In the opening of his State of the Union address, President Obama described the havoc wrought by the recession: “One in ten Americans still cannot find work. Many businesses have shuttered. Home values have declined . . . This recession has also compounded the burdens that America’s families have been dealing with for decades –- the burden of working harder and longer for less; of being unable to save enough to retire or help kids with college.” If you were paying close attention to last week’s Address, those words may not sound familiar. And for good reason: Despite their relevance to today’s economy, this quote is from last year’s Address.

This year, the President tried to paint a much rosier picture. He consistently referred to the recession in the past tense. For example, “Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known . . .” This is deceitful; the recession did not end two years ago, as he implies. If it did, then what gives with last year’s “Summer of Recovery” hype? What of the agonizingly slow pace of the scant recovery that has occurred?

This year, he said in reference to gauging economic progress, “We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer.” Well, then, let’s do so. As recently as last November, when unemployment was at 9.8%, the Administration repeatedly called unemployment levels “unacceptably high.” Is it now acceptable, therefore a sign of progress, when it has fallen to 9.4%? That’s still more than double the historic lows of the George W. Bush boom years. On that statistic alone, we have regressed sharply under the Progressives.

(I can just see the Bushaters frothing at that. Need I remind them that the recession started when the Progressives won control of Congress during the last two years of his administration, and that his only major fault in the recession was not having the spine to veto wholesale their economic legislation?)

Moreover, more people have been without work longer than at any time since the Great Depression. Ask anyone who’s been enduring prolonged unemployment, who has lost a house or a business because of Obamanomics, if the recession is over, and you’ll probably get a far different – and far more accurate – assessment than the President so blithely offered.

There was more deceit in play as well. Obama claimed, “Thanks to the tax cuts we passed, Americans’ paychecks are a little bigger today.” Really? My income tax withholding increased last year, and again this year. Indeed: Because the Progressive-controlled Congress waited until the end of the year to extend the Bush tax cuts, withholdings reverted to pre-cut levels because the computer programs that calculate withholding levels have yet to be updated.

Obama considers increased government spending to be an investment. But why trust an investment adviser who recommended the “investment” of $787 billion in a “stimulus” program whose only returns were growth in bureaucracy, government employment and the deficit? Meanwhile, employers are reluctant to invest in job creation because of the ongoing economic uncertainty, highlighted by Obama’s continued interest in punitively taxing the economically successful.

Perhaps his most audacious deceit involved the deficit, as in, “We need to take responsibility for our deficit.” Uh, ‘scuse me, Mr. President, but you already are responsible for it. That’s your signature on every single spending bill signed since you took office, and those spending bills are why the federal deficit is forecast to increase another $100 billion from last year to a record $1.5 trillion in 2011. The “mountain of debt” you bemoaned is very largely your creation. (Oh, and by the way, he also shed crocodile tears over the deficit last year too.)

He boldly committed to cutting a whopping $400 billion from the deficit over the next decade. In light of his adding a trillion dollars to the annual deficit, and his advocacy of even more spending, that’s as embarrassing as his boast to have created thousands of construction jobs – in an industry with 2,100,000 people unemployed compared to the August 2006 (i. e., Bush era) peak of 7,725,000.

He promised that, for the first time in history, a website would provide public accounting for government spending. This too was a deceit; the Porkulus featured such a site – that documented job-creating spending in non-existent congressional districts.

This speech was not such much the State of the Union as it was the state of Obama’s art as a slick-talking deceiver who is disconnected from the reality he helped create.

Thomas Berry, for the Children of Liberty, www.meetup.com/The-children-of-liberty

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President Obama gave his State of the Union address this week to millions of us watching as he discussed his vision for the future. We wish the President the best and hope he does what he can to make America stronger and safer for not only this year, but for generations to come. At the same time, we realize that often what is said by our political leaders in public speeches and what becomes a reality is often too different things.

Remember George H. Bush’s speech when he said “Read My Lips, No New Taxes.” As we now know, it didn’t work out that way. President Obama’s message was during his State of the Union address was centered on unity. A Utopian society sounds nice. In reality debating the best possible solution is what makes America well America. Achieving his message could be a challenge, as polls show more than half of Americans now disapprove of his leadership. Instead of debating his message, let’s see what parts of his speech apply to you and your family.

