State Leaders Meeting TOMORROW - The Governor's Office, MCBI and the Chamber are presenting a special program where you can come hear the executive officers of four key state agencies as they discuss issues of importance to businesses.  Please make a reservation TODAY to hear presentations by:

• Tax Commissioner Joseph Testa, Ohio Department of Taxation
• Director David Goodman, Ohio Development Services Agency
• Administrator Stephen Buehrer Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation
• Mark Hamlin, Director of Regulatory Policy

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 25 from 1 pm to 2p at MCBI-Muskingum County Business Incubator, 2725 Pinkerton Lane.  Visit www.mcbi.info for directions. 

If you plan to attend please RSVP TODAY to Kathleen.Young@governor.ohio.gov

Retail Trends - Boulevard Strategies, a central Ohio based retail consulting firm, is offering a free report entitled "2014 Retail Trends Report".  Some of the observations are specific to the Columbus are while others address broader themes.  Here's a link to a site where you can download the report:  www.blvd-strategies.com . 

Manufacturing Trends - Infosys recently published a report on the top manufacturing trends it sees coming in 2014.  The web based report includes a video, a blog post and infographics.  Here is the relevant section of the Infosys website.

Welcome New Members! - Please join us in welcoming these new members to the Chamber.  You can find their contact information in our online directory at zmchamber.com.  Thanks and welcome!   

Safety Council - The monthly Safety Council meeting will feature a presentation by Rod Stickrath from Northside Pharmacy.  Rod will talk about the effects of pain relievers and sedatives.  The meeting is Wednesday, February 26 from 8 to 9 am at the Zanesville Country Club.  Anyone is welcome to attend, and there is a $10 per person fee which includes a breakfast buffet. 

Spring Break - Our annual "Spring Break" event is scheduled for Friday, March 21, from 7 am to 9 am, and it will be sponsored by Century National Bank, AT&T and the Zanesville-Muskingum Co. Safety Council.  This is the Chamber's annual membership meeting where we celebrate business successes though the ACES awards program (see below) and the Safety Council awards.  We will also be motivated and entertained this year by peak performance consultant Bruce Boguski.  "Spring Break" is FAR from a serious and formal affair, so break out your spring attire and your summer attitude and be sure to attend.  Reservations can be made online or by emailing jmasterson@zmchamber.com .

Customer Service Training - Our January 31 seminar on customer service has been rescheduled to March 7.  The presenter is Lisa Kristensen, who manages all guest relations for the Columbus Zoo. Details including the option to register online can be found here.

Immigrant Investor Program - The Zanesville-Muskingum Port Authority is hosting an informational meeting about financing through the federal Immigrant Investor Program on March 13 from 8:00-9:00 AM at the Muskingum Co. Welcome Center. The Immigrant Investor Program, alkso known as EB-5, was created by Congress in the 1990s to spur economic development in rural and distressed communities.  The Port Authority has partnered with MidAmerican Global Ventures to bring EB-5 financing to our area.  Please join us on March 13 to learn how EB-5 financing can help local developers, investors, banks, and company owners.  There is no charge to attend - please RSVP to Stacy Hazen at 455-0742 or stacy.hazen@zmcport.com.

Celebrating Your Growth- The ACES awards program annually recognizes area businesses that have invested or expanded.  We want to know if you made some kind of improvement so we can thank you for investing in Muskingum County.  Nominate your own business or maybe one of your customers or suppliers.   

Grant Funding - OhioMeansJobs-Muskingum County has funding available to help offset the pay of new hires during on-the-job training.  Up to 50% of the cost can be reimbursed to your business through this federal grant.  For more information about the On-The-Job-Training (OJT) program contact Justy Cordray at OhioMeansJobs at CORDRJ01@odjfs.state.oh.us or 454-6211.

Submit Your Events - If you have an event coming up you should enter it in our online events and meetings calendar at zmchamber.com as a way to promote it.  It's free to members and it's simple to use.  There is a "submit new event" link on the right side of the calendar page.  Click it and fill in your details.  You can also find the calendar link at any time on the homepage of zmchamber.com.    

 THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS