A Zillion Sound Bites

Even though January 2012 was the mildest I can ever recall, it did bring in the new year with a snow storm of topics, information overload and media frenzy.  Pick a subject, any subject, and you'll have more than enough to watch, read, hear or search. It's easy, at least for me, to feel overwhelmed with the enormous amount of "stuff" that comes my way.  And every bit of it claims to be factual.

I learned a few years ago to use and trust Snopes.com as a source to check for validity on many urban legends, myths, news items, claims and stories.  I'm a huge fan of the site and have refuted material often enough that any number of people have taken me off their email list because they know I'm going to do the double check.  That's okay with me!

Nearly every day I have the opportunity to meet with people who have wisdom and expertise on one topic or another, and I always come away enlightened. These experiences have taught me one thing for certain: There is always more to the story.

But rather than belabor what you already know, I want to show you my new office poster that I have hung on the wall where I can read it easily any time I need to.  A good friend of mine sent me an email copy of the Holsteen Manifesto and said, "This reminded me of you."

I ordered the poster that very day. This is how I choose to fight the crazy storm of mixed information, to sort out what's important, to  focus on what I am here to do, and to always be reminded that life is indeed short.

Looking forward to a great year for everyone,

Jenni

 

New Year's Resolutions? I've never been very good at those.

Nevertheless, I have always been ready to charge into the next year of my life full steam ahead.  Looking forward to what's ahead is one of my favorite things to do!  When my head hits the pillow at night, anticipation is what allows me to sleep well.

My mother always said that to enjoy life, one must have these three things: Something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to.  Check, check, check.  I most fervently hope you have those three things, too.


Thus, rather than making 2012 "resolutions" for The Chamber, I will share what we do, what we love, and what we are looking forward to. 

To do: Not to bore you or anything, but we really must live by our Mission.  We can't do magic here, but we can do our best to serve our members.  Let us not forget that we ARE a member based organization. Those dues paying businesses are the ones who understand that they need to have people doing what Lori and I do.  Are we looking out for the best interests of the Orrville area? You bet.  But that doesn't mean we can grant every wish.  Boy, if we had the power that some people think we have then indeed it would be something to behold!  Have you ever really noticed the four words in our logo?  There you have it!

To love: Visit our website, click on the membership tab, and read the list.  We love and appreciate the incredible number of businesses who support us, the vast array of products and services they offer, and the high quality of their work.  Secondly, well, if we didn't love Orrville and Wayne County there wouldn't be much point in being here.  You can bet that we boast about this place at every opportunity. Easy, yes? Then wrap it all up in applause for the solid, dedicated, innovative, forward thinking, sophisticated and nothing-short-of-brilliant people we have the privilege of working with day in and day out. That's why "progress meets tradition" here every day.

To look forward to:  As much as I enjoy talking about changes during my twelve years here, it's much better to have conversation about expectations.  Are there challenges?  Many.  But experience tells me that the aforementioned people will come together in typical Orrville style to develop unique solutions. And how can we ignore the reopening of two businesses that suffered fire damage last year, the exciting potential for rehabbed buildings on North Main Street, the completion of a variety of construction projects, and the inevitable expansion of several industries?  Talk about the tip of the iceberg in a frozen January world.  It looks to me like 2012 will see the Orrville area continue down what has been a very hot and promising path!

May the best of 2011 be the worst of 2012,
Jenni

A Fond Farewell to A Friend - Mine AND Yours, too.

Last month the Chamber Board accepted with regrets the resignation of Dr. Paulette Popovich.  Paulette will be leaving the Chamber Board after serving as Chair in 2011 because she is leaving her position as Interim Dean at The University of Akron Wayne College to embark on a new chapter in her life.

"Dear Colleagues and Friends:

As you may be aware, Wayne College will celebrate its 40^th anniversary next fall. It’s hard to imagine how many students’ lives we have touched, how many goals and dreams we helped bring to reality, how many people we have served in some way, over those 40 years.

I am very proud to say I’ve been a part of that good work for over a third of the College’s lifetime. I’m also very proud to have been a part of the life and growth of Orrville and the tri-county community. I am truly honored to have worked alongside so many of you in many remarkable initiatives and projects. This is a genuinely special place.

So it is with mixed feelings that I inform you of my resignation from the University of Akron, effective January 1, 2012, to pursue some new interests. I assure you that new leadership for the College will be in place well before my departure and the good work of Wayne College will continue for a long time.

Please know how grateful I am to all of you for your support and friendship, and for the contributions of time, talent, advice, and dollars you have so generously given to Wayne College over our forty years.

The future is bright!

With warmest regards and best wishes for continued success,

Sincerely,  Paulette"

We truly hate to see her go.  Paulette brought a high level of enthusiasm and unique interest in our community and the surrounding area to our Board table.  Thanks to her, we were introduced to the "Global Communications and Communities of Choice" essay by Marshall Goldsmith, which led to an entirely new approach to our efforts. She played a major role in developing our new Orrville brand. Thank you, Paulette.  You not only touched the lives of many people at the college, but you also opened our eyes by giving us a better view of who we are.



Here are a few other updates to the Chamber Board to share with you as well.


Completing two 3-year terms on the Board is Mark Auble, Funeral Director at Auble Funeral Home.  Mark has been our go-to guy not only for good insights into the community, the schools and the service business perspective, but also as an adviser for our building and grounds maintenance and improvements.  

Thank you, Mark - you will be missed! 

Mark Zook,
Vice President of Underwriting at Mennonite Mutual Insurance Company, 
will serve as our 2012 Board Chair 

and Stephanie Graber, 

Human Resources at JLG Industries, 

will be the 1st Vice Chair.

 

Nan Whitsel, Account Executive for The University of Akron Wayne College's Department of Workforce Development and Corporate Training will fulfill Dr. Popovich's Board term. 

Also new to the Board this year and fulfilling terms of previous directors are Mike Henkle, Plant Manager at The Scott's  Company

and Curt Sourwine, 
Vice President of Support Services 
at Dunlap Community Hospital.




Completing the roster of our prestigious group 
of Board Members are:

Maribeth Badertscher, 

Vice President of Corporate Communications,
The J.M. Smucker Company

Justin Haislip, 
Haislip State Farm Insurance Agency

Dave Handwerk, 

Mayor of Orrville

Mike Hedberg, 
Marketing Manager, 
Orrville Utilities;
Also Manager of 
The Office of Orrville Economic Development  

Diane Jarrett, 

Owner, PackShip USA

Don McFarlin, 
Operations Manager,

Moog / Flo-Tork

 
 Jon Ritchie, 

Superintendent,

Orrville City Schools

Tony Rohrer, 
Vice President,

The Hummel Group

Jack Rose, 

Director of Operations,

The Will-Burt Company

John Schmid, 

Vice President of Human Resources, 
Smith Dairy Products Company

As you can see, your Chamber of Commerce is guided by an impressive group of individuals.  As President, I am extremely fortunate to have so many outstanding people willing to serve in this volunteer capacity,  sharing their experience, expertise and wisdom for the growth and betterment of this organization and the Orrville area.

Lori and I both want to thank all of our members for your support and assistance throughout the year.  Best wishes for a meaningful Christmas!

Jenni 

Under Construction

We're all itching for some new home construction to be the real sign of economic recovery, but it looks like we'll have to wait a little while longer.  In the meantime, everyone has been keeping an eye on the exciting expansion projects at The J.M. Smucker Company and curiously watching the various downtown building renovations being undertaken by Orrville Redevelopment.  Mrs. J's restaurant looks fabulous, doesn't it?  

So even without residential development, it has not been dead around here at all.

I spent a little time driving around last Sunday, just to see what I could find "under construction" to share as the latest progress stories in Orrville.  In less than an eight mile radius I found plenty to feel good about.  Here are five examples of  "Thrive Here!" as we begin to wrap up 2011.

Brenn-Field Nursing Center has gotten quite a lot done on their big expansion project.  You can read about it HERE.

 
To the left is a picture of the new drive up portico, which will totally change the facade and overall look of the building.   

The photo below is their new Gathering Building.  There are other additions, too, and it's all looking good.  Congratulations to Brenn-Field for moving forward, growing and helping people continue to thrive in their later years.

Last week I had the privilege of attending a very nice groundbreaking ceremony at the Orrville YMCA.  Bulldozers are now humming about to get started with their exciting expansion project.

Looks like the Y is not only helping people be healthy and thrive, but they are thriving quite well themselves!

Another local not-for-profit organization that's growing and thriving is the Salvation Army.  It's been exciting to watch the progress on their building purchase, renovation and addition.   They broke ground in July, so it's impressive to see how much they have accomplished in just four months.  Community support has made it possible for the Y and the Salvation Army to improve their facilities to better serve our people.  That's  certainly something to be proud of.


