in the past year his only indulgence has
help. Registered Nurse Brandi Roeder and Registered Dietitian been two small pieces of birthday cake.
and Certified Diabetes Educator Tracy Stadler both played key The benefits of a healthier lifestyle have paid off for Zinn. The
roles in helping Zinn. weight loss has helped make everything easier for Zinn including
"Those ladies helped me out so much," said Zinn. his job. Most of Zinn's exercise comes from walking while at work. Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator
The education ranged from self-monitoring of blood glucose and With changes in Zinn's life and attitude, he is looking at life dif- Tracy Stadler (left) and Registered Nurse Brandi
modifying eating behaviors to including more physical activities ferently saying, "My whole body is feeling better."
in his daily life. The hard work from Zinn and encouragement FTMC Diabetes Education Classes are designed for individuals Roeder (right) of Fisher-Titus Medical Center's
from Roeder and Stadler led to Zinn losing over 100 pounds in 17 interested in learning more about diabetes management. Class Diabetes Education Program recently talk to patient
months. participation is by physician referral only. FTMC's Diabetes Bob Zinn (center) of Monroeville. Zinn, who went
"Mr. Zinn did the hard part," Stadler said. "We just gave him the Education Classes are recognized by the American Diabetes through the Diabetes Education program in early
tools he needed." Association. For more information on FTMC's Diabetes 2007, has found a healthier lifestyle and lost over 100
Zinn's self-motivation comes from the belt he wears. When he Education Program, call 419-660-2596. pounds in the process.
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 23

Hoty Builders Announces Completion


of Verizon Wireless Project
Hoty Builders, L.L.C. has recently completed the construction of a new Verizon
Wireless store in Medina, Ohio. The 3,800 square foot unit, located at 1231 North
Court Street, is now open. Hoty Builders has completed several locations for Verizon
Wireless.
Hoty Builders and its affiliated companies have been constructing and renovating
commercial projects for over 30 years. Their experience encompasses a wide variety
of ventures from shopping centers and free-standing buildings to office buildings and
marinas.

SURFING TIPS 2008... continued from page 15

along with its address and telephone number. It is much easier to check out the menu
from your home or motel room than it is to drive to the restaurant. I have found sev-
eral good restaurants this way, as well as rejecting a few that were a little too pricey
for me.
The final surfing trip tip site is both useful and fun to play with. To use this site, you
need to be running Windows XP or Vista with plenty of RAM and a good Video Card
as it is a very high overhead (literally) site. Check out http://earth.google.com, a pro-
gram that shows you satellite images from all over the world. They are constantly
improving this site and are providing more street views of neighborhoods every day.
This site allows you to pick an area of the world and then Zoom-in on it until you can
see the details you want. The picture quality is excellent; however, I would not try to
use it to inspect my roof.
While surfing the Internet, you can wipe out because of the amount of Malware,
Spyware and Viruses that's increasing daily. Just keep your Anti-virus and Anti-spy-
ware software up to date and remember the Internet is still a wondrous place to surf.
I am always searching for new and interesting article topics. I would appreciate any sug-
gestions you have for topics. Please E-mail these suggestions or requests for information to
helpdeskohio@bpsom.com or call me at 419-448-8020 and I will use as many of them as
possible.

