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THE CHAMBER

June 2026

A special thank you to our Society Members and all who invest in our Vision / Mission / Why

Society members

Hook Society

Butler Tech

Cintas

Cohen

Flowers by Roger, Inc.

Kettering Health

Markey’s

McGraw/Kokosing

Miami University Regionals

Robinson Heating & Air Conditoning

Shape Corporation

Tytus Society

Akers Packaging Service

Duke Energy Essity

G & J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Inc.

Hawthorn Glen Senior Living Campus

Joe Morgan Honda

LCNB National Bank

LemonGrenade Creative

Magellan Aerospace

Majestic Care of Middletown

Miami Valley Gaming

Middletown Energy Center

MyUSA Credit Union

One Smarter

OwlBridge Wellness

PAHHNI Premium

Alkaline Water

Precision Strip, Inc.

ProAmpac

Quaker Houghton

UGN, Inc.

Valley Central Bank

New Members

WE would like to send out a very special THANK YOU to our new members.

• Modern Psychiatry & Wellness LLC

• Sheetz, Inc.

The Chamber is here to find solutions to obstacles that your business may be facing. Feel free to contact us at 513-422-4551.

Do your employees with driving issues..?

Please complete this simple survey that identifies the challenges your organization is experiencing. Once we learn the challenges, we will work with the court to determine next steps and we’ll keep you posted.

Business Spotlight

For nearly a century, the name McGraw has been synonymous with the industrial backbone of the region. Rooted in the support and growth of Armco Steel, McGraw Kokosing has evolved from a local construction firm into a regional leader in heavy industrial and energy construction sectors. As the company approaches its centennial anniversary in 2029, the principles of integrity and safety that built its first foundations remains the fame. In 1992, McGraw joined the Ohio-based Kokosing family of companies, combining its specialized industrial expertise with the resources of one of the largest construction firms in the Midwest.

Building the Region’s Industrial Core and Innovation

A cornerstone of our success is our long-standing commitment to the growth and modernization of the local industrial sector. By providing high-stakes construction and maintenance services for vital facilities such as Cleveland-Cliffs (formerly AK Steel), MolsonCoors, Cohen Recycling, and Worthington Industries, McGraw Kokosing supports the economic engines that sustain our community’s manufacturing heritage and workforce.

Rick Pearce President/CEO somewhere on my desk

Sometime this week, I’ll be celebrating my 13th year with the chamber. I want to thank the Board of Directors 13 years ago (and those since) for giving me the opportunity to grow in the position (in those early days) and their support in moving the organization in its current direction. The job has been very rewarding, and I can’t think of a better way to spend our resources than working with our members to identify solutions to their challenges. We have accomplished a great deal with workforce and much to be proud of, but our work is not completed. A Workforce Timeline can be found at this link.

I have met so many good and capable people and have been very fortunate to work closely with many of you, thank you.

As a reminder, we still have slots available for our Annual Golf Open on June 11. All dollars that we gross from the Golf Open will go to fund our Future Ready Workforce Initiatives.

Have a great summer and best in profits…

Focus Areas

Focus AReas

The May CLIMB class took a tour of the Middletown’s new Fire Dept. HQ. Thank you to Asst. Chief Ludwig and Chief Wright for hosting the group.

Focus Areas

• Ohio Chamber

• Resources

• Legislative

• US Chamber of Commerce

• Rep. Warren Davidson — 8th District

• Rep. Mike Turner — 10th District

A new congressional map for November, 2026

• Rep. Greg Landsman — 1st District

• Sen. Bernie Moreno

• Sen. Jon Husted

• State & County Elected Officials

The US Chamber: State of American Business (2026)

• The State of American Business 2026 - YouTube

• The Executive Summary —

OUr Foundation

For more than 50 years, our chamber of commerce has had a 501c3 charitable foundation to help with past objectives. The foundation was created in the early 1970’s and there are conflicting stories on why and what project was their focus. Nonetheless, the Middletown Area Chamber Foundation is now doing business as The Chamber Partnership for a Brighter Future. Our focus will be on raising dollars to fund our Future Ready Workforce initiatives.

CareerCoach/Skills2Careers

The Workforce Institute

Passport To Tomorrow

Signing Day

You will be seeing more information as we move into 2026. Please consider becoming a “funder” of our objectives and be part of the solution of better preparing the next generation for the workforce !!

In Our Region

The Cincinnati Regional USA Chamber released the State of the Region—2025 that was commissioned by First Financial Bank. The report is divided into 9 Sections and the links are below. I will also include the sections in the mid-month. Enjoy learning more about our region.

• First Financial Comments

• Chamber Comments

• Population

• Economics

• Community & Health

• Housing & Transportation

• Industry

• Industry Spotlight

• Looking Forward

Positive Stories

Collaborating to Change The Narrative —

Four (4) organizations have come together to continue to “change the narrative” for Middletown; The Middletown Community Foundation, the City of Middletown, The Chamber and Cincinnati Commercial Contracting. We will continue to take the initiative to change the narrative and share more positive stories that never seem to make it to the readers.

We hope you enjoy the stories and please share it across your social media platforms.

• Soapbox CIncinnati / Middletown Portal -

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