North Coast Business Journal - May 2012 by Paul Wallen

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Celebrating 18 Years of Service MAY 2012 Vol. 18 No. 5

INSIDE THIS MONTH Catch Someone Doing Something Right... 2

LEGAL: Demise of the Estate Tax........ 9 CHAMBER CALENDARS....10 ESTATE: Trust Basics.....18 Well-Booked Business..........22 TAXES: Cash vs. Accrual.......25

“The Business Voice of Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca Counties”

Published and Owned by Schaffner Publications, Inc.

Focus

Huron

and

Vermilion

2012 - Banner Year for Huron Chamber By Bruce Miller Huron Chamber President

2012 will certainly go down as a banner year for the community of Huron, Ohio. The Huron Chamber of Commerce has and will play an integral role in the events contributing to the noteworthy development of our “Great Lake Place.” The year began with the implosion of the ConAgra facility on Sunday, Jan. 8. This was the first step in writing a new chapter in the history of our town. The gigantic town celebration drew 30,000 to 35,000 people to any spot that they could find along the river and on the east and west sides of the Huron River Bridge. It was truly a community effort to put See HURON CHAMBER 5 the plans in place for so many visitors in

Photo taken by Rhonda Funderwhite

Charting the Course of a Small Town on a Great Lake Vermilion, Ohio By Mayor Eileen Bulan The City of Vermilion is situated along the shore of Lake Erie and embraces the Vermilion River. This year is our 175th anniversary and a time to look back and see how far we have come from our humble beginnings. In 1837 this little harbor community had just 43 land owners. The village plat had been completed in January of 1837 and by a BULAN special act of the Ohio Legislature, Vermilion was incorporated and granted a charter. Captain William Austin built the first schooner along the Vermilion River in 1812. The name was

SALES: “Hunting”........27 IT: Printer Points...28

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We’re a proud member of the following: Bellevue Area Chamber of Commerce

Elmore Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce Erie County Chamber of Sandusky County of Commerce

Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce

Huron Chamber of Commerce

Marblehead Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

Genoa Chamber of Commerce

Huron County Chamber of Commerce

Milan Chamber of Commerce

Oak Harbor Area Put-in-Bay Chamber Chamber of Commerce of Commerce Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce

Seneca Regional

Chamber of Commerce

Vermilion Chamber of Commerce Willard Area Chamber of Commerce

May 2012

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Catch someone doing something right… By Jeffrey H. Bryden Editor Back in 1982, Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson set the business world on fire with their little book with big advice: The One Minute Manager. With a parable approach, the book offered short, easy-to-remember advice on goal-setting, praising and reprimanding. It became “must” reading for most business people at that time and remains a good primer for anyone’s book shelf. I picked the headline for this month’s column from one of the tips in the book, given to a young manager from the legendary “One Minute Manager.” He suggested that typically, managers go around looking for exceptions, for errors, for

things to correct. They look for people doing something wrong and therefore are managing through negative feedback. His advice was, as the headline above, to look for and praise people for doing things well. To “catch them doing something right” and (immediately) praise them for it. Note the duality of this advice. First, look for positive things and, secondly, give the feedback at as close to the time of observation as possible. This does not preclude writing a “positive memo to file,” or to the person’s supervisor at later date. This subject came to mind over the weekend as I was traveling through several of the country’s busiest airports and experiencing what we all have in busy airport terminals. It was Saturday afternoon and our flight was full. And as we waited at the gate, dozens and dozens of people fresh (or not so fresh) from one of the large cruise ships descended on the

lone gate agent. As he politely and professionally answered their questions, and even tagged bags too large for the overhead compartments for forwarding to our destination, he never lost his smile. After watching him for awhile, I remarked on this “unusual” behavior to several people near me in the gate area. Together, we watched him as he continued to give service with a smile to each and every passenger. As we began to board, the advice of The One Minute Manager came back to me: “Catch someone doing something right…” I went up to him, complimented him for his attitude and efforts and wrote down his name so I could later pass along my positive comments to the airline. He seemed genuinely surprised, even taken aback, that I offered my praise – and I wondered if positive feedback from passengers was something he was not used to. When I got back home, I made sure

to e-mail Customer Relations at the airline – giving them airport, my flight number, date of travel and, of course, the agent’s name. Have you received great, over-thetop, service recently? At a restaurant, a retail store, a hospital or government facility? Did you just accept that as your due, did you take it for granted? Or did you take a moment to thank the person? Not a monetary thankyou (though tips, I’m sure, are appreciated too), but with words of praise – letting the person know how much their extra efforts meant to you? We live in a service economy and while the “complaint box” will always draw the most attention from consumers, if you value good service, take the time to recognize and reward it. Maybe, in a way, it’s like taking care of flowers: a little water and a little sunlight go a long way! You can’t go wrong if you catch someone doing something right.

Forget the Joneses: “The Business Voice of Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca Counties”

205 S.E. Catawba Road, Suite G, Port Clinton, Ohio 43452 419-734-4838 • Fax 419-734-5382

Publisher

JOHN SCHAFFNER

Editor

JEFFREY H. BRYDEN jbryden@ncbj.net

Director of Sales

DAVE KAHLER dkahler@ncbj.net

Accounting Manager

CINDY CONSTIEN cindy@thebeacon.net

Layout & Graphic Design

LORI HICKS lori@thebeacon.net ANGIE ADAIR angie@thebeacon.net

BRUCE DINSE

Circulation Manager

North Coast Business Journal is owned and published monthly by Schaffner Publications, Inc., and is mailed free to chamber of commerce members in a five-county area: Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Seneca counties. The editorial deadline is the 25th of each month, with the advertising deadline the end of each month. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the expressed, written consent of the Publishers. We welcome submissions from readers in the form of letters, articles or photographs, although we reserve the right to edit and condense any articles submitted. Submissions should be sent to the editor at the above address. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like an item returned. We prefer material (copy & photos) to be submitted electronically.

Why Envy Is the Enemy of Happiness and What You Can Do to Get Rid of the Green-Eyed Monster Now Keeping up with the Joneses” is a major driving force for many Americans. But according to Todd Patkin, letting yourself envy what others have is more likely to sabotage your happiness than to help you build a better life. Here, he shares his own experiencetested advice to help you leave jealousy behind and open the door to increased happiness. Foxboro, MA (April 2012)—It can happen without you even realizing what’s going on. You’re driving home from work and see a shiny new SUV in your neighbor’s driveway. Gee, you think, I’d really like to upgrade our vehicle too. I wish we had enough money on hand for a down payment. Or maybe you’re scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed and see a newly posted album of your friend’s kids. It seems like they’re always so well behaved, you sigh. I’m lucky if my boys will stay still long enough to take a picture—forget having clean faces and combed hair! It’s true: Most of us compare ourselves to—and try to keep up with—the proverbial “Joneses” on a near-constant basis. And according to Todd Patkin, that’s definitely not a good thing. “Being in the clutches of the green-eyed monster can really sabotage your overall happiness,” says Patkin, author of Finding Happiness: One Man’s Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety and—Finally— Let the Sunshine In (StepWise Press, 2011, ISBN:

978-0-9658261-9-8, $19.95). “That’s because envy makes you focus on what you don’t have instead of all of the great things you do have.” Patkin points out that social media has really exacerbated the extent to which envy affects our lives. Think about it: Sites like Twitter and Facebook allow people to live their lives in full view of others…and sugarcoat every aspect of them. When you log on, you’re bound to see pictures and posts that read, “Most beautiful wedding ever!” “This was a dream vacation in paradise!” or “Drinks on me—I just got a promotion!” As you’re scrolling through this never-ending list of good news, it’s all too easy to feel like you’ve gotten the short end of the stick and say, “Woe is me!” And, of course, it doesn’t help that your Facebook newsfeed doesn’t ever go away. You can always torture yourself by taking a look at how much “better” everybody else has it. “But here’s the thing: While you’re living your life in a constant haze of jealousy, you don’t see the other side of the coin,” explains Patkin. “What social media might not tell you is that the friend who got a promotion might also have just had a huge fight with her spouse. But unless she is one of those people who thrive on drama, she isn’t going

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Spring News: Schedel Arboretum & Gardens Open The Schedel Arboretum & Gardens, a 17-acre paradise of intensively managed gardens and home to hundreds of rare and unusual species of trees, shrubs and plants, has opened its gates to visitors. The gardens will remain open until Oct. 31. This year it seems as though many of the blooms are about three weeks ahead of schedule. However, the flowering crabapple and hundreds of other trees and shrubs, including more than 20 varieties of Japanese maple trees, many growing in the Japanese Garden, will add brilliant colors to the spring landscape. Right now the lilacs are in full glory. The Schedel Arboretum & Gardens is located at 19255 W. Portage River Road South in Elmore, Ohio, just 3 minutes off Ohio Turnpike Exit 81 which is 17 miles from I-75. For more

information call (419) 862-3182 or visit www.schedel-gardens.org. Please visit the website for details on upcoming workshops and events. http://www.schedel-gardens.org/ workshops. Including our Garden Wine and Food Festival on June 15th! Garden hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. The gardens are closed all Mondays. In addition to garden tours, the Brown Welcome Center will also be open. An exhibit of 12 beautiful handcrafted quilts will be displayed by the members of the Quilt Foundry Guild in the MacAlear Gallery located in the Brown Welcome Center. The exhibit will run for the entire season, May 1 through Oct. 31. The Quilt Foundry Guild has existed for nearly 20 years and has approximately 20 members. The group meets each Wednesday

morning at the Quilt Foundry in Maumee, Ohio. Quilts made by the Guild are donated to support local charities including the Black Swamp Benefit sale for the Sunshine Children’s Home, the Mennonite

Seminars • Executive Retreats • Training Sessions • Workshops Business Meetings • Social Events The Brown Welcome Center is open yearround on the 17-acre garden estate of the Schedel Arboretum & Gardens and provides a unique venue for all seasons.

Central Committee and Project Linus for sick and needy children. Members regularly conduct workshops to promote the art of quilting and issue challenges to one another for the creation of special projects.

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HURON CHAMBER from 1 less than three weeks. Many Chamber members were active in the monumental logistics of the event. The razing of this facility is only the beginning of a redevelopment plan for the entire city. It is certainly a very exciting time for all Huron residents. In March, the Chamber was busy planning and executing the first annual Celebrate Huron event. This function, which was open to the public as well as Chamber members,

VERMILION from 1 the FRIENDSHIP. Our city flag bears the likeness of this ship. In 1840, the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers finished the two piers at the mouth of the river and this began the shipping industry in Vermilion. It provided growth and jobs for the community. In 1916, there were only two personal yachts docked permanently in the Vermilion River. Presently, we are known as the largest small boat harbor on the Great Lakes. The first train ran through Vermilion starting in 1853. They have been blowing whistles ever since. I think the people that lived here 175 years ago would be quite surprised to know that as of May 2, 2012 at 12:01 AM, the City of Vermilion will have a Quiet Zone. There will be no whistles any more at the Main, Grand and Adams Street crossings. It has taken a long time to get this work completed but now we will have a quiet zone in the downtown of our City. This is just a little bit of information on our history from the Sesquicentennial booklet that was prepared in 1987. Presently, our river and lake are bustling with activity. The Vermilion Port Authority has been actively working to improve all public dockage facilities along the Vermilion River. They operate a boat ramp and two transient dockage facilities along the river. They received a grant from the Ohio Department of natural Resources and are refurbishing our Water Works Marina with new piling and updated facilities and landscaping. If you arrive by boat in Vermilion, you walk to local shops and restaurants. If you are here on Friday in the summertime, you can enjoy watching a family movie in our downtown along the river front. If you arrive on a Third Thursday, you can enjoy all kinds of bands playing music at the storefronts