Don is the CWO (Chief Working Officer) of Help-Desk, Ohio, a complete com-
puter service center, located in Suite A of the Courtlee Interiors' Building, 2499
W. Market in Tiffin. Don has a degree in Computer Programming from Tiffin
University and has been an Information Technology Professional for over 20 years.
He started Help-Desk, Ohio in the spring of 1996 and opened his shop in March
2001. Don welcomes calls for advice or information at 419-448-8020.
24 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal
Earlier Cancer Detection Made Possible with New PET/CT Technology
More than 6 million people in the world will die from information from PET and the anatomic information from CT, places PET/CT at the
cancer this year, according to the World Health forefront to cutting edge technology allowing physicians to more accurately stage and
Organization. In the United States, one in three will be treat patient disease processes.
diagnosed with cancer in his or her lifetime. Before having a PET/CT scan, the patient receives a dose of a radiopharmaceutical
Detecting cancer at its earliest stages helps to better tracer containing substances that mimic those normally used in the body including
determine the best treatment for oncology patients. water, sugars, proteins and oxygen. These tracers accumulate in diseased cells. During
Fisher-Titus Medical Center has updated its PET diag- the scan, the tracers are detected by the system creating an image of the patient and
nostic tool to include CT. highlighting any abnormal physiology. This image helps our physicians determine if
The Discovery ST 16-slice PET/CT system integrates disease is present, the location and extent of disease, and track how rapidly it is
a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner with a spreading.
16-slice Computed Tomography (CT) scanner and pro- "The new PET/CT system is another example of FTMC's commitment to innova-
vides physicians with more sensitivity, speed, resolution tion and technology for early disease detection supporting physicians in improved
and diagnostic confidence when treating cancer diagnosis and treatment right here in Norwalk," said Dr. Raymond Lobins of North
Dr. Matthew Gutowicz Jr., patients. Coast Cancer Care who is a member of Fisher-Titus Medical Center's medical staff.
"For oncology patients, PET/CT is used to determine FTMC Imaging Services Department's state-of-the-art testing includes a 64-slice
the exact location and stage of cancerous tissue and can prevent unnecessary surgery CT scanner, MRI/Breast MRI, PET/CT Scanning, Nuclear Medicine Testing,
and biopsies and inappropriate treatment," said Dr. Matthew Gutowicz Jr., a board- Mammography/Computer-Aided Detection, Stereotactic Breast Biopsies and
certified radiologist and FTMC's medical director of radiology. Brachytherapy.
"PET/CT will have a major impact on our clinical evaluations of cancer patients, FTMC's Commission on Cancer (CoC) Approved Cancer Program, full consulta-
and in many cases will enable our physicians to begin treatment earlier and increase tive services are available from all medical disciplines involved in diagnosing and
the odds for successful patient outcomes." treating cancer. FTMC's state-of-the-art Cancer Care Center provides a highly qual-
PET/CT is an imaging procedure that provides physicians with information about ified physicians, staff and technology to help patients through the diagnosis and treat-
the body's chemistry, cell function and exact location of disease. The precise images ment process. Approved by the American College of Surgeon's National Commission
obtained with PET are not available with other technologies, such as CT, MRI or X- on Cancer Program since 1989, FTMC is among only one in four hospital cancer pro-
ray alone. grams in the United States that receives this special accreditation. FTMC's Cancer
The difference lies in the ability of PET to study body function rather than giving Program earned eight out of a possible nine special commendations in its most recent
radiological images of anatomy or body structure. The combination of the metabolic accreditation survey.

TAXES: OVERVIEW continued from page 21


WORK You can "roll over" (or convert) a tradi- contribution limits. Distributions from a

CONNECTIONS tional IRA to a Roth IRA in a year that


your AGI, as specially computed, doesn't
SEP IRA or SIMPLE IRA are subject to
tax rules similar to those that apply to

INTERNATIONAL, LLC
exceed $100,000, but the amount taken deductible IRAs.
out of the traditional IRA is treated for Income tax credit for contributions to
tax purposes as a regular withdrawal (but IRAs

Scan It — Shred It
it's not subject to the 10% early with- If your adjusted gross income doesn't
drawal penalty). (Beginning in 2010, the exceed specified levels, you may be enti-
$100,000 AGI ceiling on conversions tled to a credit (saver's credit) against
from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA your income tax equal to a percentage of
Tiffin’s First will be removed.) your contribution to any of the above
Full Service Scan Bureau SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs
IRAs. If you are entitled to the credit,
you get it in addition to any deduction
Electronic Data Management Small businesses that want to provide
employees with a retirement plan, but
you may be entitled to for the same con-
tribution.
Plus: keep administrative costs low, may be I recommend discussing these options
Scan Light Assembly able to set up a SEP (simplified employee and how they might apply to your indi-
Shred Third Party Inspection pension) or SIMPLE (savings incentive vidual situation with your tax profession-
match plan for employees) plan. In al.
Microfilm Tool Bit Sharpening either type of plan, contributions are
Warehousing Inventory Management made to IRA-type accounts in the (Author's note: This article is not
Packaging Order Processing employees' names. Annual contributions intended to offer professional tax advice.
Mailing Labeling to these plans are controlled by special Please consult your tax advisor.)
Microfilm to Digital Disc Sorting rules and aren't tied to the normal IRA

