2013 February Business Journal

7/29/2019 2013 February Business Journal

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BusinessJournalOF WEST CENTRAL OHIO

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February 2013

The Regions Business Publication

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Shopping center demand slows amid sluggish growth in jobs

Honda to build new 2014 Accord Hybrid in OhioAuto plant in Marysville willexpand,add 50 jobs

MARYSVILLE, Ohio Hon-da of America Mfg., Inc. an-nounced today that it will invest$23 million and hire approxi-mately 50 new associates at itsMarysville, Ohio auto plant to add production of the

new two-motor Accord Hybrid Sedan, scheduled togo on sale nationwide this fall.In another step toward bringing hybrid production

to the U.S., this will be the third hybrid model built byHonda in America and the first in Ohio. Honda Manu-facturing of Indiana, LLC in Greensburg, Ind. was thefirst Honda plant in North America to build a hybridvehicle, and currently produces both the Civic Hybridand Acura ILX Hybrid models.

The Marysville Auto Plant is undergoing an ex-pansion of 95,000-square-feet to house assembly pro-cesses and logistics specifically for production of theAccord Hybrid. The project includes lengthening the

main assembly line to accommodate the unique hy-brid production processes, and adding space for relat-ed parts receiving and sub-assembly operations. The

project also will increase overall ef-ficiency of the plants parts logisticsoperations.

With more than 30 years of con-tinuously building eight generationsof the Honda Accord close to ourcustomers, our team now is using itsexperience and flexibility to add thissophisticated Accord Hybrid mod-

el, said Jeff Tomko, plant manager of the Marysville

Auto Plant. At the same time, we are continuingwith our commitment to manufacture new models inOhio, along with the resulting growth in jobs.

One of four efficient powertrains for the Ac-cord lineup, the new Accord Hybrid Sedan joins the2014 Accord Plug-in Hybrid Sedan in incorporatingHondas first two-motor hybrid system. Both the Ac-cord Plug-In and Accord Hybrid team a new EarthDreams Technology 2.0-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinderAtkinson cycle engine with a powerful 124-kilowatt(KW) traction electric motor that can function as anelectric continuously variable transmission (e-CVT)and a 105-KW electric motor for power generation.

All of the conventional, gasoline-powered 2013Accords now on sale in the United States are equipped

Retailer demand for space at U.S. shopping centers slowed in thefourth quarter amid sluggish economic and employment growth, ReisInc. (REIS) said.

Occupied space at neighborhood and community shopping centersrose by a net 2.25 million square feet (209,000 square meters), downfrom 4.12 million square feet a year earlier, the New York-based realestate research firm said today. While it was the sixth consecutive quar-ter of positive net absorption, demand remains incredibly weak, Reissaid in its report.

Slow growth in the U.S. economy and an unemployment rate stuckat almost 8 percent are leading to smaller declines in retail-center va-cancies. Gross domestic product growth of about 2 percent last yearwas a clear disappointment, Reis said. Until economic growth andlabor-market gains shift into a higher gear, consumer spending willbe muted, said Ryan Severino, a Reis senior economist.

Theres a dearth of demand out there, he said in a telephone inter-view. Its difficult to be more optimistic.

Shopping-center (BBRESHOP) vacancies dropped to 10.7 percentin the fourth quarter from 10.8 percent in the previous three months and11 percent a year earlier, Reis said. The fourth-quarter figure was thelowest in three years. Effective rents, or whats paid after any landlorddiscounts, averaged $16.59 a square foot, up from $16.51 a year earlier.

U.S. payrolls rose by 155,000 workers last month following a

161,000 gain in November, Labor Department fig-ures showed Jan. 4. The unemployment rate held at7.8 percent after the November figure was revised upfrom a previously reported 7.7 percent.

Retail sales in November rose 0.3 percent, the lat-est month for which figures are available, followingan October decline of 0.3 percent, according to data

from the Commerce Department.At regional malls, which typically include depart-

ment stores and are larger than neighborhood andcommunity shopping centers, vacancies fell to 8.6percent in the fourth quarter from 9.2 percent a yearearlier, and rents increased to $39.31 a square footfrom $38.92, Reis said.

See HONDA, page 10


2/12

2 TheBusinessJournal February 2013

PERRY proTECH and the Allen County Sheris Ofce are organizing the frst annualPublic Safety Event Preservationof Life & Propertyto be held in Lima. This will be an important event and will include a large group o vendors that

represent both physical and network security solutions. Each vendor will have a booth to showcase their products and

services. This resource will be benefcial or operations, IT, maintenance, security, HR and managers responsible or security.

Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 10:00 am to 4:00 pmLocation: Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center, 7 Town Square, Lima, OH 45801

Preservation of Life & Property Event TO REGISTER

for the success of this event

PHYSICAL SECURITY VENDORS: NETWORK SECURITY VENDORS:

There is no ee to attend ourevent, but advanced registrationis required. You can attend atyour convenience and we hopeyoull stay or lunch and hearour keynote address.

