special thank you to our Society Members and all who invest in our Vision / mission / why
Hook Society
Butler Tech
Cintas
Cohen
Flowers by Roger, Inc.
Kettering Health
Markey’s
McGraw/Kokosing
Miami University Regionals
Robinson Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
Shape Corporation
Tytus Society
Akers Packaging Service
Duke Energy
Essity
G & J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Inc.
Hawthorn Glen Senior Living Campus
Joe Morgan Honda
LCNB National Bank
LemonGrenade Creative
Magellan Aerospace
Majestic Care of Middletown
Miami Valley Gaming
Middletown Energy Center
MyUSA Credit Union
One Smarter
OwlBridge Wellness
PAHHNI Premium Alkaline Water
Precision Strip, Inc.
ProAmpac Quaker Houghton
UGN, Inc.
Valley Central Bank
WE would like to send out a very special THANK YOU to all the members who have renewed for 2026.
We work with our members to identify creative solutions to their challenges. Currently we are investing our time and effort into delivering “essential skills” to our youth in our K-12 school districts.
Business Spotlight
Fifty years ago, in August 1975 at the age of fifteen, Roger W. Conner started his own business, Flowers by Roger, Inc., in his parents’ basement. Flowers by Roger, Inc. grew quickly and became one of Middletown and also Butler County’s largest florists. Today, it remains one of the largest florists in the area. It is also Middletown’s only FTD florist, was named as a top 100 Teleflora florist for 2025 and was chosen as the “Best of Butler County” florist in 2024. Click here for full article
Somewhere On my Desk
Rick Pearce President/CEO
As the school year ends this month, I’d like to thank all the members who made themselves available to speak with local students this year; from the skills needed to enter the workforce to the career opportunities, and how to start your own business. We have worked for over a decade to build better communication between education and business, and it appears to be working. I’d like to thank our educational partners for allowing business to enter the classroom and share their stories with local students.
Our Annual Golf Outing will be Thursday, June 11 at Shaker Run Golf Club. We are encouraging businesses to invite a client for a day on one of the most popular and challenging courses in southwest Ohio. A link to registration and list of sponsors can be found here. We thank the staff at Shaker Run and all our sponsors for helping us present this signature event.
Don’t forget to vote in Ohio’s Primary Election on Tuesday, May 5.
Enjoy Spring and Best in Profits -
Focus Areas
• If you would like to become involved in any of the below programs, please call us, 513-422-4551
• Passport To Tomorrow
• Adopt A Class - How This Benefits Business
• Junior Achievement
Focus AReas
The April CLIMB session was a success! Thank you to the
Back Row: Lisha Morlan, David Hatfield, Adam Snoddy, Joe Lakeberg, Zach Bush, Ryan Romp
Middle Row: Steve Zapf, Nare Moremi, Chris Corbitt, Michelle Kenny, Meggie Bierkan, Dee Guttadore
Front Row: Randall Taylor, Tabitha Hill, Beth Combs, Chris Wagner, Mike McGarvey, Jennifer Kozee
• Ohio Chamber
• Resources
• Legislative
• US Chamber of Commerce
• Rep. Warren Davidson — 8th District
• Rep. Mike Turner 10th District
A new congressional map for November, 2026
Primary Tuesday, May 5
The US Chamber: State of American Business (2026)
• The State of American Business 2026 - YouTube
• The Executive Summary
Our Foundation
For more than 50 years, our chamber of commerce has had a 501c3 charitable foundation to help with past objectives. The foundation was created in the early 1970’s and there are conflicting stories on why and what project was their focus. Nonetheless, the Middletown Area Chamber Foundation is now doing business as The Chamber Partnership for a Brighter Future. Our focus will be on raising dollars to fund our Future Ready Workforce initiatives.
• CareerCoach/Skills2Careers
• The Workforce Institute
• Passport To Tomorrow
• Signing Day
You will be seeing more information as we move into 2026. Please consider becoming a “funder” of our objectives and be part of the solution of better preparing the next generation for the workforce.!!
In our Region
The Cincinnati Regional USA Chamber released the State of the Region 2025 that was commissioned by First Financial Bank. The report is divided into 9 Sections and the links are below. I will also include the sections in the mid-month. Enjoy learning more about our region.
• First Financial Comments
• Chamber Comments
• Population
• Economics
• Community & Health
• Housing & Transportation
• Industry
• IndustrySpotlight
• Looking Forward
Positive Stories
Collaborating to Change The Narrative —
Four (4) organizations have come together to continue to “change the narrative” for Middletown; The Middletown Community Foundation, the City of Middletown, The Chamber and Cincinnati Commercial Contracting. We will continue to take the initiative to changethenarrativeand share more positive stories that never seem to make it to the readers.
We hope you enjoy the stories and please share it across your social media platforms.
• Soapbox Cincinnati / Middletown Portal—
Please sign up for the mailing list and please share the posts via your social media outlets !!
Cost-savings
Value of Chambers
We will be more active on Instagram and Facebook, so be sure to follow us to stay updated!