419-448-4655
www.workconnectionstiffin.com
www.ncbj.net
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 25
MAIN STREET ... continued from the cover
creation of downtown development and Street Port Clinton plays an active role in County Historical Society to create oral Jet Express Warehouse in downtown Port
downtown market analysis. MSPC is the City’s Architectural Board of Review. histories of several buildings in downtown. Clinton for a sampling of local artists and
working with City Administration and The Board meets the fourth Thursday of It is our desire to learn the histories and their talents. Those who attended feasted
Council on the Tier 1 Community the month at 3pm, prior to the Planning interesting and unusual stories about each their eyes on paintings and photographs
Development Block Grant. The funding Commission meeting. of these buildings. We plan to have open from local artists, heard their favorite
Main Street Port Clinton received from With the support of the Ottawa County houses and invite the public to visit these music from local musicians, and interacted
Stensen will be the local match for funding Community Foundation, MSPC is creating spaces. We want to make the stories come with characters from local theatre groups.
from the State of Ohio. MSPC’s funding a Treasure Hunt of 10 downtown architec- alive. The buildings are 125 Madison All while sampling sumptuous appetizers
from Stensen together with the State fund- tural features of buildings located on Street (Mary’s Blossom Shoppe), 120 West from local restaurants! Everyone had a fan-
ing will allow us to bring in a consultant to Madison between Perry Street and Second Second Street (The Lion tastic time and the event was a huge suc-
facilitate the planning work for the down- Street and on Second Street between Theatre/Frederick Agency), and 105, 107, cess! Mark your calendar - the third annu-
town. Monroe and Jefferson. The Architectural and 109 Madison Street (Hersberger al Appetite for the Arts is scheduled for
The planning activities will begin in early Treasure Hunt will be available at local Building). Please call 419/734-7600 for Friday, August 14, 2009.
fall. The development plan will examine businesses. We also will be working with more information. Lastly, I challenge everyone in Port
the development needs and assess the the schools to have the Ohio History class- Main Street Port Clinton and the Port Clinton and surrounding communities to
existing conditions of the downtown es work the treasure hunt into their cur- Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce get involved with Main Street Port
including land use, traffic/circulation, pub- riculum. The Architectural Treasure Hunt teamed together to create the Port Clinton Clinton. We are looking for fresh ideas and
lic spaces, streetscape and aesthetic quality. will get people walking the streets and Arts Council. The Port Clinton Arts new faces. Call me, email me, or stop by
Goals and objectives and a vision/mission learning to appreciate our fabulous down- Council recently hosted the second annual the office. I can be reached by phone at
statement for the central business district town architecture. Appetite for the Arts. Approximately 300 419/734-7600 or by email at
will be derived from a series of meetings MSPC has been working with the Ottawa people gathered on Friday, August 8 at the historicpc@portclinton.org.
and community input. The market
analysis will examine the details of the
current overall economic, business, and
service climate of downtown Port
Clinton.
Main Street Port Clinton wants to
make sure that any new development,
infill development, or rehabilitation
maintains the character and charm of the
existing buildings and structures. MSPC
worked with administration and City
Council earlier this year to make amend-
ments to the Downtown Architectural
District. The amendments included
requiring the Board of Architectural
Review to consider the Secretary of the
Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation
when property owners want to alter the
exterior of their buildings. By adding the
Secretary of the Interior Standards to the
City’s Code, we are now eligible to apply
for additional grant opportunities. Main

Made You Look!


