2012 business journal May 2012 A Section

8/2/2019 2012 business journal May 2012 A Section

1/16

Colleges/

Universities 7A,8A

Business

Insurance 9A,10A

ElderCare 11A-13A CreditUnions 14A-16A

Regions

Manufacturing 1B-8B

INSIDE

BusinessJournalOF WEST CENTRAL OHIO

THE

May 2012

The Regions Business Publication

www.businessjrnl.com

St. Ritas Medical Center in Lima, Ohio willinvest approximately $9 million for an EmergencyRoom expansion which will add 8,000 square feetto the facility.

The department was constructed in 1980 andwas last updated in 1995. The renovation will in-clude additional and larger rooms available 24/7

with family zones, CarePath technology, behav-ioral health safe rooms, and a meditation and griev-ing area.

Our emergency department is probably one ofthe oldest facilities from a clinical perspective,

St. Ritas invests $9M for expansion

First National Bank of Pandoraannounced that it has once againbeen awarded a 5-Star (Superior)Rating from Bauer Financial, Inc., anindependent bank rating company.Bauers 5-Star Rating, their highest

performance ranking, represents anindependent, unbiased analysis ofa nancial institutions safety andsoundness position. Bauer has beenanalyzing and reporting the nancialcondition of the nations bankingindustry since 1983.

In making the announcement,Todd Mason, First NationalsPresident and CEO, noted that FirstNational Bank is proud to be recog-nized as one of the strongest commu-nity banks in Northwest Ohio.

The Bauer rating is based on acomplex analysis of nancial criteria

including capitalization, asset qual-ity, protability, liquidity, and risk.The 5-Star Rating indicates that FirstNational Bank is both nanciallysound and has the resources to dealwith a variety of adverse economic

conditions. Bauer Financial has itsstar-rating for every U.S. bank avail-able free of charge at www.bauer-nancial.com.

First National Bank is a whol-ly owned subsidiary of PandoraBancshares (PDRB). The Bank wasfounded in 1919 and is a local-ly owned community bank with$129MM in assets. The bank hasofces in Pandora, Bluffton andFindlay, Ohio. First National Bankis an Equal Housing Lender and

Member FDIC. The Banks websiteis www.e-fnb.com.

Alexander & Bebout, Inc., aButler Builder headquarteredin Van Wert, OH, was honoredas the 2011 Builder of the Yearfor the Midwest Region of ButlerManufacturing, the world salesleader in pre-engineered metalbuilding systems. The awardwas presented at the recentButler National Sales Meetingto Tom Alexander, President,and his wife, Sylvia, CorporateSecretary.

The Ohio contractor has beena Butler Builder since 1970 andhas since earned numerous per-formance awards and relatedrecognition from Butler. Thefull-service contracting compa-ny offers turnkey design/buildservices for both pre-engineered

buildings and conventional struc-tures. Their primary trade areais Northwest Ohio, although

Alexander & Bebout has com-pleted projects in seven states.

Notable projects completedrecently include the 24,000-sq.-ft.Ohio State Beauty Academy for

the University of Northwestern

First National Bank receivesBauers 5-star superior rating

Alexander & Bebout, Inc. honoredby Butler Manufacturing

TheBusinessJournal

405N.MainSt.Delphos,OH45833

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PAID

Delphos,OH

PermitNo.21

TheBusinessJournal

Distributedin13counties...

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PORK RINDHERITAGE FESTIVAL

June 8 & 9, 2012

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Located in Downtown Harrod, Ohio

Terry Blank, Butler Midwest Region Sales Manager (far left) andDennis Hainley, Midwest Regional General Manager (far right) areshown presenting the award to Tom and Sylvia Alexander.


2/16

2A TheBusinessJournal May2012

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Bill Wente,President of FirstNational Bank, hasrecently announcedthe addition ofAaron Rohrbaugh

as an investmentrepresentative forthe bank. Aarongraduated fromWapakoneta HighSchool in Wapa-koneta, Ohio. Heattended The OhioState University and received a Bachelorof Science degree in Business Administra-tion. In his eleven year career in the finan-cial services industry he has served the areasof Lima, Wapakoneta, Sidney, and the sur-

rounding communities. He has worked invarious functions of the bank including loanofficer, office manager, commercial loan of-ficer and investment representative. Mostrecently he worked as a retail officer and anassistant vice president in the Wapakonetamarket. His extensive experience, commit-ment to serving customers, and communitypride all fit well with the mission of FirstNational Bank.

A native of Wapakoneta, Aaron residesin his hometown and takes a very activerole in the community. He is a member or

past member of many community organi-zations including the Wapakoneta RotaryClub, Wapakoneta Chamber of CommerceBoard of Directors, First United Church ofChrist Consistory, and is currently an Auxil-iary Ohio State Patrolman. In his spare timeRohrbaugh enjoys spending time with hisfamily, riding his motorcycle, and is a recre-ational airplane pilot.

Mr. Rohrbaughs main responsibility forthe bank will be providing insurance and in-vestment services and guidance to the bankscustomers in Wapakoneta, Lima, New Bre-

men, Botkins, New Knoxville, Sidney, andthe surrounding areas. He currently holds aState of Ohio insurance license and Series 6and 63 registrations, through LPL Financial,to sell mutual funds, annuities, and insur-ance products. In addition, he is working toobtain his Series 7 registration and the Cer-tified Financial Planner (CFP) designation.He feels the key to success in the financialservices industry is to provide quality prod-ucts and services to his customers and thenfollowing it up with excellent support.

First National Bank is a community-ori-

ented bank with offices in Sidney, Botkins,Wapakoneta, New Knoxville, and New Bre-men. They are committed to serve the finan-cial needs of the residents and businesses inthe markets they serve. The bank has op-erated in this area since 1934 as a federallycharted financial institution. To contact Aar-on Rohrbaugh or to learn more about FirstNational Bank and the services they provide,

Rohrbaugh joinsFirst National Bank

ROHRBAUGH


3/16

May2012 TheBusinessJournal 3A

OHIO LOGISTICS

Northern Georgia (Rock Spring)

BusinessJournal

THE

ofWestCentralOhioVolume21,No.5

PublisherDonaldR.HempleContributingWritersJeffreyGitomer

AdvertisingDonaldR.HempleTheBusinessJournalismailedtothetopbusinessleadersinthe11-countyregionofWestCentralOhio.Althoughinfor-mationisgatheredfromsourcesconsideredtobereliable,theaccuracyandcompletenessoftheinformationcannotbeguaranteed.InformationexpressedinTheBusinessJournaldoesnotconstituteasolicitationforthepurchaseorsaleofanyproducts.