More spending on core projects will be needed in the future according to The President. Although Congress, not The President sets the budget, he did suggest freezing discretionary spending that could save $400 billion over 5 years. In our experience in working with Retirees, it is extremely rare to find a family that tells us they became financially successful spending their way out of trouble. Instead, the overwhelming majority of financial independent people we encournter are savers, not spenders. Make financial responsibility a personal mission. Even though the stock market and the economy have improved, don’t spend more. Instead, save more and continue to spend wiser.

The government has the ability to raise taxes to cover debts; a family doesn’t have this luxury. According to www.usdebtclock.org, The US National Debt is now over 14 trillion dollars. That means every US Taxpayer would now owe over $125,000 to cover the current national debt. To compound the program, Social Security, Medicare, and the Prescription Drug Program alone are over $112 trillion in unfunded liabilities for our Country. That surpasses $1,000,000 in liabilities per US Taxpayer to cover these obligations.
Realizing these unfunded liabilities are a huge concern for our Country, The President talked about painful cuts in “cherished programs” during the State Of The Union. He did not specifically say which programs should be cut. The solution for an individual family is to not only to maximize savings in their own personal retirement accounts, but at the same time to set up an account to protect them from a health care crisis. If the government programs changed in the future, you and your family would have a backup plan. Insure your future.

Simplify the tax code was another topic discussed in the speech. This has been promoted by both political parties for years, but in reality never happens. Maybe one day it will. Until then, individual families should realize that many of the Bush Era Tax Cuts have been extended for a period of two years and some new tax laws went into effect in 2011. Take time now to learn how this applies to your own individual situation. The honorable Learned Hand said it best when he explained there were two systems of taxation, one for the informed and one for the uninformed. Numerous tax laws are currently in effect that could have a positive impact on every family. Just take time to get informed.

We realize, and hopefully others do too, that political speeches such as the State of Union should be uplifting. We are all Americans and this is the greatest Country in the World. It feels good to have hope and wish for a brighter future. Just remember financial decisions now and in the future will come out of Washington that will be beyond one person’s control. At the same time, each of us, as individuals, can resolve to be financially independent on our own and make decisions we can control. You can do it, you deserve victory!

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 PM on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysradio.com.  Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. NEXT Financial Group, Inc nor its representatives provide tax advice.  The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537.

Every so often there occurs a political event that is a particular focus for the business community, as the economy is often impacted when the government tips its hand with regard to future policy. Such an event occurred this week with State of the Union addresses by President Obama and others.

Obama’s State of the Union, obviously the most significant, was also the most vague and conceptual of the headline addresses. While it gave few concrete examples of changing policy, it was not entirely inaccurate.

The President’s remarks on education and industry in this country were especially interesting, and sounded hardly dissimilar from many articles we have recently written expressing many of the same thoughts. Many of the President’s words echoed those penned in The Next Motor City, The Heresy of Higher Education, and most tellingly Obama Caught Between a Tax Cut and a Hard Place.

Unfortunately for those seeking some amount of guidance from Obama’s State of the Union, Representative Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) rebuttal was also lacking in specifics. Responses from Michele Bachmann and the Libertarian party, on the other hand, were far more specific on suggested policy changes. Transcripts are available online for anyone looking for more information.

Some may recall that, oddly enough, during his campaign President Obama said specifically that he didn’t want to hand the keys back over to Republicans. Now, ironically, it seems he has done just that. Anyone listening carefully to his State of the Union and reading between the teleprompter lines can tell that he is no longer in the driver’s seat.

Procedurally this is true, as he can do little to initiate any kind of policy change since Democrats lost complete control of Congress. Since all new spending bills must originate in the House, which is now under Republican control, Obama’s allowance has essentially been cut off.

Instead, all Obama can do going forward is react to what Congress puts in front of him.

However, Obama’s loss of control may also be applicable to his own Administration. With Rahm Emanuel being replaced by Wall Street insider Bill Daley, and Robert Gibbs having announced his own resignation, only David Axelrod remains from Obama’s original White House inner circle – and even he is expected to leave next month.

What many are left wondering – and what should concern many Americans – is just who is at the controls of this White House and who will guide its policy going forward. With the balance of economic power among developed nations in a state of flux, and this economy still struggling to completely regain its post-2008 footing, the final years of the Obama administration are not to be taken lightly. The impact that government policy will have on business in this country and around the world in such uncertain times is not to be underestimated.

