The Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation (BWC) has released information concerning a court case involving a Toledo-area resident who was sentenced for worker’s compensation fraud.

According to the release, Timothy Williams Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of workers’ compensation fraud, a fifth-degree felony, Jan. 3 in a Franklin County courtroom following an investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Special Investigations Division (SID) that revealed he misrepresented himself as a full-time college student in order to continue collecting dependent death benefits.

A BWC customer service representative made an internal referral in 2009, requesting an investigation after noticing inconsistencies in the information that was provided by Williams in seeking continued dependent death benefits. Dependent children who lose a parent due to a workplace accident can receive dependent death benefits, until they reach the age of 25 if they are enrolled in college and provide proof of full-time enrollment.

“This investigation began when an astute BWC employee scrutinized Williams’ paperwork after becoming concerned with several inconsistencies,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer in the release. “Because we constantly encounter creative attempts to cheat the system, we are both thorough and cautious in our review of requests for benefits so that we recognize the signs of potential fraud, while providing appropriate assistance to those who are eligible as quickly as possible.”

After the investigative arm of BWC reviewed Williams’ records they discovered that he was not a full time student as he had claimed, he was enrolling in classes to appear to have full time status but was dropping classes and was only attending as a part time student. Williams admitted that he was enrolling as a full time student to be able to continue receiving the dependent death benefits.

BWC stated that Timothy Williams was sentenced to a suspended sentence of eight months incarceration, placed on community control for four years and ordered to pay restitution of $9,295 and $500 investigative costs. Williams was ordered to return to school, continue full-time employment and undergo random drug and alcohol tests as a part of his sentence conditions. If he fails to meet those conditions, he would have to serve 350 hours of community service.

Melissa Vince, public information officer for BWC, told Toledo Free Press for the current fiscal year of 2011, which started in July, SID closed 1,500 cases referred for investigation, recommended 142 for prosecution and had obtained 61 convictions. SID identified more than $66 million in workers’ compensation fraud and 240 individuals were convicted of worker’s compensation fraud in fiscal year 2010.

BWC’s annual report states that, “For every dollar spent by the special investigations department, it identified $6.30 in fraud.”

If you suspect workers’ compensation fraud, you are asked to visit ohiobwc.com, or call 1-800-OHIOBWC.

Whether they’re rocking, serving up smoldering soul, bringing the blues, playing old-timey gospel, foot-stomping through a country song, or giving up the funk, the Holmes Brothers keep it real.
“It’s not about glittering suits and rhinestones and that stuff,” Wendell Holmes said and laughed. “It’s about the value of our music. We hope people take away from [our concert] the Holmes Brothers are serious and can play music.”
That doesn’t mean the trio doesn’t have fun. They’ve recorded covers by everyone from Hank Williams, The Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival to Elvis Costello, Cheap Trick, Lyle Lovett and Collective Soul.

Holmes Brothers

“We come from Virginia out of the late ’40s and early ’50s, so the black stations had very few kilowatts. You could be listening very plainly to Jimmy Reed and ‘Honest I Do’ and all of a sudden here’s Hank Williams coming through loud and clear, ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart,’” the singer-songwriter-pianist-guitarist said during a call from his home in Rosedale, Md.
“So I got to appreciate and recognize the good country music, the bluegrass music that is all Americana. And my cousin had a juke joint, and we played there, and we played at churches on Sunday, so we were well-rounded in the kinds of music that we got to play.
“It has served us well because we’d play for somebody and they’d say, ‘Oh, they play all kinds of music.’ We play because we love it; it’s a part of us.”
Fans love the harmonies of Holmes, bass player Sherman Holmes and drummer Popsy Dixon.
“Here’s the funny part: We don’t practice,” Wendell said. “We don’t work on harmony parts; we just start singing together and by now everybody knows what his part is, so it’s an easy thing for us to do. As a matter of fact, we’re so amazed how much acclaim people give us for singing, but we greatly appreciate it.”
The three have been making music together for more than 30 years. The winners of multiple Blues Music Awards have played with a slew of superstars, including Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, Al Green, Keith Richards, Rosanne Cash and Joan Osborne.
Produced by Osborne, the 2010 disc, “Feed My Soul,” followed Wendell’s recent bout with bladder cancer.
“The writing of the music for that album was something that did reflect my experience with cancer,” he said. “I took some time off from playing, so I just wrote songs that reflected my mood.”
One is “Fair Weathered Friend.”
“It’s about one of my dear friends, for whatever reason, chose not to visit me when I was going through all this chemo and radiation,” Wendell recalled. “For a while, I was a little bit hurt by that. But now as time passes on, I realize that when your best friend is going through something that’s life-threatening, sometimes you just don’t know what to say. So I’ve forgiven him.
“Another one of the songs, ‘Living Well Is the Best Revenge,’ is an answer to my overcoming cancer,” Wendell said as he laughed.
The Holmes Brothers will headline Monroe County’s Black History Month Blues Series at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at Monroe County Community College’s La-Z-Boy Center, Meyer Theater. Opening will be The Ebony Hillbillies and Rev. Robert B. Jones. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the free show.