In this space, you could
have sold something.
Don’t miss the same
opportunity next month!
Call Dave Kahler at
NCBJ 419-734-4838
26 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal
Check Current Employees For Criminal Records?
Be Careful Or Face The Consequences...
The recent LA Times story on the discovery of current “Prior to initiating annual or other periodic checks on year when it allegedly failed to send notices to applicants
employees with criminal records, and the Los Angeles employees, employers should consider potential legal pitfalls.” and/or current employees before allowing employers to see
county supervisor’s suggestion to re-check 100,000 current “At the minimum, employers should ensure that they the potential criminal record information (Williams v.
employees for criminal records, brings up some surprising have a consent form for each and every employee, and, in LexisNexis Risk Management, Inc. Case No. 3:06cv241).
facts and issues surrounding criminal records and current some states, that a consent form is executed before each The lawsuit also alleged that LexisNexis did not allow
employees. and every check. In California, for example, this is espe- employees to easily dispute the criminal information,
According to Robert Mather, CEO of Pre-employ.com, a cially important given the applicable law and potentially instead demanding that the employees/consumers fill out a
California based pre-employment screening firm, that can large damages for failing to comply.” form and supply two pieces of identification before pro-
screen up to 10,000 individual employee records a day, But the issues go much further than just having permis- ceeding with the reinvestigation.
employers should take a moment to educate them prior to sion to check for a criminal record. Although LexisNexis admitted to no wrongdoing, they
checking current employees for criminal records..” According to Mather, twelve states bar an employer from did agree to settle for millions in the class action suit.
“It is imperative that employers, particularly in the state of using information that is older than seven years. Other interesting facts according to Mather:
California, take a moment and think through the possible sce- “As incredible as it seems, in these states, if a convicted • In California, if you or your background check compa-
narios and the “what ifs” prior to commencing the program.” rapist, embezzler, child molester or other criminal is denied ny use the Megan’s law website to check potential or cur-
Mather says he receives numerous calls or queries from a job or you fire or demote the criminal because of this infor- rent employees for sex offender status you are in violation
employers each month regarding the issue of a current mation, you are in violation of the law and can be sued.” of California Penal Code (Section 290.46(j)(2))
employee with a criminal record. California is one of the states that bars the usage or • In Nevada, the same applies to the state sex offender
“The most common scenario is that a coworker sees the reporting of criminal record information prior to seven registry (Section179B.270 Nevada Revised Statutes)
employee on a sex offender website, the news or hears a years for employment purposes. • If you use a third party to investigate a current employ-
rumor surrounding an arrest or conviction and tells the The twelve states that have 7 year limitations on report- ee who is not involved in a active investigation (sexual
employer about it.” ing criminal information include: California, Colorado, harassment, embezzlement etc) and you DO NOT get
The employer’s desire is almost always to immediately Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New written permission, you are in violation of the Federal Fair
discipline or terminate the person. Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Texas and Credit and Reporting act (Section 604(a)(2))
“Common sense would seem to dictate that if you dis- Washington. • If you do not allow the person to receive a free copy of
cover you have a current employee with a criminal record, Even if the crime was within the 7 year reporting limita- your findings (in some cases prior to your decision) you can
you immediately take action and discipline or terminate tions, or if you operate or live outside these 12 states, sev- be sued under Cal. Civ. Code Sec. 1786.16
their employment. I mean, it seems like a simple solution eral states require you to notify the employee of your deci- • California Department of Justice fingerprints do not
to a simple problem, right?” Mather asks. sion to discipline or terminate their employment PRIOR find any records outside of the state of California, so a per-
“Not so fast,” says Pam Devata of the national labor law to acting on the information. son convicted of a felony elsewhere will not show up unless
firm Seyfarth Shaw. One company, LexisNexis, was one day off in reporting you hire a firm to search all applicable courthouses
“Employers can get themselves into serious legal hot water information to a potential employee and settled to pay • The average background check costs an employer
if they do not have a cursory understanding of the laws sur- $20.7 million dollars in a class action lawsuit. between $25 and $125 depending on the range of infor-
rounding employee background checks,” said Devata. “Ohio based LexisNexis ran afoul of the federal law this mation checked.

Building Capital MONROEVILLE...


Survey: CFOs Cite Greater Focus on Profitability in Last Five Years Continued from page 14
downtown area. Each planter features a Rose of
Finance executives have shifted their Greater focus on increasing position to guide strategic planning and Sharon in its center, surrounded by beautiful annuals
attention from corporate governance ini- profitability ...........................25% risk management decisions affecting and vines. The addition of these planters fits in well
tiatives to the bottom line, a new survey Increased interaction with diverse and wide-ranging areas of the with the proposed revitalization of the downtown
suggests. One in four (25 percent) chief other departments ....................20% business.” area. The Commission has worked diligently to pre-
financial officers (CFOs) surveyed said Expanded leadership or About the Survey pare a Master tree list of all the Village’s trees. Their
the most significant change in their roles management role ......................17% The national study was developed by next step is to partner with a forester from ODNR to
over the past five years is a greater focus More strategic planning...............15% Robert Half Management Resources. It create a Master plan for tree planting, with the inten-
on increasing profitability. One in five Increased focus on corporate was conducted by an independent tion of planting trees on an annual basis and main-
(20 percent) respondents indicated they governance initiatives ..............12% research firm and is based on more than taining a pruning program that will aesthetically
are now interacting with colleagues in None/don’t know.........................10% 1,400 telephone interviews with CFOs maintain and preserve the Village’s trees.
other departments more frequently. Other/refused ................................1% from a random sample of U.S. companies Council recently contracted with Robert Schultz
The survey was developed by Robert 100% with 20 or more employees. For the study and Associates to create a new public records policy.
Half Management Resources, the pre- “Given today’s transitioning economy, to be statistically representative and All of the Village’s departments have assisted in
mier provider of senior-level accounting CFOs are reprioritizing initiatives to drive ensure that companies from all segments revising their public records retention schedules, and
and finance professionals on a project profits and reduce expenses,” said Paul are represented, the sample was stratified the review of current public records has been ongo-
and interim basis, and conducted by an McDonald, executive director of Robert by geographic region and employee size. ing. The Village does not take lightly its responsibil-
independent research firm. It was based Half Management Resources. The results were then weighted to reflect ity to preserve the public’s records, and is determined
on telephone interviews with more than “Companies are looking to expand the proper proportions of employee size to simplify the retention or disposal procedures. The
1,400 CFOs across the United States. growth areas and minimize inefficiencies.” within each region. Administrative Offices are open Monday - Friday
CFOs were asked, “In which one of McDonald also noted that financial About Robert Half Management from 8:30 am - 4:30pm for public records requests.
the following areas has the role of CFO executives are working more closely Resources The Administration and its employees are proud to
changed most significantly over the last with decision-makers throughout all Robert Half Management Resources be part of a community that pulls together and works
five years?” Their responses: levels of the company. “The accounting has more than 140 locations worldwide toward making this “Best Little Town by a Dam Site”
and finance functions play a prominent and offers online job search services at just that.
role in business; the CFO is in a unique www.roberthalfmr.com.
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 27