Nevertheless, the recovery of the US economy remains a work-in-progress, and though the speed at which jobs will return is still in question, we expect plenty of opportunities for prosperity – and profit – going forward. And while the recovery may seem slow to some, rest assured it is occurring and can even be helped with the right policies.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com) and as a business commentator for the Toledo Free Press (www.ToledoFreePress.com). The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

Steve Miller Band is coming to Huntington Center on Sat, April 23 for a 7:30 p.m. show. Pre-sale ticket sales begin Feb. 3 through Feb. 4 with general ticket sales beginning on Feb. 5.

Steve Miller Band has been performing since 1967, some of its greatest hits include, “The Joker” and “Rock ‘N Me” which both earned No. 1 spots in the charts as well as “Take The Money and Run”and “Fly Like an Eagle” that earned spots in the top 20.

Also scheduled to perform is Gregg Allman Band. A press release sent out on Jan. 31 states “3 and a half hours of hits ‘both artists playing their full set’.”

The most recent album from Steve Miller Band, Bingo, was released in June of 2010.

For ticket information, visit Ticketmaster, for more information on the band, visit www.stevemillerband.com.

Our culture has become controlled by emotions: anger, fear, lust and pride, etc. We no longer look at situations and use our minds and our God given ability to reason. Instead, we react emotionally. The ruling class and the media ring a bell, and we begin to drool. Reason is the one thing that separates us from animals but when that bell sounds, we allow ourselves to respond using only our animal instincts.

Look at the tragic shooting in Tuscan as an example. Within hours of the shooting, before we even knew the congresswoman’s name or political party, the media and ruling class were blaming “words” and “rhetoric” for the shooting. The fault was with “Rush Limbaugh’s opinion,” or “Keith Olbermann’s hate” or “Sarah Palin’s choice of ‘target graphics‘or Van Jones’ “controversial speeches.” The truth was irrelevant and political spin was all that mattered. Emotion ruled the day:

Anger: Those evil hatemongers caused him to pull the trigger

Fear: Anyone who owns a gun could have done this

Lust (for power): Don’t let a good crisis go to waste: “ban Guns, ban vitriolic rhetoric”

Pride: If only we did not use such rhetoric, this would not have happened

Folks, if we continue down this road of emotions, it leads to death: the death of our economy, our culture, our personal relationships, our Republic and our ability to work together to solve the monumental problems facing us.

Regarding our Republic, John Adam’s, our second president wrote: “Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people; it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other”

Part of being moral is being a responsible citizen. This requires that we educate ourselves, not only on the events of the day, but also the history that lead to these events.

Adam’s also wrote, “let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak and write.”

Writing about “reason”, Thomas Jefferson wrote:

“Fix reason firmly in her seat and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God: for if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.”

We have unseated reason and chained her in the basement and we have replaced her with the animal instinct of emotion. We no longer teach kids how to think, we teach them what to think.

We are losing our ability to think critically. Heck, we are on the road to losing our ability to think. According to a study from the book, Academically Adrift:

“many of the students graduate without knowing how to sift fact from opinion, make a clear written argument or objectively review conflicting reports of a situation or event” “The students, for example, couldn’t determine the cause of an increase in neighborhood crime or how best to respond without being swayed by emotional testimony and political spin”

The author is referring to college students, but it does not start in college. A lack of critical thinking skills begins much earlier in life.

A perfect example of emotion trumping reason was the controversy involving Toledo Public Schools and “monkeys.” The powers that be tried to divert the conversation into the emotional realm of political spin, instead of having an honest and reasonable conversation about the problem. Political spin will not win over the truth because the truth has no agenda. The truth is that we are teaching our kids to be puppets. We put words and thoughts into them, but when the time comes to make a decision, and the puppet master is not there, what happens? The study I mentioned earlier shows what happens, “(they did not know)… how best to respond without being swayed by emotional testimony and political spin”

We need a new Age of Enlightenment or perhaps a Re-Enlightenment. Where are today’s Bacon, Locke, Burke and even Marx? These men could critically think and thought outside the box. The problems we face today demand the ability to think critically, to be willing to face our problems head on. We can no longer pretend that our problems will just go away, that some superman will save us.