Copyright,TheBusinessJournalofWestCentralOhio,2006,Allrightsreserved.Reprodu ctionoruse,withoutwritten per-missionofeditorial,photographicorothergraphiccontentinanymannerisprohibited.TheBusinessJournalispublishedmonthlyat405N.MainSt.,Delphos,OH45833

ContactUs

Telephone 419-999-4762

DonHemple 419-695-0015ext. 138

MarilynHoffman 419-695-0015ext.131

StacyPrine 419-695-0015 ext.129

tol l free 800-589-6950

Mail405N.MainSt.,Delphos,OH45833-1598

Forinformationconcerningnews,advertisingandsubscriptione-mailusat:[email protected]@delphosherald.com


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Understand the client by anticipating and responding to their needs

Provide value-added advice and guidance by analyzing client needs

and resolving issues

Provide the broadest range and highest quality of products and services

Develop and maintain long-term relationships by actively listeningto our clients in order to build trust and loyalty

Offer personal and professional service on everything we sell

Through teamwork, leverage our capabilities and resources to fullymeet the needs of our clients

Client Centered

This Enables Us To:

Perry Corporation / SMS proTECH is a client-centered organization.The Client is the driving force behind what we do.

www.smsprotech.comwww.perrycorporation.com

stated Jim Reber, CEO. We constantly tryto freshen it and make it better.

According to St. Ritas, the emergencyroom treats approximately 60,000 patients ayear and the expansion will increase patientcapacity by 15%. The 46 universal roomswill be 50% larger than the current rooms.Each will have medication administration

equipment for improved patient safety, aswell as digital capabilities for electronicmedical records and other technology, in-cluding full size monitors to view patientimaging (X-rays) and test results.

St. Ritas will also operate three safe

rooms that have secured appliances, nosharp edges, and security cameras to pre-vent patients from harming themselves.

The new trauma center will feature fourfully equipped 300 square foot rooms,which will grant the trauma team improvedpatient accessibility.

The renovation will increase the hospi-

tals capability of dealing with a mass casu-alty or chemical emergency, stated Reber.In the unfortunate event of a mass casu-alty, we have expanded capability to handlea lot of patients simultaneously.

The mass casualty unit will be designed

to treat 15 patients in an area separatedfrom the main Emergency Department. Theequipment will include a decontaminationarea in event of a hazardous catastrophe.

The project is expected to cost approxi-mately $9 million, with about $6 millioncoming from donations and the rest throughinternal operating funds. A scrub sale was

held in February by the St. Ritas Medi-cal Center Volunteer / Auxiliary to benefitthe expansion. It hosted AMS Uniforms ofLima and also offered footwear, bags, lan-yards, eyewear, badge holders, blood pres-sure cuffs, and stethoscopes.

According to the hospital, 65% of its pa-

tients are admitted through the EmergencyDepartment. Life Flight averages 500 trans-ports per year.

The entire interior will be sort of guttedand rebuilt, stated Reber.

Touchstone CPM, a subsidiary of TuttleConstruction, is handling the renovation.

The hospital was opened in 1918 by

the Sisters of Mercy and in 1977 the namewas changed to St. Ritas Medical Center.It underwent multiple renovations, includ-ing a seven-story addition in 1947, anotheraddition for patient beds in the 1960s, andthe AB Tower in the 1980s. It is the largesthospital within a 70 mile radius of Lima.

For the past 27 years, Ayers Mechanical Group has providedN.W. Ohio with dependable plumbing and heating services.

Our Commercial Services include: ServiceAgreements MechanicalContracting Allplumbing,heating&coolingneeds

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Ohio, in Lima, and industrial buildingsfor Unverferth Manufacturing Company in

Kalida and Delphos.Alexander and the late Gene Bebout

formed the contracting company in March1965 and initially concentrated on farmstructures and silos before evolving intolarger off-farm and more complex indus-trial and commercial opportunities. Design/build project delivery, a method that com-

bines both design and construction respon-sibilities under the contractor, has become

a specialty for the company.In addition to Tom and Sylvia Alexander,

Sara Zura, their granddaughter and alicensed professional engineer, is a com-pany Vice President and Project Manager.Other Project Managers include, SteveBebout, Stan Hitchcock, Charlie Salwayand Brad Ream.

Expansion (Continued from page 1A)

Honored (Continued from page 1A)


5/16May2012 TheBusinessJournal 5A

Alexander & Bebout, Inc.Engineering Design Construction

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I overheard sales dialog on the airplanethis morning. He (the customer) has neverresponded to one of my emails, and nevercalls me back. The ONLY time he calls meis when he needs something. Then back todevouring this weeks edition of US Week-ly magazine.

Sound familiar?Why do salespeople blame other people

and/or other things for their own inepti-tude? Why didnt this salesperson say, Igotta work on my voicemails and emails.Theyre not getting any traction, andtheyre costing me major money. Im goingon an all-out effort to improve my writingskills, my voicemail skills, and my creativ-ity to generate better response!

Ill tell you why: Its easier to blame oth-ers for your shortcomings than it is to takeresponsibility for them. Its easier to blamethan admit youre not that good. Its easierto blame than it is to improve. Its easier toblame than face your own reality.

And Im certain this message applies to

you.You blame the customer when some-

thing goes wrong, something didnt happenas planned, someone didnt respond, or youlost a sale to a competitor especially at alower price. Wrong. Very wrong.

I have been helping salespeople sellmore and sell better since 1976, and dur-ing the time no one has ever come to meand said, Jeffrey, I didnt make the sale,

and it was all my fault! Interest-ing statistic.

Rather than blame, I have someanswers that will help you. Actu-ally, I have some questions. Ques-tions you MUST ask yourself BE-FORE you blame. These questionswill give you a brand new perspec-tive, and they automatically shiftblame to responsibility. They willbring you a new sense of reality.And they will make you a bettersalesperson.