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Lima, OH Brian Hurst of TouchstoneCPM has recently been promoted to Safe-ty Coordinator. Since 2004, Brian has

worked as a Project Superintendent forTouchstone CPM on numerous high pro-file projects with owners such as St. RitasMedical Center, Orthopaedic Institute ofOhio, Allen County Museum and severalarea school districts including Fremont,Defiance, Hicksville and Parkway Schools.Brians educational background includesan Associates degree in Applied Sciencesin both Civil and Electrical EngineeringTechnologies. Now a 20-year constructionveteran, Brian will be responsible for theoversight of Touchstone CPMs safety op-

erations including implementation of sitespecific safety programs, subcontractorsafety orientation, and development ofnew safety initiatives.

Touchstone promotes Hurstto safety professional



3/12

February 2013 TheBusinessJournal 3

The Business

Journal

Distributed in 13

counties...

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DEFIANCE, HANCOCK,

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782013

TRUST EXPERIENCE TRUST COTTERMAN

BusinessJournal

THE

of West Central OhioVolume 22, No. 2

Publisher: Donald R. Hemple

Contributing Writers

Jeffrey Gitomer

Advertising: Donald R. Hemple

The Business Journal is mailed to the top businessleaders in the 13-county region of West CentralOhio. Although information is gathered from sourcesconsidered to be reliable, the accuracy and com-pleteness of the information cannot be guaranteed.Information expressed in The Business Journal doesnot constitute a solicitation for the purchase or sale ofany products.

Copyright, The Business Journal of West CentralOhio, 2006, All rights reserved. Reproduction or use,without written permission of editorial, photographicor other graphic content in any manner is prohibited.The Business Journal is published monthly at 405 N.Main St., Delphos, OH 45833

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TOLEDO, Ohio (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)-- Marcos Pizza was recently ranked in En-trepreneur magazines Franchise 500, theworlds first, best and most comprehensivefranchise ranking. Recognized by entrepre-neurs and franchisors as a top competitivetool of measurement, the Franchise 500places Marcos Pizza as no. 103 for its ex-

ceptional performance in areas includingfinancial strength and stability, growth rate,and system size, making a 10 point jumpfrom its ranking last year at no.113. In 2009,the company was ranked at 236. Therefore,the franchise has steadily climbed 123 points

in the past five years, despite the Great Re-cession.

The stunning jump in our Franchise500 rankings since 2009 is a demonstra-tion of Marcos Pizzas ongoing growth. Allof this development has occurred in one ofthe most challenging periods in Americanbusiness history. The 2013 year is easily

forecast to be the biggest year of expansionin the brands history, said Jack Butorac,Marcos Pizza CEO. One surprisinglyrevolutionary driver of the growth is reallygood, fresh Italian quality pizza sold at rea-sonable prices.

The rankings for all 500 selected compa-nies are determined using an exclusive for-mula that takes into account objective andquantifiable factors. An independent CPAanalyzes all financial data. The most impor-tant factors include financial strength andstability, growth rate and size of the system.All franchises are given a cumulative score,

and the 500 franchises with the highest cu-mulative scores become the Franchise 500in ranking order.

Were delighted to share the positivestrides the companies in this years listing

Dan Miller

Marcos Pizza ranked among the franchise elite

See MARCOS, page 7


4/124 TheBusinessJournal February 2013

My friend, Andy Horner, and I were eatinglunch at Chick-fil-A last Friday. My three-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, was with us.

The minute we walked in the door, wewere all handed a sample of their new tortillasoup. A bit spicy, but absolutely excellent. Ishould note the person serving the soup wasa smiling young woman who seemed bothhappy to see us and happy to serve us.

We placed our order, andit was ready before I got donepaying. I should also note boththe cashier and the food serverseemed both happy and happy toserve us.

When we got to our table wehad a dilemma. Our food was hotand ready to eat, but Gabriellewanted to go to the playground.So we compromised. After sheate three pieces of chicken, shegot to go on the slide. The play-ground is a major kids attractionat Chick-fil-A.

Meanwhile, as we were eat-ing our lunch, not less than threepeople came by our table to offerus service of one kind or another.When is the last time that happened to you ina fast food restaurant? Never? I thought so.

These werent just people who asked usif we needed anything else. They were alsosmiling at us, chatting just a little bit, andsuggesting things they might do to help, suchas asking, Would you like a refill? or mak-ing a comment about how Gabrielle was en-joying her lunch. I should further note eachperson was both smiling and exceptionallysincere.

I put one of them to the test. I gave him mycredit card and asked him for a small bowl oftheir new soup. Right away! he said. Andtwo minutes later the soup arrived.