New Name for FTMC Rehabilitation Center


With the help of a local businessman, Fisher- munity support and the donations of the Fisher care settings," said Strayer. the Ralph and Alice Walcher Rehabilitation
Titus Medical Center's rehabilitation center has family in the late 1950s, to the generosity of The Rehabilitation Center is part of Fisher- Center and the services it offers, please contact
a new name. Through a donation by Ralph families like the Raus and Whites today, Titus's Phase II construction project that began Fisher-Titus Medical Center's Director of
Walcher of North Fairfield, the center, which Walcher joins a distinguished group of local cit- in 2005 and was completed in September 2006. Rehabilitation Joyce Hill at (419) 668-8101,
opened in 2006, has been named the Ralph and izens who recognize the importance of quality Currently, the rehabilitation department has 85 Ext. 6440 or visit FTMC's Web site at
Alice Walcher Rehabilitation Center. healthcare close to home. employees and sees an average of 3,600 outpa- www.ftmc.com.
Ralph Walcher, 92, founder of Walcher "How fitting that a family like the Walchers tients each month. For more information about
Orchards in North Fairfield, made a generous partner with the efforts of the medical center as
gift in support of community health care. At 65 both are known throughout the area for high
acres, Walcher Orchards was the largest pick- quality and business standards," said Lorna
your-own peach farm in the state of Ohio. Strayer, FTMC's vice president of business
Walcher made his contribution to Fisher-Titus development. "The Walcher family is a well-
in the form of a charitable gift annuity. In recog- known and respected farming enterprise known
nition of this generous support of Fisher-Titus throughout North Central Ohio for a solid work
Medical Center and the communities it serves, ethic, and quality produce which is cultivated in
the Rehabilitation Center will be named in a family-centered environment."
honor of Ralph and his late wife, Alice. The 22,008 square foot Ralph and Alice
As a charitable gift annuity, the donation pro- Walcher Rehabilitation Center houses the phys-
vides Walcher with a guaranteed lifetime ical therapy, occupational therapy, pediatric
income. He receives a predetermined percent- therapy, speech therapy and audiology depart-
age of his gift back every year and a tax deduc- ments. Among the center's many features are a
tion on his income for 2008 and the next five state-of-the-art therapy pool, a spacious adult
years. More importantly, the donation recog- therapy gym and a separate pediatric therapy
nizes Walcher for his service to a community area with its own waiting room. However, one
that he has been a part of for nearly 65 years. of the center's most important features is the
Walcher moved with his brother from broad range of available care for patients. "The
Fisher-Titus Medical Center's Director of Rehabilitation Joyce Hill demonstrates
Cleveland to North Fairfield in 1943 and has vision for development of the rehabilitation
been growing peaches there since 1944. services has been to extend programs from cra- to Ralph Walcher of North Fairfield and FTMC President Pat Martin a piece of
His donation marks the latest chapter in the dle to grave for anyone in the service area. Our equipment in the adult therapy gym. FTMC's Rehabilitation Center will soon be
long history of philanthropy at Fisher-Titus that support reaches out to newborns, school-aged dedicated as the Ralph and Alice Walcher Rehabilitation Center in honor of a gen-
dates back more than 50 years. From the com- children, adolescents and adults in a variety of erous contribution that Walcher made to support community health care.

