Rickenbacker Area Report (September - October 2008)
Print Newsletter
| Journalists Visit Rickenbacker Print Article |
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Columbus Region Logistics Council gave logistics journalists a tour of the Rickenbacker area in July and discussed how central Ohio is a major U.S. and international logistics hub. |
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The Columbus Region Logistics Council, headed by a group of 24 leaders in the logistics industry in central Ohio and overseen by the Columbus Chamber, hosted a group of logistics journalists in July and conducted a tour of the Rickenbacker area.
“The journalists spent two days in Columbus and had conversations with members from the Columbus Chamber, Ohio Department of Development, Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Pickaway Progress Partnership, Norfolk Southern, Exel and ODW Logistics,” said John Ness, president, ODW Logistics and co-chair of the Columbus Region Logistics Council. “The theme throughout all conversations was the growing logistics industry in central Ohio and in particular the many assets of the Rickenbacker area.”
The Council is dedicated to building a strong logistics-driven economy in central Ohio through the implementation of the long-term growth strategy developed through the work with Battelle last year. Hosting the journalists is just one example of the Columbus Region Logistics Council’s commitment to support logistics companies at Rickenbacker.
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| COTA Adds Rickenbacker Express Line Print Article |
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The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA)
added a new express line to its fixed-route bus service today – #50 Rickenbacker Express.
The express line serves the Rickenbacker area industrial parks. This new service is being implemented in response to requests from employers and employees of the industrial area, which encompasses 38 million square feet of development, including numerous industrial parks and more than 130 companies. Agencies working to match job seekers with employment opportunities have also advocated for COTA service to the Rickenbacker area.
“COTA is pleased to extend bus service to the Rickenbacker area industrial parks, a vital link in the economic vitality of the central Ohio region,” Bill Lhota, COTA President/CEO commented. “To assist area companies and help residents seeking relief from pain at the gas pump, COTA intends to provide more employees with safe and reliable alternative transportation to and from work.”
The #50 Rickenbacker Express will run weekdays between downtown and the Rickenbacker area industrial parks.The outbound route will begin at 5:53 a.m. at High and Long streets, ending at Groveport Road at 6:35 a.m. The after-work inbound route will begin at Alum Creek Drive and Rohr Road at 4:30 p.m., ending at Wall Street at 5:17 p.m. The Rickenbacker Express will make ten bus stops on streets in the Rickenbacker area, from Alum Creek Drive to Groveport Road.
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| Rickenbacker Area Job Fair a Success Print Article |
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JD Null, Human Resources at Gap Inc. Direct, discusses the opportunities and benefits Gap Inc. Direct has to offer potential job candidates at the annual job fair held at the Rickenbacker International Airport. |
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The area’s annual job fair was held in August at the Rickenbacker International Airport’s charter terminal. Over 50 employers participated and had the opportunity to meet with over 600 job candidates.
“Many companies in the Rickenbacker area are looking for employees this time of year and we hope we were able to help the residents of central Ohio connect with them,” said Lynn Aspey, organizer of the job fair and Director of Business Relations at the Jewish Family Services. “And now with COTA’s new bus route to Rickenbacker that started today, we are optimistic job seekers will have transportation to the area and find employment.”
The job fair was organized and sponsored by the Adult Workforce Development of Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools, Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Jewish Family Services, JOBS One-Stop, MORPC/RideSolutions and WorkNet.
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| Ohio Air National Guard Opens Doors to Community Print Article |
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Members of the Columbus Metropolitan Club pose in front of the Ohio Air National Guard 121st Refueling Wing’s KC-135 refueling plane during their summer tour at the Rickenbacker base. |
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The Ohio Air National Guard gave members of the Ohio Broadcasters Association, and a few other civilians, a first-hand experience of a KC-135 plane refueling another U.S. Air Force plane in mid-flight. |
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The Ohio Air National Guard has a strong presence at Rickenbacker International Airport. Besides the 121st Air Refueling Wing being the largest refueling wing in the Air National Guard with the most KC-135 planes, it provides air traffic control and Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting services for the entire airport. It provides service at the local, state and national levels which the public affairs office showcases through tours and orientation flights to citizens.
Recently, the Ohio Air National Guard opened its doors to the Columbus Metropolitan Club and Ohio Association of Broadcasters.
“We teamed up with the Army National Guard and gave tours of the two bases as well as an orientation flight to the Ohio Association of Broadcasters,” said Lt. Col. Kathy Lowrey, Wing Executive Support Officer and Community Affairs Manager for the 121st Air Refueling Wing.
Approximately 30 members from the Ohio Association of Broadcasters, representing media throughout Ohio, went on the orientation flight and witnessed one of the 18 KC-135s from the 121st Refueling Wing refuel a C-17 plane in mid-flight.