Ask yourself WHYto get to the truth. Why was my call not

returned? Why did they cancel my

appointment? Why did they delete my

email? Why did they not re-

spond to my email? Why did they say, Not

interested? Why did they say,

Were happy with ourpresent supplier?

Why cant I set an ap-pointment?

Why cant I get throughto the decision maker?

Why are they meetingwith other vendors orsuppliers?

Why did they take thelowest bid?

Why did they buy from the competition? Why did they tell me that my price is too

high?Why are you blaming others (especially

customers) for your inability to attract, en-gage, connect, and create value that leadsto a sale?

One of the weakest and least exposed

shortcomings of salespeople is how theyuse time. If youre allocating too muchtime to watching TV, or other nonsenseactivities, youre wasting valuable career-building opportunities.

Whatever youre doing with your non-business, non-family time, ask yourselfthese reality questions:

Will this help me doublemy sales? Will this help me build bet-ter relationships? Will this help me becomebetter known? Will this make me be per-

ceived as a person of value? Will this help me build myreputation? Will this help me build mysales and personal develop-ment skills?Work on these elements ofyour sales and business life: Message leaving. Are yourmessages in any way impact-ing your standing and statuswith the customer? Is therean ounce of value or creativ-ity, or are you just beggingfor some news about the pro-posal you sent (and calling

that a follow-up)? Be available. Your prospect will call youwhen they are free. This may be before orafter business hours.

Be easy to do business with. Customerswant everything NOW!

Leave value messages. Something shortand sweet that they can use.

Study creativity. Your competitive advan-

tage is to be perceived as different. Read abook on creativity as a starting point.

Be more friendly than professional. Salesis a profession, but salespeople (you) mustbe perceived as friendly.

Build your business social media pres-ence. Are you tweeting value messages?Interacting with customers one-on-one onyour business Facebook page? Looking tomake new connections on LinkedIn? Cre-ating a YouTube channel with customertestimonial videos? Or are you watching

the 6-oclock news? Use meals to build relationships. Youllbe amazed how much more availablecustomers become once you get to knowthem personally. Breakfast or lunch pros-pects and customers at least three timesa week.

SIMPLE SELF-EVIDENT FACT: Ifyou want customer response, you have toEARN it.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Cus-tomer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Price-less, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Bookof Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections,

The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little GreenBook of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book ofCha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Bookof Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information abouttraining and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].

2012 All Rights Reserved. Dont even think aboutreproducing this document without written permissionfrom Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer. 704/333-1112

Whats the reason beyond BLAME? Maybe its YOU!

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14

A masters degree is often necessaryto land certain jobs or for career advance-ment within some fields. Many careers that

require masters degrees are typically foundin sectors such as research and academia.Professionals with a masters degree oftenbenefit from higher pay and increased jobresponsibilities.

How Masters Degrees are Importantfor Career Opportunities

What Can I Achieve with a MastersDegree?

A masters degree can open many careerdoors, including certain career fields, ad-vancement opportunities and higher salaries.Careers that may require a masters degree

include dietitian, special education teacheror counselor, college professor, advancedpractice nurse, school administrator, occu-pational therapist and speech-language pa-thologist.

Career Advancement OpportunitiesAdvancement opportunities can include

moving into managerial or administrativepositions and obtaining licensure and cer-tification. According to the U.S. Bureau ofLabor Statistics (BLS), dietitians may need amasters degree in order to work in research,

public health or advanced clinical positions(www.bls.gov).

Counselors and special education teach-

ers interested in becoming licensed oftenmust obtain a masters degree. Addition-ally, athletic trainers in most states must belicensed or registered. Often, this requirescertification by a professional athletic trainerorganization, such as the Board of Certifica-tion (www.bocatc.org), which often requiresa masters degree from an accredited train-ing program.

Salary InformationHow Do the Salaries of Workers with a

Masters Degree Compare to Those withLess Education?

According to PayScale.com, workerswith masters degrees generally earn highersalaries workers with less education. A 2009survey conducted by the BLS provided acomparison of the median weekly earningsbetween masters degree holders and work-ers with less education.

Those with a masters degree earned$1,257 a week, bachelors degree holdersearned approximately $1,025 and associatesdegree holders earned about $761 a week.Those with some college training earned

approximately $699 a week, while workerswith a high school diploma averaged $626per week. Those with less than a high school

diploma made about $454 per week.Popular Careers for Professionals witha Masters Degree

According to PayScale.com, the mostpopular jobs for workers with a masters de-gree in 2010 included elementary and highschool teacher, senior software engineer,developer and programmer, physician as-sistant, human resources director, nonprofit

executive director and architect. Reported2010 median salaries for these careers were:

Elementary School Teacher _ $43,564

High School Teacher _ $51,350Architect (excluding landscape and na-val) _ $58,260

Executive Director, Nonprofit Organiza-tion _ $63,478

Physician Assistant _ $74,471Human Resources Director _ $75,394Senior Software Engineer/Developer/

Programmer _ $92,967

Importance of a Masters Degree: How will it help my career?

BusinessJournalOF WEST CENTRAL OHIOComing in the June edition of ...

Community Banking Architectural Firms Elder Care Special Report: Regions Hospitals


8/16


How to calculate the economic

value of a Masters DegreeThe decision to return to school to

earn a masters degree is difficult formany people. Some wonder if they havethe time to dedicate to school while bal-ancing the demands of their job and fam-ily. Others are uncertain about the finan-cial aspect of the degree. To ensure thedegree is financially beneficial, prospec-tive students need to learn how to cal-culate the economic value of a mastersdegree.

InstructionsDetermining Costs and Benefits1 Add up the cost of the degree.

Visit the graduate school or financial aidsection of the website for the universi-

ty you plan to attend. Review the priceof tuition and fees per credit hour, andmultiply it by the number of credit hoursneeded to receive your masters degree.Add to this number the price of books,as well as transportation and other costsyoull incur attending graduate school.As an example, lets estimate the cost ofa masters degree is $20,000.