Ohio's Role in Freight Movement is Focus of TMACOG's 2008 Ohio Conference


The 2008 Ohio Conference on Freight, Kay Reiter, Executive Director of the Sandusky Secretary of Transportation and current Sponsor. Additional support is provided by CSX,
September 15 through 17 at Toledo's SeaGate County Economic Development Corporation Chairman of PB Consult, Inc. Topic: "Federal Eastman & Smith, Ltd., Parsons Brinckerhoff,
Convention Centre, will bring together some of will make a presentation Tuesday, September 16 Reauthorization: Will it Carry the Freight?" HNTB, TranSystems, Ohio Association of
the most influential and experienced people at 10:15 a.m. Her topic is the impact of trans- * President Paul Martin and CEO Bob Stevens Regional Councils, BP, Bowling Green State
working in freight movement and logistics today. portation on economic development. from the Melford International Terminal will University, The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc.,
The Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Other highlights of the 2008 Ohio Conference talk about logistics opportunities for Ohio pre- Ohio Rail Development Commission,
Governments (TMACOG) has invited trans- on Freight: sented by the Nova Scotia port and intermodal University of Toledo Intermodal Transportation
portation planners and engineers, economic * Frederick C. Smith, Vice President of the terminal. Institute, Midwest Terminals of Toledo, Ohio
development agencies, construction and other Institute for 21st Century Energy, an affiliate of The 2008 Conference on Freight is presented Contractors Association, Wilbur Smith
business professionals, and elected officials to par- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. His topic is by TMACOG in partnership with the National Associates, Teamsters, CH2M Hill, and Ohio
ticipate and hear from internationally known "Securing America's Energy Future" Association of Regional Councils. The Toledo- Trucking Association.
experts. * Mortimer Downey, former U.S. Deputy Lucas County Port Authority is the State Host

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28 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal

Terra Among Organizations Receiving Ohio Latino Affairs Grants


Terra Community College is among eight organizations statewide that are receiv-
ing grants from the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission. As a recipient of one of the
2008 Grassroots Initiative Mini-Grants, Terra will receive $10,000 to increase out-
reach efforts to reach Latino youth and increase their participation in higher edu-
cation. The program involves grassroots efforts and collaboration among commu-
nities to attract, retain and graduate Hispanic Ohioans in the communities served
by Terra.
"We have worked hard to ensure the selected programs align as closely as possi-
ble to Governor Stickland's priorities in the areas of education, workforce and eco-
nomic development, community participation and integration of all Ohioans into
the fabric of our state," said Ezra Escudero, Executive Director of Latino Affairs.
"These programs will open the door for greater cooperation and partnership
between grassroots organizations, communities, educational institutions and com-
munity stakeholders."
The selection process for the awards was accomplished in cooperation with com-
munity foundations in different regions. Expert evaluators reviewed close to 30
grant proposals. Mary Mc Cue, Director of Marketing, Public Relations and
Enrollment Services, helped write the grant. She and her committee were pleased
Representatives from the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission traveled to Terra Aug. 11 to
with the news. "My greatest concern with our Latino student population has been present the grant. From left, Dr. Jerry Webster, Vice President of Student and
the retention rates. We have seen a decrease in the number of these students who Administrative Affairs at Terra; Mary Mc Cue, Director of Marketing, Public Relations
continue on to the completion of a degree," Mc Cue said. "This grant will give us and Enrollment Services at Terra; Bonnie Weaver, Outreach Specialist for Underserved
the resources to aid our Latino students in completing their college coursework on Populations at Terra; Dr. Marsha Bordner, President of Terra; Ezra Escudero, Executive
Terra's campus." Director of Latino Affairs; Lilleana Calderon-Cavanaugh, Community Liaison; and
The others receiving the grants were: Central State University, East End Florentina Staigers, Policy Liaison Officer.
Community Center in Dayton, Youngstown State University, Casa Amiga at
Tecumseh YMCA in New Carlisle, Servicio a la Familia in Cincinnati, Hispanic tory mandate to advise policy makers and elected officials on issues affecting Hispanic
Business Association in Cleveland and The Salvation Army's Hispanic Soccer Ohioans, to connect the diverse Latino communities across the state, and to build the
League in Cincinnati. capacity of community organizations so they may better serve the fast-growing Latino
The Ohio Latino Affairs Commission is a state government agency with a statu- population of Ohio.

