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
Markeyās
McGraw/Kokosing
Miami University Regionals
Performance Foodservice
Robinson Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
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
PAC Worldwide Corporation
Precision Strip, Inc.
Quaker Houghton
UGN, Inc.
Valley Central Bank
somewhere on my desk
Rick Pearce President/CEO
March marks Annās last month of employment with us as she closes a chapter on very distinguished career. This month, we also welcome Liz Arnold to our team. Liz will spend āevery waking momentā learning all that happens behind the scenes that Ann has made look so easy over the years.
Our 41st CLIMB Class will begin in April, so if you have an emerging leader within your organization who could benefit from additional leadership skills, please share this link with them to learn more and register. We need roughly 9 more for a full class.
Please also mark your calendars for our Annual Golf Outing on Thursday, June 11 at Shaker Run Golf Club. I ask that you consider inviting a customer to play this beautiful and challenging course.
I would also like to thank the roughly 120+ members who have renewed their investment for 2026. We are making progress with our workforce initiatives, but there is more work to do, so please considering becoming engaged to positively influence the next generation.
Best in profits!
Focus Areas
ā¢ Ohio Chamber
ā¢ Resources
ā¢ Legislative
ā¢ US Chamber of Commerce
ā¢ Rep. Warren Davidson 8th District
ā¢ Rep. Mike Turner 10th District
A new congressional map for November, 2026
ā¢ Rep. Greg Landsman ā 1st District
ā¢ Sen. Bernie Moreno
ā¢ Sen. Jon Husted
ā¢ State & County Elected Officials
The US Chamber: State of American Business (2026)
ā¢ The State of American Business 2026 - YouTube
ā¢ The Executive Summary
Focus Areas
ā¢ If you would like to become involved in any of the below programs, please call us, 513-422-4551
ā¢ Passport To Tomorrow
ā¢ Adopt A Class
ā¢ Junior Achievement
P2T Breakfast Update February 25
Photos by Meggie Bierkhan Middletown City Schools, Communications Director
Focus Areas
ā¢ We are now recruiting for our 2026 CLIMB Class.
ā¢ Learn more at this linkā
Welcoming Lizā¦!
This month we are welcoming Elizabeth (Liz) to our team. Liz comes to us via Miami University and the help of Steve thank you Steve.
Liz grew up in Lebanon with her 4 siblings; 3 brothers and 1 sister and she is the middle child, ālocalā. She is a cheerleader with the Redhawks and met Snoop Dogg last year as the Redhawks played in the Snoop Dogg Bowl in Tucson AZ. She enjoys walking & playing with her mini-dachshund Bailey.
Liz will be working closely with Ann for the month of March to learn what happens behind the scenes to keep this organization moving. We are excited to welcome Liz, so when you see her, please make her feel at home.
Ann as assured us that she will make herself available when Liz and I have questions and Iām certain wewillhavequestionsā¦!!
Passport to tomorrow
P2T Update Breakfast
Last Wednesday, Deb Houser and the administration of Middletown City Schools welcomed more than 50 business partners for a Breakfast Update.
The Highlights:
ā¢ P2T rolled out to K-5 students in 2021.
ā¢ P2T rolled out to 6-8th students in 2023
ā¢ 6th grade Pop Up Business (Junior Achievement)
ā¢ 8th grade Career Quest Focus
ā¢ P2T rolled out to 9-12th students in 2025
Student ambassadors lead the business partners out in groups to learn more about; Agriculture, Forensics, Photography, Competitive Robotics,
State of the Region
The Cincinnati Regional USA Chamber released the State of the Regionā2025 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.
ā¢ First Financial Comments
ā¢ Chamber Comments
ā¢ Population
ā¢ Economics
ā¢ Community & Health
ā¢ Housing&Transportation
ā¢ Industry
ā¢ Industry Spotlight Looking Forward
Details / Registration
Details / Registration
spotlight
Shape Corp.: Growing Innovation and Opportunity in Trenton, Ohio
For more than 50 years, Shape Corp. has been a global leader in advanced lightweight structural solutions for the automotive industry. Today, that innovation is powered in part by the dedicated team at Shapeās aluminum facility in Trenton, Ohio a site that represents not only manufacturing excellence, but long-term investment in the Butler County community.
The Trenton facility specializes in advanced aluminum extrusion and fabrication, producing structural components that support vehicle safety, efficiency, and nextgeneration mobility. As demand for lightweight and sustainable materials continues to grow, so does Shapeās presence and performance in the region. Strong sales momentum and expanding customer programs have positioned the Trenton operation on a stable and exciting growth trajectory.
But Shapeās impact goes well beyond the plant floor.
Continue to full article
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 1970ās 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.
ā¢ CareerCoach/Skills2Careers
ā¢ The Workforce Institute
ā¢ Passport To Tomorrow
ā¢ Signing Day
You will be seeing more information as we move into 2026. Please consider becoming a āfunderā of our objectives and be part of the solution of better preparing the next generation for the workforce.!!
Changing the Narrative
Collaborating to Change The Narrative ā
Four (4) organizations have come together to continue to āchange the narrativeā for Middletown; The Middletown Community Foundation, the City of Middletown, The Chamber and Cincinnati Commercial Contracting. We will continue to take the initiative to changethenarrativeand 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.
ā¢ Soapbox Cincinnati / Middletown Portal
Please sign up for the mailing list and please share the posts via your social media outlets !!
Value of chambers
INVESTORS
WE would like to send out a very special THANK YOU to our 124 members that have renewed for 2026ā¦!
Please check your JUNK/SPAM Folder for your 2026 Invoice.
A Member Testimonialā
Rick ā I to wanted to follow-up and say thank you for your assistance last week. It was a game changer to allow us to service our customer needs.
On January 26th we had a pretty good amount of snow hit Middletown. As we worked to start up the plant we noticed we had lost a motor on the roof causing all manufacturing to be halted. The replacement of the motor required a crane to assist with lifting the new motor onto the roof. The use of a crane required a permit from the city. The city buildings were all closed due to weather. We reached out to Rick and he was able to make contact to get us assistance with the permit. The motor was replaced out successfully and allowed operations to continue. With Rickās assistance we saved over 36 hours of downtime!
Jeramy Sumpter General Manager Packaging Corp. of America