2 Examine wages based on a degree.Learn what advancement positions areavailable with a masters degree in your

career field. Review the wages and sala-ries offered by these positions by access-ing the Occupational Outlook Handbookpublished by the U.S. Bureau of LaborStatistics on its website. Multiply the av-erage wage or salary by the number ofyears that remain until you retire. Thisis the earning potential that exists if youearn a masters degree. As an example,lets estimate a yearly salary of $50,000

with a masters degree and 30 years re-maining until you retire. Your earningpotential in this example is $1.5 million.

3 Figure out your current earning po-tential. Take your current salary withouta masters degree and multiply it by thenumber of years until you retire. This isyour current earning potential. Lets use$30,000 as your current salary, whichmakes your earning potential without amasters degree $900,000. Compare itto the earning potential that exists witha masters degree, and the advanced de-gree is worth $600,000.

4 Subtract the cost of your degree.Take away the cost of getting your mas-

ters degree from the earning potentialthat exists with the degree. In the exam-ple, this is $1.5 million minus $20,000.This results in $1.48 million, which isthe overall economic value of a master sdegree.

5 Consider financial aid. Reduce thecost of graduate school and increase adegrees economic value by applying forand using financial aid. Complete anyscholarship applications for institution-specific scholarships, as well as private

foundations and organization scholar-ships. Fill out the Free Application forFederal Student Aid (FAFSA) to deter-mine if you qualify for any grants or stu-dent loans. Seek out department gradu-ate assistantships which pay your tuition,and may also offer a monthly stipend forapproximately 20 hours of work eachweek during a semester.

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Business Insurance

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The importanceof insurance sector for the

economic development

Why your business needs business insurance

The insurance industries are developingfinancial institutions in the market. Insur-ance sector play a vital role in the social andeconomic development. It will be reducingthe uncertainties and improving the financialresources. There are two important channelswhich are helping the insurance sector forthe economic and social development. Thosechannels are reducing uncertainties and pool-ing the long term financial resources.

Reducing Uncertainties: Insurance sectoris provides the financial support in unexpect-ed and sudden situations (Such as floods, fireaccidents, and earthquakes.) in businessesand human life.

Generating long term financial resources:Generating financial long term resourcesplay an important role in economic role. Ininsurance industry, funds are generated bypremiums. These funds are invested in finan-cial instruments (government securities andstock). And the financial instruments gener-ate the long term financial resources.

Insurance industries affect economicgrowth by the channels of marginal produc-tivity of capital, technological innovationsand saving rate.

Three Common Myths About Liabilityand Understanding the Value of Insurance

The first question often asked by the

business owner is: Do I need business in-surance?

The answer is, yes!In ten years as an attorney, I have always

advised my business clients to obtain insur-ance for the risks and potential risks fac-ing their business. In that time I have heardevery rationale for why a business ownerbelieves they do not need insurance. And,before we go on, I want to address the mostcommon myths that lead some businessowners to choose not to secure insurance.

Myth #1: Nobody will sue me, my busi-

ness does not make a lot of money, and youcant squeeze blood from a turnip. Mybusiness is not collectible.

FALSE. Everybody and every businesscan be sued. Everybody and every busi-ness, once a money judgment is renderedagainst them, can have that judgment col-lected. Judgment liens do not go away.Judgment liens can be renewed. Wagescan be garnished. Equipment can be seizedand sold. Bank accounts and assets can be

seized to pay the judgment. Everybody iscollectible at the hands of a persistent at-torney.

Myth #2: My business is a corporation.The corporate format protects me from li-ability, so I dont need insurance.

FALSE. The corporate format doesnothing but protect individual investors,owners, and officers from personal liabilityfor the actions and debts of the corporationfor corporate purposes. But, under the lawsof all states, the corporate veil of protec-tion can be removed or, pierced un-der some circumstances. When that occurs,the owner may be liable personally andmust answer a judgment with personal as-

sets: your house, your car or, maybe, yourlife savings. When this occurs varies bystate. But, a simple rule of thumb is thatthe smaller you are the more likely this willbe.

Myth #3: If I die or become disabled,my family and my business partners arefriends and theyll just work it out.

FALSE. Most small businesses do notsurvive the death or disability of a princi-pal member. Most children do not follow

parents into the family business. Most busi-nesses do not have the cash flow necessaryto pay the estate of a deceased member for

its interest in the business and the businessmay be dissolved. Finally, in my experi-ence, remaining family members and busi-ness partners rarely work things out afterthe death or disability of a member.

Once you understand that these myths

are simply false, you will be more securein your decision to purchase insurance andvalue insurance as an investment in your

business.There are other myths that I have run

into over the years; but, to summarize, Ihave yet to find a business owner with acognizable reason for not having insurance.Your business needs to be insured.

Jane Birckhead, CPCU

Executive Vice President

Trustee - Stepping Stones Center

Life Home Auto Business Income

Hukill Hazlett

Harrington Agency, Inc.Insurance Since 1838

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to the purchase of insurance, the businessowner must be able to articulate a clearstatement of what their business does andstay within the boundaries of that state-ment - or be faced with the possibility ofpurchasing unneeded coverage or not hav-ing the appropriate coverage.

A good place to start is to develop asingle paragraph of no more than four sen-tences that describes your business. It isjust natural to project our knowledge onthose around us. If you do not develop aclear statement of what you want to do,

then you risk assuming the agent or bro-ker you will work with has some way toread your mind. Develop a statement. Con-sider the following points in developingyour statement:

Define the four questions. Where. What.When. How.

What are you selling?Who will be manufacturing the stuff

you sell?Will there be employees? How many?What types of equipment will be used?Will vehicles be used in the business?

How is it set up? Partnership? Corpora-tion?

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Elder Care

Were available all the seasons of your lifePutnam County HomeCare & Hospice is a county-govern-

mental agency and is a part of the Putnam County GeneralHealth District. The agency is governed by the Putnam CountyBoard of Health. They are a Medicare/Medicaid certifiedagency and are accredited by Community Health AccreditationProgram (CHAP). Putnam County HomeCare & Hospice doesnot receive money from the county, they do not receive levymoney and they are totally self-supporting. They are the onlyhome care and hospice agency located in Putnam County.

