2024 YEAR END REPORT
SINCE 1893
OHIOCHAMBER.COM
Ohio Chamber Members,
December of 2024 marks us finishing up the first three year strategic plan, which we kicked- off in January of 2022. We are pleased to report we hit all our goals included in 2022-2024 plan. The first three-year plan was focused on inputs, such as creating our events business and aggressively growing membership, sponsorships and our MEWA. We are very happy with the outcomes produced from the last three years’ strategic plan. Since 2021, the Ohio Chamber has seen a significant increase in membership and programming offered to members. In the area of Membership Services, we have fostered an active dialogue with our member companies, to provide our members with innovative and needed programs and services. We have created numerous new programs throughout the last three years including the creation of an events business, the creation of the CEO Forum, and new partnerships with innovative companies like AndHealth. In the area of public policy, we are driving and leading change for the State of Ohio. In 2022, we created the “Blueprint for Ohio’s Economic Future,” a proactive plan to make Ohio a top state for business and job creation. Our Government Affairs team now uses the Blueprint as a guide in the Ohio Chamber’s efforts to make Ohio the best place in the country in which to do business. In 2024, the Ohio Chamber built up our resources to ensure our political clout and focus on aggressively supporting pro-business candidates. These funds allowed the Chamber to lead the effort in maintaining a business-friendly Ohio Supreme Court and electing pro-business legislators at the Statehouse.
These are just a few of the wins for the Chamber in 2024, read further to learn more about the OCC’s accomplishments for our members in 2024.
Steve Stivers
President & CEO Ohio Chamber of Commerce
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BY THE NUMBERS THE OHIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SINCE 1893
8000 93%
88% MEMBER SATISFACTION
MEMBERS
RENEWAL
COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION
STATEWIDE PRESENCE MEMBER COMPANIES REPRESENTED IN
INDUSTRY
21% MANUFACTURING 11% RETAIL 3% HEALTHCARE 10% NONPROFIT 5% INDUSTRIAL 5% TRANSPORTATION 3% WHOLESALE 10% CONSTRUCTION 5% BUSINESS SERVICES 27% ALL OTHER
21% Energy & Environment
20% Public Affairs
88/88 COUNTIES
16% Taxation & Public Expenditures
8% Healthcare
8% Board Members
8% Labor & Employment
6% Education/Workforce Development
4% Ohio Small Business Council
LOCATION
COMPANY SIZE
33%
35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5%
24%
15%
9%
7%
6%
3%
2%
1%
1-10
11-25
26-50
51-100
101-200
201-500
501-1K
1-10K
10K+
While the November General Election may have been divisive for many Ohioans, the statewide business community enjoyed across the board victories on election night and the hope of brighter days from a pro-business state government. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, taking positions in numerous races, scored the following wins: Ohio General Assembly Leading up to the November general election, the Ohio Chamber Political Action Committee (OCCPAC) endorsed 73 total candidates between Ohio House and Ohio Senate races. Of the 73 bipartisan endorsements – 13 Ohio Senate candidates and 60 Ohio House candidates - the OCCPAC had 72 victories, a win rate of 99%. This included 27 total open seats, which bodes well for a solid initial start to legislative relationships between the Chamber and incoming policymakers. Ohio Supreme Court Perhaps the most significant victory was all three OCCPAC endorsed judicial candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court winning their races. Aided by the Ohio Chamber’s leadership in raising $4 million to promote these efforts, the following OCCPAC-endorsed candidates won: Justice Joe Deters, Ohio Supreme Court (55.20%) LEGISLATIVE WINS - ELECTIONS
Judge Megan Shanahan, Hamilton County Common Pleas Court (55.70%) Judge Dan Hawkins, Franklin County Common Pleas Court (55.07%)
These three justices-elect follow the previous three OCCPAC-endorsed victories in 2022: Justice Sharon Kennedy, Ohio Supreme Court (56.08%) Justice Pat DeWine, Ohio Supreme Court (56.31%) Justice Pat Fischer, Ohio Supreme Court (56.91%) The Ohio Chamber likewise worked to raise $4 million for that campaign effort in 2022. In just two years, the Ohio Chamber has now led the way to achieve a 6-1 pro-business Ohio Supreme Court majority, ensuring a large degree of certainty and predictability in rulings for Ohio’s business community.
