Join KNOW for the next luncheon to hear Dr. Steven Ash, University of Akron, present "Leading Change."  Dr. Ash will use research from the fields of leadership, change management, and cognitive psychology to illustrate the traps that leaders might fall into if they are not careful. Since modern organizations must be adaptable, Change management can only be effective if leadership is able to identify new ways of framing problems.

KNOW is a personal and professional development program for business women in the Greater Akron Region. Our mission is to cultivate the talent within each other by reaching out to today's women executives and tomorrow's leaders.
 
Where & When
Portage Country Club
240 N. Portage Path
Akron, OH  44303
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
11:00 a.m.

For more information or to register, click here.

 

 

Do you know that overtime rules will likely be changing?

If you have exempt employees being paid less than $970 a week ($50,440 annually), new overtime exemption rules being finalized will affect you.

The new rules are likely to go into effect in September 2016, and will mean that all salaried employees - regardless of their professional, managerial or administrative responsibilities - must be paid at least $50,440 annually or equivalent to $24.25 per hour or they will be entitled to overtime.  

If that prospect seems daunting to your budget for salaried personnel, learn more about the new rules and how to minimize their impact on your workplace with Attorney Karen C. Lefton of The Lefton Group, LLC.

Where & When
Greater Akron Chamber
1 Cascade Plaza, 17th Floor
Akron, OH  44308
Thursday, June 2, 2016
11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Cost: $15 (includes lunch)

Click here to register.  Seating is limited.

 

 
Sponsored by SummaCare

The Morning Buzz, sponsored by SummaCare, is a monthly speaker breakfast series which aims to connect small and medium size businesses by facilitating the exchange of ideas and strategies for business growth and success.  

Join us to hear Deborah Easton present on "Generations in the Workplace." 

Have you ever wondered why a person of another generation did something you would never think of doing?  Have you received customer service from another generation and didn't feel it was actually service?  Does your definition of work ethic seem to clash with others' definitions?
If you have experienced a clash of generations, you won't want to miss this humorous and enlightening explanation of the "biases of experience" that create these misunderstandings.  Deborah Easton's portrayals of each generation's point of view provide insights and subtleties that other generational training programs do not offer.

Deborah Easton, an internationally-known trainer and coach for over thirty years and owner of Easton Consulting, has presented the training program "Generations in the Workplace" to hundreds of audiences of varying industries including health care, manufacturing, banking, insurance, social services, technology and numerous professional organizations.  The program's emphasis is the universal need of all generations for respect, although each generation defines respect in its own way.  Numerous aspects of this topic -- coaching generations, generational definitions of "good customer service," accountability among generations and preparing for Gen Z, etc. -- can be incorporated into the training depending on the client's needs.

Where & When
Hilton Garden Inn, Akron
1307 E. Market St.
Akron, OH  44305
Friday, June 10, 2016
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
7:30 a.m. - Business Connections/Registration/Breakfast
8:00 - 9:00 a.m. - Welcome/Presentation

Click here for more information and to register.

 

 

 
Experience Greater Akron is the Greater Akron Chamber's ultimate guide to living, working and playing in Summit, Portage and Medina counties.  It showcases the best of the region -- the vitality of its people and the unparalleled quality of live: business climate, education, medical community, arts and parks and neighborhoods.  Our print and online magazine makes a newcomer's move as informed and stress-free as possible with authoritative sources, useful articles and must-have contact information.  Click here for advertising rates.

 

Greater Akron Chamber Offers Two Healthcare Plans for Chamber Members
 
The Chamber recently added Medical Mutual to our benefit savings portfolio in addition to SummaCare.  Medical Mutual healthcare plans are built around Medical Mutual's network of doctors and hospitals, the largest provider network in Ohio. That network includes Akron General Medical Center and Summa Health System.