Just behind the Salvation Army you can see what will soon be the city's dog park. It looks like it's going to be a wonderful site.  Not a dog owner myself, but I know that our son's family in Columbus takes their two dogs to a dog park quite often.   I don't have any numbers, but it appears that many people currently take dogs out to the old airport property on N. Crownhill to run and play.  That option won't be there anymore, once The University of Akron Wayne College puts in the new road.  

Anyhow, the best way to share what I know about the dog park (and to answer the most frequently asked questions) is to quote from Councilman Paul Vance's Facebook page:

Paul explained: 

--The money comes from a NatureWorks grant and can only be used for outdoor recreational activities. We also fixed up the basketball courts with this grant a couple of years ago.
--It's a competitive process. This money was going to be spent somewhere in the state on similar kinds of projects. They liked ours over others.
--It's a misdemeanor to not pick up after your dog.
--We already pay someone to mow the area.
--This is nothing compared to the money the EPA makes us spend on things that don't help anybody.
--Having a place to take your dog and meet up with other dog owners makes life a little more bearable.

Thank you, Councilman Vance.

Last but certainly not least is the mega dirt piles, assortment of construction vehicles, stacks of tubing and-everything-else-you-might-expect happening at Orrville High School.  We'll be watching this one for the next year and a half, and it's a thrill all the way.  Talk about thriving!  Orrville City Schools has been a shining star example of how to head straight down the progress road.

These project are all more than bricks and mortar.  They represent success, growth, vision, and perhaps most of all hard work on the part of the people of our community.  What better way to demonstrate what we mean by "Where Progress and Tradition Meet"?

Me and My SmartPhone

I admit it.  I'm still a newbie.  But I'm getting a little cocky already.    

Right now as I sit here writing this blog, I have my iPhone on my desk and have tapped the Pandora radio ap, now listening to light jazz with an amazingly good sound from this cute little 2" x 4" contraption. 

I've been pleased with the phone for the first 6 weeks of ownership, but my recent trip to Seattle got me hooked.  We were able to find our way to anywhere we wanted to go with just a little touch, type and click.  Voila!  Not only an instant map, but a nice green line to follow from "where we are now" to the destination, including a flashing blue dot to indicate exactly where we were at any given moment. 

All it took was typing in "self serve yogurt" and bingo, we were at BlissBerry Cafe in a heartbeat.  We found a nice local Italian restaurant thanks to my iPhone.  Actually, on day one we studied a lovely brochure of Bellevue (where we stayed  - more on that in a moment) but were soon ignoring it -  thanks to the magic of this nifty little bit of technology that had the answer to everything.

Not only that, but I could check my email, visit my friends on Facebook, and most importantly, continue playing my online Scrabble game with my sisters.  I got whipped, by the way.  That in itself isn't so rare, but seeing "Sorry Jenni, you lost by 108 points" on a 2" x 2" screen was a first. 

Things are going to the clouds,  folks.  You may not think you like it, but we better all be paying attention.   HERE'S a very interesting article that was in a recent Forbes magazine.  I suggest you take the time to read it to become more informed. And it isn't only about our future - it's about what' s happening now.  

Let me also say that this isn't simply about the younger generation.  Some of the most active smartphone users I know are people who are 50 and then some. This is about a person's mind set and a willingness to learn and enjoy new ways to communicate.  You really CAN teach an old dog new tricks.  Keep that in mind as you forecast your own business plan. 

Bellevue (a name which of course means beautiful view, and wow, so true) is the home of Microsoft and a few other giants such as T-Mobile and Exedia.  As I walked around the downtown early one morning, I could easily observe the very casual nature of people arriving at work.  Blue jeans and tee shirts were the standard attire.  I'm not sure I saw even one person wearing a necktie. But it felt good.  It was a very clean city, and the flowers everywhere were absolutely gorgeous.  

By the way, we didn't spend a lot of time in Seattle, but I certainly enjoyed what I saw.  Yes, the famous fish market!  And if you ever go, be sure to tour the Boeing plant.  Totally, utterly amazing!  

You might be wondering if in this culture I saw lots of people with their "nose in their phone" as some would say.  Sure did.  And I was one of them.  Did I miss the spectacular views? Nope.  Did I miss out on having a good time interacting with friends?  Nope.  Did I have a very nice getaway?  You bet. And taking my iPhone (hand held computer) along actually enhanced it all quite nicely, thank you very much.

Keeping up with the Joneses takes on a whole new meaning these days.  Let's see where we can go together.  The trip won't really be all that painful if we take along the right tools.

