The Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Internship Central program is collaborating with Tri-C to offer GCP members the opportunity to participate as an internship host employer for Tri-C’s Summer Internship Program. There are 50 internships available and employers can host more than one intern. The program is five to 10 weeks (maximum of 100 hours to be worked) from May 30 to August 11, 2017.

Safety is a topic that should be first and foremost on the minds of business owners here in Northeast Ohio and everywhere. Regardless of size, the safety and wellbeing of the workforce remains critical to the success of our local economy. The Northeast Ohio Safety Council (NEOSC) has everything businesses need to create and maintain a safe working environment. From pertinent safety issues to qualified and experienced speakers, NEOSC will provide your organization with the tools and knowledge you need to improve the safety culture within your workplace.

During COSE’s recent Annual Meeting, we asked attendees what the biggest problem is that is currently facing their business. And, more importantly, what steps they’re taking to overcome those challenges.

Hundreds of COSE members attended the 2016 version of the COSE Annual Meeting on February 24 at the Near West Theatre. Here are five takeaways from the meeting they walked away with:

There are plenty of reasons the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program needs to be on your business’ radar in 2016. But I get it: as a small business owner you have a lot of demands on your time, so allow me to distill the many reasons you should be thinking about the program into the top five.

Joe Jurevicius is used to being uncomfortable. He spent 11 NFL seasons (including two with his hometown Cleveland Browns) dealing with all the aches and pains that go along with being a pro football player.

But all of those years of football have prepared him for life, post-football. Jurevicius today is co-owner of WashClub Cleveland. Think of it as Uber for the laundry industry.

Tracking key performance indicators (KPI’s) will help you know which carriers are keeping you on course to profitability. Using a scorecard that measures carrier performance promotes better dialog and provides a quantifiable way to measure the success of the relationship between all parties involved.

Shippers scoring carriers on timeliness gain an objective way to evaluate service. In an environment without a scorecard, customers can claim carriers aren't on time, while the shipper has no visibility into why customers are complaining.

Depending on your company’s goal, the metrics a shipper should track will vary. Two of the most popular KPI’s are on-time pickup and on-time delivery, which comes to no surprise. 

Is your business planning special deals or promotions for Small Business Saturday?  If so, we want to hear from you! We are putting together a collection of Small Business Saturday offers for a special newsletter to go out prior to Small Business Saturday, and we’ll also share the deals on COSE’s website.

I am sad to let you know that we learned today that Bill Jones, COSE’s first Chairman and one of its founders, passed away last Friday, January 16th. Bill was an amazing entrepreneur and inventor that led the founding and early growth of the Council of Smaller Enterprises. He was extremely proud of what COSE has been able to accomplish over its 43 years, and continued to be involved with the organization even through the last couple of years. 

Ryan Schoeneman of Colby Featherbottom's Custom Sound Machines in Parma, Ohio took home the $20,000 first prize in the 2014 COSE Business Pitch Competition.  Colby builds custom body shape electric guitars from their client's own design using CNC robotics, instant cured finishes, and intuitive design software.