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We are getting noticed around the region and the globe. Read how the Columbus Chamber, our members and the Columbus business community are making headlines.
To arrange an interview with a member of the Columbus Chamber team, contact:
Michelle Bretscher, APR
Vice President, Marketing and Communication
W: (614) 225.6908
C: 614.499.0889
michelle_bretscher@columbus.org
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News
December 31, 2011
Central Ohio Effort Leads to More Than 1,000 Jobs
The Columbus mayor's office says an initiative to increase employment in central Ohio has resulted in nearly 1,200 hirings since September.
Mayor Michael Coleman and the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corp. announced Wednesday that the results of the Hire1000 Initiative exceeded its goal of helping Ohioans find 1,000 jobs. The city, the corporation and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce recruited local businesses to participate in five job expos, where more than 3,000 people looked for jobs. The expos, running from September to November, featured 79 employers. Corporation spokeswoman Brittany Westbrook tells The Columbus Dispatch that 64 employers made hires, with hourly pay ranging from $9.50 to $23. She says most jobs were permanent and some were seasonal. Among employers, Safelite Auto Glass hired 100 people for call centers in Columbus. Source: Businessweek.com -
News
December 30, 2011
Member Acloche Expands with New Branch
Acloché expands with a new branch location in the Columbus area opening on Jan. 3. The new branch will be located at 246-E Lincoln Circle, Strawberry Plaza in Gahanna. Read More.
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News
December 20, 2011
Safelite Foundation Awards Four $25,000 Grants
Safelite AutoGlass Foundation awarded $25,000 Impact Grants to four separate Columbus area non-profit groups: American Red Cross of Greater Columbus, Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus, Habitat for Humanity, and Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Read More.
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December 19, 2011
Columbus jumps on list of best performing economies
The California-based Milken Institute ranked Columbus No. 55 on a list of 200 cities in the U.S. for best performing economies, a major jump from its No. 108 ranking in 2010. The study measured where jobs are created and maintained, where compensation is increasing and what sectors of the economy are growing. Columbus improved in all but one of the measured categories. The city's strongest showing was in the one-year and five-year technology sector output. Columbus was the highest-rated city in Ohio. Read more
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December 16, 2011
2012 International EcoSummit to be hosted in Columbus
The 4th International EcoSummit will be held in Columbus Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, 2011. The 2012 EcoSummit- Ecological Sustainability: Restoring the Planet’s Ecosystem Services will bring together the world's most respected minds in ecological science to discuss restoring the planet's ecosystems. The symposia and workshops offered at the EcoSummit will cover a wide variety of ecological and environment topics. Read more
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News
December 14, 2011
Member Ohio Hospital for Psychiatry Names New Medical Director
Ohio Hospital for Psychiatry has named Richard Nockowitz, MD, as Medical Director. Read More.
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News
December 09, 2011
Easton Town Center named one of the world's most innovative malls
According to trade publication, Inside Retail, Easton Town Center is one of the five most innovative malls in the world. According to the publication Easton "does an immaculate job of combining alfresco dining, shopping, open-air community space and architectural design features to achieve an authentic sense of place and an outstanding shopping experience.” Read more
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News
December 05, 2011
Forbes Ranks e-cycle #68 for American's Most Promising Companies
Founded in 2005, the company recycles mobile phones and tablets for use in developing countries. (It erases all personal data before reselling them.) CEO Irion estimates that, of the 140 million mobile phones discarded in the U.S., only about 10% are recycled—-though nearly half of these devices still have a resale value. The company is entirely self-financed by the founders.
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News
November 21, 2011
Forbes Ranks Columbus #3 City for Tech Jobs
Forbes recently released its “The Best Cities for Technology Jobs” list, which ranks Columbus as #3.
The ranking is based on data collected by EMSI, an economic modeling firm and research, and from The Praxis Strategy Group‘s Mark Schill. To determine which cities made the list, he took a look at the cities that saw an increase in manufacturing software and services jobs in the last ten years. Forbes also considered the “measures of concentration of tech employment.”
Columbus’ Job Growth in Technology:
• 2001-2011: 0.5%
• 2006-2011: 16.7%
• 2009-2011: 5.5%
• Concentration of tech jobs 2011: 1.26 Columbus was also mentioned in the article for having a major research university, contributing to its “high-tech success.” -
News
November 21, 2011
In the National News: Using Battelle Technology and don't know it?
LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
We take a lot of products and technology for granted, like bar codes, compact discs, even cruise control on cars. These products and hundreds of others would not exist if not for a non-profit whose name few people are familiar with. It's called Battelle Memorial Institute. It's one of the world's largest independent research and development groups. It's based in Central Ohio. Niala Boodhoo of the Midwest reporting project Changing Gears takes us to Columbus to a place where hundreds of companies go for R&D.
NIALA BOODHOO, BYLINE: Let's go back to the early 1960s. Xerox copies was so new that company took out ads to explain the invention. (SOUNDBITE OF COMMERCIAL FOR XEROX COPIER) ANNOUNCER: When we say the Xerox 914 makes copies on ordinary paper, we mean ordinary paper. BOODHOO: It took two decades for patent attorney Chester Carlson to bring his prototype copy machine to the workplace. And it wouldn't have happened without scientists from Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus. WILLIAM MADIA: There are so many technologies that came from Battelle. BOODHOO: That's William Madia. He's in charge of the SLAC National Accelerator Lab at Stanford University. He has a parlor game he likes to play at dinner parties. MADIA: Somebody at this table has a Battelle technology with them today. If you have a dollar bill, the security threads in a dollar bill are Battelle technology. If you've got a bottle of aspirin in your purse, and it's got a tamper-proof seal on it like they all do today, it's a Battelle technology. BOODHOO: Before he went to SLAC, Madia used to work at Battelle. Now he works for one of its competitors, another national lab. The Department of Energy funds national labs all over the country, like Lawrence Livermore or Argonne National Laboratories. Battelle is involved in managing six DOE national labs - more than anyone else. And it also works with private companies, which are slashing their own research and development budgets. Battelle scientists and engineers are working on everything from developing new gear for Navy SEALs to improving library science information systems to creating biofuels - in this case, turning sawdust into a fuel source. (SOUNDBITE OF MACHINERY) BOODHOO: The machine making this sound is a prototype. Assistants have loaded it up with sawdust and turned it on. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The biomass goes in the hopper... BOODHOO: Zia Abdullah leads Battelle's bioenergy program. ZIA ABDULLAH: What we are interested in is the potential of this technology to use waste biomass. So, for example, when a tree is removed, and its wood is used, let's say for industrial purposes, a significant part of that tree is not useful, let's say, for furniture or for building or construction. But it's perfectly fine for making fuel. BOODHOO: Finding ideas that work commercially is an expensive proposition many companies don't invest much in anymore. But Battelle's research and development budget last year was six and a half billion dollars. Boeing used to have a research budget that big, but last year, it was cut 30 percent. Emphasizing research and development was exactly what steel tycoon Gordon Battelle had in mind for this organization. When he died young at age 40, after a routine appendectomy, Battelle left $1.5 million in his will to start a non-profit dedicated to scientific research. The trust began in 1929 and today, Battelle has 20,000 employees across the world. Emery Oleochemicals makes glycerin in Cincinnati, Ohio. Company regional manager Mark Durchholtz says he'd never heard of Battelle until three years ago, when it asked Emery if it was interested in partnering to develop some new soy technology. MARK DURCHOHHOLTZ: It's nice to know there's a place like Battelle that you can go to that can help you develop those ideas without having to add, you know, more people to your payroll. BOODHOO: Battelle's Spencer Pugh says what Battelle does best is bridge the gap between ideas and reality - and it's willing to work with just about anyone. SPENCER PUGH: When we talk to people, they go, well, would you work with a company like mine? We just laugh at that, because of course we would. BOODHOO: Battelle's partnership with Emery has already led to an entirely new line of products. What's in it for Battelle? Royalties from the new sales, which the non-profit research and development group will put back into funding more research. For NPR news, I'm Niala Boodhoo. -
