Ohio Business News

business (8)Having a business- whether it is small or has many employees-requires to have an online presence. A website that has current information is a must for many businesses nowadays, and if your business is retail the information you have on your website can make a big difference in how much business you do online. Read the articles below to find more news about Northeast Ohio.


5 Easy Ways to Lose Customers 

No one wants to lose customers. But in a competitive environment, the smallest slip can do just that. In fact, 29 percent of customers will not order from an online store again if just one order is incorrect. This statistic and others are included in this infographic from Webgistix, an online fulfillment company, which breaks down the easiest ways to earn a customer’s loyalty or lose it forever through shipping and delivery errors.


Ohio energy efficiency and renewable energy laws headed for a vote

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Republican-led effort to change Ohio’s energy laws at the request of the state’s electric utilities — and over the objections of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, the Ohio Manufacturers Association and several environmental groups — is headed for a showdown Wednesday.

The Senate Republican Caucus met until midnight Tuesday debating a number of bills, including whether to go ahead Wednesday to vote a bill out of the Senate Utilities Committee that would upend the state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy mandates.

But two separate sources early Wednesday morning said the chances of that happening were very slim, based on the tone of the debate and concerns raised during the caucus about the legislation’s impact on consumer electric bills.


Government Files Suit Against Canton, Ohio-based Tab Construction and Its Owner for Allegedly Defrauding the Historically Underutilized Business Zone Program

The government has filed a complaint against Canton, Ohio-based TAB Construction Co. Inc. (TAB) and its owner, William E. Richardson III, for allegedly making false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain certification as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) company, the Justice Department announced today.

 “The HUBZone program is intended to create jobs in areas that historically have had trouble attracting business,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division Stuart F. Delery.  “The Justice Department will take strong enforcement action when companies obtain contracts to which they are not entitled.”
The government alleges that TAB used its fraudulently procured HUBZone certification to obtain four U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ construction contracts worth millions of dollars.  Each of those contracts had been set aside for qualified HUBZone companies.  The government’s complaint asserts claims against TAB and Richardson under the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989.
Allegedly, Richardson originally applied to the HUBZone program in 2000 by claiming that TAB’s principal office was located in a designated HUBZone when no TAB employees worked out of the HUBZone office, and TAB actually was located in a non-HUBZone.


The Affordable Care Act News

business (1)As October 1st. approaches, news about the Obama Cara Act is inundating the news.  Whether you agree with the Act or not, it seems everyone has an opinion. The conflicting issue that poses for small companies-small business- owners is an issue that is not a laughing matter. Read the articles below if you want to find more about this issue.


Will the Health-Care Law Help Small Businesses? 

Change doesn’t get much bigger than this.

Or more contentious.

President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has rewritten the rules on health insurance. And it has left small companies scrambling to figure out what it means for them.

The section that has caused the most fuss among businesses is the so-called employer mandate. Companies with 50 employees or more must provide health coverage or pay a fine. And that coverage must meet new minimum standards.


Ohio predicts rate increases under ObamaCare

Ohio’s GOP insurance commissioner is projecting a marked increase in health insurance rates under ObamaCare, adding fuel to the debate over how the healthcare law will affect premiums.
The state insurance department announced Thursday that individual health policies in Ohio will cost an average of 41 percent more next year.

Plans available to small businesses will cost 18 percent more on average, officials said.

The figures reflect averages of all the plans that will be available in the individual and small-group markets, not the price consumers will be asked to pay.


Fraud Charges Won’t Help Small Business Lending Pioneers

Since launching SoMoLend, a startup that connects small businesses seeking loans with banks and individual lenders, Candace Klein has been an outspoken proponent of the JOBS Act, touting the law’s potential to unleash a flood of financing for small firms. Peer-to-peer lenders such as Lending Club and Prosper have already shown that individuals are willing to lend consumers billions, and Klein sought to bring the same crowdfunding principles to small businesses seeking loans.

Now Ohio’s securities regulator wants to shut her Cincinnati-based business down, alleging she lied to investors and sold securities without necessary licenses.


News About The Obama Health Care Plan

business (3)October is sure to be a month lots of people are waiting for. October First is the first day you can enroll on the Obama health care plan, although it doesn’t start till January 1st. next year. I believe there are lots of people skeptical, and some right out angry about the Obama Health plan. Don’t you want to find out about it before we start voicing our opinions and getting angry beforehand? Don’t you want to have an alternative to the health care plan you have, or the lack there of?