Since 1966, Putnam County HomeCare has deliveredquality health care and other services to the countys recov-ering, disabled and chronically ill. Home care servicesinclude Skilled Nursing, Physical Therapy, OccupationalTherapy, Speech Therapy, Personal Care Aide and HomeMedMonitoring Systems. These disciplines can be initiated whenthe physician orders skilled, intermittent services for thepatient. The Agency works closely with the physicians, hospi-tals and nursing homes to develop a care plan that meets eachindividuals personalized needs. These services will assist thepatients in achieving and maintaining their optimal level ofindependence. It gives families the opportunity to keep theirloved one in the comfort of the home setting for as long aspossible.

Putnam County Hospice provides a special kind of careand support for individuals in the last phases of a life-limitingillness. Emotional, physical, spiritual and social support isprovided to patients and their families throughout the processof both illness and bereavement. Family members are encour-

aged to be actively involved in their loved ones care. A teamof physicians, nurses, social workers, clergy, aides and volun-teers follow an individualized care plan designed to meet thespecific needs of the patient.

Putnam County Hospice recently began a CommunityBased Palliative Care Program, available to all residents ofPutnam County. Dr. Mary Ann Myers, MD is the MedicalDirector for Putnam County Hospice. She is willing to answerany questions that you have regarding palliative care. Dr.Myers, along with a team of nurses, social workers and vol-unteers monitor and provide comfort care, while patients arereceiving active treatments for their disease, or experiencingother debilitating illnesses.

Putnam County HomeCare & Hospice employs thirty-eightstaff members, for a combined total of four hundred fifty-fiveemployee service years. Roni Kaufman recently joined theteam as the new Marketing Director. She graduated from theUniversity of Findlay with a Masters Degree in Education.Roni is available to speak at committee meetings, organiza-tions, physician offices, nursing facilities, hospitals, etc.

If you or a loved one are in need of home care or hospiceservices, remember that you have a choice of which agencywill provide the care. It is a personal decision that only youcan make and it is guaranteed by Federal and State Laws. Ifyou are not given a choice, ask for it. Request Putnam CountyHomeCare & Hospice to your family physician, specialist,

social worker, hospital staff or nursing home staff. Wereavailable all the seasons of your life. Support your localcounty agency.

If you would like more information about the programsoffered by Putnam County HomeCare & Hospice, call 419-523-4449 or visit www.pchh.net.

Putnam County HomeCare & Hospice


12/16


ARA Calling your retirement savings anest egg is meaningful on many levels. Justas birds labor hard and long to create a secureroost, you and your mate work hard to providefor yourselves during your golden years. And

just as crows and other invaders can comealong to rob a birds nest, your nest egg canbe at risk from predators like identity thievesand scammers.

One out of every five people older than 65- 7.3 million Americans has been the victimof a financial swindle, according to a surveysponsored by the Investor Protection Trust.Identity theft statistics are also alarming: In2010, more than 1 million people older than

65 were targeted by identity thieves, accordingto the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Factor ineveryone older than 50, and that number soarsto more than 3.5 million.

Unfortunately, its not enough to havesaved wisely for retirement, says KenChaplin, senior vice president of marketing forExperians ProtectMyID. Statistics show thatseniors are favorite targets for identity thieves,con artists and scammers. Protecting your nestegg from being raided by crooks is every bitas important as ensuring your investmentscontinue to pay off.

Fortunately, you can take steps to protectyour nest egg.

Avoiding phone scamsFirst, always know who youre giving your

money to. Never invest with someone whocold calls you on the phone claiming to havea great investment opportunity. Be especiallywary of companies that have no physicaladdress and operate out of a P.O. box or website. And remember, be suspicious if an invest-ment promises amazing returns. If somethingsounds too good to be true, it often isnt trueat all.

Never give your bank account, SocialSecurity Number or credit card number tosomeone who calls claiming to be a bill collec-tor. The law requires bill collectors to provideyou with documentation of a debt. Requestdocumentation and thoroughly check out anyclaims that you owe money.

If you have any doubts about a phone callyouve received, talk to friends or familymembers who know something about invest-ing. Never trust a stranger youve just met onthe phone more than the people in your lifewhom you know care about you.

Guarding against identity theftIn addition to being aware of investment

scams, you also need to take steps to preventidentity theft.

Seniors tend to use credit less, have moreavailable credit and are less likely to checktheir credit report online, Chaplin says. Allthose factors make them an appealing targetfor identity thieves.

The Federal Trade Commission recom-mends that everyone monitor their creditreport regularly to detect signs of identity theftquickly. Services like ProtectyMyID monitoryour credit report on a daily basis to help youdetect, protect against and resolve instances ofidentity theft.

In addition to monitoring your credit, you

can help protect your identity with these mea-sures: Safeguard your Social Security and

Medicare cards. Never carry your SocialSecurity card with you. Store it in a safe,locked location. Be wary of who you give thenumber to. If a merchant or health care pro-vider wants it, ask why they need it and if theywill accept an alternate form of identification.

Never leave out-going mail in your mail-box. If you cant get to the post office to mailit, leave a note asking your postal carrier if heor she would be able to come to your door to

pick-up your outgoing mail. If you use paper checks, never havenew checks delivered by mail to your home.Instead, have them sent to your bank, whereyou can pick them up. And never have yourchecks imprinted with your home phone num-ber, Social Security number, drivers licensenumber or birth date.

Protectingyour nest egg from virtual crows

Putnam County Home Care,

Hospice & Palliative Care

Available all the Seasons of Your Life

UnitedWay of PutnamCounty Partner Agency

You Have a Choice

If you are facing a life altering illness or faced with the difficult decision

about end of life care, Putnam County Home Care, Hospice & Palliative

Care may be the answer for you.Ask for Putnam County Home Care, Hospice & Palliative Care

419-523-4449

Home Care

Since 1966, Putnam County

Home Care has delivered high

quality health care to recovering,

disabled and chronically ill

individuals. Using our Friends

Helping Friends philosophy,these services have allowed our

clients to remain in the comfort

and security of their homes.

Putnam County Home Care

provides nursing, therapy, aide

services and specialty care to

our clients in Putnam County

and surrounding areas.

Love begins by taking CARE of the

closest ones the ones at HOME

Hospice

The philosophy of Putnam County

Hospice is the belief that dying is

an integral part of living. Hospice

affirms life and neither hastens

death nor prolongs life. It allows

one to live each day fully and as

alert and pain free as possible.