News
November 16, 2011
America's Largest Private Companies
1 Cargill
MN Food, Drink & Tobacco 109.56 e 126,800 2 Koch Industries
KS Multicompany 100.00 e 67,000 3 Mars
VA Food, Drink & Tobacco 30.00 2 65,000 4 PricewaterhouseCoopers
NY Business Services & Supplies 29.20 168,000 5 Bechtel
CA Construction 27.90 52,700 6 Publix Super Markets
FL Food Markets 25.13 148,000 7 Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores
OK Convenience Stores & Gas Stations 24.40 8,000 8 Ernst & Young
NY Business Services & Supplies 22.88 152,000 9 C&S Wholesale Grocers
NH Food, Drink & Tobacco 20.40 2 16,681 10 US Foods
IL Food, Drink & Tobacco 18.86 25,000 11 Pilot Flying J
TN Convenience Stores & Gas Stations 17.77 19,000 12 HE Butt Grocery
TX Food Markets 15.60 e 76,000 13 Meijer
MI Food Markets 14.63 e 74,000 14 Cox Enterprises
GA Media 14.60 60,000 15 Enterprise Rent-A-Car
MO Services 14.10 70,000 16 Reyes Holdings
IL Food, Drink & Tobacco 14.00 11,000 17 Toys 'R' Us
NJ Retailing 13.86 71,000 18 Aramark
PA Business Services & Supplies 13.00 e 254,000 19 Gavilon Group
NE Business Services & Supplies 12.60 1 1,900 20 Fidelity Investments
MA Diversified Financials 12.26 37,600 21 TransMontaigne
CO Oil & Gas Operations 12.00 e 820 22 Performance Food Group
VA Food, Drink & Tobacco 10.60 10,000 23 Platinum Equity
CA Multicompany 10.40 e 54,000 24 First Data
GA Business Services & Supplies 10.38 24,500 25 Tenaska Energy
NE Multicompany 9.95 722 26 Kiewit Corporation
NE Construction 9.94 24,700 27 JM Family Enterprises
FL Consumer Durables 9.30 3,800 28 Amway
MI Household & Personal Products 9.20 14,000 29 SC Johnson & Son
WI Household & Personal Products 9.00 e 12,000 30 Southern Wine & Spirits
FL Food, Drink & Tobacco 9.00 11,600 31 Caesars Entertainment
NV Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure 8.82 69,000 32 CDW
IL Technology Hardware & Equip 8.80 6,200 33 QuikTrip
OK Convenience Stores & Gas Stations 8.77 11,973 34 Transammonia
NY Trading Companies 8.42 403 35 Energy Future Holdings
TX Utilities 8.24 9,200 36 Giant Eagle
PA Food Markets 8.20 e 35,000 37 Cumberland Farms
MA Convenience Stores & Gas Stations 8.02 e 6,500 38 Hilton Worldwide
VA Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure 8.00 e 130,000 39 Renco Group
NY Materials 7.75 e 20,000 40 Gordon Food Service
MI Food, Drink & Tobacco 7.70 2 12,000 41 Capital Group Cos
CA Diversified Financials 7.50 e 7,000 42 Momentive Performance Materials Holdings
OH Chemicals 7.41 1 11,000 43 Menard
WI Retailing 7.17 e 40,000 44 Bloomberg
NY Business Services & Supplies 7.00 e 13,000 45 McKinsey & Company
NY Business Services & Supplies 7.00 e 17,000 46 Sinclair Oil
UT Oil & Gas Operations 7.00 e 7,000 47 Wawa
PA Convenience Stores & Gas Stations 6.99 18,000 48 Hy-Vee
IA Food Markets 6.90 e 56,000 49 Advance Publications
NY Media 6.55 e 27,500 50 Mansfield Oil
GA Oil & Gas Operations 6.50 500 51 Kingston Technology Company
CA Technology Hardware & Equip 6.48 4,700 52 Allegis Group
MD Business Services & Supplies 6.40 10,000 53 MBM
NC Food, Drink & Tobacco 6.30 e 3,400 54 RaceTrac Petroleum
GA Convenience Stores & Gas Stations 5.75 5,100 55 Wegmans Food Markets
NY Food Markets 5.60 41,771 56 CH2M Hill Cos
CO Construction 5.42 23,000 57 Avaya
NJ Telecommunications Services 5.30 e 19,000 58 Sheetz
PA Convenience Stores & Gas Stations 5.23 2 13,600 59 Colonial Group
GA Oil & Gas Operations 5.20 2 900 60 Gulf States Toyota
TX Consumer Durables 5.10 e 2,000 61 SunGard Data Systems
PA Software & Services 4.99 20,100 62 Guardian Industries
MI Construction 4.90 e 17,000 63 Scoular
NE Food, Drink & Tobacco 4.90 660 64 JR Simplot