I could not tell if the people who stoppedat our table were managers or janitors. Itdidnt matter. They all acted exactly the sameway, as if they owned the place and their lifedepended on our happiness and gratification

(not our satisfaction, rather building loyalty).Andy and I began to talk after Gabrielle

returned for a second visit to the playground.What is it about this place?Why are we so enthralled with it?Is it the service?Is the playground?Is it the friendly people?Certainly all of the above are contributing

factors to the overall ambienceand experience. But we decid-ed its the QUALITY OF THEFOOD! We agreed that all ofthese extra elements would fallshort of the mark if the qualityof the fast food was inferior.

What Chick-fil-A has doneis add amazing services, con-veniences, and happy people toa core of quality food. It soundspretty simple, but their com-petitors, including the BurgerKing next door which wasalmost empty at lunchtime have failed to understand thatquality is the attractor, notprice.

Chick-fil-As ad campaignof EAT MOR CHIKIN is immortal. Thefact theyre closed on Sunday, and all holi-days, has created a new standard in business,not just in restaurants and not just in fast foodrestaurants.

Theyre dedicated to family, and prove itby offering excellent benefits, total diversity,and the opportunity for their employees tospend quality time at home.

For some reason all the people at Chick-fil-A seem both happy and bright. Not justhappy to serve, rather happy as people.

Whatever they do to train their people isworking.

Whatever their competitors do to train

their people is not working as well.Whoever creates the menu is on the mon-ey.

Whoever creates the recipes is also on themoney.

Whoever is in charge of consistent qualityis really on the money.

Whatever their competitors are doing isnot nearly as effective.

Many people have told me, Chick-fil-Ais the only fast food restaurant Ill go to.Thats a pretty powerful statement consider-ing the fact there are hundreds of options. I

cannot make the same statement because Ialso frequent In-N-Out Burger when Im inCalifornia, and I have a very difficult time re-sisting the seasoned fries at Bojangles.

YOUR TURN. Think about this story asit relates to your business. Whats the center-piece at your place? Is it quality? I challenge

Every success revolves aroundone word. Whats your word?

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See GITOMER, page 5


5/12February 2013 TheBusinessJournal 5

8 assisted living search mistakes to avoid

Elder Care

If youre looking for assisted living, you

know that you cant afford to make a poordecision when the stakes are so high. Geta leg up on the average senior living con-sumer by learning from the mistakes otherfamilies have made in their search for theright senior care.

When families and seniors select an as-sisted living community, its a life changingdecision. You want to get it right the firsttime. It can be such an intimidating choicethat many families come down with anal-ysis paralysis and indefinitely postpone adecision out of fear of making the wrong

choice. Fortunately, the decision becomeseasier as you expand your knowledge.

Here are eight common mistakes fam-ilies make when searching for assistedliving and how to avoid them:

1. Not Being Realistic About Currentor Future Needs

Its important to balance optimism witha dose of realism. Be realistic about youor your loved ones current care needs aswell as their anticipated care needs. Ide-

ally, you will choose a community that isequipped to provide care now, and in thefuture as your loved one ages. If your lovedone has mild dementia symptoms, it maybe prudent to choose a community wherededicated memory care is available, even ifits not necessary at the moment.

2. Judging a Book by its CoverPeople provide care, not facilities. Lav-

ish features are not necessarily an indicatorof quality care.

Sometimes families assume a communi-

ty is right for their loved one because it hasa high price and lavish features, but later

realize fancy furniture and beautifully land-

scaping are not telltale indicators of qual-ity care. They often find that they need tomove their loved one to another communi-ty, one thats, perhaps, less shiny but moreappropriate in terms of care or atmosphere.Luxury senior living does not necessarilyequate to quality senior care.

Quality of care is not something you candiscern just by driving past a communityto see how green the lawn is, or by pokingyour head in the lobby-door to gauge theambiance and whether or not it smells nice.

Before committing to a long-term con-

tract, you might also consider arranging atemporary respite stay at communities yourfamily is exploring. Some communitieseven offer no-cost trial stays to qualifiedprospective residents.

3. Choosing a Community to MatchYour Tastes Instead of Your Parents

Thomas Bierlein, A Place for MomsDirector of Partner Services, told us aboutanother common pitfall families shouldavoid, Often the adult child chooses theplace that they like most instead of think-

ing about what their loved one likes.

4. Overplaying the Importance ofProximity

Another mistake that Bierlein has seenfamilies make is overemphasizing the im-portance of finding the closest communitypossible.

5. Making a Decision Too QuicklyWe recommend that families visit at

least three communities before making adecision so that they can form a clear pic-

ture of the options that are available, howcommunities differ from one another, and

what makes each community unique. Af-

ter all, in order to make a good choice youneed options.