North Coast Business Journal

May 2012

was to celebrate several Huronites who through the years have made significant contributions to our town. In addition to the recognition, guests enjoyed a fantastic dinner and casino style gambling. The evening was a huge success! The next Chamber event will be the Lighthouse 10-mile and 5K race Saturday, May 5th. This annual event will have a new twist this year with a different course that winds through our beautiful BGSU Firelands campus and arboretum. Proceeds from the race will fund scholarships given to

deserving Huron High School students. The annual “Taste of Wine and Roses” will be sponsored by the Chamber on Friday, June 22nd. The evening will be at Barnes Nursery in Huron and will feature area wineries offering tasting and sales of their wares. This is always a well-attended event enjoyed by all and this year should be no exception. On Saturday, Oct. 6, the Chamber will sponsor its 2nd annual Craft Show at the Huron Boat Basin in connection with the FishHuron

Walleye Tournament that brings anglers from all over the country. Our inaugural event last year proved to be very successful, attracting many quality vendors and an excellent turn out of patrons. The Huron Chamber of Commerce continues to be a vibrant, active organization that drives much of the development of our “Great Lake Place” that makes it so attractive to residents and visitors alike. These are exciting times that are writing the next page in Huron’s history.

downtown. It will remind you of a simpler time, enjoying an ice cream cone, walking along the beach and just relaxing and enjoying our small town. The City is active pursuing revitalization efforts in our entire community. The City just received in December of this year a Downtown Revitalization Grant for $400,000. This will allow business owners to improve their buildings as well as infrastructure improvements. This is our fourth grant for the downtown. We are working continuously to welcome our visitors and residents to the downtown area. We are very excited this year to receive a Neighborhood Revitalization Grant for $300,000 for the Vermilion on the Lake area. This is an area that began as a cottage area and developed into residential homes. This grant will allow us to pave three streets, park improvements and other infrastructure. The Vermilion on the Lake Lot Owners Association has restored the Historic Community Center, one of the last remaining Big Band Ballrooms on the shores of Lake Erie in this area of the city. Some events that are held in Vermilion each year are the Vermilion Harbour Triathlon/Duathlon which is held in August in Linwood Park and the Vermilion-Ice-A-Fair that is held in February of each year. Other community traditions are the Woollybear Festival, the Festival of Fish and Historic Summer Fare. This year we have many other events scheduled for our 175th anniversary. Please check our website, vermilion. net to find out about all our activities and events. We are beginning our anniversary celebrations with a kickoff party at the Vermilion Boat Club. We have been running a contest for the King and Queen of our anniversary celebration and the winners will be

announced at our party on April 28. consensus and cooperation among On Memorial Day, we will be the many groups and individuals honoring our World War Two who make up the community. veterans at the annual parade and Volunteers have been very successful program at the gazebo. We knew we in the process of making could not go back 175 years but improvements to the city. thought it is important to honor Organizations such as the Chamber these important veterans. We have of Commerce, Main Street Vermilion, many other events taking place Friends of Harbour Town and our including an old-fashioned Street many civic organizations Dance on June 15 at the Festival of continuously work toward improving the Fish. Our Family Day will be the town’s appearance, while Saturday July 21 with events planned maintaining the historic character. for the entire community. They also work together to bring As part of our celebration, we are many tourist activities to the raising funds to purchase the Inland community. Seas Maritime Museum located on Vermilion markets its assets to Lake Erie at the end of Main Street in customers, potential investors, new downtown Vermilion. We are asking businesses, local citizens and visitors. all families to donate $1.00 each for Promoting a positive image the museum fund. You will see encourages consumers and investors containers placed in stores around the community. In the past year, through the Family Owned and Operated Since 1933 generosity of Karen and Larry Bettcher, the Serving Commercial & Industrial Accounts city was able to obtain an option on this In NW Ohio property. We are working very hard to Specializing in: secure additional STANDARD ARCHITECTURAL & MULTIfunding to purchase COLOR COATINGS this property. It is vitally important WOOD FINISHING to the community to acquire this lakefront VINYL WALLCOVERING property adjacent to our beach in downtown WATER REPELLENT COATINGS Vermilion. This is a TWO COMPONENT EPOXY & URETHANE once in a lifetime SYSTEMS opportunity that we just cannot pass up. WATER AND SAND BLASTING The city works closely with our schools and our library to make “Professional Painting Pays” Vermilion a better 419-332-1363 Toll Free 800-797-6252 place. The City of 446 N. Wood St., Fremont, OH 43420 Vermilion has successfully built www.maypainting.com

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May 2012

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Huron Water Safety Day Receives National Recognition

During Water Safety Day, students get to examine “close up” a powerful Coast Guard helicopter.

Christine Crawford, an independent insurance agent, combined her love of sailing on the waters of Lake Erie with an innovative program that has won a national award for its Water & Boating Safety Awareness Education Program for the youth of Huron. The National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) selected Crawford, chairman and co-founder of the annual Water Safety Day event, as winner of the 2011 BoatUS Boating Safety Youth Award. The program began in the spring of 2007 when Crawford sat down with then Fire Chief Paul Berlin to discuss how to create an enjoyable program for students to learn about safety on the Huron River that cuts through the city and the nearby lake. Crawford, holder of a Coast Guard Master Captain’s License, a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and avid sailor, used hers and Berlin’s talent, background and local resources to launch the successful program. Water Safety Day (WSD) is a

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structured, educational full-day event focusing on water and boating safety available to all the third and fourth grade students in the community The WSD team assists with coordinating the event, while federal, state and local safety service agencies work together to deliver the powerful water and boating safety messages. The U.S. Coast Guard units from Marblehead and Detroit, the local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 09-06-05, ODNR – Division of Watercraft, the American Red Cross, the American Canoe Association, Ohio Sea Grant, Huron Fire and Huron Police, along with many Christine Crawford and Paul Berlin, others spend the day with some 250 co-founders of Huron’s Water Safety students. The program is designed for Day pose with the BoatUS Boating the students to travel in an organized Safety Youth Award the program fashion between five different won in 2011. Photos by Jennifer Kilinteractive educational safety bury sessions. Five years later, the program has delivered the 1,000th life jacket while reaching out to 1,011 students about water safety. The program has been recognized by the Huron City government through several proclamations, has been honored by receiving the Commandant’s Award from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2008 and has received the Coast Guard’s endorsement of the program. “Water and boating safety is critical in a riverfront, lakefront and Great Lake community. We had no idea that five years late our program would be growing and become a staple in the community,” stated Crawford. Crawford and Berlin still lead the Water Safety Day Team with the help from Jarod Smith from the Huron Fire Department, Doug Steinwart from the Huron Boat Basin, Jim Tremelling from the Students had the opportunity to “rescue” a fireCoast Guard Auxiliary fighter with either a hook or ring from the water and Jennifer Kilbury of at the Huron Boat Basin. Cottage Designs.

May 2012

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Going, Going … Not Quite Gone By Lisa Yako If you have not already noticed, there are three rows of crippled silos that remain at the former ConAgra site. The site, which was originally scheduled to be cleared by April 24, is far from completion. At the regular meeting of the Huron City Council on April 10, the Council amended the agreement with Ed Burdue & Company for the demolition of the mill buildings and grain silos at the former ConAgra property. The time frame associated with the contract with Burdue was extended by 120 days, with August 22 being the new date for completion of the project. According to Andy White,

“Several factors including participation, ground saturation, absence of a winter ground freeze, and the integrity of the structures themselves contributed to delays that made the original date impossible to meet.” As part of the agreement, Burdue will maintain a minimum of five workers on the job until completion. Further, Burdue will be required to suspend operations for no longer than three days in the event of adverse weather conditions that causes nuisance dust. This modified schedule will have no effect on the project budget of $1,013,240.00. (The city received a grant of $2 million from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) to fund this project.)

As of Monday, April 16, AED, the company who imploded the buildings and is the sub-contractor, was back on the job. Therefore, all of the remaining silos should be down within the next 2.5 weeks. Following this, Burdue & Company will continue with their efforts to recycle all of the materials from the buildings. So far, ODOD officials are pleased with the progress made on the project. In addition, the project was selected to be showcased at the 2012 Ohio Brownfield Conference as a representation of an innovative waterfront Brownfield. In other news, the City is progressing in their efforts to increase access to the pier.

The path leading to the pier has been widened, and vegetation will soon be pruned and cleared from along the pier so as to make the lighthouse more visible from the southernmost part of the pier. Other plans

Small Business Basics Seminars The Ohio Small Business Development Center at Terra State Community College is offering free, two-hour seminars, “Small Business Basics,” that will answer questions about starting, buying or expanding a small business. This seminar will take the confusion out of your efforts and help you avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary steps. Learn the basics of: name registration, licensing, taxes, zoning, business entities, employees, insurance, financing and business planning. The May schedule is: • Wednesday, May 9 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tiffin Area Chamber of Commerce (conference room), 19 W. Market St., Tiffin • Wednesday, May 16 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Erie County Chamber of Commerce (conference room), 225 W. Washington Row, Sandusky • Wednesday, May 23 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Terra State Community College (Building B, Room 101), 2830 Napoleon Road, Fremont These events are free and open to the public. To register or for more information, call Bill Auxter, Director of the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Terra Community College, toll-free 800-826-2431 or 419-559-2210. Or contact him by email at bauxter@terra.edu.

include blazing hiking trails throughout the spoil site and creating a viewing deck on top of the old blockhouse. These projects should be completed within the next two months.

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May 2012

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BGSU Firelands: A Partner to all the Communities it Serves Bowling Green State University Firelands College has a long history of partnerships with the community it serves. The very presence of the College in Huron is due in great part to a community partnership. It was in 1965 that a group of motivated community members formed the Committee on Educational Development and started the process of raising the $600,000 required to demonstrate to the state legislature our community’s support for what would later become BGSU Firelands. In an unprecedented demonstration of their commitment

Cheryl Krueger (seated on the right) founder of Cheryl’s Cookies spoke with clients of BGSU Firelands’ RISE program during a recent visit to the campus. to higher education, the community raised in less than three months more than $1.1 million (an equivalent of $8 million at current dollar value). “This spirit of community partnership continues to thrive throughout the last 46 years of the College and underscores our commitment to give back to this community,” said BGSU Firelands Dean William Balzer. “In fact, one of the key priorities in the College’s ongoing Strategic Plan is to ‘pursue educational, workforce development, cultural, and community partnerships to better serve the Firelands region’.” That philosophy is evident in many of the programs and initiatives at BGSU Firelands. One of the most recent additions to the college campus is RISE – the Regional Incubator for Sustainability and Entrepreneurship – a partnership

between BGSU Firelands and the Erie County achieved through “Service Learning.” Service Economic Development Corporation. RISE was learning is typically a classroom project which established to grow jobs and spearhead economic offers college students a practical, hands on development by linking business owners and experience to enrich their understanding and aspiring entrepreneurs to regional service providers learning, but equally important, offers a great with expertise in business start-up, development, benefit to partner organizations in our community. and acceleration. All services are free to any Dozens of service learning projects are completed community member. by the faculty and students of BGSU Firelands each RISE is delivering on that promise. Approximately year. one year after opening, RISE has provided business Dr. Linda Cornell, associate professor of chemistry development and support across a variety of areas at BGSU Firelands, and her students have been to 29 companies (15 start-up initiatives and 14 actively involved for five years in a service learning existing businesses). Total combined employment project which monitors water quality in several for the companies is approximately 130 individuals. bodies of water in the area. The information Other College partnerships seek to grow minds. collected, including chemical and physical Such is the case with the Women in Science, properties of the water, is shared with the Firelands Technology, Engineering, and Math conference Coastal Tributary Watershed Program and the Old hosted annually on campus to more than 100 Woman Creek National Estuary Research Reserve. female students in 7th and 8th grades. Cosponsored “We build a long-term picture of the health of the by the North Point Educational Service Center, water,” said Cornell. “The data are used to Women in STEM highlights science and technology pinpoint where land use remediation is most careers and opportunities to promote greater helpful and educates community members on gender diversity in these key disciplines critical to environmentally friendly uses of the land and the country’s future. water.” “Access to these professions is at an all-time high Community partnerships are a cornerstone on for women,” said conference organizer and BGSU which BGSU Firelands has been built. Partnerships Firelands Office of Educational Outreach Assistant abound through the philanthropic efforts of Director Kelly Cusack. “However, building student organizations, educational programs awareness and desire to pursue these professions offered at the college, faculty scholarship and must be instilled at the earliest stages of goal and community service, and through the nearly 50 career development.” community organizations that use BGSU Firelands The young ladies participate in several hands-on facilities each year. learning experiences which are intended to both As BGSU Firelands closes in on its 50th anniversary, entertain and educate. Working sessions last year we remain true to the original aspirations of the included presentations and demonstrations by community who believed that higher education female role models from BGSU, BGSU Firelands, would be important to the future of the community. NASA Plum Brook Station, and Imagination The College looks forward to continuing this Station, a science- and discovery-based activity important mission for many years to come. center in Toledo, Ohio. On a broader scale of partnership, the College has recently established the BGSU Firelands Community Enrichment Series which is free and open to all community members. Made possible through a generous donation from a local foundation, the Series invites national and regional speakers to the campus to share their perspectives and insights on topics of general interest and social importance to the community. Speakers this year included Native American activist, journalist, and poet Suzan Harjo who served on committees for presidents Obama and Carter, and author Theresa Flores, a human trafficking survivor, author, and victims’ advocate. Native American activist, journalist, and poet Suzan Harjo speaks Other mutually beneficial College/ to a crowded room during her BGSU Firelands Community Encommunity partnerships are richment Series presentation.

