Business MonthlyProgress Through PeopleNovember 2012 Issue 17

Grove City Area Chamber of CommerceTo create a positive environment for the development and success of business

Thank you for a successful Arts in the AlleyThe Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Arts

in the Alley would not be possible without the help of the sponsors, volunteers and participants. We have watched the celebration of art grow every year with an estimated 40,000 people attending in 2012. As it continues to grow, the support of our members and the community make it possible to coordinate the event, support artists, and provide a positive experience for the community.

We would like to thank the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Board Members, especially past President Ron Seymour, President Darlene Murphy, board members Bob Bright, Scott Vande-grift, and Mitch Hall, the Chamber staff, Ambas-sadors, volunteers, and many others for their time and energy spent on such a successful event.

The Arts in the Alley parade is a partnership with the Grove City Girls’ Club. A special thanks to Kay and Jim Kaho, Kim McCutchen, Betty Potts, and the Girls Club volunteers, as well as, the City of Grove City and Jackson Township for their support and assistance.

Finally, a thank you to everyone involved with Arts in the Alley. We spent a year planning and organizing Arts in the Alley for the benefit of our community. In two days we see a world of colors, song, and celebrations unfold before our eyes. The support of the community makes our work in presenting this festival worthwhile. We are looking forward to celebrating the 34th Arts in the Alley in 2013.

2012 Arts in the Alley saw approximately 40,000 visitors and is only made possible through the support of sponsors, volunteers and the community.

The Chamber would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of the 2012 Arts in the Alley

Manager Shirley Spellman and Assistant Manager Sherry Byrne from Heartland Bank, the presenting sponsor of Arts in the Alley 2012.

Presenting Sponsor

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Bronze SponsorsCopper Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Heartland Bank

Mount Carmel Health System

Wal-Mart Distribution

Berger Health System

OhioHealth

Shawan-Marquis Agency

Fifth-Third Bank

Furniss Corporation

Gregory Electric

McDonald’s

Plank’s on Broadway

Rieser Brothers Body Shop

Schoedinger-Norris

WesBanco Bank

Wright Graphic Design

Bob Evans

Buckeye Beverage Bay

Cold Stone Creamery

Grove City Veterinary

Hospital

Hirth-Norris & Garrison

Sound Communications

AAA – Ohio Auto Club

City of Grove City

Columbus West Park

Goddard School

Jackson Township

Telhio

Amity Care Home Health Services /

Monterey Care Center

Soap City Laundry Ribbon Cutting

Nov. 15: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., 4310 Broadway

Thanksgiving Nov. 22, Chamber Closed

Hilton Garden Inn Open House

Nov. 29, 3928 Jackpot Rd.

Happy Holidays Dec. 25-Jan. 2,

Chamber Closed!

SAVE THE DATE

In this issue• Small Business Saturday• Spotlight on Business: Leafy Greens Local

Foods and Market Posh Nosh Portraits by Cameron• Grove City voted Best

Hometown• Family Traditions Ribbon

Cutting• WE:LEAD - Working

Women’s Wine Down• New members• Harrison College celebrates

110 years

www.gcchamber.org

Page 2 November 15, 2012 | Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Business Monthly www.gcchamber.org

Winterize your water features

Successful women’s event for WE: LEAD held at Garden Café

On Wednesday, October 3, WE: LEAD (Women Executives: Leading, Empower-ing and Developing) hosted a “Work-ing Women’s Wine Down” an evening of networking and fun with appetizers and wine for the working women in our com-munity.

The event, held at Garden Café on Broadway was attended by 20 mem-bers of the Grove City business community. “Great women, conversa-tion, food and wine”, said by one of the women who attended the event.

Toni VanHorn, chair of the WE: LEAD commit-tee shared that, ”WE: LEAD is excited for their fourth upcoming year and ready to keep holding remarkable experiences for women in our com-munity”. WE:LEAD looks forward to providing events like these and many others to the com-munity as they continue their goal of enriching business knowledge through seven planned events in 2013.

For more information on WE: LEAD visit the chamber website at www.gcchamber.org.

SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS

Posh Nosh: Catering your way“There is no sincerer

love, than the love of food,” said George Bernard Shaw; and Doug Yors of Posh Nosh has a sincere love of food. After starting out in the fast food businesses, Doug went on to study for 10 years under Chef Keni Garver.

Today, Doug contin-ues his love for cooking through a luncheonette and a catering business. Posh Nosh Luncheonette, located at 910 Dublin Road, serves a variety of foods including waffles and candied pecan rolls for breakfast and Shrimp Po’ Boys and Caesar Wedge salads for lunch.

You could probably

credit his dedication to food service in Grove City to his family’s long his-tory in Grove City.

Doug grew up in Grove City, and his family has been here for genera-tions. He’s happy to say that there are many roads that share his family’s names. He’s a descendant of the Orders, and re-members hearing stories of great grandparents being educated in the school house.

When he’s not in his luncheonette, he’s catering events. Wed-dings, corporate events, birthdays, he’ll cater it all. Doug provides a list of foods that he can create including hors d’oeuvres of Brie quesadillas, rotis-serie chicken entrees (his favorite), chocolate covered strawberries for desserts, and much, much more.

Don’t see anything on the list that you like? He

encourages anyone in-terested in catering to design the menu the way they want it.

Be on the lookout for Posh Nosh in the future. Doug is eager to expand.

For more information about Posh Nosh visit www.donteatlamefood.com, contact them at (614) 778-4821. To sam-ple Doug’s creations, visit the luncheonette at 910 Dublin Rd., Columbus, OH 43215 located in the Columbus Public Utilities building.

CONTACT US:Posh Nosh(614) 778-4821910 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH 43215www.donteatlamefood.com

Now is the time to prepare for the win-ter months ahead. For those with water gardens, ponds or fountains, proper fall maintenance will keep your water gar-den healthy and beautiful all winter. Here are a few steps to ensure an easier (and cleaner) start up in the spring:

The less organic debris the better! To keep leaves from falling in, place netting over the pond. To ensure oxygen ex-change for fish, bottom aerators can be allowed to run through the winter. Foun-

tains should be removed from water and power washed to remove any algae or calcium buildup. Do not shut off a fountain if you decide to leave it in water through-out the winter! Aqua Doc recommends all fountains be stored in a heated facility to prevent damage from freezing conditions.

Team Aqua Doc’s passion is aquatics. If you have any questions about winterizing your water feature, contact Aqua Doc at (440) 286-POND or visit www.aquadocinc.com.

UPDATED DAILY!!Visit www.ThisWeekNEWS.com and

www.ThisWeekSPORTS.com for breaking news.

www.gcchamber.org November 15, 2012 | Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Business Monthly Page 3

In last month’s busi-ness tip I stressed the importance of network-ing to build your busi-ness. But remember, it isn’t all about going out and promoting yourself. It isn’t selling and telling people what you do, how you do it, how much they need you while you distribute hundreds of business cards.

Networking is truly about planting seeds that will, over time, grow strong supportive busi-ness relationships with those you meet and get to know. It is your effort to build that supportive ‘net’ that ‘works’. It’s the per-fect foundational effort to make that cliché, “people do business with people they know, they like, they trust,” come to life.

Here are some tips to implement into your networking efforts. You’ll see they will build strong business relationships and, over time, they’ll build a “net” that “works” for you.

First, always keep in mind the six ingredients of a strong successful

network: 1) mutual trust – trust is everything, 2) reciprocity – it’s the ac-tion of mutual giving and receiving, 3) etiquette – be nice, kind and con-siderate, 4) confidential-ity – it’s the strongest ele-ment that builds mutual trust, 5) accuracy – make sure all information you share and all you do is accurate, and 6) mutual respect – if this doesn’t exist …you’re wasting your time. Pour these six ingredients into your business relationship building (networking) efforts and the network that you build will result in building net worth in all you do.

Next, develop a list of questions that will help you find out more about whom you want to do business with and be a part of your network. These questions should be designed so you get to know them both on a personal and profes-sional level. Start on the professional level and the personal will follow. (Go to the Chamber’s website to obtain a sample list

of profes-sional level ques-tions.)