6. Choosing a Community Appropri-ate for the Parent of Yesteryear Insteadof the Parent of Today

7. Not Reading the Fine PrintAssisted living contracts are relatively

straightforward, at least compared to otherlegal documents, but they still can containconfusing legalese, or involve additionalfees that arent completely apparent.

8. Going It AloneTheres no need struggle through the

search alone, risking costly mistakes ordangerous blunders. Our Advisors havebeen providing local, personalized assis-tance to families across America for overten years.

Many people pride themselves on theirindependent spirit, but when making a de-cision this big, its usually wise to gathermultiple perspectives on your senior hous-ing options. Get feedback from as many

people as possible: friends who have gonethrough the process, your loved ones caremanagement team, a geriatric care managerand a Senior Living Advisor.

If you do find that your loved one is liv-ing in an inappropriate senior community,dont be afraid to admit that you may havemade the wrong decision. Its better to piv-ot and make a change rather than digginginto a situation that isnt going to work outin the long run.

Have you gone through the search for

assisted living? What was hardest aboutit? Did you make any mistakes that other

families might be able to learn from? Or, if

youre in the midst of a senior living searchright now, what obstacles are you facing?We invite you to join the conversation bycommenting below.

HOLGATE FACILITY

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and Personal Community

For Over 30 Years

Living the Rotary motto:Service above self

you its most likely not.Most businesses focus on the ridiculous-

ness of customer satisfaction.Or try to sell things at the lowest price.Or put things on sale to attract one-time

buyers.Or have weekly specials.Or present some other message that does

not focus on the central issue that has putChick-fil-A at the top of the fast food empire:Customers will pay more for quality, and re-turn if the experience was great.

If youre focusing on experience, and yourquality is not superior, you will lose to some-one one cent cheaper. If, however, your focusis on superior quality, and you add superiorservice, or should I say superior, friendly ser-

vice, you will not just dominate your marketplace, you will also dominate your bank ac-count.

Want my formula for creating loyal cus-tomers? Go to www.gitomer.com, and enterthe words LOYALTY FORMULA in the Git-Bit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Cus-tomer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless,The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of SalesAnswers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The LittleGold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of GettingYour Way, The Little Plati num Book of Cha-Ching, The Lit tleTeal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and SocialBOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to moreinformation about training, seminars, and webinars - or emailhim personally at [email protected].

2012 All Rights Reserved. Dont even think about repro-ducing this document without written permission from JeffreyH. Gitomer a nd Buy Gitomer. 704/333-1112

Gitomer (Continued from page 5)


6/126 TheBusinessJournal February 2013

Office Tech

Feel like youre always scrambling tokeep up with the latest technology? Stop.These are the only five things you need toworry about.

Technology can be an enableror animpediment. Installing a server in the back-room for e-mail might have made sense in2002, but today many companies are mov-ing to cloud e-mail. Those BlackBerryphones you handed out to every employeea few years ago made sense from a secu-rity standpoint, but now everyone keepssquawking about the app selection and tinyscreen.

Just when you think you have a handleon a new innovation and agree to a majortechnology uprade, along comes a new,improved approach. Yet, over the past 15years, Ive learned a few important les-sons about office technology that apply to

just about every situationand they haveproved nearly impervious to trends.

1. Develop a standard desktopI remember first hearing about the stan-

dard desktop when I was a corporate man-ager with a team of about 30 employees.In some ways, the concept reminds me ofthe office management dictum: Its best totouch a document once and be done withit. A standard desktop means you have re-moved the clutterevery employee has thesame basic apps for word processing andbrowsing the Web. The touch it once ruleapplies because your tech staff only has to

deal with one set of apps and utilities.2. Use good data to evaluate employeesOnce again, a lesson from a bygone era

that still stands today: Let data drive youremployee decisionsand make sure itsgood data. As a former manager, I learned

a ton about collecting data through the year.We used a time-reporting tool that gave us awealth of insight into how employees spenttheir time. We used a performance review

process that was not based on feelings oreven experiences, but a measure of accom-plishments. When I evaluated employees,I told them about how many projects theycompleted and reveled together in succeses,but also recounted any instances where proj-ect budgets slipped and tasks went undone.We scored accomplishments and behaviortogether, and came up with a mutual perfor-mance rating. One new tool to consider forthis: GoWerk.

3. Choose the best software, not theleast expensive

I learned this lesson the hard way. I wasa penny-pincher, so Id often approve soft-ware that provided just enough utility fora lower price. For example, my team ofwriters and designers wanted to use AdobePhotoshop but I insisted on having everyoneuse a freeware clone. Bad idea: the softwarecrashed often, delaying projects. (As a side-note, that same freeware app eventually be-came a sound commercial product.)