May 2012

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Legal The Demise of Estate Tax By Jeff Roth An ESTATE tax is a tax levied for the honor of dying. There were only 17 states that levied this tax. This January there will only be 16. Effective Jan. 1, 2013, the Ohio Estate Tax is no longer. This tax was one of several reasons why Ohioans would exit the state and establish residency in a non-tax state. Governor Kasich vowed to repeal this tax if elected and he has followed through with his promise. This tax was 7% of all of a deceased individual’s assets over $338,333. 00. This was the lowest exemption amount in the nation. It is anticipated that the repeal will entice those couples to return to Ohio. These same couples also moved to a state that has no income tax so it will be interesting to see if the repeal will be enough to have them return. The reason for the delay in its starting date was to give villages, townships and cities time to correct future budgets reflecting the eliminations of the funds. These entities received eighty percent (80%) of the estate tax revenue. Actually, I am not sure how the municipalities and especially the townships will replace this revenue but there has been very little complaining and it appears that the repeal will stand. A major reason for estate planning surrounded the prevention of paying Ohio Estate tax. With the repeal, our planning goals will shift and we will be at liberty to take more aggressive action to avoid federal tax and nursing home expense. Any one that has what is known as an A-B revocable trust will need to have their trusts reviewed. We will be able to change the language and allow more assets to go direct to children. We will be able to protect large estates from end of life costs and know that assets, farms and businesses can be passed on to grandchildren or beyond. With the use of a partial QTIP

election, we can provide for the surviving spouse while guarantying that the family property is passed on down to future generations. The use of a disclaimer trust will allow the surviving spouse to make the correct decision at the death of the first spouse. We will no longer have to play a numbers game to avoid the Ohio Estate Tax. This does not mean that only a trust will save money. We can use “Transfer on death”, or “joint and survivorship” titling to transfer property down to kids or grandkids. This also avoids probate and is not as complicated as a revocable trust. Historically any amount transferred to a non-spouse at death over the $338,333.00 would be subject to tax. This limitation will be gone. The repeal of the Ohio Estate Tax will open many doors to simplify planning and allow individuals to plan and protect their assets for several generations by the use of generation skipping techniques. Taking advantage of a direct transfer to the next generation upon the death of the first spouse can protect assets from the cost of a nursing home. Once we get closer to the first of the year, it should be mandatory to review your existing documents and adjust to the new freedom from tax. Jeff Roth is a partner with Forrest Bacon, David Bacon and associate Jessica Moon of the firm ROTH and BACON with offices in Port Clinton, Upper Sandusky, Marion, Ohio and Fort Myers, Florida. All members of the firm are licensed in the State of Florida. Mr. Roth’s practice is limited to wealth strategy planning and elder law in both states. Nothing in this article is intended for, nor should be relied upon as individual legal advice. The purpose of this article is to help educate the public on concepts of law as they pertain to estate and business planning. If you have any questions you would like to have answered in this area of law, please direct your question to this journal and your question will be considered for use as the topic of subsequent articles. Jeff Roth can be reached at ohiofloridatrust@ aol.com (telephone: 419-732-9994) copyright Jeffrey P. Roth 2012.

Breading Machine Receives National Restaurant Award The Optimax KC-1 model of batter breading machines has received a 2012 Kitchen Innovations Award by the National Restaurant Association. The NRA award was given in recognition of the machine's notable operational efficiencies, cost effectiveness and ergonomic qualities. The machine is part of the foodservice equipment product line from Bettcher, a leading worldwide developer of equipment for the foodservice industry. The NRA’s Kitchen Innovations Awards recognize new, cuttingedge kitchen equipment in the foodservice industry. An independent panel of judges comprised of internationally recognized food facilities consultants, multi-unit executives and design experts selected the 2012 award recipients in recognition of significant innovations that improve

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CHAMBER CALENDARS for May Bellevue Chamber 12

Touch The Heart Youth Ministries Drug Awareness Walk 9:00 a.m.

Teddy Roosevelt Interpreter Gib Young 11:30 a.m. Croghan Bank

Chamber Auction 6:00 p.m. Wade Auctions 125 East Main Street.

Erie County Chamber of Commerce 8 14 16 17

Business Services Committee meeting 8:00 a.m. Chamber office.

18 21

Workshop on Linked-In 7:30 a.m. Plum Brook Country Club. Free, but advance registration required Call Chamber

Executive Committee 4:00 p.m. Chamber office

Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce 15

“Meet me @ 4 pm” Business Networking Event 4 – 6 p.m. Kemosabe’s Roadhouse Grill

16 24

Board Meeting 7:30 am, Chamber Building

Safety Council 11:30 am Fostoria Community Hospital

Seminar “Do More in Less Time” Noon – 1 p.m. At OCIC Free to Chamber members

Chamber Board Meeting Noon Fostoria Community Hospital

Business After Hours Joyful Connections, 5-7 p.m.

Social Media Networking 9 – 11 am Fostoria Community Hospital Lower Level Conference Room $25 for Training and Breakfast Bring your own laptop RSVP Chamber

Annual Chamber Golf Outing, 8 am Oak Harbor Golf Club

Business Introduction/ Public Speaking 9 – 11 am, Chamber $25 for Training and Brunch RSVP Chamber

Small Business Development Center Business Start-up Workshop 9:30 a.m., Chamber office. Business After Hours Wolff Bros. Supply; 2800 Strub Road 5:15 p.m., RSVP to Chamber Board of Directors 7:30 a.m., Perkins Restaurant.

Erie County Business PAC meeting 5:30 p.m. Location TBD

Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce

Huron County Chamber of Commerce

Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce 17

Downtown Businesses The Art Walk Premier. 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Ag Progressive Safety Day Children ages 8-13 Lessons and demonstrations. 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Sandusky County Fairgrounds

Ambassador Meeting 8:00 a.m., Securance Service Gibsonburg

Chamber Board Meeting, 7:30 a.m., Chamber Office

Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce 11

Walleye Festival Committee Meeting MSPC Office, 8:30 am

Chamber Board Meeting Chamber Office, 8:30 am

Chamber Foundation Board Meeting Chamber Office, 9:00 am

Main Street Board Meeting MSPC Office, 8:30 am Walleye Festival Committee Meeting MSPC Office, 8:30 am

Main Street Design Committee MSPC Office, 3:00 p.m.

Business After Hours Flickinger Insurance and Fancy That, 28/30 East Main St. 5-6:30 p.m.

Safety Council Manufacturing, 7:30 am, Chamber office, RSVP

Board of Directors, 4:00 p.m., Chamber office

Education Committee 8:00 am, location TBD

24 -28 Walleye Festival www.walleyefestival.com

Safety Council General Risk/Service, 7:30 am, Chamber office, RSVP

Free Workshop: Finding and Applying for Grants, 8:00 am Ida Rupp Public Library

Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Services 9

Chamber 7:30 am

Board

Meeting

Small Business Basics Seminar 9:30 to 11:30 am. Free Chamber of Commerce. Register at 800-826-2431 Or e-mail bauxter@terra.edu

Ribbon Cutting Technical Fashionz 4:15 pm. 76 E. Market St Picture & Ribbon Cutting will take place at 4:30 p.m.

Ribbon Cutting Roger Smith Insurance 11 am. 720 W. Market St. Ribbon Cutting at 11:15 am. Open House from 11 - 2 p.m.

Ambassador Meeting Noon, Chamber Please RSVP

Tiffin Area Safety Council 11:30 am at Moose Lodge

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Business and community leaders attended the Annual Dinner and Awards Program for the Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Port Clinton at the Catawba Island Club on April 26.

Port Clinton Chamber, Main Street Hand Out Annual Honors By John Schaffner A business that was started over 75 years ago, a business that has been a staple of downtown Port Clinton for all that time, has been formally recognized. The Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce awarded its Business Member of the Year Award to Bolte Real Estate at its Annual Meeting held at Catawba Island Club. Bolte’s won the award in competition with Croghan Colonial Bank. The long history of one of the oldest existing Real Estate businesses in Ohio has been well documented over the years. Four generations have been through the business’s management team, starting with Ann Bolte in 1936. In those days, few women worked, let alone started companies. Ann was followed by her son Eugene, who began the Insurance side of the business. He was followed by his daughter Cindy, who first joined the firm in 1980. In 2001, Cindy’s son Phillip joined up, and has also started a construction affiliate to the growing business. The Lighthouse Award went to Ida Rupp Public Library. They were chosen over three other nominees who were judged to be outstanding business in their individual fields. The other nominees included Home Instead Senior Care, Loadmaster Trailer Company and Riverview Healthcare Campus.

There were two nominees for the Beautification award, including Dock’s Beach House and Coffee Express. Ed Fitzgerald won the award for Dock’s Beach House. The Fitzgerald team also owns and operates Mr. Ed’s, Beachfront Hotel, Commodore Perry Inn and Suites in Port Clinton. They also own Mr. Ed’s and the Commodore Hotel on Put-in-Bay. Janeane and Tony Cipiti, tireless volunteer workers for the City of Port Clinton, won the Outstanding Citizen Award over two other nominee couples, Maxine and Gil Carnicom as well as Barb and Max McLaury. Janeane has declined nomination for the award on a number of occasions, but finally relented. Her handiwork can be seen by all in the garden at the corner of Jefferson and Perry Streets, a task she has performed for years. She and Tony have been married for 62 years. Main Street Port Clinton gave out two awards. The Business of the Year recognition went to Erie Cottage Trading Company, located behind Coffee Express in the old Carriage House building. The business is owned by Doug and Tony Garrett as well as Debbie Coppeler. Roseann Hickman, owner of Perfect Color Hair and Tan on North Madison Street, was honored as Volunteer of the Year. An overflow crowd of 160 attended Thursday’s event.

Winners of Main Street's Business of the Year, Toni Garrett, Doug Garrett and Debbie Coppeler from Erie Cottage Trading Company, pose for a photo with Volunteer of the Year Roseann Hickman, owner of Perfect Color Hair and Tan.

12 May 2012

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OCIC: Bay Point Named Ottawa County Business of the Year By John Schaffner It was the 2012 Business and Industry Awards presented by the Ottawa County Improvement Corporation. A large crowd of business and community leaders were gathered at the main banquet hall of the Camp Perry Clubhouse Wednesday evening. Nine major awards were handed out to businesses and individuals with the top award, Business of the Year, going to Bay Point Marina and Resort. Jamie Beier Grant, Executive Director of OCIC, read a paragraph on each of the award nominees as the night progressed while Ottawa County Commissioner Mark Stahl presented each winner with their award. Brooke Brown accepted the award as Business of the Year on behalf of Bay Point.

