1. March 3, 2014
You’re Invited!!
CHAMBER WEEKLY
BROWN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Brown County Toastmasters Club is happy to announce
our first Open House meeting.
Toastmaster’s is an International organization that provides a
mutually supportive and positive learning environment in
which every member has the opportunity to develop oral
communication and leadership skills. Monthly meetings
give its members the opportunity to prepare and deliver
speeches to their fellow members.
If you have an interest in improving
your communication and leadership
skills or simply want to connect
with your local community in a
positive environment, please join
us.
Our Meeting will be held on Wednesday March 12, 2014 at
the Southern Hills Career and Technical Center and will
begin promptly at 7pm.
Darrin Schneider, President
Brown County Toastmaster International
See inside for details on a Toastmasters Public
Speaking Contest!

3. AT&T Continues to Hire Throughout Ohio as a Result of
Project VIP Investment
AT&T is hiring throughout Ohio for a variety of different positions, to keep up with ongoing network investment and growing
demand for wireless and wireline products and services. Currently, the company is seeking applicants to fill more than 240
jobs around the Buckeye State, including nearly 150 new jobs.
To apply for these positions please visit:
http://connect.att.jobs/Ohio
In 2013 AT&T hired more than 930 Ohioans, including positions in IT/engineering, retail, technician, call center, business solutions, and corporate support categories.
The job openings and hirings are the result of AT&T's continued investment in Ohio
to support network improvement and customer service. AT&T invested nearly $1.8
billion in its Ohio wireless and wireline networks from 2010 through the first half of 2013.
The investments included deployment of new macro cell sites, small cells and Distributed
Antenna Systems across the state as a part of AT&T’s Project Velocity IP, a three-year
investment plan announced in 2012 to expand and enhance its IP broadband network.
The company also expanded and enhanced its 4G LTE network which provides ultra-fast
mobile Internet speeds, and deployed new Wi-Fi hot spots.
As a part of its hiring drive in Ohio and across the country, AT&T is looking to hire 10,000 military veterans and their families in the next five years. The company has established a Military Talent Attraction team, which focuses on promoting
AT&T’s career opportunities to veterans and educating managers across AT&T on the benefits of hiring military veterans.
AT&T has invested more in the U.S. than any other public company over the past six years (2008-2013), and in that same time
frame AT&T invested more than $140 billion in both capital and spectrum acquisitions. Furthermore, investment in wireless and
wireline networks for 2014 is expected to be in the $21 billion range. In a September 2013 report, the Progressive Policy Institute ranked AT&T No. 1 on its list of “Investment Heroes” that are investing capital in the U.S.
Please visit http://ohio.att.com/ to stay informed on AT&T’s news and updates in the Buckeye state.
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9. Thanks to everyone who has joined our group for the upcoming year! We really appreciate your
support and look forward to working with you! February 28 was the deadline for Group Rating
programs with the BWC. The deadline of February 28 has been a long standing understood date
among business owners and this year it is changing to November 28. This will move the Group
Rating Program enrollment dates up an entire 3 months sooner and we will be working on groups
again starting in August of this year. This change is coming due to the changes the BWC will be
implementing later this year on Perspective Payment. More to come on Perspective payment in
upcoming newsletters.
Another deadline is coming this May. An employer can change their Managed Care Organization (MCO) once every 2 years.
This year is also a Managed Care Organization (MCO) change year and the time frame is from May 1 to May 31, 2014. It is a
short 30 day window for this change. CompSource is partnered with Corvel which is one of the largest Managed Care Organization
in the county and is a public company that is traded on NASADQ. We also work with all MCO’s.
If your company was not able to get into group there are some other options for you to save on your BWC Policy.:
1. The next option to look at is called Group Retro. Enrollment deadline for this program is April 30, 2014. I will be contacting
local companies that meet the criteria for the program to show them how this program works and how they can utilize it until they
become Group eligible again.
2. Destination Excellence Programs- These programs can also net you a saving on your BWC policy and CompSource helps your
company implement them. There are quite a few grants that are 100% reimbursable thru the BWC to help implement some of the
programs offered by the BWC and net you additional discounts to your premium.
Safety Programs Include:
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The Drug Free Safety Program- 4-7% discount. Many companies are already doing what is required for this program especially
if it is ODOT compliant. Examples: Trucking Companies, Delivery Drivers, Home Health Care to name a few. Why not get an
additional discount for it and utilize a BWC grant to pay for it’s implementation.
Industry-Specific Safety Program- 3% discount. Complete a few safety courses designed for you industry.
Safety Councils- 2-4% discount. Attend the Safety Council Meetings each month at Southern State Community College
Return-to-work options Include:
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Transitional Work- 10% discount with a $6,200 grant to help implement
Saving Options include:
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Go-green discount- 1% savings if you pay online.
Lapse-free discount- 1% savings if you pay on time and no lapse in coverage.
If you haven’t had time to meet with me to review how we can protect and save your company in the world of Workers’ Comp,
might be a good time to do so!