Looking ahead,

Jenni

If He Could Bottle This Up

Do you know the song "If I Could Bottle This Up"?  The lyrics to the chorus are: "If I could bottle this up I would make a million. If I could tell everybody in town, just what I've been feeling! It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face, A song in your heart after one little taste.  Folks would really eat it up, If I could bottle this up." 

Although I'm quite certain this song wasn't really written about Jack Runion, I have found myself humming this tune every time I talk to him.  The energy of that man! 

And it's not only Jack.  Linda, his wife and partner in business at Runions' Furniture and their Wooster store 'RoomScapes" both tend to behave like energizer bunnies. And during recent weeks in the aftermath of the June fire that destroyed parts of their building and shut them down for nearly two months, the level of energy has been nothing short of incredible.

By the way, for another great Jack story, read this week's Main Street Orrville BLOG about the Unsung Hero by Darrin Wasniewski. It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
 

My Runions' Fire Sale Keepsake

Were you able to shop at the August 18 - 21 Runions' Fire Sale? I was amazed that Jack, Linda, their daughter Jackie and the entire store staff were even still standing. To see the amount of furniture and accessories that had been saved by the Orrville Fire Fighters, the work that went into cleaning things up and preparing for the sale, and the amount of dedication and work that it took to pull that off was unfathomable. Jack told me later that almost every single piece was purchased!

On Monday, August 29th, the downtown store opened again.  I stopped by to see how things looked.  Guess what! I was greeted by a fresh and still smiling Jack. While there, I had the privilege of meeting with a gentleman from the restoration company.  Between the two of them I got a very good tour and update on the building.  

The store is open again !

It's quite amazing what all has to happen yet in order to have the remaining, most damaged portion of the building fixed and ready to go again.  Just like a home improvement project, only much worse, the new roof now means that the walls of the old section aren't sturdy enough, so there's a rebuild needed there, plus additional electrical work which includes a new utility pole on the alley. (Which, by the way, Orrville Utilities has been very helpful with). Oh, the list goes on.  Mind boggling, yet the positive energy continues to flow.

Here's where a cool Chamber Member twist comes in to the story. This restoration fellow and Jack just couldn't say enough about The Hummel Group, and Tony Rohrer in particular, for helping this project along.  He shared with me that although they have had other people have the same kind of insurance, not all agents are nearly as accommodating as Hummel has been, nor are they often as strong in advocating for their customers.  The praise was very high all the way around.  Very simply, it's not always this way. 

So kudos to The Hummel Group and to Tony for helping one of our cornerstone downtown businesses get through this very difficult time.

 

I shared this story with Tony who said, "Thank you very much for your kind words.  In our line of work, people usually only notice when things go wrong.  It should be noted, however, that Jack and Linda have been a pleasure to work with throughout this process.  A fire can be a very difficult time for a property owner, but Jack had a great attitude and he was moving forward 100 mph soon after the claim."

Ahhh.  If Jack could bottle that up, he would make a million. 

 

SO, What's new, Jenni?

I practically freeze in my tracks when I hear that question.  My mind begins to spin. What do they want to hear about?  Do they really expect an answer? Where do I begin? 

A short answer, "Nothing and everything!" sometimes works and it's not at all that far from the truth.

Or there can be very long answer, "Want to sit down for a couple of hours?"

At times my head quickly tries to make one list of what's supposed to be promoted and another list of what's confidential.  (The first one is always much longer than the second one.) 

Rarely is any of it earth shattering news.  I think that's what people really want to hear, so I know I disappoint them.   They want to be able to run home from the grocery store and say,  "Guess what I just heard!"   Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

The fact of the matter is that most often, I'm the last to know!  It's much more typical for the people in the trenches, or those at the morning coffee klatches, or folks who are always close to the grapevine to find out what's really going on. 

New? Well, look around. A friend from high school stopped by my office after not being in town for many years.  Now THAT'S how you find out what's new. 

Maybe a better question would be, "What's in the works?"  


If you are looking for a long list and maybe a few surprises, that's where you'll find them.  Potential factory expansions?  Maybe three or four.  Retail businesses who might be moving to a new location or under new ownership? Probably three.  Places being remodeled? Quite a few. Potential new businesses?  Potentially three or four.  Opening soon? One for sure. But you already knew that. 


And remember, those are only the ones I know about.  I hope you know more than I do. Just stop me sometime and fill me in. I'd love to hear about it.