4. Log every customer contactDuring my tenure in management, I had

a co-worker friend who was an advocate for

a new software paradigm called customerrelationship management or CRM. This wasbefore Salesforce existed. He eventuallyrolled out a CRM package companywide asa way to record every customer interaction.Today, the concept exists in many forms,some of them as open-source offerings.But the idea remains the same: The moreinformation you have about sales contacts,complaints, and even former customersthe better. Interestingly, I find CRM to besomewhat overlooked at smaller compa-nies. I know of one SMB that only recordsthe basic address, phone, and e-mail for newcustomers and thats it.

5. Break the tech rulesAnother lesson I learned early on: Take

risks with technology and break the rulessometimes. Its safe to stick with your stor-age network in the back office, but a newcloud-based file-sync tool like Dropboxmight free employees to work remotely orwhen they travel on business trips. At times,its wise to wait and see how a new trendplays out, but then again, small business

owners are all about risk-taking. Go aheadand dump your current smartphones andmove to Android. Try giving every employ-ee a new iPad tablet. Take a leap of faith onthe cloud. These are the kind of risks thatcould fuel new ideas or ways of working to-gether with your team.

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7/12


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are making and showcase them as represen-tations of business strength, says Amy Co-sper, VP and editor in chief of Entrepreneur.The Franchise 500(R) are a major forcecontributing to the franchise upswing. Theirability to successfully satisfy customers,

continually add units, create jobs and growoverall keeps them ahead of the rest andworthy of distinction.

Over its 34 years in existence, the Fran-chise 500 has become both a dominantcompetitive measure for franchisors anda primary research tool for entrepreneurs.Marcos Pizzas position on the ranking re-inforces its strength in the industry.

To view Marcos Pizza in the full ranking,visit www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500.Results can also be seen in the January issueof Entrepreneur on newsstands on January

18.

ABOUT MARCOS PIZZA:

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, MarcosPizza (Marcos Franchising, LLC) is thefastest-growing pizza company in the U.S.(based on the number of stores signed intodevelopment since 2007). Marcos wasfounded in 1978 by Italian born, Pasquale(Pat) Giammarco and is committed tomaking Italian Pizza with fresh ingredients.The company has grown from its roots asa beloved Ohio brand to operate more than325 stores in 26 states, the Bahamas andPanama. Marcos Pizza recently ranked 11thplace in the 2012 Pizza Industry Top 100Movers & Shakers article sent out by Piz-zaMarketPlace.com. To inquire about fran-chise opportunities with Marcos Pizza visitmarcosfranchising.com.

Marcos(Continued from page 3)


8/12


Meeting Facilities

Choosing the right

meeting spaceHowever large or small the meeting,

location is key. Your environment, for-mal or informal, helps set the necessarymood and ambiance for the meeting totake place. Think about choosing a com-fortable, yet stimulating environment thatencourages attendees to concentrate, butbeware of making it too cozy and relaxing

that theyre likely to fall asleep.When thinking about the right loca-tion, consider the meeting objectives, thelength of the meeting and, of course, yourbudget. Decide how appropriate/neces-sary/important it is to hold the meetingon or off-site. For example, sometimes aneutral, off-site location is necessary forconfidential, top secret discussions.

Different types of locations to con-sider:

1. Local off-site meeting space2. Out-of-town off-site meeting space1. Local off-site meeting spaceWhen it comes to selecting an off-site

location, be it a local hotel conferenceroom, a restaurant or other meeting space,your budget will rule and determine theoutcome. To play it safe, always inspectthe space first-hand before finalizing anydecisions. Make sure the space is the rightsize for the meeting. You want to avoidmaxi-sizing, that is having a space bigenough to seat 200 for a 20-person meet-ing. You only want to consider venues

that are larger enough to handle the eventyoure planning. Much will depend on thenumber of participants and the complex-ity and/or variety of the program. Will itbe formal, informal or both? Do you wanta rural or an urban location? Chances arethat every event you plan will possiblymeet different criteria, and thus have dif-ferent space requirements.

2. Out-of-town off-site meeting spaceThis option is usually used for extra

special meetings, such as sales meetings,

as costs will inevitably be much higher.These kinds of meetings may well last forseveral days so you want to make sure thatall necessary details are well taken careof. If you want to make it high on yourcolleagues popularity poll, consider us-ing a resort facility, as they usually offer

various enjoyable relaxation options, golf,swimming, fitness center, etc. A site visitis essential so as to avoid any unexpectedsurprises.

With this in mind, lets look at the

various venue options available to you:HotelsConference centersConvention centersResortsRetreat centersCruise shipsUnique environmentsHotelsThese fall into three main categories:Well-known and established chains,

such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton,

Holiday Inn, that offer a certain level ofservice that you can expect worldwide.They offer a wide range of amenities espe-cially if you need room for large banquets,trade show or exhibit areas.

Independently owned properties, suchas those belonging to the Preferred Group,whose luxury hotels and resorts offer aunique character, one-of-a kind ambience,and provide the highest standards of qual-ity and extraordinary service.