ID Food, Drink & Tobacco 4.90 10,000 65 Save Mart Supermarkets
CA Food Markets 4.80 e 20,000 66 WinCo Foods
ID Food Markets 4.73 13,300 67 Clark Enterprises
MD Construction 4.70 4,000 68 Kohler
WI Construction 4.68 e 30,000 69 Graybar Electric
MO Capital Goods 4.62 7,000 70 Brightstar
FL Telecommunications Services 4.61 3,400 71 Golden State Foods
CA Food, Drink & Tobacco 4.60 4,000 72 Perdue
MD Food, Drink & Tobacco 4.60 e 20,500 73 JD Heiskell & Co
CA Food, Drink & Tobacco 4.58 2 258 74 Republic National Distributing Company
TX Food, Drink & Tobacco 4.58 e 6,000 75 Eby-Brown
IL Food, Drink & Tobacco 4.50 2,000 76 HCR ManorCare
OH Health Care Equipment & Svcs 4.50 e 61,000 77 Berry Plastics
IN Materials 4.44 e 16,000 78 Levi Strauss & Co
CA Retailing 4.41 16,200 79 Southwire
GA Capital Goods 4.30 4,100 80 Gilbane
RI Construction 4.30 2,200 81 Apex Oil
MO Oil & Gas Operations 4.26 e 700 82 Unisource Worldwide
GA Materials 4.20 2 4,500 83 Edward Jones
MO Diversified Financials 4.16 37,000 84 Carlson
MN Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure 4.13 e 52,500 85 Aleris International
OH Materials 4.12 7,000 86 ABC Supply
WI Construction 4.07 1 7,120 87 Michaels Stores
TX Retailing 4.03 40,500 88 Medline Industries
IL Health Care Equipment & Svcs 4.01 8,000 89 Neiman Marcus Group
TX Retailing 4.00 14,900 90 Hunt Consolidated/Hunt Oil
TX Oil & Gas Operations 4.00 e 4,700 91 Oxbow
FL Utilities 4.00 e 1,100 92 McJunkin Red Man
TX Capital Goods 3.85 3,885 93 Bass Pro Shops
MO Retailing 3.83 e 18,000 94 Charmer Sunbelt Group
NY Food, Drink & Tobacco 3.83 e 7,000 95 Hallmark Cards
MO Media 3.81 e 13,030 96 Consolidated Elec Distributors
CA Capital Goods 3.80 e 6,200 97 Hearst
NY Media 3.80 e 20,000 98 Red Apple Group
NY Oil & Gas Operations 3.80 e 7,600 99 Roundy's Supermarkets
WI Food Markets 3.80 e 18,000 100 International Automotive Components
MI Consumer Durables 3.70 22,000 -
News
November 07, 2011
Columbus named best up and coming LGBT travel destination in world
"It’s a major and thriving college town, a center to big-time business like Abercrombie & Fitch, it’s got a rollicking bar scene, and a burgeoningly hipsteriffic arts and cultural community. Seriously, it’s delivering a lot of innovative and welcoming perks that make for a killer weekend. Hello, Columbus!"
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News
November 01, 2011
Ohio remains among best for business climate, according to Site Selection magazine
Ohio still has one of the 10 best business climates in the country, although it slid in a closely watched annual ranking by Site Selection magazine.
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News
October 27, 2011
Young professionals digging Columbus, survey finds
"The young professionals who will be calling the shots in Central Ohio someday seem to think the region is on the rise when it comes to what they’re looking for in a place to live and play.
That seems to be the theme running through a new survey of 20- and 30-somethings that theColumbus Chamber of Commerce unveiled Wednesday evening at its State of the Young Professionals event."
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News
October 23, 2011
Columbus Region Recognized as Smart21 Intelligent Community of 2012 by the Intelligent Community Forum
The Intelligent Community Forum has announced its Smart21 Communities of 2012, and the Columbus Region is on the list.
Recipients are a snapshot of communities from around the world serving as platforms for innovation. Now in consideration for Top Seven Intelligent Community Awards.The 2012 honorees include four communities from Europe, 10 from North America, three from Latin America, and four from Asia. -
News
October 06, 2011
Columbus benefiting as companies upgrade their facilities, expand capacity and ease connectivity
CSX is in the midst of a $59 million upgrade and expansion of its Buckeye Yard intermodal facility on the Far West Side, which connects to the company’s new $175 million National Gateway terminal in North Baltimore, located north of Findlay in northwestern Ohio.