Putnam County Hospice provides

emotional, physical, spiritual and

social support to the patient and

their family throughout the process

of both illness and bereavement.

Family members are encouraged

to be actively involved in their

loved ones care.Hospice treats the person, not the disease

Palliative Care

Palliative Care is a medical care

that focuses on pain and symptom

management for patients with life

altering illnesses. The goal of

palliative care is to prevent andrelieve suffering and to support

the best quality of life for patients

and their families. Palliative Care

is centered on the patients

physical, emotional, social and

spiritual care. Palliative Care is

appropriate at any age and at any

stage of an illness, and it can be

provided along with treatments

that are meant to cure.The Relief You Need When Youre Experiencing

the Symptoms of Serious Illness

Communalliving

attracting more

60-somethingwomen

Some say the 60s hippies are going backto the commune. Others call the growingnumber of female Baby Boomers roomingtogether The Golden Girls phenomenon.

Author Martha Nelson, who at 65 is onthe leading edge of a tsunami of retiringBoomers, says its really all about choosingthe company of friends.

As a group, weve been empoweredmore than past generations of women, saysNelson, whose debut novel, Black Chokeberry(www.BlackChokeberryTheBook.com), isthe story of three disparate older women whounexpectedly end up sharing a home. Weremore worldly, stronger, financially savvyand healthier than our ancestors throughno fault of their own and we know whatwe want.

Increasingly, what they want is to active-ly age with the camaraderie, laughter, under-standing and support of other women who

share their ideas of healthy lifestyles, goodfood from their own gardens, green living,and myriad activities on a moments notice.

In 2010, 480,000 Baby Boom womenlived with a least one unrelated female,according to an AARP analysis. The grow-ing number of U.S. HomeShare programs,which help connect people interested insharing a house, say their numbers havebeen steadily rising since the economy belly-flopped.

This concept is really trending on theEast and West Coasts and is very big in

Europe, says Ryan Cowmeadow, vicepresident of the National Shared HousingResource Center, an all-volunteer clearing-house of HomeShare programs.

Our numbers are up about 15 percentsince 2007, and about 75 percent of appli-cants are female, he says.

Were hoping to see a real surge withthe Boomers entering retirement age now.Theyre the ones who didnt take no for ananswer. Home-sharing just makes sense.

Nelson notes that there are several rea-

sons why women more than men are gravi-tating to communal living as an alternativelifestyle.

Women typically live longer than men,and men are more likely to remarry quicklyafter a divorce or the death of a spouse, shesays.

See COMMUNAL, page 13A


13/16


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And fundamentally I think its as muchabout the special bonds women share. Weform these wonderful, supportive, tellthe truth friendships, which survive thedemands of husbands, children and careers.Whether living alone or with a spouse orpartner, women cling to their friendships.When a woman considers living alone as sheages, its a natural progression to seek thecompany of her best friends.

Thats what happened to Nelson, a for-mer journalist and educator, whose longmarriage ended in divorce when she was inher 50s. In regaining her balance as a singlewoman, she sought time alone to heal, thenturned to her trusted friends as she steppedback into life. Her happiest moments camefrom long conversations over coffee, laugh-ter over meals and movies, and, occasion-ally, indulgent tears she felt safe to shed.

I came to fully understand the impor-tance of women friends in my life, shesays. They are the gold standard and as weage, they are critical to happiness, regardlessif one is married or in a committed relation-

ship.The movement for cohousing whereresidents have private living spaces but sharecommon areas, such as dining rooms, andtasks, such as cooking started in Denmarkand is catching on in the United States. Thereare model programs in Boulder, Colo., andother communities, including three cohous-ing projects being planned in the greaterNashville area, where Nelson lives.

Practical considerations of creating closeliving communities include health and safe-ty, care in times of an accident or medical

emergency, and saving money, a concern formany women who find themselves single orwidowed after long marriages, Nelson says.

But Boomers are renowned for demand-ing more than creature comforts from life,she adds.

We want to be happy; were healthy,active and we want to enjoy ourselves as weage. We want to travel, go to a movie with aneighbor or housemate, cook a meal, share agarden, and feel that we are contributing toour communities.

What started with Rosie the Riveterhas brought us to this, says Nelson who ishappily married again, but fascinated by thenew movement of cohousing.

Were strong women and we can chooseto live the way we want as we get older.Very often, that will mean with other womenin close knit communities.

Communal(Continued from page 12A)

C dit U i


14/16


Credit Unions

Not for credit, not for charity, but for service is a creditunion motto. Owned by its members, a credit union providesa form of saving and borrowing money similar to traditional

financial institutions, yet it works as a nonprofit cooperativeorganization charted by the federal government. The Na-tional Credit Union Association (NCUA) says that memberspool their funds to make loans to one another, while surplusincome is returned to the members in the form of dividend

General PurposeCredit unions serve people in a particular community,

group or groups of employees, or members of an organiza-tion or association. They encourage prudent borrowing forbig-purchase items, emergencies or educational needs bydeveloping a regular habit for savings. Members build eco-nomic security for themselves and their families.

Standard Services

Credit unions offer share draft (checking) accounts, shareaccounts (savings), share certificates (certificates of depos-it), credit and debit cards, retirement accounts and lendingprograms, including for real estate, member business loansand guaranteed student loans. A credit union fairly pricesproducts and services while competitively pricing rates on

savings and loans.Insured AccountsFederal credit unions insure members accounts through

the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF),operated by the NCUA and backed with the faith and creditof the U.S. government. The NCUSIF protects membersagainst losses if a federally insured credit union shouldfail.

Provisions in the Federal Credit Union Act and bylawsprovide additional protection by requiring all persons han-dling custody of credit to be bonded, having the supervisorycommittee or a contracted, licensed CPA to audit the affairsof the credit union and the records of the treasurer, requir-ing fund reserves for noncollectable loans and restrictingcredit unions to invest surplus funds only in specified in-vestments.

Financial IndependenceFor those people unserviced by traditional banking in-stitutions in distressed and financially underserved areas,low-income designated credit unions provide technical as-sistance grants and revolving loan funds managed by theNational Credit Union Association. A revolving loan fund

provides loans in which the person or small business makesrepayments, then those repaid funds are available for newloans to other businesses, the money revolving from one

person to another. In this manner, entrepreneurs form fi-nancial independence and eligibility for commercial bankloans.