Boutique lodgings service business

travelers in search of a home away fromhome. They are small luxury hotels & re-sorts with individual personalities - eclec-tic, quaint hotels housed in historic urbanbuildings or romantic resorts with flower-ing gardens and beachside villas. Howev-er, nice these sound, you definitely need

to check what meeting space facilities, ifany, they offer.

Conference centersConference centers encompass a broad

gamit of venues which are often purpose-built specifically for meetings and events

and offer state-of-the-art facilities, manyincluding videoconferencing.

Convention centersWhen youre looking for a combination

of an urban location, plenty of meetingspace, and substantial exhibition space,then a convention center is a practical so-lution. Theyre geared up large numbersand generally situated close to airports orin a convenient downtown location.

ResortsYoull probably only consider a resort

property if relaxation and leisure activitiesrank high on your priority list.

Retreat centersThese generally work best for smaller

more focused groups who are looking fora quiet, serene meeting environment.

Cruise shipsThese make an interesting and very dif-

ferent venue option. There are a few com-panies who specialize in cruise meetingsoffering facilities worldwide for a widevariety of groups.

Unique environmentsUnique environment dont alwaysmake the best meeting spaces, but itsworth doing your homework to find out.Some options to consider include muse-ums, stately homes, (including castles inEurope), sporting venues, and theaters.


9/12


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underline

Courtyard by Marriott

936 Greely Chapel Road

Lima, OH

T 419.222.9000

Courtyard.com/Daycl

WE MAKE EVEN THE

SMALLEST

MEETINGS OUR

BIGGEST PRIORITY.

Courtyard by Marriott is the

perfect location for our local

neighbors to conduct group

meetings.

Come for the DayStay for the night

480 Moxie Lane, Delphos, OH 458331/4 mile East of Delphos on Lincoln Hwy. Easy access to Rt. 30

Phone 567-765-1500 Fax 567-765-1501

Email [email protected] www.microtelinn.com

Large meeting room Ample parking

FREE internet, long distance, cable TV Easy to nd

Continental breakfast

10 tips for choosinga meeting venue

If youre looking for somewheredifferent to hold your office meet-ing, or want to meet with clients orother companies for an event, thenyoull want somewhere that has ev-erything you need.

Heres how to choose the per-fect meeting venue.

1. Youll need to decide whereyou want to hold your meeting. Willit be in the same town or city asyour company is based, or will youchoose somewhere central so thatits easy for all guests to reach?

2. Youll want to book early sothat your chosen venue is avail-able when you need it. The popularplaces will book up soon, so if yourmeeting has to be on a certain dayof the week, or at a certain time ofyear, youll want to book as soon asyou can.

3. Its important to check thatthe meeting venue you choose hasall the facilities you need. Does itcater for the number of people inyour meeting or conference? Aremeals and refreshments available?Are they included in the cost, or willguests have to pay themselves?

4. You might want to choose alocation thats away from your nor-

mal working environment. If youwork in the city, why not see if be-ing in the country side can be inspi-rational, and help you think of newideas? Would a round of golf beforeor after your meeting help your staffor guests to unwind, and be open toyour ideas, or be more productive?

5. The room layout will need tobe flexible, depending on the pur-pose of your meeting. If youre giv-ing a talk to your staff, then youllwant the seats to be laid out facingthe front. If youre splitting yourguests into groups, then you mightwant separate rooms or areas forthem to come up with new ideas..

6. Has the venue got the technol-ogy you need? If you need a projec-tor, or internet access, is this avail-able as part of the cost, or will youneed to pay for this in addition? Per-haps youll need video conferenc-ing facilities, or access to additionalcomputers. Can the venue help youwith this?

7. Youll want to choose some-where relatively quiet so youre notinterrupted. Perhaps youll want tochoose a hotel with a good reputa-tion that has the conference or meet-ing facilities that you need.

8. Youll want to make sure that

there are additional facilities for af-ter the meeting. Is there a restaurant,or will staff have to go elsewhere toeat? Are there rooms to stay at thevenue, or will guests have to book anearby hotel? What sorts of leisurefacilities are available at the venue,or nearby?

9. Spending time out of the officecan be a good way to help improveproductivity. By being in a differentenvironment, your audience is morelikely to listen to what you have tosay. You also encourage team build-ing and staff from different depart-ments to spend more time with eachother at a venue other than the of-fice. If you want to impress yourclients, or show your staff that youvalue them, youll want to choose asuitable venue.

10. Youll want to make sure thatyou get value for money and wontbe paying for facilities or extras thatyou dont need, but you shouldntchoose a venue solely on cost. Youwont want your staff or guests tomoan about the venue, or the factthat they had to pay for everything.

Now you know more about howto choose the right location, perhapsnow is the time to choose your nextconference or meeting venue.