The conversations inspired by Toledo’s inclusion on the Forbes “Most Miserable Cities” list offered some common themes. One of the most prevalent topics was the quality and source of city leadership. And while it will take several elections to determine the future direction of Toledo, one councilman has put forth a proposal that shows new thinking and an exciting opportunity.
Adam Martinez is working on an idea to alter how Section 108 loans are handled in Toledo. According to a news story first reported by Toledo Free Press, he “has organized meetings with for-profit and nonprofit executives discussing such goals as a $100 million revolving loan fund.”
Section 108 is a loan the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development must approve, an advance on future Community Development Block Grants only available to formula cities like Toledo. In Martinez’s plan, a 108 loan, instead of being used for a single project, could be used for several projects through bonds. This could be achieved by allowing the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to leverage the annual nearly $20 million and increase it to a $100 million revolving loan fund.
Martinez is also working with representatives from Toledo’s Department of Neighborhood and Department of Economic Development, LISC, ABLE, LCIC, LMHA, several Community Development Corporations, Martinez and Councilman Rob Ludeman, among others.
According to our initial report, “Martinez said in addition to creating a larger pool of available dollars, underwriting criteria would be established. Bonding, personal guarantees, a letter of commitment, a 5 to 10 percent cash equity requirement and a yet-to-be-determined debt coverage ratio have been discussed.”
We strongly endorse the exploration of this plan; while it has been described as being in “high-level talks” and there is a tremendous amount of work to be done, the concept is original, creative and collaborative in a way we do not see often enough in Toledo. It is especially insightful for Martinez to work with the Port Authority, one of the region’s most trusted and respected development institutions.
Kudos to Martinez and his collaborators for thinking of new ways to bolster growth and specifically for turning to a cooperative approach to moving the region forward.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Former Toledo resident and Whitmer graduate Adrianne Palicki has been cast in the role of Wonder Woman for NBC’s planned pilot said to be reinvention of the DC Comics Wonder Woman series that was played by Lynda Carter in the 1970s version of the show. Palicki is expected to play Diana Price, a crime fighter in Los Angeles who’s a successful corporate executive and modern woman.

Adrianne Palicki

Palicki recently appeared on the FOX drama, “Lone Star” and was a regular cast member on NBC’s Friday Night Lights.

The pilot’s director Jeff Reiner who previously served as director/co-executive producer on Friday Night Lights for the series’ early run on NBC. Palicki, is represented by UTA and Anonymous Content is also set to star in the feature remake of Dawn.

According to her IMDb bio, Palicki performed in her first play as a sophomore at Whitmer High School and was a runner up for homecoming queen. Her parents, Jeff and Nancy Palicki, reportedly still live in the Toledo area.

Palicki is quoted as having said, “I would love to do Broadway, I don’t think there’s anything more amazing than theatre. Okay, Supergirl is number one. Maybe I could be Supergirl on Broadway! That would be perfect.” Fans will discover if she’ll settle for being Wonder Woman instead.

The “Wonder Woman” pilot is said to be one of 80 competing to be included in the fall television line up.

Palicki was reportedly the only actress invited to screen test for the role in “Wonder Woman.”

David E. Kelley  is executive producing the project with Bill D’Elia.

At just 5 feet 4 inches, Linda Jefferson looks like someone who would have trouble being tall enough to screw in a light bulb; it might be hard for some to imagine her as a football star in the 1970s.
“It doesn’t bother me too much,” Jefferson said, in reference to her relative obscurity. “No one can take away what I did on the football field, and as long as I know what I did out there, that’s all that matters.”
Jefferson’s achievements still resonate. At one time she was one of the most dominant football players in the country. Called the “female O.J. Simpson,” Jefferson had a record-setting career that spanned seven seasons as a member of the Toledo Troopers.
She is back in Toledo, but instead of setting rushing records, she is working with children in the Jefferson Center’s Toledo Head Start program.

Linda Jefferson works with Head Start students.

Football beginnings
In 1972, Jefferson graduated from Libbey High School. Prior to the NCAA’s passage of Title IX, which calls for equal athletic scholarships offered by universities to both men and women, there were very few opportunities for athletically gifted women to participate in competition.
“When I graduated from high school, where I ran track and played softball and basketball, I wanted to stay physically active,” she said. “A teammate of mine [at Libbey] told me about this football exhibition at Woodville Mall.”
Jefferson said she was lukewarm to the idea, but after some thought, she decided to try out for the team.
“I thought, ‘I can play this game,’ and I went out for the team,” she said.
But Jefferson’s hall of fame career almost didn’t happen after her mother found out about her daughter’s gridiron dreams.
“My mom told me there was no way I was going to play football, so I had to sneak around to practice without her finding out,” she said.
Jefferson practiced with the Troopers during their preseason workouts and broke the news to her mother as the first game approached.
“I just brought home a football uniform one day,” she said.
Football dominance
Wearing that Kelly green-and-gold uniform, Jefferson set the National Women’s Football League (NWFL) ablaze in her first season in 1972. She ran for 1,388 yards and 32 touchdowns in her first season as a Toledo Trooper.
From 1972-1975, Jefferson ran for 4,092 yards on 285 carries, an astonishing 14.4 yards per carry. The stunning numbers prompted womenSport magazine to name her its first “Woman Athlete of the Year” in 1975.
“I never thought I would be that good because I had never played before. But I always shrugged it off because when you play a team sport, you aren’t good. The team is good.”
Jefferson is humble about her achievements, but there is no denying that she dominated the game.
In 1976, she was the NWFL’s player of the year — she rushed for almost 1,500 yards — and was the league’s first most valuable player in its championship game. Jefferson said the team’s accomplishments attracted a lot of attention locally.
“We had more fans than the [Toledo] Goaldiggers had,” she said. “I just remember the stands being packed.”
The 1976 season prompted the producers at ABC television to select Jefferson as a contestant in the “ABC Women’s Superstars Competition.”