The truth is that superman does exist, he is in the mirror. We must recognize the hero that lies within each and every individual. WE THE PEOPLE are our last hope. We must fix reason in her seat and bring before her every fact and opinion.

We have a choice to make, we can re-enlighten ourselves, or we can wait for direction from the puppet master of emotion and political spin. Until we stop reacting and start to use reason, nothing will change. We must begin to discern fact from opinion; truth from spin.

Editor’s note: Toledo Free Press will follow the Blank family of Millbury for the next year as they rebuild their lives after the June 5 tornado destroyed their Main Street home.

When the Blanks woke up the morning after the tornado, they thought, “What do we do now?”

Like the many victims of the June 5 tragedy, it was hard to think about rebuilding when they hadn’t even accepted the loss.

“We had no flashlights, we had no water, we had no phones, we had nothing,” Ed Blank said. “We lost everything. It was total devastation.”

Ed said one of the first groups of people the family saw the next morning was the Red Cross at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ. It became an informational center to tell them what to do next.

“Looking back, we weren’t ready,” Ed said. “We did not know what to do. We did not know who to call, who to talk to. We had no emergency kits. We didn’t have anything downstairs in a safe place. If it wasn’t for all the people who were out there helping so quickly, we would have been lost.”

Ed spoke at the Jan. 24 Ready U session on “Volunteering in a Disaster.” The session is part of a yearlong series sponsored by the Red Cross and the Lucas County Emergency Management Agency. Toledo Free Press is a media sponsor.

Tom Barnhizer, deputy director of the Lucas County Emergency Management Agency, said planning for disasters before they happen is the best way to help victims like the Blanks. That planning includes training volunteers before the tragedy strikes. That way, volunteers are ready to help and stay safe if they are at ground zero.

“We try to plan for things that would happen on your worst possible day. We try to plan for the worst things. We don’t want to leave any stone unturned,” Barnhizer said.

Diane Dixon, director of volunteer management at the Red Cross, said the night of the tornado the volunteers were there within an hour. They were already trained and ready to go.

“Mr. Blank said it right, when we get there, we are what happens next,” Dixon said. “When they are looking to rebuild their lives, our volunteers are on the scene.”

Barnhizer said the United States is a nation of volunteers. People across the country step up after disasters and give their time and talent to help other people who have become victims, possibly believing it could one day be them, he said.

Ed said he never believed it would happen to his family. The day of the tornado started with a Lake Athletic Boosters golf outing and then a birthday party for son Casey. When their neighbors, the Walters came home, the Blanks asked them to come over for a bonfire. They said, ‘No, we are really tired. We are going to bed.’”

“While most of the people who survived the tornado were awake and had the opportunity to survive the tornado and seek shelter, they did not, Ed said.

But Ed wasn’t worried about going into the basement until right before the tornado hit at 11:30 p.m. He remembers saying to his wife, “It is fine. This isn’t Kansas. We are not going to get hit by a tornado.”

Moments after Ed dove into the basement, their house was ripped away and the Blanks were thrown into chaos.

“Unfortunately, we did witness our neighbors in their yard clinging to their last breath. All we could do was pray for them,” Ed said.

The next morning, the Blanks could not get to their property because of missing people. When they did return, there were no fewer than 500 people ready to help.

“The next four months, I didn’t lift a hand,” Ed said. “All I could do when I went back to my site was thank people who were helping us.”

Ed said the volunteers were from Northwest Ohio, Southeast Michigan and Indiana. People wanted to give him money out of their pockets.

“There is no better place to live. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here. That is why we built on the same site,” Ed said.

The Blanks moved into their rebuilt house Dec. 17. Two more neighbors are moving back in soon. The community is being rebuilt.

“For any of you who ended up on our property or ended up helping, all my wife and I and my son can say is thank you,” Ed said, holding back tears.

