Lima/Allen Chamber of Commerce hosted a roundtable for business and government organizations Friday afternoon at the Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Graduate Medical Education Center.
LIMA — The Chamber of Commerce hosted a round table Friday afternoon for local business owners. The panel consisted of six Ohioans who play a role in business. Spectrum News asked each panelist about their goals and what makes Ohio thrive.
“Last year, we had the Big Six event, and then some different people last year,” Lima/Allen Chamber of Commerce President Jed Metzger said before the roundtable. “They meet in Columbus on a regular basis. We wanted to bring them out into the community. They really enjoy coming here and giving us a chance to speak then – the sponsors really love events like this.”
Over 120 joined the round table from various organizations and government agencies throughout the region.
“They (the panelists) will talk about the workforce,” Metzger said. “They will talk about some current legislation and how it is affecting businesses. They will also talk about the economy a little bit. “John’s, Ohio will talk about their strategic plans to bring companies into Ohio and their next steps, Metzger said. “They are doing all kinds of things.”
Metzger also said the roundtable served as an educational session and included the things the farm bureau is working on.
Among the speakers were Terry Slaybaugh of Jobs Ohio, Cameron Garczyk of the Ohio NFIB, Steve Strivers of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Gordon Gough of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, Jack Irvin of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and James Lee of the Ohio Manufacturers Association. Lee shared recent changes in Ohio regarding economic development and changes made to legislation.
“We will talk about a series of profitable industries, research and development goals,” Lee said. “We are going to continue to work with our state policymakers.”
Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.