Kelley Frey and Geno Monaco from the Ottawa County Sanitary Engineer’s Office shared the Volunteer of the Year award. The daughters of Jack Schiller, Barb Lodermeier and Mary Coffee, as well as grandson John Coffee received the Personal Achievement award given posthumously. The Ottawa County Visitors Bureau was named the Economic Development Partner award, while Don Clemons, Sr. received the Bill Mack Award. The Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Advance Battery Concepts in Lake Winds Industrial Park. Three businesses were nominated for the Large Business of the Year, including Bay Point. They were joined by Heinemann Winery and the Put-in-Bay Boat Line. The award went to the folks at the Jet Express. The outstanding Medium Business

Community Health Services Opening New Medical Office in Fostoria Joe Liszak, Chief Executive Officer of Community Health Services (CHS), announced that CHS will open a new medical office located at 504 Van Buren Street in Fostoria in early May 2012. This new medical practice will provide a broad spectrum of health care services for the entire family. Community Health Services is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with locations throughout Northwest Ohio. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, CHS provides primary health services to anyone— regardless of their ability to pay. This is considered an “open access concept” of health care and offers a discount of fees for qualifying patients—making health care services affordable for everyone. In addition, CHS welcomes all Medicaid Managed Care Plans, Medicare and most insurance plans. “In these tough

economic times, it’s important to know that ability to pay is never a barrier to quality medical care,” Liszak added. The Fostoria office will offer comprehensive primary medical care such as physicals, sick visits, injuries, as well as care for ongoing care for chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health care needs. The opening of the Fostoria CHS medical office was made possible through a collaborative effort between Community Health Services and Fostoria Community Hospital, which is part of the ProMedica Health Care System. Together, these organizations are working to meet the health care needs of the entire community and ensure quality, affordable medical care for the people who live in the Fostoria area.

Local business leaders recognized for excellence at OCIC’s annual Business & Industry Awards Dinner on April 25. PHOTO BY JOHN SCHAFFNER of the Year award went to Riverside Machine and Automation in Genoa, as they edged out the Moore Family Businesses (Cameo Pizza, Crosswinds Restaurant, Island Adventures and Cedar Lanes Campgrounds) along with Chipmatic Tool in Elmore.

JONESES from 2 to post those details of her personal life…and you won’t know that things aren’t as perfect as they seem.” The bottom line is, jealousy doesn’t do anybody any good. It makes you feel needlessly unhappy, and it can negatively affect your relationship with others. Here are six of Patkin’s tips to help you banish envy the next time it starts to rear its ugly head: Admit that envy is a problem. To some extent, envy is natural. You can’t go through your life without feeling jealous from time to time. So first, simply take note of when and why the green-eyed monster makes an appearance. (You may not even have consciously realized what you’re feeling!) Specifically, be aware of how strong your emotions are and what effect they have on your attitude and behavior. “You don’t have to take your emotional temperature every five minutes, but being generally aware of the role envy plays in your life can really make a difference in your behavior,” Patkin says. “For instance,

Zink Calls of Port Clinton, represented by Dawn and Fred Zink, were named the outstanding Small Business of the Year. Also nominated were Oak Harbor Hardware and Advance Product Designs, an auto racing specialty business in Genoa. if you’re carrying around a lot of anger toward a coworker because the boss liked his project proposal instead of yours, it could be making you unnecessarily snarky, critical, and negative. That means that you’re ruining your own day and hurting your performance…and you might also be burning some office bridges you’ll regret later!” Remember that “happiness” looks different for everyone. When you’re constantly comparing yourself to the Joneses, you’ll suffer several unintended consequences. First, worrying about how you don’t measure up robs you of your present happiness. Plus, it leaves you unable to think about how you really want your own life to look. “We talk about the American dream of a house, a pool, two cars in the garage, and the proverbial white picket fence,” Patkin explains. “But the truth is, the same cookie-cutter mold doesn’t work for everybody! The lifestyle that makes your neighbor or your cousin or your dentist happy might not work for

See JONESES 13

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JONESES from 12 you. And if that’s the case, who cares if it’s flashier, more glamorous, or ‘cooler’? Trust me, when you give yourself permission to live your life on your terms instead of letting others set the bar (and feeling jealous as a result), you might be surprised by how good you already have it.” Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Yes, living with an “attitude of gratitude” is a clichéd concept. But infusing it into your life will also totally change your viewpoint…especially if you have a chronic case of “the envies.” The fact is, it’s very easy to take things for granted: the information your coworker emailed you, the fact that your car is running, and even the food you’re eating for dinner. Most of us have gotten into the habit of ignoring all of the good things in our lives, and instead, we focus our mental energy on being upset about what’s wrong. But Patkin promises that it can be a true game changer when you reverse the time you spend thinking about each. “Over the course of my life, I have learned that it’s smarter to thank others because of how they make your life better instead of secretly resenting them because they have something you don’t,” he claims. “And yes, it does take a while to make this change in how you habitually think. To start tapping into the power of gratitude, just say ‘thanks’ to the people who help you out during your day. (You might even work up to writing thank-you notes, as I do.) And beyond that, try to notice all of the blessings in your life. For me, my wonderful wife and extraordinary son top the list, as well as the fact that I finally get to do what I love— help others live happier lives. In time, you’ll start to notice that most of your envy has miraculously left the building.” Focus on others…but in a different way. If you have an hour or so of free time, you could spend it by trawling Facebook (and maybe watching a reality show that highlights the lifestyles of the rich and famous in the background). At the end of that hour, you’ll probably feel dissatisfied with your own lot

See JONESES 20

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14 May 2012

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Now Open at 1100 Neal Zick Road!

The NEW Mercy Willard Hospital

Port Clinton’s Bookstore to Stay Open Mercy Willard hospital relocated to the new hospital on May 6, 2012. After years of planning, Mercy Willard’s two-story, 104,000 square foot replacement hospital is now open! The new hospital enhances the patient experience through a variety of improvements, including: · private patient rooms · a helipad outside the emergency department · MRI suite · digital mammography · a greatly expanded and more efficient Surgical Suite · an attractive Outpatient Service area · easy access to care support providers and physician offices The new hospital enables Mercy Willard to continue to introduce advances in technology and services, supporting our commitment to delivering high quality care. Patients and visitors enter Mercy Willard’s new home with ease from U.S. 224 onto Neal Zick Road. Dedicated entrances for the hospital and physician offices are easily accessible, creating a safe campus environment. Easy-to-read signage directs patients to the emergency department entrance, located at the side of the facility.

Mercy Primary Care – Willard and Mercy Cardiology Specialists are now located at the new hospital!

All phone numbers have remained the same!

The Book Exchange, on Madison Street in downtown Port Clinton, is under new management and the sole ownership of Michael Fitzgerald. A long time supporter and employee in the Port Clinton community, Fitzgerald is excited and anxious for a fresh start to his store. He had previously been involved as a partner in the business and has now taken over all responsibility of the store. Weighing in on all options, Fitzgerald contemplated closing the store, but the outpouring of support from the fellow downtown merchants and previous customers spoke volumes: they wanted the store to remain a piece of downtown Port Clinton. Well aware of the challenges of owning a business in a rough economy, Fitzgerald said, “My primary focus is customer service. I want everyone to feel comfortable in my store and I want them to have a good experience. I plan to bring back the readers groups and writers groups we once facilitated for the community.” With technology playing such an increasing role in reading books, Fitzgerald added, “I hope to not only grow the physical store but also online sales, which are available on our Web site, and the e-reader market.” The store is open 7 days a week, Mon-Sat 9-5 and Sun 10-4. For more information, visit the Web site: www.thebookexchange.net

Ample, convenient parking and safer, heated sidewalks.

Port Clinton City Officials, Chamber and Main Street Tour CMP 1100 Neal Zick Road | Willard, Ohio 44890 | 419.964.5000 |

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Port Clinton City Council and administration, and Board members for the Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Port Clinton met with representatives from the Civilian Marksmanship Program last month to learn more about the National Matches and to tour Camp Perry.

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May 2012

Magruder Sandusky County Safety Council Now Members Receive Safety Awards Offers Urology Services

Sandco Industries Executive Director Leah Harper (l) receives Special Safety Award from Michelle Francisco, Safety Council Director of the Ohio BWC Division of Safety & Hygiene in recognition of employees working 2,392,045 hours between 10/20/1988 - 12/31/2011 without a lost-time incident.”

Submitted by: Jim Miranda Safety Council Manager

Dr. Dino Santacroce, a Urologist with the RoMIUS Institute of Northwest Ohio, has recently joined the M a g r u d e r H o s p i t a l Medical Staff, specializing in Adult Urology. According to Mike Long, President & CEO of Magruder, Dr. Sanatcroce is adding a muchneeded service to the community. “For several years now, the majority of people within the community have had to leave the area for urology services. When the RoMIUS Institute approached us about bringing their services to Magruder, we saw this as a great opportunity for Magruder and the community.” Long said after meeting with the entire group of physicians at the RoMIUS Institute, the decision to move forward was unanimous. “We really think the community will be happy with these doctors. Dr. Santacroce will be the primary urologist seeing patients here at Magruder a couple of days a week,” said Long. Dr. Santacroce completed his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University. He then went on to graduate from the University of Toledo Medical Center after completing his residency in Urologic Surgery. During his medical studies, he earned the Edward F. Ockuly Award for outstanding achievements in Urology, achieved the highest score in the nation on his Inservice Examination and served as the Resident Representative to the Ohio Urologic Society.

At its Safety Awards Banquet held at Ole Zim’s Wagon Shed on April 25th 51 members of the Sandusky County Safety Council received a total of 76 safety awards from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation’s Department of Safety & Hygiene either for having zero lost-time accidents/illnesses during 2011, or for making significant reductions in such losttime incidents. 12 members received Special Awards for operating at least 500,000 hours and at least 6 months with no lost time incidents, led by Sandco Industries of Fremont, whose employees have worked 2,392,045 accident-free hours beginning on 10/20/1988 and running through 12/31/2011, and by The Croghan Colonial Bank with 1,584,993 incident-free hours between 8/11/2006 through 12/31/2011. Fremont City Schools and Solae, LLC of Bellevue were both recipients of award certificates in all four categories; Special, Achievement, 100% and Group. The Sandusky County Safety Council is one of 80 councils throughout the state of Ohio that operate under the auspices of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Safety councils are designed to encourage safety in the workplace by providing safety-related educational opportunities at monthly meetings and elsewhere. Membership in the Sandusky

Croghan Colonial Bank Board of Directors member Mike Allen (l) receives a Special Safety Award from Michelle Francisco, Safety Council Director of the Ohio BWC’ Division of Safety & Hygiene in recognition of employees working 1,584,993 hours between 8/11/2006 - 12/31/2011 without a losttime incident.” County Safety Council is open to all businesses in Sandusky County and surrounding areas. July 1, 2012 marks the beginning of FY13 and the enrollment period for new members. A 2% refund on workers’ comp insurance premiums will be available in FY12 to members that meet the requirements of “active participation” in Safety Council, with an additional 2% discount possible for members that have a significant decrease in the number and/or severity of lost time injuries. Further information about the Sandusky County Safety Council can be obtained by contacting Jim Miranda at the Chamber office, 419-332-1591, or safety@ scchamber.org.

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18 May 2012

North Coast Business Journal

Estate

Trust Basics Douglas Gildenmeister Senior Vice President, Investments The Gildenmeister Wealth Management Group of Raymond James Whether you’re seeking to manage your own assets, control how your assets are distributed after your death, or plan for incapacity, trusts can help you accomplish your estate planning goals. Their power is in their versatility--many types of trusts exist, each designed for a specific purpose. Although trust law is complex and establishing a trust requires the services of an experienced attorney, mastering the basics isn’t hard.

