First Posted: 3/25/2015
PAULDING — Rates won’t increase for customers of Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative.
The cooperative announced this and other news at its annual meeting on March 21 to more than 500 attendees, according to a release from the cooperative.
Officials also discussed what they call a “war on coal,” and how it is affecting the cooperative, which generates over 90 percent of its electricity using coal.
CEO/General Manager George Carter encouraged the members to “help themselves by helping their cooperative,” according to the release.
“We can’t fight the legislative battles all by ourselves,” Carter said in a statement. “I can go to Washington to press our points with our elected officials, and that’s all fine and well, but hearing from you folks, the folks who actually elect them, makes a bigger impression.”
O’Reilly to open another Lima store
LIMA — O’Reilly Auto Parts is preparing to open its newest store in Lima on April 15.
The store, located at 1201 Bellefontaine Ave., will host a grand opening event from April 15 to 28, acccording to a release from O’Reilly.
The celebration will include a ribbon cutting on April 25 at 10 a.m.
Bluffton Pediatrics wins business competition
BLUFFTON — Bluffton Pediatrics, LLC. and its owner, Beth Bish, are the first place winners of this year’s Ropp Triplett Business Plan Competition.
The competition, in its sixth year and hosted by the Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs, names a few winners each year and offers them prizes to help them start their business, according to a release from the center.
“The competition teaches entrepreneurs to write a business plan that will help them improve their existing business or to successfully start a new one,” according to a statement from Brendon Matthews, BCE board president.
On March 18, it was announced that Bish was the winner and will receive $4,000 to help with start-up costs. Alice Essinger, owner of Fresh Modern Fabrics, won second place and will get $1,500, and Melinda Bowden, owner of 315 Walnut, won third place and will get $500.
Business filings down slightly
COLUMBUS — The number of new businesses in the state is down just a little bit compared with the first two months of last year.
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted released the number of business filings for the first two months of 2015, at 15,423, compared with 15,533 in the first few months of 2014, according to a release from Husted’s office.
About 7,900 new entities filed to do business in Ohio in February 2015, compared with 7,753 that filed to do business in February 2014.
“The state has experienced record business growth over the past five years, beginning in 2010,” according to the release. “Growth in online business filings has been steady and available online services continue to be expanded through the Secretary of State’s Ohio Business Central service.”