Finally, imple-ment the following steps and keep in mind, they don’t call it “net-work-ing” for nothing!

• Don’t tell – ASK! Find out about them and their needs…they’ll find out about you by your ac-tions and follow through.

• Look for ways your resources and informa-tion can help others fulfill their goals.

• Get to know at least 30 people well enough that they know you by face, name and voice. They know your talents, skills, abilities, character, and your principles.

• Make sure you know those 30 as well as they know you so strong refer-ral networks are built.

• Get involved in an organization and in your community. Showcase

your talents and abilities outside of the work-place. Take an active role to show them what you’re made of. If you’re only a “Mem-ber” you’re missing out on 95% of

the true benefits of your membership. If you only live there…your name is John Q. Public.

• Know and be known. See and be seen.

• Find ingenious ways and reasons to recon-nect, follow up, stay in touch, follow through and build that strong business relationship which will support you in all you do. And finally…

• Forget about YOU, take care of THEM and eventually you’ll see - THEY will take care of YOU!

To contact Nancy Stoll of the Ohio Small Busi-ness Development Center at nstoll@cscc.edu

Nancy Stoll, Certified Business Advisor from Ohio Small Business Development Center

Plant seeds that will grow business relationships

Amy Leska MassageChris Leska, OwnerAmy Leska, Owner(614) 353-7337 syma513@aol.comwww.amyleskamassage.comCategory: Therapeutic Massage

WB Construction ProductsKathy Lavelle, Office ManagerTom Lavelle, President1670 Harmon Ave., Unit AColumbus, OH 43223(614) 443-8170rlwurz@cox.netwww.wbconstructionproducts.comCategory: Construction Products

JM & M RentalsVicki Karaffa PO Box 442Galloway, OH 43119(614) 870-2310 vkk442@yahoo.comCategory: Rental Property

The Wireless Center / Verizon Premium Retailer Abhishek Goyal, Marketing DirectorJoshua Stover, Store Manager2798 London Groveport Rd.Grove City, OH 43123(614) 495-1054marketing@thewirelesscenter.comwww.thewirelesscenter.comCategory: Telecommunications

The Wireless Center / Verizon Premium RetailerAbhishek Goyal, Marketing DirectorCurtis Denham, Store Manager3807 South Hamilton Rd.Groveport, OH 43125(614) 610-4459Category: Telecommunications marketing@thewirelesscenter.comwww.thewirelesscenter.com

Huntington National Bank / 665Melissa Wagner, Branch Manager2607 London-Groveport Rd.Grove City, OH 43123(614) 480-0135 Melissa.wagner@huntington.comwww.huntington.comCategory: Financial Institution / Bank

Body By Vi (Visalus Sciences)Tara Borghese, Regional Director(614) 519-9167Category: Health / Weight Losstara@borghese7.comhttp://taraborghese.myvi.net

NEW MEMBERS

Discover the difference becoming a chamber member

can make for your business visit www.gcchamber.org or

call (614) 875-9762

Small Business Saturday brings holiday spending to small business

In 2010, small busi-nesses were hurting. The worst recession seen in a generation had hit the nation and small busi-nesses with small profit margins were being left behind. Black Friday has long been a boon for bigger corporations like Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Consumers would flock to the retailers to snap up cheap electronics, toys, and various other Christ-mas gifts. So the “mom and pop shops” were at a disadvantage.

That was until M Booth & Associates and American Express OPEN got involved. Research-ing and planning showed how badly small busi-nesses had been hit by the recession. There were massive job cuts after a huge market loss. At the same time, surveys showed huge support for small

businesses. Nearly all surveys said that small businesses were vital to the health of the whole economy, that small business brought value to communities, and that the majority of money spent at small business remained in the com-munity.

So…Small Business Saturday was born.

We sat down with Carol Alberts from the Garden Café on Broadway, who became involved in Small Business Saturday last year after learning about it through Facebook.