10/12


If something happened to

our server, it would take us

hours, if not days, to get the

information back up, says

Scott Austermiller, IT Manager

at Rowmark Inc., a Findlay-

based manufacturer of plastic

sheets for the display industry.As it is, if there is a problem,

I call Don and he is back at

our plant in 15 minutes with a

backup tape.

Don, is Don Thompson,

manager of Document

Service Company, and he

visits Scott at Rowmark once

a week to pickup ve backuptapes. Don then stores the

tapes at the DSC facility in

Findlay.

Rowmark was founded in

Findlay about two decades

ago. It is a dynamic member

of the Findlay business

community.

Making backup tapes

daily and storing them off-

site is part of our security

procedure, Scott explains.

Many companies just

send the tapes home with

an employee, but there is

inherent risk in that. The tapes

can be lost or destroyed. Theprice benet with DSC for off-

site storage far exceeds any

calculated ROI.

Scott thinks it is important to

deal with another community-

minded local company, and,

frankly, he likes the personal

service he gets from DonThompson.

If we dealt with an out-of-

town company, it would take

hours, instead of minutes, to

retrieve a tape when we needit, he says. Don and his

people are just a few minutes

away, and his service is top

notch.

Then, there is an intangible

personal touch.

Rowmark is an upbeat

company, says Scott, andDon is an upbeat guy. He

DSC Provides Pick-up Service

for Rowmark Tapes

Intangible personal touch

I www.documentmanagementcompany.comI

1001 Lima Avenue I Findlay, Ohio I 45840 I 419/422-3330

is a guy with a positive attitude. It is

great when you can do business with

a person who genuinely cares about

your company and the people there.

Findlay Surgery

Center

Relies On DSC

Service ForMedical, Busi-

ness Records

Committed

to exceeding

your

expectations

A Division of Findlays Tall Timbers Distribution Center

with a new Earth Dreams Technology power-train, either a direct-injected 2.4-liter 4-cylin-der engine or a 3.5-liter V6 engine equippedwith Variable Cylinder Management (VCM).

Manufactured at Hondas automobile engineplant in Anna, Ohio, both of these new and ef-ficient engines were named to Wards 10 BestEngines list for 2013.

In the last three years, Honda has an-nounced investments at its Ohio manufactur-ing facilities exceeding $800 million. Theyinclude projects to establish on-site parts

consolidation centers, renovate auto assemblyand painting operations, and major invest-ments at the Anna Engine Plant, as well as itstransmission plant in Russells Point, to manu-facture continuously variable transmissions(CVTs).

Recently, the transmission plant starteda second phase of projects to expand CVTproduction. This new investment of $90 mil-

lion includes an additional assembly line, andnew aluminum die casting and machining op-erations. Investments at that the transmissionplant in recent years now total $235 million.

Honda in OhioHonda operates four manufacturing plants

in Ohio, including auto plants in Marysvilleand East Liberty with the capacity to manu-facture nearly 700,000 cars and light trucksper year. Its engine plant in Anna suppliesengines and components to most of Hondasauto plants in North America, with production

exceeding a million engines per year. And thetransmission plant in Russells Point manufac-tures more than one million automatic trans-missions per year, including the CVTs, forHondas North American auto plants.

In addition to manufacturing, Ohio isthe center for vehicle engineering in NorthAmerica. At its expansive R&D center inRaymond, Ohio, Hondas largest R&D cen-ter outside Japan, more than 1,300 associatesare engaged in complete product creationof all-new products for Honda and Acura cus-tomers.

Among all its operations, Honda employsmore than 13,500 Ohioans.

About HondaHonda established operations in America

in 1959, and now employs more than 26,000associates in its U.S. sales, R&D and manu-facturing operations with a capital investmentof more than $22 billion.

Based on its longstanding commitment tobuild products close to the customer Hondaoperates 14 major manufacturing facilities inNorth America, producing a wide range of

Honda and Acura automobiles, automobileengines and transmissions, Honda all-terrainvehicles, and power equipment products suchas lawn mowers, mini-tillers and general pur-pose engines, using domestic and globallysourced parts.

Seven Honda auto plants in the region, in-cluding four in the U.S., have the capacity toproduce 1.63 million automobiles each year,using domestic and globally sourced parts.In 2011, 85 percent of the Honda and Acuraautomobiles sold in the U.S. were producedin North America. This will increase to 1.92million vehicles per year in 2014, when thesales percentage of locally produced auto-mobiles is expected to rise to more than 90percent.

Honda operates major research and devel-opment centers in the U.S. that fully design,develop and engineer many of the productsHonda produces in North America.