“On a regular basis we invite employers, civic leaders, family members of the military and junior ROTC cadets to take an orientation flight,” explained Lt. Col. Lowrey. “This is our primary public outreach method used to inform civilians about what we do and to cultivate partnerships with others who can help us maintain our mission readiness.” |
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| Motts Military Museum Collecting Toys for Iraqi Children Print Article |
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Motts Military Museum
in Groveport is collecting toys to send over to Iraqi children who are waiting to be treated by U.S. military doctors.
Warren Motts, founder of the Motts Military Museum, started the program about a month ago after talking to his friend in the National Guard who was touring in Iraq. Before his friend left, Motts told him if he needed anything to let him know. Motts’ friend e-mailed him and said that the Chaplin would like the Iraqi children to have something to do while they wait to see a U.S. military doctor.
“The great part about this program is that we’re putting smiles on children’s faces who live in a war-stricken country,” said Motts. “My friend in the National Guard wanted something for the Iraqi kids instead of himself and I believe he is a great example of a U.S. soldier.”
“Right now we are in the midst of putting together a huge box full of all sorts of items to send overseas,” Motts said. “This program will be a continual process. We’re going to send toys over periodically.”
The more volunteers the greater the success of this program. If you would like to make a difference in a child’s life in a small way, you can send items such as over the counter medications, lotion, children’s shoes, soccer balls (used or new), play dough, chalk, crayons, markers, coloring books, dolls and water-color paints to: Motts Military Museum, 5075 S. Hamilton Rd., Groveport, Ohio 43125-9336. For more information contact Warren at 836-1500.
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| Show Support to Members in the Guard and Reserve by Joining ESGR Print Article |
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| The men and women in the Guard and Reserve not only depend on their military units and families for support, they also depend on their employers. Employers can show support of their employees through participation in the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)
program.
ESGR is part of the Secretary of Defense Office that provides support and understanding between the Guard and Reserve component members and their employers. The goal of ESGR is to support America’s employees to ensure nationwide security.
“The vision of ESGR is to develop and promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees,” said Chip Augello, Executive Director of ESGR. “To promote support, ESGR provides free services that include mediation, education and consultation when needed.”
ESGR is always open to new volunteer members and employers. The organization is divided into seven regions. Members of those seven regions meet quarterly. ESGR has about 5,000 volunteers nationwide.
“I believe it is important to become a member of ESGR because you’re paying something back to the brave young men and women who put their lives at risk for our freedom,” said Augello. “I feel as though I am paying something back by being involved with ESGR because the military took care of my family and me.”
To become a member of ESGR contact Chip Augello at 336-7444 or anthony.augello@us.army.mil.
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| Groveport Planning to Provide Holiday to Those in Need Print Article |
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The 2008 Groveport Madison Adopt-A-Family (GMAAF) project is getting ready to kick-off and needs assistance in providing Christmas presents to children and food to families in the Groveport Madison School District to those financially unable due to a variety of personal circumstances.
“Last year we provided Christmas and food to 350 children from 107 families through generous donations from area businesses and personal donations,” said Christine Boucher, Executive Director of Go Groveport! and lead coordinator of GMAAF program. “We predict with the price of fuel and the housing market, our community will have a greater need for assistance and our goal is to meet that need.”
Through GMAAF, “angels” adopt a family and the children receive a new or gently used coat, hat, gloves and new pajamas, socks, underwear and two items from their wish list. Each family receives food and a gift card to purchase additional food or gas.
Make a child smile this holiday season by getting involved in GMAAF. You can attend the benefit dinner on Sept. 13 or contact Christine at 836-7939. Find out how you or your company can help make a difference this upcoming holiday season.
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| AirNet Hosts Blood Drive and Mobile Mammography Unit Print Article |
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AirNet
welcomed Rickenbacker businesses and military personnel to participate in the American Red Cross blood drive and Mt. Carmel mobile mammography unit this summer. Located close to the airport, AirNet, the provider of time-critical air transportation services for small package shippers and banking customers, coordinated and hosted the blood drive and mammography unit visits.
“The blood drive was a great success with 23 donors, two of which were non-AirNet employees,” said Lysa Wiederman, AirNet Systems’ Human Resources Benefits Manager. “We hope that more Rickenbacker employees and military personnel will join us for our next blood drive on Sept. 18. We enjoy meeting our neighbors and helping the American Red Cross.”
The mobile mammography unit provided routine screening for 15 women aged 35 or over, seven of which were employees from other Rickenbacker companies.
“We found that providing the mobile unit to our employees is convenient for them and we hope that the many other Rickenbacker area employees concur,” said Wiederman. “The women were able to complete the recommended annual screening and get back to work in just a few minutes.”
