FirstEnergy questions legislation, by Betty Lin-Fisher, Akron Beacon Journal, November 2, 2007
Akron—FirstEnergy Corp. retained Ted Olson, the former solicitor general of the United States, in its lobbying efforts against Gov. Ted Strickland's push to re-regulate electric rates. When asked whether FirstEnergy was bringing Olson on board in preparation for filing a federal lawsuit, DiNicola said, ''No, we're just hoping the legislature doesn't make it a federal case." He added, however, that the company ''is prepared to defend our rights in court, if need be.''

Related stories:

Editorial: Power drive, Akron Beacon Journal, November 2, 2007
The editorial board of the ABJ opines that the Ohio House should make further improvements in the electricity restructuring bill recently approved by the Ohio Senate.

OMA supports revised comprehensive energy bill, Ohio Manufacturers Association, October 29. 2007

Beachwood firm Tremco to build Clinton Library's "green" roof, by Peter Krouse, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 2, 2007
Beachwood—Tremco Inc. submitted the winning bid for the project, which includes putting a variety of plants and grasses over a section of roof that will double as a garden area for former President Clinton's personal office and residence. Tremco, a subsidiary of RPM International Inc., will produce the waterproofing membranes for the project and has suppliers providing the soil and vegetation.

RGP program ‘launches' entrepreneurs into business, by Duane Ramsey, Toledo Free Press, November 2, 2007
Toledo—The Regional Growth Partnership's Launch Program gets some positive press for its efforts to help Northwest Ohio entrepreneurs launch their businesses. The article profiles three recent Launch Program graduates.

Chrysler to cut up to 12,000 jobs, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, November 1, 2007
Detroit—Chrysler LLC said Thursday it plans to cut up to 12,000 jobs, or up to 15 percent of its workforce, as part of an effort to slash costs and match slowing demand for some vehicles. It will eliminate shifts at five North American assembly plants — including the third shift at the Toledo North assembly plant in Ohio — and cut four vehicle models from its lineup.

Related Story: Ford is likely to follow Chrysler's retreat, by Jeffrey McCracken and Mike Spector, Wall Street Journal, November 2, 2007 (Subscription)

UT's leader proposes a new take on Toledo, by Meghan Gilbert, Toledo Blade, November 1, 2007
Toledo—Toledo needs to start thinking of itself as a college town, University of Toledo President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs told a breakfast meeting at the Toledo Club. Mark V'Soske, president of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce agreed, saying Toledo's history as a manufacturing town works well with the concept of bringing university research into actual production in the city.

Manufacturing Growth Slows in Oct., by Lauren Villagran, AP via Lorain Morning Journal, November 1, 2007
New York—According to the Institute for Supply Management, U.S. manufacturing grew in October at the weakest pace since March, suggesting that ongoing troubles in the housing and credit markets have seeped into the industrial sector.

China shifts pollution fight: New rules target export industry with stiff penalties, by Jane Spencer, Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2007 (subscription)
Hong Kong—Earlier this week, Zhang Lijun, vice director of China's State Environmental Protection Administration, said export manufacturers that violate China's pollution laws would be forced to close for one to three years. The ministry said the prices of Chinese exports are artificially low because factories aren't paying for the costs associated with pollution

Initiatives target adult literacy problem, by Jim Funk, Toledo Blade, November 1, 2007
In a recent publication, the National Association of Manufacturers reported that 36 percent of the employers surveyed in 2005 said that "their employees have inadequate reading, writing, and communications skills and that this gap impedes their ability to meet customer production and satisfaction demands." See what Toledo'a adult literacy agency, Read for Literacy, plans to do as it launches three new initiatives.