Taking on the task of redecorating the rooms in a home can easily turn into a daunting project. Deciding where to start, how much to spend and how much to change can be tricky, bordering on overwhelming.
With the help of an interior designer or even an interior design store or website, though, the task can quickly become a creative, enjoyable one.
Pamela Straub, owner of Pamela Straub Interior Design in Toledo, said there are plenty of little things home-owners can do to spruce up their living space.
“Change up pillows, lamps, lampshades or other accessories,” she said.
Karen Koester of Koester Interiors in Toledo agreed that pillows are a quick, easy update for a living space.
“Keep it simple and buy some fresh pillows and put the current ones away for a future revamp,” she said. She also said adding an area rug in the seating area can provide an easy pick-me-up for a room.
There are easy and inexpensive ways to redecorate every room in the house. Consider the following tips for some of the more popular rooms.
Living room
Straub said one easy way to update a living room is to change up the color of the walls.
“Tweak the paint color, even if it’s just one shade lighter or darker,” she said. She also said updating picture frames or adding new art to walls can make a big difference in how a room feels.
Home & Garden Television (HGTV) suggests on its website to reuse what homeowners already own, such as mirrors or dressers. The site also gives tips on creating a focal wall, which can help save money by focusing on a single area of a room.
Straub said one of her favorite ways to update a living room is with plants and fresh flowers.
“They perk up any room. I always have fresh flowers in my house,” she said.
Kitchen
The kitchen is another space where updating a paint color can make a world of difference.
“I love a coat of fresh white paint in a kitchen,” said  Straub. “It doesn’t have to be flat white either — think about maybe glossy instead.”
Even though many components of kitchens are fairly permanent, such as cabinets and appliances, there are other ways to make the space feel new.
HGTV recommends looking for granite countertops in salvage yards and using unconventional materials for backsplashes. Changing out the hardware on existing cabinets can also be a quick, inexpensive fix.
Bathroom
Straub has one special favorite for bathrooms and powder rooms: wallpaper.
“Wallpaper can bring [a bathroom] to life and turn it into a jewel. It can be really fun and whimsical,” she said.
Several do-it-yourself designers posted pictures of their bathroom remodels on HGTV’s website. One said to make sure to use existing artistic skills to create a one-of-a-kind design, such as hand-painting a mural.
The site also suggests using circular mirrors to imitate bubbles above a bathtub and adding molding to prefabricated cabinets to create an upscale but inexpensive look.
Above all else, Straub said to remember the little things when redecorating any space in a home.
“Accessories punctuate rooms,” she said. “They’re the special touches that make a room what it is.”
Koester agreed, and listed several Toledo businesses she shops at for these touches.
“I like C’est la Vie for great touches and ribbons, fresh flowers at Keith Brooks, Lily’s for great finds and of course Sheffield Road in Perrysburg,” she said.
She said it’s also important to be on the lookout for good deals because there isn’t necessarily a perfect time to bargain shop.

At one point during his January 25th State of the Union address, President Obama keyed in on the idea of America reinventing itself, which, he reminded us, is something we have done as a country time and time again. He introduced the concept by sharing the story of Gary and Robert Allen, owners of a southeast Michigan roofing company affected deeply by the recession. Instead of completely throwing in the towel, the brothers took empty factory space, used it to create something new and improved and essentially reinvented themselves as a company.

Reinvention need not be reserved for nations and corporations. We can reinvent ourselves on an individual level or even as a family unit. Many of us are living with some sort of empty space just waiting to be filled with something new and potentially wonderful.

Even those of us fortunate enough not to have lost a job or a home during the economic downturn still seem to be experiencing an overall sense of listlessness that can too easily invite itself into our family life. Although it certainly isn’t always the case, family is meant to give each of us sanctuary from the rest of the less-understanding and sometimes cruel world. However, when the world pushes us too hard, pulls us in too many directions or just blatantly knocks the wind out of us, the rut we careen into is sometimes big enough to pull the whole family in with us.

Those who get spent together must also reinvent together.

Even before President Obama’s plea for reinvention as a country, my family had made an unofficial new year’s resolution to become more than we had been the year before. After twelve years of marriage and three kids, my husband and I found that we had allowed ourselves to tumble into many of the cliché pitfalls of modern American family life: yelling at the kids too much, eating too much, exercising too little and living below our sanitary means (i.e., keeping too messy of a house). Instead of just thinking we would instantly fix every single facet of our not-so-perfect life as soon as we could find an available weekend, like we usually half-promise, we decided to simply reinvent ourselves as a family who believes we can erase all of our ugly habits with enough hard work, time and patience.