Here are the latest news about The Obama Health Care plan, and some other news of interest.


Ohio won’t promote Obama health plan, so advocates, politicians say they will

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Oregon is making music videos and Kentucky is showing up at bourbon festivals to advertise a new way for individuals to get health insurance next year.

Ohio is purposely sitting on its hands.

Ohio’s Department of Insurance has planned no marketing, advertising or outreach to promote the Affordable Care Act, even though enrollment begins in less than two months. Consumers nonetheless can expect to hear plenty about it — the good, the bad and, especially, the political — in coming weeks.


Ohio officials: Rates to increase

Ohio could end up with a highly competitive health insurance exchange program, but regulators say the cost of the coverage sold could be expensive.

State regulators turned in paperwork on Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) exchange plans Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be running a “federally facilitated exchange” (FFE) program in Ohio.

The individual exchange attracted applications from 12 insurers, and the state’s Small Business Health Options Program exchange attracted applications from six insurers.


Loan funds available for small businesses in southeastern Ohio from Marietta based group

MARIETTA — Buckeye Hills Resource Conservation & Development continues to see signs that the economy is moving in a positive direction, and a number of people in southeast Ohio are thinking of either expanding an existing business or starting a small business operation.

Some banks are reluctant to take risk on start-up businesses, the RC&D said. A revolving loan fund is one option small business owners can use to build and expand their business, and also build a financial and credit history.

The Buckeye Hills RC&D Council has funds available for small businesses in the nine-county region of the RC&D. Counties eligible for participation include Athens, Belmont, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry and Washington. The RC&D is a regional non-profit organization focused on rural community development, natural resources protection, and enhancing the quality of life in southeast Ohio.


New GOP Tax Plan

business (1)From the best cities to have a business, to the new GOP tax plan, we bring you information that as a small or big business owner should be of interest to you. Under the GOP tax plan, the state will decrease the means for many of the agencies and services that are supported by property taxes, including but not limited to libraries, mental health services, health districts, and senior services. Follow the links below for the complete articles.


Homeowners, small businesses and low-income Ohioans to fund new GOP tax plan

According to the Columbus Dispatch, GOP leaders will today unveil a new tax plan that preserves the $1.4 billion cut in taxes for business owners and investors, but adds an income tax cut, paid for by increasing sales taxes, taxing more small businesses and eliminating tax relief for homeowners.

In order to pay for an 8% across-the-board reduction in Ohio’s income tax –  a cut that will disproportionately help the wealthy – the plan to be rolled out this afternoon would:

  • raise the sales tax by 0.25%
  • expand the pool of businesses subject to the state’s commercial activity tax (by lowering from $1 million to $500,000 the amount of revenue a business can have before they pay the tax)
  • eliminate the state’s 12.5% contribution to property taxes for future levies

Tax Breaks Every Small Business Needs to Know About

Small businesses often get touted as the backbone of our economy—they create jobs, spur growth and lead to innovation. When the financial crisis hit in 2007 and led to the Great Recession, small businesses took a hit-consumer spending dropped and they stopped hiring. Many small businesses were forced to shutter.

To help reignited small businesses, the Obama Administration launched a series of tax cuts and credits to help shore up balance sheets and entice more spending and hiring.

Some of the tax breaks Obama provided have expired but here is a listing of the remainder:

Read more by following the link above.

Best and worst cities for small business workers

Jobs growth on Main Street—a traditional driver of past U.S. economic recoveries—so far has been largely stagnant.

Faced with challenges, from taxes to anticipated rising health-care costs, many small-business owners remain in a holding pattern. They’re not making substantial spending decisions, including hiring.

Given small employers’ role in the broader economy, CardHub, a website for credit card, financial and jobs advice, has released a new ranking of the best and worst American cities for mall-business workers and job seekers.


Efficiency in the Workplace

business (7)Today’s news is all about efficiency in the workplace.  It is no surprise to anyone that businesses have to implement procedures in the workplace to boost the efficiency of their work force.  Although the steps to get there are varied and are not in any way exclusive to all businesses, efficiency in the workplace can be the difference between a successful business and a mediocre one.


Define Your Organization’s Habits to Work More Efficiently

We don’t often think about the way we usually operate at work, whether we’re performing an informal five-step process for evaluating a new proposal, or setting priorities for managing our time. But our ability to improve the ways we do things depends on defining and shaping our daily habits of mind and practice — our “standard work.”