Upcoming MAGNET event:

Best Practices: Improving Global Competitiveness, Thursday, Nov. 8, 7:30 to 10:00 a.m., Visual Marking Systems, Twinsburg
Attendees will learn from top management how Visual Marking Systems effectively improved their global competitiveness utilizing and implementing Continuous Improvement programs and Lean Manufacturing within their company. This event is open to Greater Akron Chamber and MAGNET members first. Non-members may be added to a waiting list by contacting Thaya Smith at (330) 376-5550 or e-mailing to info@greaterakronchamber.org.

Machinists back in school; Jobs remain plentiful, so area company opens CNC Training Center, by Paula Schleis, Akron Beacon Journal, October 30, 2007
Akron—The Akron CNC Training Center, with a state-approved four-month beginner's program, will open with day classes on Nov. 19 at SC Manufacturing's Gilchrist Road facility. Night classes will be added in January. Lee Combs, the plant owner, said he made space for the new school because his company has such a need for CNC operators and he was chagrinned when the Akron Machining Institute closed in July. Other regional companies stepped up to the challenge too: Technical Equipment has offered Doosan mill and lathe machines and Jergens Industrial Supply is providing Ingersoll cutting tools.

Related article:

Companies urged to take steps to replenish work force, by Mike Verespej, Crains' Cleveland Business, October 29, 2007
Washington—The consensus: the business community needs to take a leadership role in educating American workers. This was one of the messages of the two-day Education and Workforce Summit organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Battery-maker bucks trend in move from Mexico to Ohio, by Jon Chavez, Toledo Blade, October 30, 2007
Fremont, Ohio—Crown Battery Manufacturing Co. said its purchase of a Mexican division of C&D Technologies Inc., will add $40 million in sales and create 20 to 30 jobs at its Fremont facility. Hal Hawk, Crown's president and CEO, said high turnover and low product quality at the Reynosa, Mexico, factory made it unprofitable. "We found that our people in Fremont can actually do a better battery than people working for $1.81 an hour in Mexico," Hawk said, adding that,"The Mexican model no longer works."

Portage County plant closings will put 650 out of work at holiday, by Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 30, 2007
Three Portage County plants—one each in Poland, Ravenna and Garretsville— will close for good over the holidays. The plants that manufacture a range of components and parts for the auto, commercial building and consumer products industries.

Goodyear, USW agree to establish health care fund, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, October 31, 2007
Akron—Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and the United Steelworkers have agreed on a proposed settlement that will lead to the creation of a Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association. The company expects the VEBA to be functioning by the first half of 2008, saving it as $110 million a year that it otherwise would have had to pay out in health care costs.

Eaton Completes Purchase Of MGE's Small Systems Business From Schneider Electric, TradingMarkets.com, October 31, 2007
Cleveland—Eaton Corp. completed its previously announced acquisition of Schneider Electric's MGE UPS Systems for EUR 425 million ($625 million). MGE, headquartered in Saint-Ismier, France, employs 800 people worldwide and produces uninterruptible power supplies, power distribution units, static transfer switches and surge suppressors.

Ohio Grows, by Santiago Santos, special advertising section of Business Facilities, October 2007.
This advertorial devotes its coverage to Buckeye Power, the Springfield area and the greater Akron area. The magazine educates corporate executives on issues related to choosing the best location for their growing companies.

Everything goes at Hoover sale, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, October 30, 2007
North Canton—Everything must go: massive injection molders, metal stampers, robots and other specialized machinery right down to microwave ovens, coffee makers and one ice cream maker. The Hoover campus auction will be Nov. 13-15, with a pre-auction viewing on Nov. 12.

Oglebay Norton shareholders advised to approve merger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 29, 2007
Cleveland—Two independent proxy advisory firms recommended shareholders vote for Oglebay's proposed merger with Carmeuse North America at $36 per share in cash. Oglebay will hold a special shareholders meeting on Nov. 9.

Large manufacturers register large confidence drop; small manufacturers drop slightly, by David Huether, Chief Economist, National Association of Manufacturers, Industry Week, October 29, 2007
The NAM/IndustryWeek Manufacturing Index for Q3 reports that confidence among large manufacturers registered the biggest drop in four years. Small manufacturers edged down only modestly in the third quarter after a slight upturn in the second quarter. The level of optimism stands at its lowest point in four years.