We were stuck in a place where we didn’t quite believe we had the option to improve our situation, at least not anytime in the near future. We had allowed our circumstances to start dictating our capabilities instead of insisting that we were capable of dictating the outcome of our circumstances. It was easy to believe that we couldn’t keep up with the kids and the house and all of the external obligations. It was easy to believe that we no longer had the luxury of making our life better to fit the more ideal image we had in our heads. We were overwhelmed and under-confident.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then complexity is the mother of reinvention. It is when we realize that life is unfocused and coming at us with too many issues from too many directions that we also realize that it is time for a change. In my family’s case, it first felt like there was too much going on at any given moment to be able to even attempt to live in a thoughtful and orderly manner. It felt almost impossible to keep up with any routine other than our usual dose of daily chaos.

There comes a point in every chaotic family life when we feel we can just no longer follow the haphazard, unmarked path. We long for reorganization. We can put forth endless rhetoric about having to lose weight or de-clutter or balance the family budget, but we will only turn such rhetoric into reality if we first consciously decide to reinvent ourselves as a family who is truly motivated and who truly believes they have it in them to be better.

The motivation my husband and I found is that we want our children to learn through our example that each of us has it in us to turn things around when we lose our way. Being honest with our children about our weaknesses and our failures and patiently following through on fixing them is essential to teaching them how to climb out of life’s occasional ruts and will, in turn, help them to lead long and happy lives by knowing how to reinvent themselves when necessary.

Shannon and her husband Michael are raising three children in Sylvania. E-mail her at letters@toledofreepress.com.

John Fernandez, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, said that “regions must work together to compete globally in the 21st century” during his keynote address at the annual meeting of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments Jan. 26 at the Perrysburg Holiday Inn.

His address followed the theme of TMACOG’s annual meeting, “Sustaining Economic Development Strategies” and the topic of member caucuses and a panel discussion.

John Fernandez, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development

“The president laid out a very clear vision for America in his State of the Union Address,” said Fernandez, who also serves as administrator of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

“We can’t be afraid to compete in an aggressive way so we can achieve our goals by coming together across borders. We’re all in this together to build strong regional economies.”

“The Mayor of Toledo has a strong base of regional collaboration with public and private partnerships. The greater Toledo area understands the value of that collaboration. I’m a huge advocate of public and private partnerships,” said Fernandez, a former mayor of Bloomington, Ind.

President Obama recognized Toledo as a manufacturing city that is reinventing itself in a visit he made here last year, said Fernandez.
“Northwest Ohio is very competitive in the global economy. It’s about the regions working to compete, not with each other, but globally with competitors around the world.”

“What we hope to bring to the region is a willing federal partner to support the regions. Our goal is to help create partnerships and build from the bottom up. Strategies for the 21st century must focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and regionalization” he said.
“We’re in a unique position to help cities like Toledo. We focus on working with local communities through regionalization,” said Cleve Mesidor, director of public affairs for the EDA who accompanied Fernandez to Toledo.

“We all want the same thing – a better economy and quality of life. I know we can do this. It won’t be easy but we must stay focused on that goal,” Fernandez said concluding his address.

“We’re committed to improving this region of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Things are beginning to happen and there’s a new energy in our region,” Anthony Reams, president of TMACOG, told the audience.

Fernandez admitted being a native of Ohio when Reams presented him with a box of candy Buckeyes as a memento of his trip to Northwest Ohio.

As EDA administrator, Fernandez has aligned the EDA’s resources and programs to drive development and increase job creation. The Jobs and Innovation Partnership was launched as its initiative to help the private sector flourish and bind together vibrant regional economies.

The EDA is a key player in the federal multi-agency Taskforce on Advancing Regional Innovation Clusters, which will work to increase public-private partnerships and private sources of capital. It also collaborates with the White House Council on Auto Communities and Workers to provide resources and technical assistance to auto-impacted communities like Toledo.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke placed the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship under the leadership of Fernandez to accelerate the commercialization of university-based research. Fernandez recognized the research being conducted at the University of Toledo under the leadership of Dr. Lloyd Jacobs who was in attendance.

TMACOG re-elects officers

Members of TMACOG re-elected its officers to serve another year in 2011 to include Theodore Rutherford, mayor of Green Springs, as chair; Carol Contrada, Lucas County Commissioner, as second chair; and Nelson Evans of the Perrysburg City Council as second vice chair. The officers were sworn in by Judge Mark Repp of the Municipal Court in Tiffin.
Members nominated and elected colleagues to serve on the board of trustees, councils and various committees at the business meeting of TMACOG.