What

is a trust? A trust is a legal entity that holds assets for the benefit of another. Basically, it’s like a container that holds money or property for somebody else. There are three parties in a trust arrangement: • The grantor (also called a settlor or trustor): The person(s) who creates and funds the trust • The beneficiary: The person(s) who receives benefits from the trust, such as income or the right to use a home, and has what is called equitable title to trust property • The trustee: The person(s) who holds legal title to trust property, administers the trust, and has a duty to act in the best interest of the

Coming

beneficiary You create a trust by executing a legal document called a trust agreement. The trust agreement names the beneficiary and trustee, and contains instructions about what benefits the beneficiary will receive, what the trustee’s duties are, and when the trust will end, among other things.

Funding

a trust You can put almost any kind of asset in a trust, including cash, stocks, bonds, insurance policies, real estate, and artwork. The assets you choose to put in a trust will depend largely on your goals. For example, if you want the trust to generate income, you should put income-producing assets, such as bonds, in your trust. Or, if you want your trust to create a fund that can be used to pay estate taxes or provide for your family at your death, you might fund the trust with a life insurance policy.

Potential

trust advantages: • Minimize estate taxes • Shield assets from potential creditors • Avoid the expense and delay of probate • Preserve assets for your children until they are grown (in case you should die while they are still minors) • Create a pool of investments that can be managed by professional money managers • Set up a fund for your own support in the event of incapacity • Shift part of your income tax burden to beneficiaries in lower tax

June:

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Potential trust disadvantages • There are costs associated with setting up and maintaining a trust, which may include trustee fees, professional fees, and filing fees • Depending on the type of trust you choose, you may give up some control over the assets in the trust • Maintaining the trust and complying with recording and notice requirements can take considerable time • Income generated by trust assets and not distributed to trust beneficiaries may be taxed at a higher income tax rate than your individual rate.

Types

of trusts There are many types of trusts, the most basic being revocable and irrevocable. The type of trust you should use will depend on what you’re trying to accomplish.

Living (revocable)

trust A living trust is a trust that you create while you’re alive. A living trust: • Avoids probate: Unlike property that passes to heirs by your will, property that passes by a living trust is not subject to probate, avoiding the delay of property transfers to your heirs and keeping matters private • Maintains control: You can change the beneficiary, the trustee, any of the trust terms, move property in or out of the trust, or even end the trust and get your property back at any time • Protects against incapacity: If because of an illness or injury you can no longer handle your financial affairs, a successor trustee can step in and manage the trust property for you while you get better. In the

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absence of a living trust or other arrangement, your family may have to ask the court to appoint a guardian to manage your property A living trust can also continue after your death--you can direct the trustee to hold trust property until the beneficiary reaches a certain age or gets married, for instance. Caution: Despite the benefits, living trusts have some drawbacks. Property in a living trust is generally not protected from creditors, and you cannot avoid estate taxes using a living trust.

Irrevocable

trusts Unlike a revocable trust, you can’t easily change or revoke an irrevocable trust. You usually cannot change beneficiaries or change the terms of the trust. Irrevocable trusts are frequently used to minimize potential estate taxes. The transfer may be subject to gift tax at the time property is transferred into the trust, but the property, plus any future appreciation, is usually removed from your gross estate. Additionally, property transferred through an irrevocable trust will avoid probate, and may be protected from future creditors. This information was developed by Broadridge, an independent third party. It is general in nature, is not a complete statement of all information necessary for making an investment decision, and is not a recommendation or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Investments and strategies mentioned may not be suitable for all investors. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Raymond James & Associates, Inc. member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC does not provide advice on tax, legal or mortgage issues. These matters should be discussed with an appropriate professional. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC.

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May 2012

Nobody likes to talk about chest pain. But you need to have a plan – just in case. Sharon Haver began experiencing what she thought was acid reflux. She was leaving to go to the store to get anti-acid medicine when the pain became stronger and she began to sweat. It was then that she realized it wasn’t acid reflux. She began to shake, and knew it was time to call 911.

Breaking ground to begin construction are from left to right, Dan Cobb (JHI Project Manager), Dean Howman (Museum Board member), Sasha Tetzlaff (Museum Board Director), Bill Waldock (Museum Board member), Bob Reynolds (Boat Building Class Instructor) and Dave Blevins (Museum Board President).

Maritime Museum of Sandusky Starts Project On March 14th, the Sandusky Maritime Museum of Sandusky broke ground for a new Boat Building and wooden boat display at their Meigs Street location in Sandusky. This 5,625 SF facility will provide much needed space to display the Museum’s collection of wooden boats as well as a unique area specifically designed for boat building classes. Periodically during the year, the Maritime Museum offers instruction in boat building. For more information contact the Museum at 419-624-

0274. Janotta & Herner of Monroeville is the General Contractor on the project and according to Dan Cobb, JHI Project Manager, “This is an exciting project for both JHI and the Maritime Museum. The building will provide much needed room for growth and allow the museum to create future programs that will benefit the Sandusky community for years to come. Construction should be completed sometime in the middle of May.”

If you experience chest pain along with any of the following symptoms of a heart attack, call 911 immediately: • Pain and/or squeezing sensation of the chest • Shortness of breath • Sweating • Indigestion • Arm pain or upper back pain • General feeling of illness

The squad arrived quickly. When Sharon arrived at the Mercy Tiffin Hospital’s emergency department, she saw Laura Gaietto and Craig Hepp. She said to them, “Don’t let me die.” Laura and Craig responded, “Not on our shift Sharon.” Sharon said that the entire emergency department staff stayed close to her and knew exactly what to do. They assured her that there was a Chest Pain Accredited team taking great care of her and everything would be okay. Laura Gaietto continued to hold her hand. Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick said that she needed to be transported via Life Flight. Within 40 minutes of her arrival at the emergency department, Sharon was on her way to Mercy St. Vincent’s Medical Center. Sharon credits her remaining life to the treatment she received at Mercy Tiffin’s emergency department. “Laura and Craig are truly angels of Mercy,” said Sharon. “They saved my broken heart.”

“I thought it was acid reflux until I began to sweat.”

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20 May 2012

North Coast Business Journal

JONESES from 13 in life, if you’re not outright angry at how “good” other people have it. Or, you could spend your free time helping your kids build a fort in the backyard, using your financial knowhow to help a friend set up a muchneeded budget, or even volunteering at a local organization that needs an extra pair of hands. “If you choose the second option, you’ll be a lot happier—guaranteed,” Patkin promises. “Instead of focusing on how much you think your life sucks, focus on how you can use your strengths to help others’ lives be better. It will take the same amount of time but will be so much more uplifting and productive. We all have a choice: We can choose to look to the right and see people who have ‘more,’ or we can choose to look to the left and see others who aren’t as fortunate…and whom we can

tangibly help. I firmly believe that the greatest fulfillment in life comes not from satisfying ourselves, but from helping others.” Be generous. You’ve heard the saying, “The more you give, the more you receive.” Well, that goes for happiness, gratitude, help, friendship, and more! When you are generous with these things, you’ll invite them back into your life, too. People who are positive, supportive, and loving experience life very differently from those who are jealous and negative. “Here’s an easy example of what I mean,” recounts Patkin. “Say your friend just got engaged, and you’re still looking for your own Mr. (or Ms.) Right. It’s okay to feel a twinge of jealousy at first. But instead of feeding the fire by scowling at a newly posted album of engagement photos and wishing that you too could change your relationship status to ‘engaged,’ call your friend and

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congratulate her! You’ll have to acknowledge that she didn’t say ‘yes’ with the intention of making you feel bad, and you’ll probably also hang up the phone feeling happy for her.” Pay more attention to the little things. If you think about it, a lot of us experience envy over the “big” things: relationships, wealth, career opportunities, vacations, houses, etc. But it’s also true that all of our happiness doesn’t come from, say, getting a new car—a lot of it also comes from a variety of little things that add up. “Take a few minutes and think about what makes you happy on a day-to-day basis,” Patkin advises. “It might be eating a delicious meal, taking a few minutes to read a chapter in your latest book, or taking a walk with your spouse. Then, make an effort to incorporate those things into your life as often as you can.

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Think about it this way: You can’t give yourself a promotion at work, but you can definitely get yourself a yummy cup of coffee on your way into the office. When you let the little things make you happy more often, there will be less room for envy to creep in.” “Don’t underestimate the insidious power of envy,” Patkin concludes. “If you allow it to take root in your life, it will bring you only bitterness, isolation, and disappointment. But the good news is, it really is in your power to take charge of the greeneyed monster. Just remember, if you always try to focus on what is going well in your life, you will feel much more balanced and look back on your life with much less regret. I promise, taking gradual steps to banish jealousy will make you happier each and every day!”

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OSBA awards for EHOVE EHOVE Career Center was presented with a plaque from the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) to recognize the efforts of the students and staff for their community service work. Twelve student groups and many staff members participated in a myriad of volunteer and community service activities, working on behalf of charities like the Salvation Army, Erie County Care & Share, Toys for Tots, Special Olympics, Historic Lyme Village, Goodwill, American Red Cross, St. Jude s Children s Research Hospital, and other activities to benefit military servicemen in Afghanistan, animal shelters and local residents and schoolchildren experiencing tough times. EHOVE Board of Education members Dr. Paul R. Lockwood II and Carole Kuns received the Who s Who in the NW Region Excellence Award for Outstanding Leadership from OSBA. According to Dr. Judith Jackson May, NW Region OSBA Manager and Associate Professor at Bowling Green State University, this award recognizes the importance of effective organizational leadership and that leadership occurs at all levels of the organization from the playground to the central office.

North Coast Business Journal

May 2012

(Left) Adult Education Culinary Artsinstructor Chef Beth Ringlein congratulating her Adult Education Culinary Arts student Jason Linder of Norwalk after announcing his scholarship award at the annual dinner.

tireless and selfless efforts on behalf of both school boards. Culinary Arts instructors Chef Michael Edwards (high school) and Beth Ringlein (adult education) were honored with a Humanitarian Award from OSBA for their 12 year history of (Below) Culinary Arts Infundraising. Through an annual structor Chef Michael Eddinner event, the pair has raised and wards (third from left) given away over $41,000 for student with scholarship award scholarships, cooks camps, and state winners at the annual dinconference attendance. This year, ner. (L-R) Culinary Arts they raised over $5000 and funded 11 students Brian West (Danstudent scholarships. bury HS), Hannah RumChef Edwards has been instrumental butis (Perkins HS), Tori in making an impact on students Horning (Monroeville HS), lives in numerous venues, said Emily Johnston (Edison Executive Director Kitty Smith. He HS) and Nicole Sommers goes above and beyond for his (Norwalk HS). students and makes sure they receive the right experiences in the hospitality industry. Chef Beth Ringlein is so deserving of this award she is like Wonder Woman here at EHOVE Career Center, said Adult Education Director Viki Kaszonyi, who described a lengthy list of instructional, professional and community responsibilities in which Ringlein excels. Chef Beth is looked to as a leader in the state in Culinary Education and has shared her success secrets for culinary programming with other Adult Career Centers all over Ohio. She epitomizes the spirit of what Workforce Development Education is all about. EHOVE Career Center is a leading career tech school in Milan Township. This high school and adult education facility draws students from a variety of locales, and serves multiple school districts in Erie, Huron and Ottawa Counties. Students are given the (L-R) EHOVE Board of Education President Dr. Paul opportunity to take challenging academic R. Lockwood II and Vice-President Carole Kuns classes in a customized The nominees for this award are and relevant curriculum, and gain peer generated by those who work hands-on training and real world closely with the nominee. This year experience to prepare them for Paul Lockwood and Carole Kuns, who college, a specific career, or the belong to two boards, were nominated military. For more information, go to Amy L. Flickinger, CIC by superintendents Sharon www.EHOVE.net or call 419-499Mastroianni from EHOVE and Bill 4663 x232. 30 E. Main St. Norwalk, OH 44857 • www.flickingerins.com • Lally from North Point ESC for their