As an early adopter of Small Business Saturday in Grove City, Alberts says that she was happy with the results, although they were slight. She esti-mated that only 9 or 10 people specifically said they were there for her sales on wine and beer, a

sale she plans to run again this year.

Using promotional material that she had received for free from American Express, Alberts hopes to have an even bigger turn out this year.

Last year, shoppers who used their American Express cards at small business on that day received a preloaded gift card as a reward for their participation. With the free material and with incentives for consumers to come in the door, she hopes that other busi-nesses will participate as well.

Participate in Small Business Saturday this November 24, and help support the local economy through small businesses.

For more information about the Garden Café visit them at 4057 Broad-way, Grove City, OH or call at (614) 875-2233.

For more information and downloads to help you promote your business, visit:

www.americanexpress.com/us/ small-business/Shop-Small/

Prepare your plants for winter weather

Even an avid gardener like me has to admit when it’s time to put a wrap on the season. When you have time, here are a few must-dos.

Clean up your act. Before storing garden and lawn gear, remove soil, sharpen blades and put a little cook-ing oil on a paper towel and wipe the wooden handles and blades.

Bring in any houseplants remain-ing outside. (I’ve forgotten a few and it isn’t a pretty sight.)

Tune-up the lawn mower and sharpen the blade — or mark the calendar to do this in early February before you need to mow. Ready the snow-blower and other winter survival gear.

Put a second application of fertilizer on the lawn if you fertilized in early September. Early and late fall are the two most important times to fertilize, according to Ohio State University Extension.

Finish planting spring-flowering bulbs. Continue planting shrubs and trees until the ground freezes. If rain is scant, water the newbies until soil freezes.

Clean patio furniture and store it. I keep a folding lawn chair handy just in case there’s a warm afternoon. No sense wasting good weather.

Michael Leach is a master gardener and former gar-den reporter with The Columbus Dispatch. Visit www.enjoyyourlandscape.com and Heartland-Gardening.com, where Michael blogs.

Michael Leach

Business Tip of the Month

MISSED AN ISSUE OF GROVE CITY CHAMBER BUSINESS MONTHLY?

Find all your favorite columnists at gcchamer.org or thisweeknews.com in convenient page-turners.

Tucked away in the old Farmer’s Exchange Building at 3937 Broad-way in Grove City, lies a treasure trove of locally made items. Leafy Greens Local Food and Market opened on July 4 of this year by Chris Carney. Stepping in, one quickly realizes the love that Car-ney has put into her shop and her desire to promote local businesses.

Carney, a nurse, was raised as an herbologist by her grandmother who would take her foraging in the local woods. “She taught me a natural way of living,” she said. The walls are stocked with brands that won’t easily be found on the shelves at traditional grocery stores. Local coffee, teas, sweeten-ers, and more lined the room. Each of them produced in Ohio.

Carney knew the building from years ago and had wanted to start her own business in Grove City for several years. She fell in love with the history of Grove City and the feel of the town center. Grove City still holds the small town appeal that she had always loved. Com-ing from Southern California, it seemed like the perfect place to raise a family.

With her eye still on the old Farmer’s Exchange, Chris saw her opportunity to make her mark on Grove City. With her background in nursing and upbringing that taught her about a natural life, she decided to open the only natural

food store within 25 miles of Grove City to provide healthy, healing, and natural products to her cus-tomers.

For more about Chris Carney and Leafy Greens Local Food and Market visit the shop at 3937 Broadway, Grove City, Ohio 43123, online at www.gcleafygreens.com or, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gcleafygreens, or call at (614) 875-5295.

SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS

Leafy Greens Local Food and Market: Supporting local producers

ABOVE: Leafy Greens Local Food and Market is located in the old Farmers Exchange build-ing at 3937 Broadway. RIGHT: Owner Chris Carney learned her love for a natural way of living from her grandmother.

