What We Learned About Our Community

Today we heard from Tim Beckman, President & Owner of Cutting EdgeTechnologies. They are a specialty Batavia cutting firm dealing with concrete bridges, high rises, large infrastructures & forming needs.

Their website states, “We are a specialty diamond wire cutting, drilling and precision removal contractor, offering unique field services for concrete and metal cutting applications—both on land and undersea. Our worldwide focus markets are nuclear, hydro, locks and dams, heavy industrial, decommissioning, bridge construction and undersea pipes and platforms. Diamond wire sawing, related diamond cutting tools and core drilling are our primary areas of expertise. CEO and President Tim Beckman helped pioneer the first-ever construction diamond wire sawing business for North America in 1983. Cutting Edge also offers diamond core drilling, hydraulic splitting, diamond blade sawing and specialized superabrasive cutting of steel. Wire cutting of tube bundles and specialized pole sawing with superabrasive blades are also available.”

Their company does not do work on typical residential or commercial structures. Rather, they focus on structures that are 50 feet or more deep.

Next week we will hear from Downing Display Company. They do trade show materials and fabrication of booths celebrating in business.

What We Learned About Our Community

Today we heard from Mathew Kennedy of Kennedy Creative, a branding and marketing company, and is an advocate for Sustained Brands, a local food / produce source. He moved his companies from downtown to Clermont County).

Kennedy Creative's website says they are “the only brand strategy and design firm that uses real world experts on every project. Our one-of-a-kind Creative Collaborative system is designed to open the door to opportunities that drive high growth, building our clients businesses with tangible results. Unlike take-a-number agencies with bulging staffs, Kennedy Creative draws from an exclusive pool of industry experts spanning an array of categories. The result: We custom build a team for every project.”

Sustain Brand's website says they “bring local food to Ohio Valley grocery stores and for sale online. We partner with the best farmers and producers in the area to bring local foods under one name and into more regional stores and for sale online; helping local farmers and giving you more access to better food. We want to support a local food chain in which food never travels more than a few hours to reach your table. In supporting local food, we'd like for our options at the grocery store to be made naturally and sustainably rather than seeing only the highly processed subsitutes that have taken their place.”

Next week we will hear from Tim Beckman, President / Owner of Cutting Technologies…..specialty cutting firm on concrete bridges, high rises, large infrastructure cutting / forming needs) Batavia business local success story.

What We Learned About Our Community

Today we heard from Lisa Jackson & Kathryn Grever of HealthSource of Ohio, a private non-profit organization. They spoke about the depth & breadth of health care services offered throughout Clermont & the differential between preventative health care costs & reactionary health care costs.

HealthSource has 4 offices in Clermont County and plan to expand to Hamilton County. They are a community health center offering all sorts of health care services and they treat everyone regardless of their ability to pay. The HealthSource website states, “HealthSource of Ohio is a not-for-profit primary care organization consisting of medical, dental, and behavioral health services. We strive to bring to the people of Southwest Ohio comprehensive quality health care that responds to the needs of the community.”

This particular business model provides opportunities for discounted services depending on various family situations. In a typical year they treat over 50k patients and have over 200K visits. Recently, they Health Source Foundation was founded to help fund their mission and they are looking for strategic partnerships. One such partnership called, “Reach Out and Read” helps promote health care literacy through the purchase of certain reading materials. This particular concept serves both children as well as adults. Another partnership assists patients who have genuine transportation needs to meet chronic health care issues.

Regarding the foundation, their website states, “The HealthSource Foundation is committed to providing opportunities and encouraging expressions of support to impact the mission of HealthSource of Ohio. The Foundation interacts the philanthropic community in an honest, fair, and ethical manner. Click Here to download the HealthSource Foundation brochure to learn more about how you can help. For more information, please send an email to kathryng@healthsourceofohio.com.”

Next week we will hear from Mathew Kennedy owner of Kennedy Graphics (they moved from downtown to Clermont County) and advocate for Sustained Brands (local food / produce sources and benefits to community).

What We Learned About Our Community

Today we heard from Annette Meagher, Clermont County Communications Director, who spoke on the power of social networking as communication and promotional sales channels.

Social media appears daunting with all its users, people and prospects, but it is really nothing more than virtual networking. It can be very powerful when you harness it to meet your goals. Social media makes things more comfortable for clients to ask questions and discover other information.

You must be strategic – determine your exact goals

Know your audience – use social media to survey them

Make your goals measurable – just like your other plans

Social media is an “immediate gratification” platform, it is important to respond right away. It is necessary to create influential content and develop clever, catchy phrases. Photos are magnets for people because people love them and they will generally bring the most engagement. You can also offset negative thoughts in the community by posting more positive information.

During disasters, social media can be extremely powerful. People and resources can be connected to meet needs, find family members and share information.

There is a wonderful free guide to help you get started in social media available here.

Next week we will hear from Michael Schumaker of Focused Quality Solutions who will speak about techniques for auditing your business to find sustainable productivity enhancements and quality improvements.