Mercy Hospital of Willard Receives Grant


Funding to Support Quality Improvement
Mercy Hospital of Willard was one of 33 small and rural Critical Access Hospitals The federal and state grants are funded by the Ohio Small Hospital Improvement
(CAH) across Ohio that each received $19,932 in state and federal grant funding, Program (SHIP) and the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex) and are
which it will use to support quality improvement efforts. administered by the Foundation for Healthy Communities of the Ohio Hospital
"We have been very grateful to receive these funds for the past six years," says Bob Association. Hospitals can use the funds for quality improvement projects, to help
Gospodarek, President and CEO of Mercy Hospital of Willard. "We have been able reduce medical errors, improve networking, to comply with requirements of the fed-
to apply for these funds since we became a Critical Access Hospital in 2002, and have eral Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and to improve
been approved every year by the government." emergency medical services.
Mercy Willard is using its funds to purchase equipment and support staff education, Mercy Hospital of Willard is a community hospital committed to providing excel-
training and re-certification. Equipment purchases will include: lent health care services to its patients and families. Area residents benefit from
* A patient lift, an extra large wheelchair, and a bariatric patient chair in order to excellence in personalized inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care. As a member
provide a safe environment for all patients and staff and to improve staff performance. of Mercy Health Partners, Mercy Willard is linked to a comprehensive range of pri-
* Two new outpatient safety scales for obtaining the correct weights of frail and eld- mary and critical care health services including Life Flight. Mercy Health Partners is
erly patients in the Emergency Department and outpatient clinic. a not-for-profit health system in Northwest Ohio dedicated to improving the health
* Fiber optic laryngoscopes for all the crash cart cardiopulmonary boxes to assist cli- of people in its communities with emphasis on its 150-year mission of caring for all
nicians in rapid, clear, visualization of vocal cord and rapid intubation. in need. Mercy is composed of St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, St. Charles Mercy
* A new color-coded pediatric crash cart. Hospital, St. Anne Mercy Hospital, Mercy Children's, Hospital, Mercy Hospital of
Mercy Willard also will use the grant funds to ensure staff members receive the edu- Tiffin, Mercy Hospital of Willard, Mercy Hospital of Defiance, St. Vincent &
cation and training required for obtaining/ maintaining certifications and to assist the University Medical Center Life Flight, and Mercy College of Northwest Ohio. Please
Trauma Surgeon in maintaining Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) certifica- visit mercyweb.org for additional information regarding Mercy Health Partners.
tion.
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 29

On The Move
Dr. Murcek Elected New Administrator
Chair of Osteopathic Board Named at Edgewood Manor
NOMS Healthcare is pleased to announce that Edgewood Manor is pleased to welcome Amie Gohlike,
Benjamin Murcek, D.O. was recently elected as LNHA, as the facility's new administrator. Gohlike gradu-
Chairman of the American Osteopathic Board of ated from Oak Harbor High School and then went on to
Ophthalmology and Otolrhinolaryngology (AOBOO). earn a BSBA is Health Care Administration and
Personnel Management from Bowling Green State
The AOBOO is responsible for creating and adminis-
University. She has been a Licensed Nursing Home
tering the Board Certification examinations for the sur- Administrator since 1995 and also holds a License for Life
gical specialties of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology. and Health Insurance since 2004. In 2003, Gohlike
Dr. Murcek has been a member of the AOBOOHNS earned a Certification from the Disney Institute in
since 1998. He will serve a two year term. The Customer Service.
AOBOO is also responsible for the creation and admin- She is a native of Port Clinton, daughter of Harold and
istration of the specialty board recertification exams. Bonnie Wadsworth. She is very active in the Port Clinton
Dr. Murcek is an ear, nose and throat specialist with Women's Club and is a Past President. She is also the cur-
NOMS Healthcare rent President of the Firelands College Advisory Board,
currently residing in Port Clinton with her husband,
George.

U.S. Bank Honors JoAnn King


For 25 Years of Service Get off your ASTEROID
SPACE.
U.S. Bank in Northwest Ohio is honoring JoAnn King,
vice president and relationship manager in U.S. Bank's and place your ad in this
commercial banking division, for her 25 years of service to
the company. To mark the occasion, she received a spe-
cially designed, commemorative diamond anniversary
stone pin.
King began her banking career in 1983 as a part-time
teller with Diamond Savings and Loan. She has served in
various roles with U.S. Bank and its predecessors, and now
works with business clients in Seneca, Sandusky, Ottawa
and Erie Counties.
A graduate of Tiffin University, she is active in the com-
munity as a Junior Achievement Board Member and class-
room volunteer, Kiwanis Club member and K-Kids
Administrator for the Ohio District Kiwanis as well as
serves on the board of the Tiffin Area Chamber of
Commerce and SIEDC. She resides in Tiffin with her
husband David.

NCBJ in October:
Call Dave at 419-341-3310
Focus on Sandusky or email at dkahler@ncbj.net
for ad rates that are

OUT OF THIS WORLD


30 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal

On The Move
Elizabeth Gabel, Certified
Nurse Practitioner, Joins Practice
Dr. Mary Wonderly is pleased to welcome Elizabeth
Gabel, Certified Nurse Practitioner (C.N.P.) to her fam-
ily medicine practice. Ms. Gabel will function as a fam-
ily nurse practitioner and diabetes educator.
Ms. Gabel graduated from the University of Toledo
with her Master of Science degree in Nursing - Family
Nurse Practitioner. She worked at Memorial Hospital
in Fremont for 25 years on 2-North and also served as a
certified diabetes educator for the past 10 years. Ms.