Page 4 November 15, 2012 | Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Business Monthly www.gcchamber.org

Winter Lights Christmas CelebrationSaturday, Dec. 1 Grove City Town Center

facebook.com/GroveCityOhio • twitter.com/GroveCityOhio • 614-277-3050

ACTIVITIES | 6-7:30 p.m.Entertainment & Musical Performances Visit with Santa Watch an Ice Sculptor at WorkView Live Reindeer Take a Ride on a Horse-drawn Wagon

WINTER LIGHTS PARADE | 7:30 p.m. TREE LIGHTING follows the Parade

MISTLETOE MARKET | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Find unique, creative gift items, decorations, food and entertainment at the holiday market in acozy setting. Visit www.grovecitytowncenter.org for details.

CHRISTMAS ART EXHIBIT | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Warm up in City Hall and enjoy the Grove City Arts Council annual exhibit of works by localartists, while enjoying music and a holiday-themed art market.

WELCOME CENTER & MUSEUM | 5-9 p.m.Enjoy festive, historical holiday decorations, holiday contests and more.

For a full schedule of events visit: www.GroveCityOhio.govMayor Richard L. �Ike� Stage

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Make a monetary or toy donation, for children up to age 12, to Jackson Township�s Firefighters for Kids program or donatepersonal-care items, non-perishable food or a monetary donation for Grove City Food Pantry at the Winter Lights Celebration.

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Darlene Murphy - President, Vice Chair - Arts in Alley & Parade, Chair – Auction Committee, Your Neighborhood Reality - Term:

2012-2014

Bob Bright – VP Communications; Vice Chair – Parade, Morley Parren and Bright - Term: 2011-2013

John Dubos - John J. Dubos, DDS, Inc. – Term: 2012

Jeff Guminey – Chair – 5 Year Planning Committee, Fifth Third Bank - Term: 2012

Mitch Hall - Vice Chair - Arts in Alley, WalMart Distribution Cen-ter - Term: 2010 – 2012

Robert Halley - Heartland Bank – Term: 2010-2012

Tim Harris – VP Finance – Chairman of Bylaws and Policy Re-view, Hirth, Norris and Garrison - Term : 2011-2013

Allen Houk – President-Elect, Allen R. Houk CPA CMA - Term: 2012-2014

Rick Louder - VP Membership, Chair - Taste of Grove City, O’Charley’s - Term: 2012

Christopher Love - Southwest Chiropractic – Term: 2012-2014

Charlene McFarland - Co-Chair - Auction Committee, Wes-Banco - Term: 2011-2013

Grant Miller - VP - Education Chair - SW Leadership, Grant J. Miller, CLTC - Term: 2010-2012

Ron Seymour – Past President, Chair – Arts in the Alley & Pa-rade, Key Bank - Term: 2012-2014

Caroline Cassady Shroyer- Southwest Leadership Chair, Grove City Tree Service -Term: 2011-2013

Jerry Sowers, VP - Business Development, Chair – Golf, Key Bank – Term: 2010 – 2012

Scott Vandegrift – Chair – Farmers’ Market & Family Fun Day, Chair, Strategic Planning,

GAP – Term: 2011-2013

Toni VanHorn - VP Government Affairs, Chair- WE: LEAD Program, Sound Communications - Term: 2010-2012

Tricia Zelenak - Co-Chair, Strategic Planning, Monterey Care Center – Term: 2012-2014

BOARD MEMBERS

Grove City Area Chamber Of CommerceBOARD OF DIRECTORS

www.gcchamber.org November 15, 2012 | Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Business Monthly Page 5

Fun, uniqueness, and elegance: Those are the three words that Carmen Hall uses when she thinks about what drives her to succeed with her photography business, Portraits by Carmen. Open since May, Carmen provides high school senior, wedding, newborn, family, and boudoir pictures.

When it comes to photography, she believes that no two subjects are ever alike and that no two subjects should be treated alike. Everybody is different so every ses-sion is different. Today, Carmen will do photography anywhere she can. Her newly opened studio located at 4048 Broadway in Grove City is fully equipped for fun, unique, and elegant photography. If you are looking for something more excit-ing, she makes herself available to shoot on location.

Photography is a passion for Carmen. She moved to Grove City from the west side of Columbus to be closer to her 16-year career as a nail technician in 2002. In 2006 she started doing photography in the basement of her home or on loca-tion. Today she enjoys photography in the Grove City community, and she is not shy about her ambitions. Working with an intern, she hopes to expand even further.

