Thank you to those of you who that participated in the survey in April and May, 2007. We have received the results of the survey and studied them to learn more about your needs and expectations. Over 120 of you responded to this national survey. I will address the programs and services we currently offer and where we can apply the survey results for new programs and services under each of these categories in a future email. According to the survey:

You said the top issues facing the Chamber are:

• Retaining and growing our existing businesses through training and resources
• Improving infrastructure
• Attracting business
• Networking
• Working toward business-friendly communities
• Business Advocacy
• Economic Growth
• Promoting our community

What is the Chamber currently doing?

• The Chamber works closely with our local Economic Development Organizations, the Small Business Development Center, the Medina County Career Center to provide business training and resources.
• Our monthly meetings are designed to address issues within the business environment. Some are educational, some informative and all to give our attendees time to exchange business cards and network.
• The Chamber works closely with City Hall to address infrastructure and business-friendly procedures. We meet regularly to discuss current issues and concerns and monitor City Council and Administration to be prepared to anticipate issues before they arise. We attend Historic Preservation Board, Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals meetings to speak up on behalf of business.
• We meet monthly as a Business Advocacy group to take positions or action on issues before our local and state legislative bodies. The Chamber President, along with the CEO's of the other Chambers in the county, meets monthly with our State Legislators to learn about and respond to business relevant issues.
• Our monthly Business after Business is free events and open to all Chamber members to network and learn about our local businesses.
• We are actively working with the Uptown Medina Initiative to create a Main Street program for our Uptown area. We continue to work with County and City Economic Development to find ways to promote the greater Medina area.

You said the most valuable programs provided by the Chamber are:

• Networking opportunities - Business after Business and Member Lunches
• Local information about businesses
• Business Advocacy
• Benefit programs such as Health Care, Vision Care and Worker's Compensation Group Rating

Watch our calendar and your email for announcements of programs, services and information about our benefits, business and legislative alerts.

You said the three programs the Chamber should add or improve are:

• Business Education, Seminars and Workshops
• More information on local activities including government, education and community
• Update the website with more business information

What is the Chamber doing?

• The Business Growth Conference (September 12, 2007), Businesswomen's Summit (October 11, 2007), and Business to Business Expo (November 8, 2007) will provide educational and informational workshops and networking opportunities. We are working on your second seminar, “How does your business fit in the global economy” to introduce our members to opportunities in marketing and selling beyond the local area.
• We just offered a free “job postings” and “hot deals” listing on our website for our members. This page will be updated as frequently as possible to share business news.

So what does all of this mean? The Board of Directors and Chamber staff continue to review existing programs and services and look for opportunities to expand and add value and features to your membership.

Debra Lynn-Schmitz, President
exec@medinaohchamber.com