Did you know that the Wilds is the largest wildlife conservation facility in the nation? Learn about this and other bright spots in our community by visiting our Zanesville & Muskingum County BRIGHT SPOTS website, and check back frequently to see new content.

OVERTIME RULES CHANGING
According to the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), the US Department of Labor announced June 30, 2015, a highly anticipated proposed rule that would extend overtime protections to nearly 5 million white-collar workers. Workers who earn as much as $970 a week-$50,440 a year-would have to be paid overtime even if they're classified as a manager or professional, according to an announcement on the DOL website. Read more about this at the SHRM website.

GET LISTED ONLINE

There a large number of business directories on the web, and it can be worth some time to make sure you are listed on as many as possible. The more places you are listed the more likely a prospective customer is to find you when they are searching for your product or service. Here's an article that suggests the top 20 best sites on which to be listed.

ART WALK THIS WEEK

The monthly First Friday Art Walk is being held this Friday in Downtown Zanesville. The event runs from 5 pm to 8 pm and you may visit any open downtown shop, restaurant, gallery or studio. For more information visit the Artist Colony Facebook page.

STARS & STRIPES ON THE RIVER

Once again the Zanesville Jaycees, in collaboration with many local businesses and their generous donations, will be hosting the "Stars and Stripes on the River" fireworks display at Zane's Landing on July 3rd and 4th. The Jaycees and sponsors are also providing an impressive lineup of entertainment for the weekend. The Jaycees will also be offering a 50/50 drawing and a Golf, Guns, and Goodies raffle for your chance to win prizes and cash. For more information visit www.zanesvillejaycees.org.

SPEAK YOUR MIND
Please help the Chamber and ultimately yourself by taking the annual Six Minute Survey for members. We need your help in setting priorities, meeting member needs, evaluating our performance, and finding ways to improve. Your opinions and ideas are essential to making sure that our services are aligned with and responsive to the challenges you face in your business. Please spare a few minutes of your valuable time to complete the survey.

POTTERY WEEK

The annual Pottery Week activities bring thousands of visitors to the area, and it provides a great way for residents to enjoy the heritage of the community. There are a multitude of different events taking place. To find a complete schedule of pottery related activities visit http://visitzanesville.info/pottery-lovers-week-2015-schedule/.

OIL & GAS UPDATE
The American Petroleum Institute-Ohio reports that: 

• The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ODNR has issued a total of 1,943 permits for drilling in the Utica shale in Ohio since December 2009, an increase of 7 since ODNR's update on June 20, 2015.
• A total of 1,520 Utica wells have been drilled since December 2009, an increase of 8 since ODNR's update on June 20, 2015.
• 909 wells are in production, an increase of 3 since ODNR's update on June 20, 2015.
• Carroll County is first in permits in Ohio with 488, an increase of 2 since ODNR's update on June 20, 2015.
• Harrison County is second with 360 permits and Belmont County is third with 239.
• MarkWest has invested over $2.5 billion to date in Ohio
• FirstEnergy Corp. has confirmed that a site it owns in Belmont County will house an ethane cracker plant Thailand's PTT Global Chemical Public Co. and Japan's Marubeni Corp. decide to go through with the facility.
• Rover Pipeline is expected to generate more than $135 million in ad valorem tax revenue for Ohio during its first year in operation of which an estimated $91 million will be directed to more than 36 local school districts. The Ohio section of the Rover Pipeline will traverse 570 miles through 18 counties.

SAVE ON WORKERS' COMP

Here are the top 5 reasons every business should join the local Safety Council:

1. SAVE MONEY - You can earn up to 4% off your workers' compensation premiums. Participating local employers are saving thousands of dollars in premiums per year through this program.

2. TRAINING - Informative monthly training presentations are provided on workplace safety, employee health, and workers compensation.

3. STAY INFORMED - Stay up to date on changes and better management practices in Ohio's workers' compensation system.

4. HEALTHCARE COSTS - Our new emphasis on workplace wellness training, in addition to safety, can help control healthcare costs and improve productivity and safety.

5. NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY - Over 80 people attend the council meetings each month to hear the training presentation, enjoy breakfast, and interact with fellow business people.
  

Now is the time to enroll in this program...

*           The annual enrollment period begins now and ends July 31!

*           Visit www.zmsafety.com to enroll and to review the eligibility requirements.

MARKETING SOLUTIONS

Visit the online Marketing Solutions Center for ideas on how you can use chamber services to promote your products, highlight your accomplishments, publicize your events, and more. This web based guide lets you wat you are trying accomplish and then suggests one or more of our services that can help you get the job done.

HR WEBINARS
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is offering two free HR Academy Webinars in July:

Against the Odds: Ensuring Your employee Handbook is Keeping Stride

July 15 - 10am to 11:30 am. Presented by Mike Underwood, Esq. and Jamie LaPlante, Esq. of Porter Wright. Approved for CLE and HRCI credits.

AGENDA: Your employee handbook should be a valuable tool for communication, improved employee relations and legal risk reduction. This webinar will take you through the paces for a solid handbook audit.

Manage Training for Best Practices for Workplace Investigations

July 29 - 10am to 11:30 am. Presented by Mat Parker, Esq. and Jim Patrick, Esq. Fisher & Philips LLP. Approved for CLE and HRCI credits. AGENDA: This webinar will instruct you on the proper steps for conducting internal investigations, how to effectively manage employee bullying and complaints and how to keep legislation at bay.

PROSPECTIVE BILLING BEGINS

By now employers have most likely received The Notice of Estimated Premium from Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation outlining their bi-monthly premium payments for the 2015 policy year. If employers would like to change the payment plan to another option (annual, semi-annual, quarterly or monthly), they can do so directly from the BWC website: www.bwc.oh.gov/employer/services. Employers have until July 15th to make any changes.

If employers believe the premium seems either too high or too low, they can determine what payroll amount the BWC used to calculate estimated premium by clicking on "Show Detail" from the installment schedule screen. The BWC used the payroll amount reported in the 2013 policy year (7/1/2013-6/30/2014), but if employers expect their payroll to be vastly different than that amount, they should contact BWC directly to have them change the amount so they can avoid a large adjustment at the end of the policy year. The first installment is due by August 31, 2015.

Note: The payroll report for the period 1/1/15 - 6/30/15 is also due by 8/31/15, although BWC is making that premium payment for employers. If employers do not report the payroll timely, the BWC will not make that final 2014 payment.

For more information about the Prospective Billing changes occurring this summer visit https://www.bwc.ohio.gov/employer/brochureware/ProspectiveBilling.asp