Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce

VOLUME 42 I NUMBER 4 I APRIL 2018 VOLUME 43 I NUMBER 6 I JUNE 2019 Mid-Ohio Valley Safety Council Named Top Safety Council in the State of Ohio. "And the number one safety council in the state for 2018, serving over 130 members, 90% attendance average and 100% reporting in southeastern Ohio, is the Mid-Ohio Valley Safety Council sponsored by the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce. Joining us from the Mid-Ohio Valley Safety Council are managers Carrie Ankrom and Candi Heiss and steering committee members Joan Zoller, Gary O'Brien, Ted Szabo, Joe Wesel and David Miller. I think this crew had an optimistic perspective on how strong their performance was last year. This safety council is the epitome of heart. The MOVSC invested all of its 2017 SC of the Year award money back to their members. They introduced a grant program to allow members to apply for grants toward safety initiatives at their facility. After reviewing multiple applications, they awarded four $250 grants which were showcased recently at their annual award recognition meeting. The safety council also realizes that young educators are our future for our safety and health fields and awarded a $500 scholarship to apply towards a nursing career. The scholarship funding also comes in part from members who opt to pay an additional $10 above their membership fee to build the fund. MOVSC partnered with their Washington County Sheriff's Department, Memorial Health System, Marietta Community Foundation and Southeastern Ohio Oil and Gas Association to provide a community meeting with first responders then a two-day interactive session with local high schools on the growing drug epidemic. As with all of our other award winning safety councils, this sponsor values providing in-depth training and events above and beyond their monthly meetings and offered four special trainings on topics ranging from medical marijuana to disaster preparedness and DOT/CDL/Hazmat training. A very unique characteristic of this safety council is that they welcome a mentally challenged employee from their local workshop to attend at no charge as their safety representative. Social media is an important tool in this safety council's communication and marketing campaign and they prominently promote safety council in all Chamber-wide events. Several companies and individuals submitted letters of recommendation about their participation in this safety council, including The Pioneer Group. The senior vice president of three of the company's industrial operations states 'the ingredients of this safety council's magic potion are strong leadership, relevant content, having fun and sustainability' all of which create a masterpiece all the members get to enjoy. As you can see, both in what I've shared with you today and the participation and reaction to this award, this safety council is one to respect and model. Congratulations to the Mid-Ohio Valley Safety Council!!!" -Award announcement by Michelle Francisco, Ohio BWC, at the 2019 Safety Council Managers Meeting.

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