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LEGISLATIVE WINS - ISSUE 1
State Issue 1 Ohioans also soundly defeated the lone statewide ballot measure, Issue 1, by a percentage of 53.78% NO to 46.22% YES. The proposed constitutional amendment, which was opposed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, would have scrapped the existing process for drawing legislative maps for both the state legislative districts and federal congressional districts, replacing it with a cumbersome, convoluted system with no accountability to voters. The Chamber’s position came on the heels of a Board of Directors’ vote at its Q3 meeting in September to formally oppose Issue 1. That vote was predicated on the acceptance of an Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendation to oppose the measure after several meetings and deliberations. Both the Ad Hoc Committee and the full Board of Directors agreed Issue 1 was problematic, complex, and not a panacea for either political extremism or fairer maps. Armed with the Board’s opposition stance, the Ohio Chamber also was one of the largest financial supporters of the opposition’s campaign – serving as the biggest disclosed donor to the effort. Ohio Chamber President and CEO stated the following about Issue 1: “ Our concern is, if passed, the consequence could result in raising the cost of doing business in Ohio, making our state less competitive for business, and impacting critical issues our members care deeply about, including minimum wage, legal reform, tort reform and forced unionization. The Chamber is not endorsing the status quo; the current system is flawed and should be fixed through bipartisan efforts.”
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CEO FORUM
We were proud to kick-off the CEO Forum in March of 2024. The first pod of middle market c-suite leaders was created in 2024 and we look forward to continued growth of the program in 2025. The CEO Forum is peer-to-peer network of middle market companies throughout Ohio. Each POD consists of c-suite business leaders and allows them to share and seek advice on challenges they are facing while also giving them the tools necessary to scale their business. This program is a partnership with the National Center for the Middle Market (NCMM)/The Ohio State University – Fisher College of Business. The Chamber is proud to partner with the first center of its kind in the nation that is dedicated to serving middle market companies. The NCMM is housed at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business and exist for the single purpose of ensuring that the vitality and robustness of Middle Market companies are fully realized as fundamental to our nation’s economic outlook and prosperity. The NCMM is a leading source of knowledge, leadership, and innovative research on the middle market economy.
Learn more.
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CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EXECUTIVES OF OHIO
To increase the resources and programming available to local chamber executives, the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Ohio (CCEO) announced a partnership with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce (OCC), Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce (NOACC), and the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance (SOCA) in the summer of 2024. “Local chamber of commerce executives play an integral role in the local economies throughout Ohio,” said CCEO Board President Travis Markwood. “I am excited by the announcement of a partnership with these three organizations because it will provide the executives in our membership with new and exciting programming, resources, and expert assistance that wasn’t previously available.” The Chamber of Commerce Executives of Ohio is a professional and career development organization that has served the chamber profession in Ohio for more than 100 years. The association has its roots under the Ohio Chamber of Commerce umbrella. The organization’s programs and services provide direct education, support, and empowerment to chamber executives, chamber staff, boards of directors, and volunteers. In recent years, CCEO operated independently, but it is now looking forward to a newly forged partnership that will once again align the organization closely with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. With the additional financial support provided through the expanded partnership with the OCC, NOACC, and SOCA, CCEO will be able to expand the programming and offerings to member executives and provide additional educational opportunities for members. As part of the partnership the OCC, NOACC, and SOCA will be added to the CCEO Board of Directors.
Learn more here.
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OHIO CHAMBER RELEASES TAX BENCHMARKING STUDY In a press conference at the Ohio Chamber offices on July 23, the Ohio Chamber announced the recommendations formed from its recent tax benchmarking study. The study, “Ohio Tax Benchmarking Analysis: A Deep Dive into Ohio's Tax Competitiveness” was carried out by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation in partnership with EY. The study serves as a comprehensive analysis of Ohio’s tax landscape, and it provides a detailed comparison of Ohio’s state and local taxes with those of six peer states: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. “We are presenting this study’s recommendations to help Ohioans better understand our state’s tax landscape and to suggest tax reforms that would benefit the business community,” said Ohio Chamber President & CEO Steve Stivers. “With these findings in mind, we will continue to work with policymakers to create a tax environment that supports economic growth and competitiveness for all Ohioans.” Among its key findings, the study found that Ohio’s economy is strong — its Gross State Product (GSP) ranks third highest among its peer states. Additionally, Ohio’s combined state and local tax burden is moderate compared to peer states. However, Ohio’s local taxes are among the highest in the nation, with property and local income taxes being the key drivers. The Ohio Chamber recommends that policymakers pursue uniformity of tax rates and tax filing requirements to reduce the complexity and compliance burden of municipal income tax. Ohio has over 800 local taxing jurisdictions, and Ohio businesses struggle to navigate this complicated system. The Chamber believes that policymakers should support efforts to standardize filing requirements and rates and improve overall processes. The Chamber also suggests addressing municipal workplace vs. residence tax withholding, as this creates an administrative burden for employers. Given the rise of remote and hybrid work, businesses need clarity and certainty on meeting their tax obligations at the municipal level. Overall, the Chamber’s goal is to encourage uniformity and rate reductions among jurisdictions, ease complexity and reduce withholding amounts and compliance costs, create less complexity and provide simplicity in tax code, and reduce the overall tax burden. The full study can be downloaded here.