Portraits by Carmen is located

at 4048 Broadway, Grove City. For more information visit www.portraitsbycarmen.com or call (614) 332-6900 to make an appointment.

www.CitizensBankAshville.com 614-875-8700

Helping your business succeed.

2250 Stringtown Road

SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS

Portraits by Carmen: Capture your memorable moments

ABOVE: Portraits by Carmen’s newly opened studio is located at 4048 Broadway in Grove City. LEFT: Owner Carmen Hall shoots high school senior, wedding, newborn, family, and boudoir pictures in her studio or on location.

Business Monthly Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012

Business Monthly is a special advertising supplement to ThisWeek Community News. Business Monthly is not responsible for opinions and views expressed in the paid advertisement in the business profiles. All real estate advertising herein is subject to the federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familiar status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.” We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Page 6 November 15, 2012 | Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Business Monthly www.gcchamber.org

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Huge dinner parties, homemade cookies, and treats in every direction. This poses the challenge to each of us; how do I enjoy my seasonal favorites without my waistline paying the price?

1. Never skip meals, especially breakfast. If you are short on time, drink a protein shake. (I start everyday with a nutritional Vi Shake).

2. Have healthy snacks around at all times. Keep a bag of almonds with cranberries or a protein bar in your car.

3. Drink, drink, drink … water that is. According to the Mayo Clinic, mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired. We need all the energy we can get this time of year.

4. Slow down! Rush hour should not happen at the dinner table. Studies have shown that it takes 20 minutes for our brains to get the message from our stomachs that we are full.

5. To ensure that there is a healthy dish on the menu, offer to bring it.

6. Moderation is the key. Treat

yourself to that occasional high calorie treat just make the portion small. Studies show that after the first 3 bites of one item our taste buds are satisfied. Use the baseball mantra … 3 strikes you’re out … 3 bites your done!

7. Bring gum or mints to use when you are done eating. This will not only keep you from eating mindlessly

but could help you make friends.8. Take the focus off food. Go see

the Zoo lights, take a walking tour of the lights in your neighborhood, and possibly see a holiday concert or play.

9. Exercise! 10-15 minutes of brisk walking twice daily will not only burn a few calories but increase your energy as well.

10. Write out your health/weight goals. Post it in your car and on the refrigerator. I wear a “Health Challenge Bracelet” as a reminder of my goals.

Tara Borghese is the Regional Director of Body By Vi. For more information about Body by Vi visit www.taraborghese.myvi.net, call (614) 519-9167, or contact Tara at tara@borghese7.com

10 tips to healthy eating throughout the holidays

Grove City has been selected Ohio Magazine’s Best Hometown of Cen-tral Ohio for 2012-13.

The City will receive re-gional recognition when featured on the cover of the November issue.

The magazine’s editors selected one city from each of five regions in the state as a Best Hometown for 2012-13. The selection was based on categories of civic life: community spirit, education, attrac-tions, events, safety, busi-ness environment, cul-ture and heritage. Grove City met or exceeded in all areas.

“This is an honor that belongs to the residents and business owners in Grove City,” said Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage. “We are proud of our small town feel while we

continue to grow. Receiv-ing this recognition as ‘Best Hometown’ is what we work to accomplish – every day.”

A collector’s edition of Ohio Magazine featuring Grove City on the cover hit newsstands Tuesday, Oct. 23. Additional stories featuring Grove City will be highlighted in the “Best of Ohio” edition in January and again in the July issue.

“We are certainly

pleased with this sig-nificant recognition and look forward to sharing the exceptional quality of life in Grove City,” said City Administrator Chuck Boso. “Our civic organiza-tions, schools, churches and community groups work together to make Grove City a hometown we all admire.”

For more information, contact City Administra-tor Charles W. Boso, Jr. at (614) 277-3000.