Laurie Flickinger Receives Gabel is also a certified medical-surgical nurse.


Elizabeth is married to Mike Gabel of Fremont. They
have been lifelong residents of Sandusky County and
Westfield Insurance Service Award have three children, Jenny, Brad and Carrie.

Laurie Flickinger of Flickinger Insurance recently was recognized for 25 years of profes-
sionalism and service excellence representing Westfield Insurance. A leading independ-
ent insurance agent, Flickinger has represented Westfield since 1983.
"Westfield Insurance is represented by independent agents who are carefully selected for Mercy Willard Hospital
their commitment to providing clients with the best insurance advice and service. For a
quarter century, Flickinger has teamed with Westfield to deliver on our promise of pro-
tection. We are proud to honor her on this service milestone," said Westfield Insurance
Foundation Debuts New Website
President Roger McManus.
Westfield presented Flickinger with a commemorative statuette to honor this milestone. The Mercy Willard Hospital Foundation giving forms and send them in or they can
has now made it easier for those wishing to simply make a donation online using a credit
make a donation by creating a new card.
Old Fort Bank Appoints Foundation website and making the gift giv-
ing forms available online.
"Creating the Foundation website and mak-
These services were all created with poten-
tial donors in mind and the Foundation hopes
that the community will get a better under-
Blackburn VP Retail Banking ing donor forms available online was an easy
decision," said Bob Gospodarek, President
standing of what the Mercy Willard Hospital
Foundation is all about.
and CEO of Mercy Hospital of Willard. "More For more information about the Foundation
President/CEO Michael Spragg of The Old Fort Banking and more people are using the web in their website, please contact Audrey Ginter at 419-
Company is pleased to announce the promotion of Dee everyday life and the website can give the 964-5105.
Blackburn to Vice President Retail Banking. "Dee has dis- community quick and easy access to see what The Foundation is a nonprofit charitable
played exemplary service to Old Fort Bank. She continues to the Foundation does and what they may be organization dedicated to developing relation-
promote core values and insight while developing her staff to able to do to help." ships and generating financial resources to
achieve a higher standard of service. Her leadership and The Foundation website, support the mission of Mercy Hospital of
commitment to the organization was recognized by this www.mercyweb.org/willardhospitalfounda- Willard. Gifts made to the Foundation are tax
appointment." Spragg commented. tion, has many features that will allow the deductible and are designated for capital
In her new role she will oversee the management and community, as well as anyone interested, to expenditures and other donor designated proj-
administration of the bank's nine retail financial centers browse and find out more about what the ects. If you would like to consider making a
which will include product and service development. Prior Foundation actually does and in what ways donation or bequest to the hospital, contact
to her appointment Blackburn served as the Clyde Financial they contribute to the hospital. On the web- the Foundation office or a board member to
Center Manager since it's opening in 2003. Last year she site, users are able to see details about the learn more about the benefits of planned giv-
assumed additional office administration responsibilities. "I fundraising events the Foundation plans, such ing and gift annuities. Mercy Willard Hospital
am honored to be given this opportunity. We have a great as the annual golf outing in the summer and Foundation Board members are: Mike
group of financial center managers and retail staff who are the Candlelight Ball in the winter. The users Adelman, Dr. Chris Bohach, Melody Brooks,
dedicated and committed to create a better banking experi- will also be able to sign up and pay the fees for Marsha Danhoff, Lynn Detterman, Audrey
ence for our clients." Blackburn commented. With over 28 the events online. Ginter, Bob Gospodarek, Dorothy Robey, Bud
years of community banking experience in various leadership The website has also made it easier to make Schaffer, Alec Thornton, and Sister Rita
roles she attended the Ohio Bankers League - Blythe School a contribution to the Foundation with the Mary Wasserman. Richard Beal, Certified
of Banking a two year banking program. She has been with Old Fort Bank for 6 years. forms posted online as well as listing the many Financial Planner, assists the Foundation with
Blackburn and her husband Darren reside in Clyde. The couple has a son Justin, a daughter different ways that people can make their con- charitable giving and financial planning.
-in-law Emily and this spring welcomed a granddaughter, Raegan. tribution. People can print off their own gift
www.ncbj.net North Coast Business Journal SEPTEMBER 2008 31

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“Committed to Excellence”

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32 SEPTEMBER 2008 North Coast Business Journal

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