Editorial: Honda history a rare Ohio bright spot, Dayton Daily News, October 30, 2007
Thursday will be the 25th anniversary of the day the first Honda came off an Ohio assembly line. The company says it has invested more than a half-billion dollars in Ohio since 2002. It employs 13,000 people in Ohio, not counting suppliers. And not one person has ever been laid off.

Editorial: Advanced energy provisions of a Ohio bill still need tweaking, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 30, 2007
The PD editorial board says that although the amended version of the monster energy reform bill that emerged from an Ohio Senate committee last week has added some needed clarity and fairness, it also took on some flaws that need tweaking.

Upcoming Event:

Cleveland Angel Fair, Thursday, Nov. 29, CSU Fenn Tower
The region's first Angel Fair will offer entrepreneurs a setting to showcase their companies before a group of accredited investors. Although the deadline for entrepreneurs to exhibit has passed, investors can still register and they can attend for free. If are interested in attending, visit the JumpStart Inc. event page.

OMA supports revised comprehensive energy bill, Ohio Manufacturers' Association, October 29, 2007
Columbus—The Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee this week unveiled Substitute Bill 221 containing its changes to Gov. Ted Strickland's comprehensive energy bill. The OMA and the Ohio Coalition for Affordable Power welcomed the changes saying they make it "an even better bill and one that benefits all consumers of electricity." Check out the OMA's summary of the new bill's features (PDF). A full committee vote and a vote in the state senate are expected this week.

Survey: Funding has firms worried, by Paula Schleis, Akron Beacon Journal, October  27, 2007
Cleveland—The second Northeast Ohio Entrepreneurship Confidence Survey, conducted by Cleveland State University and JumpStart Inc. concludes that Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs think the region is a great place to do business, but they worry about finding the capital and government support to grow.

UAW members ratify Chrysler deal, by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, October  28, 2007
Detroit—The United Auto Workers rank and file narrowly passed a four-year contract agreement with Chrysler LLC on Saturday, leaving Ford Motor Co. as the last automaker in negotiations in this year's round of contract talks. The contract covers about 45,000 active workers at Chrysler and more than 55,000 Chrysler retirees and 23,000 surviving spouses. It will expire Sept. 14, 2011.

EU tariffs sought on Chinese steel imports, by John W. Miller, Wall Street Journal, October 29, 2007 (Subscription)
Brussels—European steel producers, including ThyssenKrupp AG and ArcelorMittal, allege China is selling steel in the EU at below cost and is damaging European producers. It would take at least 10 months for the EU to apply tariffs, but trade officials in Brussels appear to be sympathetic.

Congress's patent mistakes, by Claude Barfield and John E. Calfee, Wall Street Journal, October 29, 2007 (Subscription)
New York—Two resident scholars at the American Enterprise Institute warn about the high stakes at risk as Congress prepares to enact far-reaching patent system reforms. In particular, they recommend the USPTO move to the "first to file" system used everywhere else in the world.

On the Job With . . . James Walker, senior operations manager, Tremco Inc.'s Mameco plant, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 29, 2007
Cleveland—The PD profiles senior operations manager, James Walker, who began his career ten years ago as a chemist at the Mameco plant that manufactures sealants and waterproofing materials. Mameco is part of the Tremco Global Sealants Divisions which is a unit of RPM International.

Upcoming Event:

Northern Ohio Minority Business Council 2007 Awards Gala, November 9, Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. Stormy T.W. Hicks, a Native American and formerly president of ITT Automotive and COO of manufacturer J.B. Poindexter, will be the speaker. Hicks is currently a consultant in organizational communications and leadership and vice president of the Native American Business Alliance. For more info and to register, visit the NOMBC Web Site or call (216) 363-0002.