Grove City named Best Hometown of Central Ohio

“We are proud of our small town feel while we continue to grow. Receiving this recognition as ‘Best Hometown’ is what we work to accomplish – every day”

— Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage

Tara Borghese

Don’t miss the December issue!ThisWeek and the Chamber want to help your small business

succeed. With resources and affordable ways to get your message out to the community; you will have us

working to help you and your business succeed!

Call Mark Taylor for more information today: (740) 888-6024 or email mtaylor@thisweeknews.com

Space reservation deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 28

www.gcchamber.org November 15, 2012 | Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Business Monthly Page 7

How to avoid email slang in school workPlz practice your writing B4 U head bak 2 school. C U in a few wkz.

Millions of children (and adults!) use language like this to chat with friends, make weekend plans and stay in touch with out-of-town relatives via email, Twitter and Instant Messaging (IM). It is important that this informal writing style of shortened words, improper grammar, lack of punctuation and use of “emoticons,” such as smiley faces and other keyboard-created graphics, does not become a habit of writing.

Email and IM style of writ-ing isn’t completely bad, since it does encourage students to write more often. Many educators agree that children can benefit from email and IM as learning opportunities. The popularity of Internet writing is also helping children see writing as a fun activity that encourages creative writing, and not just something they “have to do.”

To help children boost their effective writing skills, here are a few tips that parents can use to avoid IM, Twitter and email-style language making its way into schoolwork:

Talk to children about us-ing different writing styles to communicate with differ-ent audiences. Describe the importance of personalizing messages and why it’s impor-tant that students know their

audience. While it’s okay to close a letter with “C ya” to a friend in an IM, it is not okay to include this slang in home-work assignments. Remind them that formality is required in school.

Have fun with writing. Pro-vide children with enjoyable ways to practice their writing. Involve your child with writing grocery lists, thank you notes, dates on calendars and mes-sages.

Review schoolwork for IM and email-style language. En-courage your children to write properly and take the time to carefully review assignments several times before submit-ting them to the teacher. Re-view your child’s homework to ensure he or she is not using

shortcuts or slang. Talk with children to

establish ground rules for using IM, Twitter and email. Work with your child to develop a plan for using IM and email to make sure other responsibilities, such as com-pleting homework and chores, are met before going online to chat with friends. Discuss time limits with your children and ensure they are kept. Consider putting your family rules in writing and posting them near the computer.

For more information about Sylvan Learning Center visit sylvanlearning.com, call (614) 277-9585 or visit them at 4067 Third St., Grove City, Ohio 43123

Over the past few years, if you’ve taken out a mortgage or another consumer loan, you’ve probably welcomed the low interest rates you may have received. But as an investor, if you’ve kept any retirement sav-ings in fixed-rate investment vehicles, you may have seen low rates in a less favorable light. And that’s why it may be time for you take a closer look at your financial strategy for working toward the retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned.

Of course, you can always hope that interest rates will rise, and perhaps they will. As you may know, the Federal Re-serve has kept interest rates at record lows in recent years to stimulate lending and thereby boost the economy. But rates can’t get much lower, and if inflation were to heat up, the Fed could reverse course by starting to raise rates.

However, if you’re going to do a good job of building financial assets for retirement, you really can’t afford to play “wait-and-see” with interest rates. Instead, consider the fol-lowing moves:

• Rebalance your portfolio. No matter what your situation, it’s a good idea to periodically rebalance your investment portfolio to help ensure it still reflects your risk tolerance, time horizon and long-term

goals. If you’re concerned about low rates harming your future invest-ment in-come, you have more reason than ever to review your portfolio and make adjustments as needed, relative to your objectives. For example, if it seems that your portfolio has become “over-weighted” in any one vehicle, you may need to change your investment mix, keeping in mind your individual risk toler-ance.

• Redefine “retirement.” Re-tiring from one career doesn’t have to mean retiring from work altogether. If you decide to work part time, do some consulting or even open your own small business, you may be able to earn enough income to take some of the “pressure” off your investment portfolio in terms of providing you with the money you need to live on during retirement. Also, by working during your nominal retirement years, you may be able to delay taking Social Se-curity until you’re a little older, when your monthly checks can

be larger. • Review your withdrawal

strategy. During your retire-ment, the amount you choose to withdraw from your invest-ments each year will depend on several factors, including the size of your portfolio and the amount of income it is providing. As you chart your retirement strategy, you’ll need to factor in a realistic with-drawal rate.