Honda (Continued from page 1)


11/12


Business & Financial Services

First Defiance Financial Corp. (NAS-DAQ: FDEF) recently announced record netincome for the fiscal year ended December31, 2012 totaled $18.7 million, or $1.81 perdiluted common share compared to $15.5million or $1.42 per diluted common sharefor the year ended December 31, 2011.For the fourth quarter ended December 31,2012, First Defiance earned $5.2 million or$0.52 per diluted common share comparedto $4.1 million or $0.36 per diluted commonshare for the fourth quarter of 2011.

I am pleased with the record net incomein the full year of 2012 and overall perfor-mance for the fourth quarter as the countrycontinues to rebound from the economicchallenges of the last several years. We arehappy with the strong mortgage bankingresults this quarter and throughout the fullyear, as well as the steady improvement incredit quality.

We are pleased with the increase in ournet interest margin for the quarter and thestability seen throughout this economic cy-cle. The balance sheet restructuring we did

in the fourth quarter was an important moveas we anticipate that an extended low rateenvironment and increasing pricing pres-sures will put compression on the margin.

Non-interest income increased, drivenby mortgage banking and solid fee income,which are part of our core operating strat-egy. Gain on sale of mortgage loans washigher this quarter compared to the 2011fourth quarter driven by higher loan activ-ity. The mortgage originations for the bankin 2012 represented a record for the highestdollar level of production in a year.

Also at the January Board meeting, Iinformed the Board of Directors of FirstDefiance that I plan to retire from my man-agement role at First Defiance effectiveDecember 31, 2013. With this announce-ment, the Board approved the initiation ofits management transition plan. As a re-sult, effective January 1, 2014, Donald P.Hileman, currently Executive Vice Presi-dent and Chief Financial Officer will as-sume the role of President and CEO of FirstDefiance. Jim Rohrs will remain in his posi-

tion as President and CEO of First FederalBank. I will retire as an active employee ofthe Company, but will remain as Chairmanof both the holding company and the Bank.This is part of the succession plan that hasbeen discussed for the last several years.With improving performance trends we re-main focused on the long term success of

the Company, including management suc-cession. Implementing the plan now allowsus to better facilitate the transition.

For more in-depth discussion of the fac-tors that impacted our results for the fourthquarter of 2012, please see our earningsrelease, which is posted on our website atwww.fdef.com.

First Defiance Financial Corp. fourth quarter report

4 new trends in small business lendingSmall business growth was often in the lime-

light during 2012 as the American economystruggled and unemployment continued to be aproblem, though very small headway was made.Sunovis Financial notes that small businessesacross America contribute heavily to employmentand economic success, and unless small businesscan access capital to grow, the economy will con-tinue to be troubled. One positive trend that isexpected to continue into 2013 is the increasingalternatives to traditional bank lending for cashstrapped small businesses looking to grow.

We have seen a noticeable trend in four sepa-rate areas of small business lending that are quite

promising for small businesses in America, saidTerry Robinson, President of Sunovis Financial.We have been incorporating these trends into ourown lending models and have been seeing a defi-nite positive impact for small businesses, whichwe find to be very encouraging.

Trend #1 Small Business Administrationlending volumes in 2012 hit $30 billion. Thisis the second largest volume of lending by theSBA in its 59 year history. The only year withhigher lending volumes was 2011, due to incen-tives from the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.Smaller community banks are leading the way inSBA lending.

Trend #2 Technology is becoming increas-ingly important when it comes to small businesslending. Online platforms are being embracedby busy entrepreneurs who appreciate the timesavings and convenience that these platformsoffer. Small banks and lending services are alsotaking advantage of the cost savings that comewith online lending platforms. Leads are often

pre-qualified and smaller banks can reach out tosmall businesses across the country, without be-ing hampered by geographical boundaries.

Trend #3 Social media has become increas-ingly important in personal lives, and it is now be-ing embraced as a business tool as well. New so-cial platforms that allow small business owners tocreate loans from the small amounts of money ofa vast pool of people (called crowdsourcing) havegained immense popularity. With the signing ofthe JOBS Act into law last April, this trend is ex-pected to pick up even more steam as businesseswill be able to use crowdsourcing to underwritetheir own IPOs and raise as much as $2 million

through these platforms without an SEC filing.Trend #4 Alternative lenders are now be-coming important and accepted, as they makecapital available more easily for small busi-nessses. Microlenders especially are using tech-nology to effectively analyze risk based on non-traditional factors such as cash flow, rather thancredit scores. They can provide small businesseswith loans in short approval and funding periods.With traditional banks maintaining tight lendingstandards and requiring months to process loansin some cases, these microlenders are revolution-izing the small business lending environment.

We have built our business around provid-ing small businesses with access to SBA loans.Seeing the potential that microlending presents,we also offer small business owners access to thisdynamic lending model as well, said Mr. Rob-inson. We have embraced microlending becausewe feel that it fits well with our mission to rebuildthe American economy one loan and one businessat a time.


12/12


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Documents

2013 February Business Journal