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OHIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND 17 BUSINESS ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY URGE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF CHIPS ACT FUNDS In November, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce led a group of 18 business organizations from four states across the country in sending a letter to President Biden and the U.S. Department of Commerce urging the immediate distribution of federal funds authorized by Congress to reshore and expand domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing. Since passage of the CHIPS and Science Act (“CHIPS Act”) over two and a half years ago, multiple businesses have created new production facilities, expanded existing facilities, and entered into development agreements with federal, state and local government agencies to increase American manufacturing and guard against future supply chain disruptions in an industry critical to American national security and economic growth. The signatory business organizations press the Administration to “remove any roadblocks that may exist, ensuring that the funds highlighted as critical to the success of the objectives of these laws are delivered as promptly as possible.” In addition to the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the following organizations join the letter to the Biden Administration: Oregon Business & Industry, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, The Business Council of New York State, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, Ohio Business Roundtable, Oregon Business Council, Technology Association of Oregon, Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association, Ohio Home Builders Association, Ohio Society of CPAs, Ohio Pharmacists Association, Ohio Auto Dealers Association, Ohio REALTORS, Ohio Chemistry Technology Council, Ohio Bankers League, Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce (NM), and Sandoval Economic Alliance (NM).
The full letter can be viewed here.
After sending the letter, the Chamber was pleased that the $7.8 billion of CHIPS funding was released to Intel on November 20, 2024. “The announcement in late 2024 of the release of $7.8 billion of CHIPS funding to Intel strengthens America’s national security and makes microchip manufacturing viable in the U.S. It's a great day to be a Buckeye,” said Steve Stivers, President & CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. “The Ohio Chamber would like to thank Intel for their commitment to Ohio, the Silicon Heartland, where we still make things every day. “We would also like to thank the Biden Administration, Secretary Raimondo, and the CHIPS Office led by Mike Schmidt for the thousands of hours of work it took to make this announcement happen. “We look forward to working with the incoming administration to continue the imperative mission of the CHIPS Act, to improve our national and economic security by making more microchips in the U.S.”
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OHIO CHAMBER AWARDS
Best Places to Work Columbus Business First awarded the Ohio Chamber of Commerce 2nd place for Best Places to Work in Central Ohio! Columbus Business First used Quantum Workplace, which has conducted employment engagement studies for some of America’s best-known corporations, to quiz employees about their work environments. Quantum used a web-based questionnaire to gather opinions from workers of the companies and nonprofit institutions that became candidates for the Best Places to Work award, which were used to generate a score by which the companies were ranked. Business First recognized 45 of the companies scored by Quantum - the top companies in each of five workforce categories. 2024 National Association of State Chambers/Association of State Chamber Professionals’ At the 2024 National Association of State Chambers/Association of State Chamber Professionals’ Annual Meeting the Ohio Chamber was one of only three finalists for the prestigious 2024 State Chamber of the Year award. While New York took the top spot, we didn’t leave empty-handed!
We proudly brought home awards for Greatest Growth in Membership Dues, Best Organizational Excellence, and Best Membership Excellence.
Columbus Business First 2024 HR Impact Awards Columbus Business First launched the annual HR Impact Awards program as an offshoot of our Best Places to Work program to honor the people charged with developing and maintaining company cultures. The OCC received this award in 2024. The OCC received the HR Impact Award for their efforts on the creation of a number of programs including: creating a student loan repayment program for staff, a wellness program, and creating an office culture for the Chamber team.
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ACTION NETWORK
The Ohio Chamber Action Network (an affiliate of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce) has seen incredible growth throughout 2024. On top of growing our membership, we’ve hosted events featuring former OSU Football Coach Jim Tressel, Former Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and more.
We’ll continue to build an army to help us defend the free market and capitalism to benefit all Ohioans.
Learn more about benefits and how to join by visiting our website here.
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2024 YEAR END REPORT
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