"Logistics is a major opportunity for Columbus. Its importance isn’t always recognized,” said Michael Dalby, president of the Columbus Chamber. -
News
September 27, 2011
JPMorgan Chase seeks 450 workers for jobs in Gahanna
The region’s biggest private employer isn’t done hiring yet for its new campus in Gahanna.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. has added 670 permanent and temporary workers and still needs to fill about 450 jobs at two office buildings in the Columbus suburb.
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September 27, 2011
Columbus Featured in National Architect Magazine
Columbus was featured in Architect, the AIA magazine.
Chamber members Grange Insurance Audubon Center, DesignGroup, and The Ohio State University are mentioned in the article.
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News
September 26, 2011
Job fairs seek to fill 1,000 positions
Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, the Columbus Chamber, and the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corp. announced the creation of “Hire 1000." The new jobs initiative has a bold goal: to find jobs for at least 1,000 unemployed people in central Ohio by the end of the year.
The program has identified companies with permanent, seasonal and part-time positions to fill. Starting Wednesday, the initiative will present free job expos where job-seekers can apply for those jobs. -
News
September 23, 2011
Graduate Speaker Describes Moving from Joblessness to Hope
This video features LogisticsART graduate Sherry Gassaway delivering a graduation speech about moving from jobleessness to hope.
LogisticsART is an innovative program at the Columbus State Community College Center for Workforce Development designed to train the workers Central Ohio logistics companies need now. The program is designed to attract, train and retain qualified individuals in the field of Logistics. Fully funded by a $4.6 million dollar Department of Labor grant, the program provides training tailored to meet the workforce needs of businesses at entry to mid-level positions within Warehouse, Distribution, and related Logistics positions. Watch the video. -
News
September 12, 2011
Workers still needed to fill area logistics positions
The logistics industry is continuing to grow in the Columbus Region. Currently, 14 percent of the non-public jobs in the Region are in logistics. The Columbus Chamber held the Logistics Job Fair for more than 400 job seekers on Tuesday, Sept. 13. More than 50 companies attended.
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August 18, 2011
Forbes ranks Columbus on top ten list of cities for renters
Forbes.com recently ranked Columbus No. 4 on the top ten list of best cities for renters. Using data from real estate firm Marcus and Millichap, Forbes analyzed average monthly rental prices, annual change in price, cost of rent vs. a monthly mortgage payment and vacancy rate. Columbus outranked cities such as Houston, San Antonio and Charlotte, NC.
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August 18, 2011
Delaware County makes list of best places for jobs
CNNMoney.com placed Delaware County at No. 6 on its list of “where the jobs are.” The list featured 25 counties across the United States that have had the most job growth in the past 10 years.
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News
August 10, 2011
OhioHealth, Nationwide and Safelite recognized on CIO100
Chamber member, OhioHealth, Nationwide and Safelite Auto Glass are 2011 CIO100 winners. The 2011 CIO 100 Awards honor 100 companies that exemplify the strategic partnership of IT and business.
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August 04, 2011
Columbus in plum location, study says
Columbus is a great place to locate a business because of its proximity to much of the nation’s population.
Local leaders have said so for years, and now, a new study by a local company backs that up with numbers.
In fact, four cities in Ohio, led by top-ranked Columbus, are in the top five nationally on the list produced by Upper Arlington-based Three Scale Research. -
News
July 29, 2011
Columbus, OH ranked #1 as the Most Favorable Business Location with Accessibility to the American Market
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News
July 25, 2011
Panama Canal Expansion could mean major boost for Central Ohio
A construction project 2,100 miles south of Columbus could shape the future of the area’s place as a logistics hub for the eastern United States.
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News
July 20, 2011
Resource Interactive founder featured on The Metroprenuer
Nancy Kramer, the founder, chairman and chief culture officer of Resource Interactive, a digital marketing agency headquartered in Columbus, answers some of her most frequently asked questions. Kramer discusses why she choose Columbus as a place to start her company - now close to being in business for 30 years, how she landed Apple as her first client and what she’s learned about business since opening shop.
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July 20, 2011
Columbus ranks 8 in cultural impact study
Columbus ranks as number eight on the Vitality Index compiled by Creative Cities International, LLC. The Vitality Index is a cultural impact study that models the human experience in a city. This study takes into account factors such as vibrant downtown areas, economic sustainability, good transport and educational opportunity.
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July 15, 2011
Seven Reasons EVERY Business and Non-profit Organization Should Be A Member of Their Local Chamber
Discover seven reasons why every business and non-profit organization should be a member of their local chamber regardless of the size of their organization, marketing budget, years in business, etc.