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22 May 2012

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The Well-Booked Business By Cathy Allen It is probably fair to accuse me of being overly picky about my heroes. After all, having read Gone with the Wind before seeing the movie, Clark Gable never really worked for me as Rhett Butler. A long-time fan of the Little House series of books, I always thought Michael Landon was cute, but he was just not Laura’s Pa. So color me skeptical that Brad Pitt was the right choice to play Billy Beane in the movie version of Moneyball. Puhlease! Oh well, at least the movie (and the critical acclaim Pitt received) caused a lot of us to pull Moneyball off the bookshelf for a fresh look. It’s about business as much as it is about baseball. It’s lessons about outcome measurement in a fun-to-read narrative. And for those of us who have nearly drowned while swimming against the tide of conventional wisdom, it is laugh out loud funny! Moneyball, by Michael Lewis. W.W. Norton and Company, 2003 (new Afterward 2004) SUMMARY: Imagine that your job is to run a professional baseball team and you must successfully compete against those with far more resources. How do you approach the task? Well, for starters, you could entice some of your competitors to spend way more than you do for things you both want, and you can get them to sell you things for less than you know they are worth. You have to know what the market overvalues or undervalues. You need solid metrics. It turns out that baseball inspires a

legion of fans who can’t get enough numbers. Amateur statisticians give hours and hours to painstakingly researching which baseball statistics matter and which don’t. But they could never get the baseball establishment to listen - until Billy Beane came along. This is a story about intellectual courage, choosing the right things to measure, and the power conventional wisdom can have even after new ideas are proven. KEY LEARNINGS/BUSINESS PRINCIPLES: • As a youngster, Billy Beane was the kind of baseball player who seemed destined for a wildly successful professional career. He had all the right stuff -- except a passionate desire to play baseball. Those around him set very high expectations for his future. But to him, it was all illusory - he knew he wasn’t what they thought he was. • Later, when Beane was a general manager of the Oakland A’s, his early experiences as the reluctant superstar colored his ideas about recruiting players. What traditional baseball scouts looked for seemed wrong to him. A new method of computing baseball statistics emerging from outside the game began to make more sense than the conventional methods. He was learning that qualities like foot speed, fielding, and raw power are not as important to winning as was thought and these skills were therefore over-valued by the market. Still, he was finding it difficult to teach these realities to those who were set in their ways. Fortunately, he was the boss. • Fantasy gaming - where fans get to play general manager - became immensely popular in the 1980s and 1990s. Some fans knew that building

the best fantasy team meant using the right statistics when choosing players. Their passion led them to amass vast new knowledge (bunts and stolen bases are counterproductive, for example), but the guys inside baseball were dismissive. New ways of doing things, even when proven, will be resisted by those who invented the old ways. Long after Wall Street had learned that people with new analytics can be very valuable, baseball was still a closed system. • Before the new statistics were taken seriously, a college baseball player with all of his school’s records would still not have a chance at a pro career if conventional scouting wisdom was against him because his physical shape was different from what they look for. Beane realized that if a player had a low expectation of ever being invited to play in the pros, he’d be less expensive on the market (and possibly more enthusiastic on the field.) • Even when a team has no stars, fans will be there if the team wins. Plus, it turns out that stars can be replaced if you know what you are looking for based on the right metrics. Thanks to the amateur statisticians, we now know that on-base percentage and slugging percentage are far more important than anything else. • Certain players with skills valued by the new stats could thrive in the system Beane was building. Yet, because these traits are undervalued by the market, a win/win situation is set up: a team can buy the skills its wants affordably and players who have those skills get to play - even when veterans of the former system had given them little hope. • The leader of a cash-poor team, Beane benefited from the low

expectations of others, giving him freedom of movement not enjoyed by more heavily scrutinized managers. He learned to trade people like others trade stocks: it’s not personal, it’s business. A natural risk-taker, Beane believed failure was acceptable, as long as it was used to set up a larger success, so he moved aggressively. • Beane’s leadership, combined with the economic realities of the cashpoor A’s forced changes to thinking in the front office. The A’s began winning baseball games. Of course, along with success comes new challenges. Suddenly, when it became known that the A’s were interested in a certain player, he would come off the market. • Sometimes a player will under- or over-perform against his statistical expectations - but across a 25-member team it evens out. • Even after the team was wildly successful, and the new math was proven, there was real pressure to change things back. The same baseball insiders who heavily strategize game plans had a difficult time embracing the concept of strategy on the business end of the game. • To make it in the pro leagues players must be wildly talented, the best of the best, keeping their jobs only so long as they produce at a very high level. In the front office, however, a decided lack of business savvy or success is tolerated. Cathy Allen is the owner of Creative Option C, LLC, a facilitation and organizational development consulting firm in Marblehead. Learn more at www.CreativeOptionC.com.

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May 2012

Erie County Chamber Honors 2012 Gallery of Achievers Eight people made up the 2012 class of the Erie County Chamber of Commerce Gallery of Achievers. Three of the inductions were posthumous. The Gallery of Achievers is a hall-offame-type program that honors the life achievements of graduates of Erie County’s school systems. This year marks the twelfth induction ceremony of the Gallery of Achievers. The induction ceremony took place at Plum Brook Country Club on May 7, 2012. Honored this year were: Dr. Robert Bellamy Achievement in Medicine · Business · Ministry Perkins High School Class of 1961

Lt. Col. LeRoy A. Bickley, USMC (ret.) Achievement in Military Service · Business Sandusky High School Class of 1954

SMSgt Drake L. Davidson, USAF Achievement in Military Service Sandusky High School Class of 1983

Charles D. Barney (July 9, 1844 – October 24, 1945) Achievement in Finance Founder - Smith Barney & Co. Sandusky Schools Class of 1983

Mona Rutger Achievement in Environmentalism - Animal Care St. Mary High School Class of 1968

Henry D. Cooke (November 23, 1825 – February 24, 1881) Achievement in Finance · Journalism · Politics 1st Governor of the District of Columbia ncbj1111AHAC.pdf Sandusky Schools

Mary Schell Achievement in Business Advocacy St. Mary Central Catholic High School David E. Weaver (November 20, 1956 – September 19, 2010) Achievement in Art · Education · Forensic Science 11/2/11 11:18:48 AM Margaretta High School Class of 1975

Memorial Named to Ohio Hospital Association Best Practices List Memorial Hospital was named to the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) 4th quarter 2011 “Best Practices” list in several areas. The hospital made the list for success in regards to Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) and Joint Commission National Quality Core Measures (Core) scores. SMITH According to Memorial Hospital Director of Quality, Ann Smith, R.N., M.P.H., scoring well with SCIP and Core measures are important indicators of the quality of health care received at Memorial Hospital. “SCIP and Core scores measure everything from proper medication administration and pain management to appropriate prevention and discharge protocols,” she said. “Excellence in SCIP and Core scores assure our patients that hospital associates are working hard to ensure quality results.” Memorial Hospital was recognized on the OHA Best Practices list in multiple areas including the care of patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction, Heart Failure and Stroke. “Memorial Hospital’s SCIP and Core scores have been improving continuously for the past 18 months.

Improving your performance on these scores requires a team approach. Our team of physicians and staff are doing great work which is demonstrated by our improving quality scores,” added Smith. According to the Joint Commission Web site, SCIP is a national quality partnership of organizations interested in improving surgical care by significantly reducing surgical complications. SCIP partners include a steering committee of 10 national health care organizations who have pledged their commitment and full support for SCIP. Core measures, according to the Web site, are standards that the Joint Commission set forth in collaboration with various national health care organizations, which ensure health care professionals continue to improve patient care. Memorial Hospital is nationally accredited by the Joint Commission. The hospital offers a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services, including emergency care, surgery, imaging, mental health, obstetrics, home health, hospice and much more. For more information, visit memorialhcs.org.

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24 May 2012

North Coast Business Journal

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The Art of Starting Over: How Seven Simple Words Can Save a Business Conversation Gone Wrong When that meeting or conversation gets off to a rocky start — whether tense words are exchanged or you just don’t seem to be connecting — it’s time to push the reset button. Andrew Sobel, author of Power Questions, reveals the phrase that can turn it all around. Has this ever happened to you? You’re talking to a client, or perhaps your boss, and you realize the conversation has gotten off on absolutely the wrong foot. You may have learned new and unexpected information from the other person that renders everything you’ve said irrelevant. You may have walked in with an assumption that was just not true. Or, you find you’re not connecting, and tension and anger start to creep into the exchange. It really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that a potentially productive business conversation has become awkward and stilted — or even worse, superheated and combative. What do you do next? According to Andrew Sobel you have three options: 1. Continue trying to make your point. The tension and awkwardness will likely escalate, and you’ll find that you and the other person are farther and farther apart. 2. Bring the conversation to an abrupt end and exit stage left. Both of you will be left with a bad taste in your mouth. 3. Salvage the situation with the judicious use of seven magic words: Do you mind if we start over? “This question is the Saint Bernard rescue dog that brings a warming

VERMILION from 5 to live, work, shop and play and invest in Vermilion. The City works with the Erie County Economic Development Committee, Team Lorain County, Main Street Vermilion and Erie Regional Planning Commission to promote economic development in Vermilion. Working with local and regional organizations, the city creates innovative and cost effective measures to promote the town as an ideal location to live, visit and operate a business.

barrel of brandy into the conversational arctic,” says Sobel, author (along with coauthor, Jerold Panas) of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others (Wiley, February 2012, ISBN: 978-11181196-3-1, $22.95) and three other books on long-term business relationships. “People are forgiving. They want things to go well, and this question disarms them and eases the way to a new beginning.” This question is only one of the many the authors include in their book, Power Questions. They explore dozens of questions that light fires under people, challenge their assumptions, help them see problems in productive new ways, and inspire them to bare their souls (which, of course, strengthens the bonds in the relationship). And they wrap up the book with an exhaustive list of additional questions — bringing the grand total to 337 power questions to help readers succeed at work and in life. Back to “starting over”: Sobel’s coauthor recalls the time he walked into the office of a wealthy benefactor named Allan to ask for a milliondollar donation to his alma mater’s College of Engineering. Though he knew better, Panas failed to gain rapport and explore Allan’s true interests before jumping in with the big request. When he was severely rebuked for his presumptuousness, Panas realized he had made a serious error and dug himself into a deep hole. He got up and excused himself,

We are working very hard in partnership with local organizations, residents and businesses. Vermilion is weathering the storm of a troubled economy and is charting course to a revitalized community. Even though it has been 175 years, we are still a small harbor community with great people who care about our town. Come and enjoy our celebration! Stop by my office on the corner of Main and Liberty Avenue. I would be happy to meet you and tell you all about Vermilion. We are truly a GREAT town on a GREAT Lake.

left the room, and 10 seconds later knocked on the door and asked the power question, Do you mind if we start over? Allan smiled and invited Panas to sit down. Start over they did, and after approaching the revived conversation the right way, Panas discovered that Allan was interested in making a major gift—but to the University’s theater program, not its engineering program! Try it yourself. The next time a conversation gets off on the wrong foot or veers off track, reset with this powerful question. Sobel offers the following pointers: • If you’re in the wrong, apologize. Take responsibility for the conversation’s derailment. You might say something like “I’ve gotten off on the wrong foot and I’m really sorry. Do you mind if I begin again? I haven’t done this justice.” Or, “The reason I’d like to start over is that I put my foot in my mouth. Can I give it a second try?” • If you’re NOT in the wrong, and the conversation has simply strayed into unproductive territory, ask in a way that doesn’t place blame. Try: “Can we step back from this? What should we be talking about?” “Actually, even if the other party made the initial faux pas, it’s still okay to say you’re sorry the conversation went awry,” notes Sobel. “You’re not taking blame; you’re just acknowledging regret that things took a bad turn and that the other person is upset.” • Either way, smile. It goes a long

way toward smoothing any ruffled feathers. “More than words alone, a genuine smile that reaches the eyes can evoke a powerful visceral response,” says Sobel. “It shows that your intentions are pure, and when people realize that, the vast majority are willing to give you another chance.” • When you start over, really start over. You don’t have to actually leave the room and come back in, like Sobel’s coauthor did, but draw a sharp dividing line between the bad conversation and the new one. A good way to reset is to ask the other person a question and draw them back into the conversation as an active participant. It could be something as simple as “Can I ask— how have you been thinking about this?” or “Let’s step back for a second—can you share your view of the situation?” Of course, starting over isn’t just for the workplace. It can work just as well to defuse a budding argument with your spouse or any family member or friend. “It’s a bold, gutsy move to restart a conversation from scratch,” says Sobel. “Yes, it feels awkward. Most of us are not accustomed to swallowing our pride, admitting in real time that we screwed up, and asking if we can make it right. But the next time a conversation goes wrong, try it. Not only will it salvage the moment, it will pave the way for a more authentic and productive relationship in the future.”