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| REAN Donates School Supplies to Groveport Madison Students Print Article |
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Chris Bowser, Supervisor at Groveport Madison Schools, accepts school supplies REAN members collected and donated for the upcoming school year. |
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Rickenbacker Employer Assistance Network (REAN) collected and donated school supplies to students at Groveport Madison Elementary Schools.
“REAN provided a great service to families struggling with the costs of living and added expenses of back-to-school supplies,” said Angie Atwood, FTZ Marketing Coordinator at the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and member of REAN who coordinated the donations. “Eight area companies participated in the program and were able to give back to our community schools.”
REAN generated the idea to donate school supplies to Groveport Madison Schools during a meeting they had a few years ago. This was REAN’s fourth year donating school supplies to the local students.
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| Save Cash and Gas Using MORPC's Free Service Print Article |
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Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s (MORPC) RideSolutions wants to help make life easier for you. If you want to save gas money and have reliable transportation, then turn to RideSolutions. The program offers free help to commuters in finding alternative options in getting to and from work, like carpooling.
“By a person telling us where they live, work and their work hours, we can help them find and share a ride to their worksite,” said Janet Berardi, Senior Outreach Coordinator for MORPC. “When we see that there are more than a dozen matches, our vanpool developer begins the vanpool formation process. She contacts each commuter individually to confirm a vanpool would be a good transportation fit for all.”
RideSolutions is a beneficial service because it not only helps commuters save money and gives them another option for reliable transportation, it helps sustain our environment. By carpooling and vanpooling with others you will help reduce the amount of air pollution and road congestion.
“Many commuters say that they would carpool but don’t know anyone who lives near them,” Janet stated. “RideSolutions has a database of commuters now, and new commuters are getting on board every day.”
Currently, RideSolutions has 494 Rickenbacker commuters in their database.
Visit www.morpc.org or call 888-742-RIDE to sign-up for this free service or for more information.
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| Navy Operational Support Center Welcomes New Commander Print Article |
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The Navy Operational Support Center at Rickenbacker announced a change of command. Cmdr. Peter Greenwald was relieved in July by Cmdr. Michael "Tiki" Varias. Cmdr. Varias comes to the area, with his family, from Corpus Cristi, Texas, and is a native of Pensacola, Florida. Welcome Cmdr. Varias to Rickenbacker by contacting him at 492-2909 or michael.varias@navy.mil.
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| Foreign-Trade Zone Seminar in October Print Article |
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Join the Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) for the free annual Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ)
seminar on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Northeast Conference Center from 8 a.m. to noon.
The FTZ is a site within the USA that is legally considered outside of Customs territory, so goods may be brought into the site duty-free and without formal customs entry.
“We will help attendees at the seminar evaluate their potential savings of being in the FTZ by completing a cost benefit analysis for them for free,” said Angie Atwood, FTZ Marketing Coordinator at Columbus Regional Airport Authority. “CRAA is grantee and operator of FTZ No. 138, which encompasses nearly 5,000 acres at Rickenbacker and we want to help companies use this as a tool to increase their global competitiveness.”
Real estate professionals attending the seminar can receive 3 hours of continuing education credit by attending the seminar.
Don’t forget to mark your calendar and look for your invitation in the mail. Feel free to contact Angie at 409-3622 or aatwood@columbusairports.com for more information on the seminar or the FTZ. |
| Dinner to Benefit Groveport Adopt-A-Family Print Article |
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The Groveport Madison Adopt-A-Family (GMAAF) program is hosting a dinner on Sept. 13 to benefit its mission of providing children and families in need in the Groveport Madison school district with presents and food for Christmas.
An all-you-can-eat tailgate style buffet for $12.95 will begin at 7 p.m. at Papa Joe's at The Links at Groveport Golf Course, 1005 Richardson Rd in Groveport. And of course the OSU vs USC game will kick-off at 8 p.m. and will be shown on the big screen. No reservations are required – just show up for dinner, a great football game and support GMAAF.
GMAFF will also be organizing a golf outing earlier in the day with hole and raffle sponsors.
We hope to see you at the dinner and help cheer the Buckeyes to victory. For more information on the day’s activities, visit Go Groveport!. |
| The Circleville Pumpkin Show is Just Around the Corner Print Article |
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| It’s that time! The Circleville Pumpkin Show, which is Ohio’s oldest and largest festival, will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 15, through Saturday, Oct. 18. The Circleville Pumpkin Show is located on the streets of downtown Circleville. Opening ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday with activities for all ages to follow. Bring your family and friends and enjoy parades, rides and all the pumpkin-related foods you could ever imagine. Admission is free. |
| Blood Drive in September Print Article |
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| The American Red Cross will be conducting a blood drive at AirNet on Sept. 18. To set up an appointment to donate or for more information, contact AirNet’s Simone Baker at 409-4900 or simone.baker@airnet.com. |
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