• Re-examine sources of investment income. You may want part of your retirement income to come from invest-ments that offer protection of principal. If so, you don’t have to settle for the lowest-

rate vehicles. By looking at the various alternatives and blending them with your over-all portfolio, you may be able to boost your income without significantly increasing your investment risk.

In short, just because inter-est rates are low, you don’t have to lower your retirement expectations — as long as you

plan ahead and explore your options.

This article written by Edward Jones for use by Terri Menendez, your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. For more information contact Terri at (614) 875-5773 or visit Ed-ward Jones at 4007 Broadway, Grove City, OH 43123

Don’t let low rates sink your retirement plans

How to prevent damage from trees during a storm

With all of the recent, intense windstorms, a lot of people in the area are dealing with damage caused by fall-ing trees and limbs. The dam-age that a fallen tree or limb can do to houses, garages, power lines, fences and cars can be severe.

So, is this preventable? Is there any way to make your home and yard safer from storms and the damage they cause? Well, although you can’t completely prevent your trees and/or limbs from fall-ing, you can take precautions which will help. The biggest reason that trees come down in a storm is because they were dead, or very close to dead, before the storm even hit. Trees that are dead or dy-ing aren’t nearly as stable as a living tree. When a tree starts to die, the branches and the trunk start to rot, meaning they lose the strength to hold themselves up. Add 60 mph winds to that and you’ve got a tree on your house.

The best thing you can do to ensure the safety of your yard and home from tree damage due to a storm is take care of your trees. If you no-tice that leaves are dying and falling off during the summer, or it looks like branches are starting to rot and die, call an arborist immediately! If the tree is dead or weakened, has dead limbs or compromised unions, it could pose a major threat to you and your home. Your tree can also be trimmed to allow the wind to flow through the tree and prevent breakage, to remove limbs that are hanging over your home, and to remove any

deadwood that is vulnerable to wind. A certified arborist can assess your trees and tell you whether or not they need trimmed or removed.

You may not want to wait until the storm hits to call your preferred tree service. Typically, they will already have a book of business they are working on and may not be able to service your trees immediately. Trust us, it’s a lot better to remove a dead tree before it comes down on your house, versus afterward.

If you have specific questions for our Arborist, or would like to schedule a free estimate, please contact Grove City Tree Service at (614) 871-2979.

Terri Menendez, Edward Jones

Page 8 November 15, 2012 | Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Business Monthly www.gcchamber.org

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Top Performer onJoint CommissionKey QualityMeasures2011

Harrison College: Educating communities for 110 years

On October 23, Harrison College opened their doors for the public as they celebrated their 110th anniversary. Founded as Indiana Business College in 1902, the school changed its name to Harrison College in 2009.

Today Harrison College of-fers more than 40 degree pro-grams in six schools of study (Culinary, Business, Criminal Justice, Health Sciences, Information Technology, and Veterinary Technology).

Job seekers were invited to attend the event and meet with hiring businesses and organizations in the area in-cluding Fifth Third Bank, First Service Federal Credit Union, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), the City of Grove City, and more. Attendee’s could also meet with local elected officials there to celebrate the anni-versary. Attendees were also treated to raffles, a prize wheel from Sunny 95, and refresh-ments.

For more information about Harrison College call (614) 539-8800, visit www.harrison.edu, or visit the school at 3880 Jackpot Rd., Grove City.

Family Traditions opens their doors to Grove CityOn October 19, the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed Family Traditions Cards and Gifts as a new member with their Grand Opening and ribbon cutting. Visit Family Traditions at 3521 Broadway, Grove City, OH or call at (614) 539-0050.

RIBBON CUTTING

William H. Diehl - Executive DirectorMarilyn Reiner - Director of Membership Services

Melissa Sims - Director of Chamber Relations

CHAMBER STAFF