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May 2012

Taxes Accounting Methods – Cash Versus Accrual By Jeffrey J. Rosengarten, CPA — Payne, Nickles & Company There are basically two methods of accounting for tax purposes, the cash method and the accrual method. Under the cash method, income is reported in the year payment is actually or constructively received. Constructive receipt is when you have all rights to receive payment; in other words, the payment is available to you. Under the cash method, expenses are deducted in the year payment is made. Payments by check are recognized for the cash method when the check is received or delivered. Under the accrual method, income is reported in the year when all events have occurred that determine the right to receive the income and the amount can be determined with reasonable accuracy, even if the payment is received in a later year. Under the accrual method, expenses are deducted in the year when all events have occurred that determine the fact of the liability and the amount can be determined with reasonable accuracy. The accrual method uses the “all events” test to

determine if the income or expense have economically accrued. Note that the exact amount of the income or expense does not have to be known. It is sufficient that the amount is determinable within a range of reasonable accuracy. Obviously, there is more room for tax planning for a small business with the cash method since the payment of expenses can be accelerated or deferred. To a lesser extent, there is room for deferring income under the cash method provided the business avoids constructive receipt. To accomplish this deferral of income, the business needs to contractually give up all rights to receive income in the current year before the income is earned. In most cases, income is considered earned when the product is delivered or the service is rendered to the customer. Because of the flexibility allowed by the cash method and because of the significant impact of inventories on taxable income, the tax rules use to require small businesses with inventory to use the accrual method of accounting. Recently, however, in the name of tax simplification, the tax rules have provided a small business exception to the mandatory use of the accrual method. Small businesses using the accrual method of accounting that qualify

for the small business exception should probably make the change to the cash method. This exception is for all businesses with average annual receipts of $1 million or less. The annual receipts test is based on the average receipts of the prior three years, with each year’s average amount being the average of that year and the prior two years gross receipts of the business. There is also a second exception for businesses with receipts of more than $1 million, but less than $10 million. This exception is much more limited, however, since it is not available to businesses in the manufacturing, retail, wholesale or information industries. Assuming your business is on the accrual method and qualifies for a small business exception, you will need to change your method of accounting. Changing a method of accounting typically requires sending an application to the Washington, D.C. office of the IRS and asking their permission to change methods – a process that can take months and should be avoided, if possible. Luckily, recent IRS Revenue Procedures provide automatic permission for qualifying small businesses. With automatic permission, the process is fairly painless and should be taken advantage of by qualified small

businesses. You simply fill out the application, file one copy with the D.C. IRS and then attach a second copy to the tax return. Both copies must be filed by the extended due date of the tax return for the year of the change. If you have inventory, this same application can also allow you to change your inventory method and treat inventories as nonincidental materials or supplies. When you change methods of accounting, there will be a difference between what your taxable income would have been using the accrual method and what your taxable income is using the cash method. If this difference is positive, that means it increases income, you are able to recognize this difference over four years. If the difference is negative, meaning it reduces income, you are allowed to deduct it in the year of change. Either way, you are likely to be better off on the cash method of tax accounting. So if your business is still on the accrual method and you qualify, tell your tax professional you want to take advantage of the automatic change in method of accounting and make the switch to the cash method for 2012. (Authors note: This article is not intended to offer professional tax advice. Please consult your tax advisor.)

Trick joins Ottawa Co. Health Department

New Director of Anesthesia Starts at Memorial Hospital

The Ottawa County Health Department has welcomed Andrea Trick to its nursing staff. Trick, a Catawba Island resident, began work as a registered nurse part-time on Feb. 19. Previously, she worked for Stein Hospice, Fremont Memorial Hospital (19 years as a registered nurse case manager) and at Oberlin Hospital in the chemical dependency unit. A native of Northeast Ohio, Trick is a graduate of North Central Technical College and the Mansfield branch of The Ohio State University. Trick and her husband, Craig, have four children, Nicole, Shelby, Corban and Alexis.

Terence J. Ross, D.O. joined Memorial Hospital as the medical director of anesthesia on April 30. Dr. Ross has been a physician since 1985. Previously, he served as director of anesthesia and the director of pain management at Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospital in Medina, Ohio. According to Wes Oswald, Memorial Hospital Interim CEO, “We are very excited to have Dr. Ross join the Memorial Hospital Team. His medical expertise will clearly benefit our community.” Dr. Ross earned his medical degree from the Michigan State University College of

Osteopathic Medicine in East Lansing, Michigan. He completed Anesthesia Residencies at the Genesys Regional Medical Center (formerly known as Flint Osteopathic Hospital) in Grand Blanc, Michigan and at with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Ross also completed a Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship at Akron Children’s Hospital and a Surgical Intensive Care Fellowship with the Cleveland Clinic

26 May 2012

North Coast Business Journal

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Mercy Tiffin Hospital Laboratories Receives Accreditation from College of American Pathologists Mercy Tiffin Hospital’s clinical laboratory and the cardiopulmonary blood gas laboratory have been awarded accreditation by the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), based on the results of a recent onsite inspection. The clinical laboratory’s medical director, Punita P. Kothari, MD, and the cardiopulmonary blood gas laboratory medical director, James Tita, DO, were advised of this national recognition and congratulated for the excellence of the services being provided. Mercy Tiffin is one of more than 7,000 CAP-accredited laboratories worldwide. “We are honored to have earned accreditation from the College of American Pathologists for the laboratory and the cardiopulmonary blood gas laboratory located at Mercy Tiffin Hospital,” said Dale Thornton, President and CEO, Mercy Tiffin Hospital. The goal of the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is to improve patient safety by advancing the quality of pathology and laboratory services through education, standard setting, and ensuring laboratories

laboratory’s records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years. CAP inspectors also examine laboratory staff qualifications, as well as the laboratory’s equipment, facilities, safety program and record, in addition to the overall management of the laboratory. This stringent inspection program is designed to specifically ensure the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients.

meet or exceed regulatory requirements. “It is a rigorous process to achieve CAP accreditation,” said Pam Kin, manager of the Mercy Tiffin laboratory department. “Punita Kothari, MD, pathologist at Mercy Tiffin; James Tita, DO, pulmonologist at Mercy Tiffin; Travis Grasley, manager of cardiopulmonary services; and I feel that the CAP accreditation is important. This accreditation focuses on making sure the procedures

performed at Mercy Tiffin are up to date and conform to the current standards of laboratory practice.” The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, begun in the early 1960s, is recognized by the federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government’s own inspection program. During the CAP accreditation process, inspectors examine the

About the College of American Pathologists The College of American Pathologists (CAP), celebrating 50 years as the gold standard in laboratory accreditation, is a medical society serving more than 18,000 physician members and the global laboratory community. It is the world’s largest association composed exclusively of boardcertified pathologists and is the worldwide leader in laboratory quality assurance. The College advocates accountable, high-quality, and cost-effective patient care. More information about the College can be found at www.cap.org.

On The Move First National Bank Promotes Three Dean Miller, President and CEO of First National Bank, along with its board of directors, announces the following promotions. Deb Hawkins has been promoted to Senior Vice President. She has been with First National Bank for over 40 years holding various positions of responsibility including the role of Corporate Secretary and Loan operations manager. Her contributions have been in many capacities over the years and her wealth of knowledge is a valuable asset to the bank. Hawkins is a Bellevue native and has seen the HAWKINS

bank’s assets and market footprint grow substantially during her tenure. Sheryl Diehr has been promoted to an Assistant Vice President. She started at First National in 1999 working several years in the accounting and bookkeeping department until her move to the loan area as the banks credit analyst. She has DIEHR been very instrumental in working with the banks commercial lenders during a period of strong loan growth for the company. Diehr is a graduate of Tiffin University and holds a

Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Cheryl Devore has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. She came to the bank in 2009 and has become a very active and well respected mortgage lender in the Ottawa County market. She has brought new business growth to the bank DEVORE with her community involvement and participation in several organizations in the Ottawa County area. Devore is a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Science degree.

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Sales “Hunting” By Roger Bostdorff There are two terms used that describe two different types of selling. You have “farming,” which is developing/ extending the relationship with a company where you are already doing business so that you can increase the revenue stream from that existing customer. The second term is “hunting.” “Farming” is typically recognized to be easier and much more appealing. Think about it, would you rather try to talk with someone that already likes and trusts you or would you rather attempt to meet someone new that does not know you from Adam? If a company expects the same salesperson to do both “farming” and “hunting,” typically what happens is that the Sales person ends up doing much more “farming” than hunting because it is easier and more

North Coast Business Journal appealing. However, that is a very short term strategy that can have extremely bad consequences. If you expand your relationship as far as it can go with your customer’s, you have no room for market growth. Therefore, it is imperative for a company to make sure that the “hunting” part of the equation is also performed. So how does one go about “hunting?” Some of the challenge here is that there is no roadmap, there is no structure defined. I would like to create a structure for your sales team to follow. I do not want to suggest that this makes “hunting” easy. However, this structured approach should help. When calling on an account where you are not doing business today, you should assume that they are getting a competitive product or service from somebody else. Therefore, when talking to the prospective customer, I am suggesting that you ask them that question. For example, you might start with “Good Morning, I am Roger Bostdorff from the XYZ Company. We recently have had significant success with our product or service in the _________ industry (same industry that the person you called is in). I was wondering if I could talk with you about how you are currently obtaining this product or service?”

“May I ask you who you are currently doing business with? Are you satisfied with them?” At this juncture the answer is either “YES” or “NO.” If the answer is “NO,” you ask them, “why not or what is it that is making you dissatisfied?” After their explanation you then can explain how your company does business to avoid these issues. If the company is truly dissatisfied, you now have a foot in the door to gain a new customer with an increase in your revenue stream. What if the answer to the question is “YES?” Our next question should be “Why?” We want to understand what makes the customer happy or satisfied. After listening very carefully you then ask, “Is there anything they could do to make you even more satisfied?” If they can identify something, you again have the opportunity to explain how your company addresses this issue. However, more times than not they may say that there is nothing they could do to make them more satisfied. This is where your competitor knowledge comes into play. You know who the incumbent is and if you have competed with them in the past you should know some weaknesses. You don’t want to say that you heard the competitor does a poor job in the following areas. However, you do want to pick those

May 2012

areas and reference them as follows: “We have had several companies in your industry change from other companies to us because of the following reasons…Do you have any issues or challenges in those same areas?” At this juncture you are attempting to set the hook of interest. If others are changing and you happen to hit an issue they have, but did not identify, you once again have opened the door to a possible new account. I do not want to draw the picture that this approach has a high percentage of success. If this job was easy you would not have to drag someone to do it. However, with a documented process your odds do go up and your frustration should be reduced. Good luck and good selling. Roger Bostdorff is the President of B2B Sales Boost. He spent over 30 years with IBM in sales and sales management. B2B Sales Boost is a consulting company helping organizations improve their sales and overall business processes. He is also available for business speaking engagements. You can find more regarding B2B Sales Boost on the web at www.b2bsalesboost.com or calling 419-351-4347. If you would like to receive the B2B Sales Boost Newsletter please send an email to sales@ b2bsalesboost.com

Memorial Hospital Physician to Speak at International Conference A case study about a 2009 tuberculosis (TB) case in Fremont has been selected for presentation at the 15th International Congress on Infectious Disease in Bangkok, Thailand in June of this year. Memorial Hospital physician Iracema Arevalo, M.D., who coauthored the study with local physicians Anas Balaa, M.D. and Jonathan Diller, M.D. will present the case study in Bangkok. The International Society for Infectious Disease (ISID) is hosting the conference where Dr. Arevalo will be presenting. The ISID was established in 1986. According to the ISID Web site, the organization is “committed to improving the care of patients with infectious diseases, the training of clinicians and researchers in infectious diseases and

microbiology, and the control of infectious diseases around the world.” “It’s a tremendous honor to represent Memorial Hospital’s quality team of physicians at the annual ISID conference,” said Dr. Arevalo. The specific case that Dr. Arevalo is presenting pertains to the successful treatment of a patient who presented with TB at the Memorial Hospital Emergency Department in 2009. The care for the patient involved one-year of treatment, which included 18 close contact visits, as well as two years of follow-up appointments. Close contact visits are appointments where care providers come in direct contact with patients who are contagious. Additionally, eight members of the patient’s family also had to undergo treatment. “The successful treatment of a TB

patient and the patient’s family is a testament to the quality of care provided at Memorial Hospital, as well as to the strong collaborative effort put forth between Drs. Balaa and Diller and me,” added Dr. Arevalo. “The Sandusky County Health Department also played a crucial role during treatment and follow-up of the patient, as well as in preventing the spread of TB around the area.” Drs. Arevalo, Balaa and Diller are each board certified physicians who see patients full time in Fremont. Dr. Arevalo is a pediatric infectious disease specialist; Dr. Balaa is a internal medicine, critical care, pulmonlogy and sleep disorder specialist. Dr. Diller is a family care physician who has seen patients in Fremont for more than 30 years. For

more information about physicians at Memorial Hospital, visit memorialhcs.org/physicians.