Designed as a private exchange model built around a fully integrated technology platform, this consumer-driven choice tool encourages responsible healthcare spending habits and more involvement in treatment decisions. The plans are available for member companies with 51 to 500 eligible employees.  As an added benefit, Chamber members will receive a 1.4 percent discount on their healthcare premiums. For more information, please contact the Medical Mutual Sales Team at (440) 572-6349.

For over 18 years, SummaCare and the Greater Akron Chamber have partnered to save local businesses over $25 million on health insurance premiums. Those savings are used by companies to grow their bottom line and boost our local economy.

 

SummaCare is pleased to continue to offer Chamber members and the Affiliate Partner Chamber members the maximum allowable discount of 1.4% on their health insurance premiums. We are the only health insurance option offering a discount through the Greater Akron Chamber for employers of 50 or fewer employees.  For more information, contact the SummaCare Sales Team at (800) 996-8818 or call your broker.

The Greater Akron Chamber's Group Rating Program offers savings up to the maximum available discount on your Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) premium.  The Chamber partners with CareWorksComp because they help employers achieve the highest group rating discount possible.  Nearly 30,000 customers choose CareWorksComp to manage their workers' compensation plan.  Click here to download an authorization permitting CareWorksComp to provide you with a NO-COST, NO-OBLIGATION analysis.  To learn more, call CareWorksComp at 1 (800) 837-3200.

 

You're Invited to attend the Greater Summit Networking Event on May 4.

• Opportunities to network to a successful partnership.
• Meet with representatives from various corporations, small businesses and city departments.
• Learn about the 2nd Annual Greater Summit Business Conference & Expo.

FREE ADMISSION

Door prizes  ● Hors d'oeuvres  ●  Business networking

For more information and to RSVP, call (800) 900-7735.

Where & When
The Tangier
532 W. Market St.
Akron, OH  44303
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

 

Exporting and Foreign-Trade Zone Toolbox
Seminar: Opening Global Markets

Get the tools you need to grow your export business!  This full-day seminar will provide your company with resources available for export development, where and how to get export financing, how to overcome the challenges of international documentation and logistics requirements, and how to use the Foreign-Trade Zone Program as an export tool.

Where & When
Kent State University Stark Conference Center
6000 Frank Ave., N.W.
North Canton, OH  44720
Thursday, May 12, 2016
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
 
Click here for details and to register. Questions?  Call NEOTEC at (330) 672-4080.

 

In 2012, the Greater Akron Chamber along with the City of Akron, County of Summit, Keep Akron Beautiful and ReWorks created the Summit of Sustainability Awards.  The goal of the Summit of Sustainability Awards was to recognize local organizations that have successfully implemented sustainability practices.

In 2016, a series of educational sessions will be offered throughout the year. The first begins on May 12 with Jenita McGowan as the featured speaker.  Jenita is responsible as Chief of Sustainability for advising the City of Cleveland on policies related to sustainability and the oversight of the Office of Sustainability; leading the coordination of Sustainable Cleveland 2019 to develop new strategies that allow Cleveland to use sustainability as an innovation engine for economic growth, and reducing the City's ecological footprint with solutions that also save the City money.

Come and learn where Cleveland's inspiration came from, what has made Jenita McGowan's role effective, what she has learned from other cities and how to plant the seed in Akron.

Where & When
Akron Zoo
500 Edgewood Ave.
Akron, OH  44307
Thursday, May 12, 2016
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. - Networking
6:00 - 7:00 p.m. - Presentation

Cost:  $25 - includes appetizers and open bar for May 12; $55 - Summit of Sustainability Series Package - includes registration to all 3 events in the series: May 12 - An Evening With Jenita McGowan; August 26 - Sustainable Grant Workshop; and October 20 - Smart Water Use 101.

 

  

Greater Akron Chamber
1 Cascade Plaza, 17th Fl.
Akron, Ohio 44308
www.greaterakronchamber.org

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The Greater Akron Chamber is the only economic development organization in the State of Ohio   to be accredited by the International Economic Development Council.