Control and ManagementMembers have full democratic control of the credit

unions. They participate in regular and special membershipmeetings, with every person entitled to one vote regard-less of the number of owned shares and with no memberallowed to vote by proxy. Members elect the board of di-rectors, whose main responsibility lies with directing andcontrolling of the credit union and providing efficient man-agement of operations.

The board of directors has the authority to set loan limits

and interest rates within the statutory limits of the NCUArules and regulations, with the full disclosure of financecharges in compliance with the Truth in Lending Act: aregulation to promote informed uses of consumer credit byrequiring the disclosure of terms and costs, according to theFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

The economic slowdown during the springand summer of last year caused many projects tobe put on hold and resulted in diminished con-struction momentum. - ABC Chief EconomistAnirban Basu

SummaryThe construction industry lost 7,000 jobs in

March, inching the unemployment rate up to 17.2percent from 17.1 percent in February, accord-ing to the April 6 Department of Labor employ-ment report. Year over year, construction industryunemployment is down compared to the March2011 rate of 20 percent. The industry added55,000 jobs in the past 12 months.

The nonresidential construction sector lost6,000 jobs for the month, but year over year hasadded 7,000 jobs, or 1.1 percent, bringing the to-

tal number of jobs to 659,400. Residential con-

struction lost 5,000 jobs for the month and hasadded 3,000 jobs during the past 12 months, or0.4 percent, to reach 569,000 jobs.

Nonresidential specialty trade contractors shed5,000 jobs in March, while residential specialtytrade contractors added 5,000 jobs and heavy andcivil engineering construction employment saw again of 4,000 jobs. Year over year, nonresiden-tial specialty trade contractors have lost 4,000jobs, or 0.2 percent; residential specialty tradecontractor employment grew by 29,000 jobs, or2 percent; and heavy and civil engineering con-struction employment increased by 20,000 jobs,or 2.4 percent.

Across all industries, the nation added 120,000jobs in March. The private sector expanded by121,000 jobs and the public sector shrank by

1,000 jobs. On a yearly basis, the nation has add-

ed 1,899,000 jobs, or 1.5 percent. The nationalunemployment rate stood at 8.2 percent in March,down from 8.3 percent in February, with the laborforce shrinking by 164,000 people.

AnalysisTodays employment report was disappoint-

ing, particularly for construction, said Associat-ed Builders and Contractors (ABC) Chief Econ-omist Anirban Basu. The first quarter of 2012will be judged as a step backward for the industryas construction spending levels stagnated andemployment momentum disappeared.

A certain level of weakness was anticipateddue to the economic slowdown during the springand summer of last year that caused many proj-ects to be put on hold and resulted in diminishedconstruction momentum, Basu said. In addition,

ABCs Construction Backlog Indicator, a predictor

of construction activity, dipped during last yearsfourth quarter, setting the stage for the declines inconstruction employment now being observed.

This employment report differed from the prior

three months because employment growth was dis-appointing for the broader economy as well, Basusaid. The consensus coming into todays releasewas the nation would have added approximately200,000 jobs in March, which did not happen.

Some attribute the disappointing March re-port to abnormally warm weather across the na-tion, which caused Februarys employment to beartificially high. However, one month does notmake a trend and other data remain upbeat, in-cluding consumer activity and overall economicmomentum. Economists and others will be look-ing for signs of improvement in labor market dy-

namics in April, Basu said.

The increase in input prices during the pastyear likely has been enough to squeeze profit mar-gins further for contractors. - ABC Chief Econo-mist Anirban Basu

SummaryConstruction materials prices rose 1.4 percent

in March, the largest monthly increase since April2011, according to the U.S. Labor DepartmentsApril 12 producer price index (PPI) report. On aquarterly basis, construction materials prices in-creased 2.7 percent and are 3.8 percent higher than

March 2011. Following a similar pattern, nonresi-dential construction materials prices moved up 1.6percent for the month, 2.9 percent for the quarterand 4 percent year over year.

Softwood lumber was one of the materials ex-periencing a price increase in March, jumping 2.4percent to reach levels 1.7 percent higher for thequarter and 0.5 percent higher compared to oneyear ago. Plumbing fixtures and fittings saw price

increases of 0.6 percent for the month, 1 percentfor the quarter and 3.3 percent year over year.

Concrete product prices experienced price in-creases of 0.3 percent for the month, 0.6 percent forthe quarter and 2 percent year over year.

In addition, prepared asphalt, tar roofing andsiding prices inched up 0.2 percent for the month,but are still down 3.2 percent for the quarter and areflat compared to March 2011. Iron and steel pricesalso inched up 0.1 percent for the month, and areup 0.4 percent for the quarter and 0.1 percent year

over year.Nonferrous wire and cable prices decreased in

March, falling 1.3 percent for the month, 0.5 per-cent for the quarter and 4 percent year over year.Steel mill prices decreased 0.6 percent for themonth, but were up 1.3 percent for the quarter and0.4 percent during the last 12 months. Prices forfabricated structural metal products slipped 0.2percent for the month, but were unchanged for

the quarter and increased 2.6 percent compared toMarch 2011.

Crude energy materials prices dropped 9.2 per-cent in March and are down 7.4 percent for thequarter and 6 percent compared to the same timelast year. Crude petroleum prices fell 11.2 percentfor the month. Overall, the nations wholesalegoods prices were flat for the month, 0.5 percenthigher for the quarter and 2.8 percent higher thanone year ago.

Analysis

Most construction materials prices behavedwell in March, said

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)Chief Economist Anirban Basu. The exception inthis report was softwood lumber prices, which roseaggressively after a year of minimal increases. Buta host of other input prices--including prepared as-phalt, iron and steel, and fabricated structural metalproducts--barely budged.