L-R: Drs. Diller, Arevlo and Balaa.

28 May 2012

North Coast Business Journal

IT Printer Points By Don Knaur I often get calls asking me if I repair printers and the answer is “No, I don’t” and actually neither does anyone else that I know unless the printer is also a first class copy machine as well. By first class, I am not talking about an all-in-one printer that will make copies of a document, but a full service copier such as those made by Xerox or Ricoh. To repair these, you need to contact a copier repair service such as Accurate Business Systems or MT Technologies. However, if the copy function of the machine is operating properly, you might want to try the steps outlined in this article before you invest in a repair call. Today many printers are very user friendly in that they have a display that tells you what is wrong with the printer. That is the first thing you need to check if you are having

problems printing. Please note that most printers no longer come with a printed manual but have a PDF (Portable Data Format) version on CD along with the printer drivers. Therefore, it is imperative that you keep the Install CD handy. Then you can follow the “Trouble Shooting” hints on the CD manual. If you’ve lost the manual, check the manufacturer’s web site. If the printer indicates a paper jam, open the printer up and check for a sheet or piece of paper that has not fed properly and clear it out. Then, restart the printer and you should be all right. If you cannot find anything blocking the paper flow, it is time to buy a new printer as the sensor for the paper feed is damaged. Since the Printer Manufacturers have decided to make their money on the ink and toner sales and sell the printers at or below cost, no one has learned how to repair them and there are no repair parts available. Actually my frugal son, who is a computer professional himself, has been known to buy a new printer rather replace the ink

www.ncbj.net cartridges for his printer. He said simply the last time he needed ink, he found out he could buy two new printers that have ink plus his lunch for the cost of the ink. I believe he made a wise choice. Now, if the printer isn’t printing or is printing gibberish and there is no indication of a printer malfunction, which is often the case, you may be able to repair the printer yourself. Simply uninstalling and re-installing the printer can do this. Uninstalling the printer can be accomplished by first disconnecting the printer from your PC. Then either run the uninstall option, if it is provided by the manufacturer, or delete the printer directly from the control panel. To delete the printer, you simply go to the printer entry on the control panel and find the icon or icons that are labeled for the printer you are deleting. (All-in-one printers will have two icons, one for the print function and one for the fax function.) You will need to make sure that there are no print jobs in the queue before you delete the printer or the delete function won’t work. Simply right click on the icon(s) and then left click on “Delete.” After this, you will need to re-install the printer. The easiest way to re-install the printer is to use the CD that came with the printer. If you do not have the CD, you will have to download

the installation software from the printer manufacturer’s web site. The software can be found in the download area of the support section of the web site. As I always recommend, save the download to your PC and then run it. You will need to start the installation before you connect the printer to your PC. The software installation routine will tell you when to reconnect the printer. If none of this solves your printer problem, then it is recycle time. Most solid waste districts have a recycle day once a month that will accept printers, monitors and computers. These free recycling privileges are only good for home owners and not for businesses. However, if you go to Goodwill, they accept recycling without asking its pedigree. Don is the CWO (Chief Working Officer) of Help-Desk, Ohio, a complete computer service center, located in Suite A of the Courtlee Interiors’ Building, 2499 W. Market in Tiffin. Don has a degree in Computer Programming from Tiffin University and has been an Information Technology Professional for over 26 years. He started HelpDesk, Ohio in the spring of 1996 and opened his shop in March 2001. Don welcomes calls for advice or information at 419-448-8020.

Most Employees Say Their Workplace Is Stressful Two-out-of-three people say the stress level in their workplace is high, according to a survey of more than 450 North American employees by Right Management, the talent and career management experts within ManpowerGroup. How would you describe the stress level in your work environment? High 64%, Medium 25%, Low 11% “When asked, employees will usually say their job or workplace is stressful,” said Ron Sims, Talent Management Practice Leader for Right Management, which provides talent, career and outplacement services to Fortune 500 companies. “After all, we’re talking about work, not play, so we shouldn’t be surprised if there’s high energy or intensity on the job. In fact, one has to wonder about the 11% of workplaces that seem to have low stress.”

Nevertheless, according to Sims, the percentages suggest that workplace stress is at an unusually high level. “It would be foolhardy for management to dismiss employees’ complaints because a perception of stress impairs engagement, and that is a core issue that impacts productivity and the bottom line.” What accounts for such a high level of workplace stress? Sims believes it is a combination of factors. “We’re into the fourth year of a volatile employment market… employee cutbacks, lean staffing, a weak job market and relentless pressure for companies to perform. This survey, as well as others we have recently conducted, leaves little doubt that people are frustrated and impatient, and this is a problem that won’t go away anytime soon.” Sims recommended four tips for

managers to help employees to manage their stress levels. • Hold regular work review meetings to clarify priorities and deadlines. • Be open and authentic when sharing company performance information. • Clarify for each individual employee their role in making the organization successful. • Foster flexible working practices to help employees to juggle work and life pressures. “Stress can significantly impact an employee’s health and well-being,” noted Sims. “While there’s a balance in finding the right level of productive tension that drives employees to perform and excel, too much stress can cause longer term detrimental problems for both the individual and the organization.” The survey of 453 employees from

the U.S. and Canada was conducted between March 16 and April 15. About Right Management Right Management is the global leader in talent and career management workforce solutions. As the workforce consulting experts within ManpowerGroup, the firm designs and delivers solutions to align talent strategy with business strategy. Expertise spans Talent Assessment, Leader Development, Organizational Effectiveness, Employee Engagement, and Workforce Transition and Outplacement. With offices in over 50 countries, Right Management partners with companies of all sizes – including more than 80% of the Fortune 500 – to help grow and engage their talent, increase productivity and optimize business performance.

May 2012

North Coast Business Journal

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Grand Opening You are Cordially Invited to a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony & Open House in Celebration of Fisher-Titus Medical Center’s New Emergency Department, Admitting/Registration Department, and Outpatient Laboratory

Open House, Tours & Family Safety Fair 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. • Safety Fair for the Whole Family • Fisher-Titus Helmets for Kids

Sunday, May 20, 2012

(For children and youth 18 years & younger. A $2 donation/helmet is requested.)

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Site of the New Emergency Department 272 BENEDICT AVENUE, NORWALK, OHIO NCBJnationwide0112.pdf 1/24/12 2:55:00 (419) 668–8101 | (800) 589–3862

• Norwalk Fire Department & Smoke House • North Central EMS and New Link to Life Program • Special Gifts

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30 May 2012

North Coast Business Journal

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Terra Promotes Four to Academic Dean Positions In a restructuring of its academic divisions, Terra State Community College has promoted four employees to the position of academic dean. Cindy Hall, who served this year in an interim capacity, was named the Dean of Allied Health, Nursing and Science. She has been a clinical instructor at Terra, chair of nursing at Owens Community College, HALL and administrative manager/nursing manager of Physical Rehab and Skilled Care Center at Firelands Regional Medical Center. Hall, of Port Clinton, has an Associate of Applied Business from Terra, a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Toledo and a Master of Nursing from the University of Phoenix.

Andrew Carroll, of Sandusky, will become the new Dean of Engineering Technologies and Mathematics. He currently is an assistant professor at Terra. He is the owner of Lighthouse Lettering Ltd and CARROLL has worked as a program engineer for Tenneco, Inc. Carroll has an Associate of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering/ Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing, a Bachelor of Science in Technology from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Business Administration from Tiffin University. He is currently working on a Doctorate in Leadership from BGSU. Michael Shirtz, of Sandusky, will be the new Dean of Business and

Creative Arts. He is currently an assistant professor, department coordinator and lead faculty of Music and Humanities at Terra. He has served as a teacher artist and clinician and a production and development assistant for the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus, a composer/arranger and a music director for Godman Guild Association in Columbus. Shirtz has a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Capital University SHIRTZ and a Master of Music from California State University. Lynette Sullivan, of Perrysburg, was named the Interim Dean of Liberal Arts and Public Services. She has served in multiple capacities at Terra

since 1990. She was a full-time faculty member, teaching and learning chair in the Humanities and Human Services Division, Associate Vice President for Institutional Research, Director SULLIVAN of Institutional Assessment and Planning, and currently serves as the Director of Institutional Research and Registrar. She is also involved in the Articulation and Transfer Council of Ohio and serves as a Higher Education Information System liaison for Terra. Sullivan has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from BGSU and is currently working on a Master of Education from Capella University. All four will begin their new positions on July 1

May 2012

North Coast Business Journal

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Memorial’s Cope Certified as CHSP Memorial Hospital Safety Officer David Cope recently passed the Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP) examination. The mandatory requirements and study material for the examination consisted of a variety of safety related topics such as health care hazard identification, safety management, government agencies, fire safety, infection control and Joint Commission Environment of Care requirements. Cope joined the Memorial Hospital team in the summer of 2011; his main responsibilities involve monitoring all

aspects of safety at the hospital, from physical safety in the facility to environmental safety. “The safety officer is intricately involved in creating an environment to protect the employees, patients and visitors of Memorial Hospital from safety hazards,” said Cope. Cope has more than 34 years of experience in safety related industries. He worked for 28 years for the State of Ohio as a state trooper, where he retired in 2004 from a commander post. He also served seven years as the director of safety service and general services for Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. For more information, visit memorialhcs.org.

Cedar Point Hires New Marketing Representative Cedar Point is pleased to welcome Annie Zelm as its new marketing programs representative. Zelm will be responsible for coordinating with regional media to promote the park’s upcoming events, including this year’s new attractions, Dinosaurs Alive! and Luminosity, the park’s live nighttime show. She will also be responsible for responding to all media inquiries and planning special events at the park, which opens May 12. Before joining the marketing team, she worked for four years as a reporter and editor at the Sandusky Register. She has also held leadership positions at Kings Island in Cincinnati. Zelm earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and journalism at the University of Toledo. She lives in Sandusky with her husband, Justin.

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32 May 2012

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MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING

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more reasons to love the Memorial Hospital Diagnostic Imaging Department ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE IN IMAGING AND SERVICE The Memorial Hospital Diagnostic Imaging Department is nationally accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR)—which ensures the highest levels of quality and safety.

EVENING AND WEEKEND APPOINTMENTS NOW AVAILABLE

Call the Diagnostic Imaging Department at 419.334.6605 for more information.

715 South Taft Avenue Fremont, OH 43420 Phone 419.332.7321 memorialhcs.org ■

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