Be flexible – and boost your efficiency

Against the backdrop of a tough economic climate, many small business owners are feeling the strain and working harder than ever. We conducted some research to find out the real pressures that Britain’s small businesses are currently facing. Turns out, it’s pretty tough out there.


Fiscal Efficiency Not A Priority in Ohio Schools

Ohio’s school districts spend about a third more on their bureaucracies than the national average.

As a percentage of the budget, Ohio schools spend more on bureaucracy than 47 other states, as reported in “The Book of the States 2012.” Statewide, Ohio’s schools spend a total of 13.2 percent of their budgets on administration, compared to the national average of 10.8 percent.


Ohio’s Economic News

business (4)Ohio’s economy is recovering.  Although we are ranked 22nd. In the country for most-improved state in business climate, the casino’s revenue for Ohio is letting our state make its first appearance ever.  Honda is unveiling a new manufacturing site in Ohio, so after all, I believe the economy in Ohio is brighter every day. Continue reading the latest news in North East Ohio.


Ohio jumps 13 spots to become most-improved state in nationwide business-climate ranking

Corporate leaders are feeling much sunnier about Ohio, which jumped 13 spots to become the most-improved state in a nationwide business-climate ranking released this week.

But the Buckeye State landed in 22nd place out of 50, based on an annual survey conducted by Chief Executive Magazine.


Ohio ranks 16th for casino revenue

Ohio is making its first appearance on the American Gaming Association’s much-watched annual report on the U.S. casino industry, ranking 16th in consumer spending last year among the 23 states with casinos, according to Columbus Business First.


Honda to unveil new Ohio manufacturing site

Honda North America will unveil a new central Ohio manufacturing site for its Acura NSX on Tuesday.

The Marysville-based automaker plans to make an announcement about eight miles west of its headquarters.


Ohio Senate president sees preference for small-business tax cut

State Sen. Keith Faber, president of the Ohio Senate, said today in Cleveland that he believes the Senate would prefer to enact the small-business tax cut introduced by Gov. John Kasich rather than the across-the-board cut passed by the House.


Recession or Recovery? Ohio Business News

business (11)The economy is always news around our nation.  Small owners surveyed may not agree whether the economy is recovering, but there is certainly more optimism about a recovery than before.  Read the articles below to discover what is happening around Ohio, our economy and new happenings in business.


Recession or recovery? Ohio’s small-business owners split

Ohio small-business owners are split over whether the U.S. and Ohio economies are still in recession or recovering, according to U.S. Bank’s annual small-business survey.

The survey polled 3,210 small businesses, including 203 in Ohio, across 25 states where the bank provides small-business services. The survey found that 45 percent of the small businesses surveyed believe the U.S. and Ohio economies are in an economic recovery.


Northeast Ohio small business owners are more optimistic about growth than their peers nationwide

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Northeast Ohio small-business owners see more opportunities to grow than their counterparts around the state and nation, according to COSE‘s latest small business monitor survey.


Popular locally brewed beer returns to Ohio

Wiedemann’s Special Lager will make its Ohio debut at Arnold’s Bar and Grill on May 17.
The event will include a delivery of the ceremonial first keg of Wiedemann in a horse-drawn beer wagon by Jim Tarbell.


Ohio Business News

Although winter in Ohio may be far from “fun” in the dead of winter, there is some good news for you to think about this year.  The following article will give small business owners a little incentive to keep working and promoting business in Ohio.


Texas Tops List of Best Small Business Tax Systems, California At Bottom

If you were to choose a state to do business in based solely on state tax systems, Texas and North Dakota would be at the top of the list. And at the bottom?  Try California, Hawaii and New Jersey.


Produce industry to hear federal food safety update April 30 in Wooster

WOOSTER, Ohio — If you’ve been following the produce industry over the past half-dozen years, chances are good you’ve heard the words “food safety.”

It’s been a hot topic in the industry amid costly food borne illnesses and concern over the general safety of raw produce.


White Castle Going ‘Green’ with Compost Made from Food Scraps

COLUMBUS, Ohio – White Castle is proud to announce its stepping up efforts to become ‘greener’ this Earth Day by using a new compost made from restaurant food scraps. To celebrate Earth Day, White Castle planted flowers using the new compost.