However, inputs into nonresidential construc-tion are up 4 percent for the year, which is causefor concern, Basu said. Given lingering excesscapacity among the contracting community and ageneral lack of pricing power, the increase in inputprices during the past year likely has been enoughto squeeze profit margins further for contractors.In addition, recent months have generally seen lessvigorous increases in materials prices, which is areflection of many factors, including a weak con-struction spending recovery in the United States.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in this months re-port was the sharp decline in crude energy prices,Basu said. Analysts have been predict ing for monthsthat oil and other energy prices are set to surge, inpart because of geopolitics. But that did not occur inMarch, creating a source of relief for an industry thatuses substantial amounts of diesel fuel to transportmaterials, in addition to using many other forms ofenergy throughout the construction process.

Importance of credit unions

The construction industry loses 7,000 jobs in March

Construction materials prices increase 1.4 percent in March

H i b k diff t f dit i ?


15/16


If it wasnt for the mild winter, construc-tion spending would have fallen even moresharply in February. - ABC Chief Econo-mist Anirban Basu

SummaryIn a clear indication that the construction

industry continues to feel the effects of the

nations economic woes, total nonresiden-tial construction spending fell 1.6 percentin February to a seasonally adjusted an-nual rate of $555.4 billion, according to theApril 2 report by the U.S. Census Bureau.However, total nonresidential constructionspending is up 6.4 percent from one yearago.

Private nonresidential constructionspending decreased 1.6 percent for themonth, but is up 14.5 percent year over year.Public nonresidential construction spendingfell 1.7 percent for the month and is down

0.7 percent compared to February 2011.Twelve of the sixteen nonresidential con-

struction subsectors experienced decreasesin spending for the month, including amuse-ment and recreation, down 3.9 percent; lodg-ing, 3.2 percent lower; water supply, down2.8 percent; highway and street, down 2.7percent; and commercial, 2.6 percent lower.Subsectors posting the largest decreases inyear-over-year spending include conserva-tion and development, down 24.6 percent;lodging, 9.4 percent lower; religious, down9.4 percent; water supply, down 7 percent;

and transportation, down 5.5 percent.In contrast, four of the sixteen nonresi-

dential construction subsectors posted in-creases for the month, including religious,up 2.7 percent; manufacturing, 2.2 percenthigher; public safety, up 0.9 percent; and

sewage and waste disposal, up 0.5 percent.Eight subsectors have experienced gains inspending during the past twelve months,including manufacturing, up 40.3 percent;power, 22.1 percent higher; public safety, up11.4 percent; health care, 7.7 percent higher;and commercial, up 5 percent.

Residential construction spending wasunchanged for the month and is 4.6 percenthigher compared to the same time last year.Overall, total construction spending - whichincludes both nonresidential and residential- was down 1.1 percent in for the month, butis 5.8 percent higher than February 2011.

AnalysisWhile the nations economy has been

improving since last September, AssociatedBuilders and Contractors (ABC) Construc-tion Backlog Indicator (CBI) accuratelypredicted construction activity would suffer

a lull during the early months of 2012, saidABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.

ABCs CBI declined during last yearsfourth quarter, largely due to the soft patchthat emerged economy-wide early last year,Basu said. The combination of rising com-modity and input prices, along with the debtceiling issues that plagued the nation lastyear, weakened financing availability anddemand for design services, which is nowtranslating into diminished construction ac-tivity.

Last years soft patch likely impacted

construction activity more than the data re-flect, said Basu. If it wasnt for the mildwinter, construction spending would havefallen even more sharply in February.

Overall, the outlook for constructionis generally positive, Basu said. Unless

there is another hiccup in the nations eco-nomic momentum, construction spendingdata will come to reflect the improvement

in the broader economy that observers notedduring the past half year.

StructureThe biggest difference between a credit union and a bank

is its structure. A credit union is a non-profit cooperativeowned by its members, while a bank is a for-profit privatelyowned or public corporation owned by private investors. Inaddition, the insurance fund for credit unions differs; its theNational Credit Union Share Insurance Fund. Like FDIC-

insured deposits, those insured by the NCUSIF are fullybacked by the faith and credit of the U.S. government.

MembershipBanks are open to just about anyone, regardless of oc-

cupation or geography. But to become a member of a creditunion you must have some sort of common thread that binds.That thread may be the neighborhood or region where youlive, or your membership in another professional organiza-tion. For example, there are credit unions for police officersand for postal workers and their families.

Function

As a for-profit, banks are driven by their ability to makemoney. The pre-eminent function is the bottom line. On

the other hand, credit unions treat a members depositslike shares and earnings are treated as dividends. The cred-it unions earnings (above and beyond its reserves) arebrought back around to its membership in the form of bettersavings rates, stronger loan terms and conditions or moreofferings for members to tap into.

ServicesGenerally speaking, banks emphasize commercial and

consumer accounts and trusts where credit unions are fo-cused more on consumer deposits (savings) and lines ofcredit. In addition, banks offer a wider array of services,though more and more credit unions are adding products,including investment accounts like IRAs and credit cards.Credit unions can offer more competitively-priced prod-ucts, in part, because they dont have to pay federal andlocal taxes like banks since they are a not-for-profit; in turn,the savings may be passed on to its members.

History

The first bank started more than a century before Amer-icas first credit union. The coveted title of first bank be-

longs to a bank in Philadelphia, which got its start in 1791.Though the first credit union globally was started by a groupof weavers in England in 1844, it took another 64 years be-fore the U.S. got its first credit union, which was started bya Massachusetts banking commissioner and a Boston mer-chant.

EstablishmentAnyone can start a credit union or a bank. In the case of

a credit union, a group with a thread that binds must orga-nize and drum up the support of at least 500 members. Fromthere, an organizing committee, board of directors, and a fi-nancial expert must be identified and an application is filedwith the National Credit Union Administration. Starting abank is equally time-consuming, but those who want to doso need only be investors and dont have to share a common

job or geographic location and would-be bankers must ap-ply with the FDIC, as opposed to NCUA.

How is a bank different from a credit union?

Nonresidential Construction Spending Falls 1.6 Percent in February

VISIT OUR WEBSITE:

www.midwestcommunity.org

EMAIL US AT:[email protected]

Defiance Main Office

08770 St. Rt. 66, 419-783-6500

Deerwood Branch

1481 Deerwood Dr., 419-782-9856

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SBA 7(a);

Standard Express; Export Express;

and Patriot Express.

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Documents

2012 business journal May 2012 A Section