Linda Jefferson as a Toledo Trooper.

“There were 10 events that were available and I had to pick seven to participate in,” she said.
The competition allowed Jefferson to rub elbows with noted celebrities. Once such experience was meeting her childhood hero, tennis great Althea Gibson.
“Althea pulled up next to our car in a restaurant parking lot, and she introduced herself. I was speechless,” Jefferson said. “My mother had to say, ‘This is my daughter Linda Jefferson, the football player.’ She was so humble, and it still is one of the great moments of my life.”
Jefferson’s success on the gridiron thrust her into a national spotlight. She did numerous interviews on “Good Morning America,” the “Phil Donahue Show” and was a celebrity on the show “To Tell the Truth.”
Much of her popularity came from her dominance on the football field, but Jefferson used it to also become a spokeswoman for female athletes.
She did several interviews with multiple media outlets, letting girls know it was all right to be athletically gifted and feminine.
“Back then, people thought you had to be like ‘Mean’ Joe Greene to play football, and that wasn’t true,” she said. “They thought all of us players were big brutes, and we weren’t.”
Jefferson was quoted as saying, “I’m no tomboy, but a female athlete,” in a 1976 JET magazine article.
Despite the fame, playing for the Troopers was not a road to riches. During the 1975 and 1976 seasons, the team’s payrolls totaled $2,000 each year.
Jefferson retired from football in 1979, after rushing for almost 9,000 yards and more than 140 touchdowns during her seven-year career. She and the Troopers left behind an overall record of 59-4 (including undefeated seasons in 1972, ’73, ’74, ’75 and ’77) before the team was put up for sale in 1980.
Jefferson was inducted into the American Football Association’s Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002, one of the first women and the first African-American woman to be inducted into any football hall of fame.
After football
Today, Jefferson is a teacher’s aide at the Jefferson Center, working in the Toledo Head Start program.
“I was working with special needs children in Detroit, and I had to move back because my mom was sick,” she said. “This position was open, and I decided to go for it.”
Jefferson is working on her early childhood education degree, and the opportunity to go back and get an education is something she is thankful for.
“I am so blessed and thankful to Toledo Head Start for allowing me to go back to school,” she said. “I just think that is wonderful.”
Jefferson still gets recognized from time to time.
“Some of the kids tell me that their mom or dad might remember me, and that is fun to know,” she said. “I love working here and teaching these kids.”
She continues to impart wisdom to kids who might want to follow in her football steps.
“I always tell them to give for their dreams. I tell them to give it 110 percent and give it everything they got,” Jefferson said. “If you do that, then you can achieve your dreams.”

Two local hotel professionals recently assumed the leadership at Destination Toledo Inc. with Richard Nachazel being named president and Tony Vetter named director of sales.
Nachazel brings 30 years of experience in the hotel business to his new position.  He served on the organization’s board of directors for the past three years while working as general manager of the Crowne Plaza in Downtown Toledo.
“It was a pleasure to serve on the board and I am excited about the opportunity to lead Destination Toledo,” Nachazel said about his Jan. 31 appointment.

From left, Richard Nachazel and Tony Vetter of Destination Toledo.

Nachazel has been involved with the former convention bureau since the mid-1980s, working for it from 1985 to 1993. He said his new position is “different in a good way from running local hotels and being involved on the board.”
“We have such a variety of high-quality facilities for all types of events here in the region,” Nachazel said.
The venues include three crown jewels of Downtown Toledo with the SeaGate Convention Centre, Huntington Center and Fifth Third Field. He also cited the Maumee River, access to Lake Erie and other historical attractions in the region “that are affordable, accessible and other communities don’t have.”
“All events are important whether they bring people here for a day or longer to spend their tourism dollars,” said Nachazel, who also managed the Toledo Hilton and Holiday Inn Maumee.
Events range from local shows, such as the recent Greater Toledo Auto Show, to regional and international conventions and meetings. Destination Toledo has facilitated the recent hosting of the U.S. Volleyball Championships and American Bowling Conference national championship.
The largest group for convention business has been the Midwest Conferences of Jehovah’s Witnesses for the past several summers. It includes six conferences during six weekends in June and July, this year attracting 5,000 to 7,000 people per event.
The International Flying Farmers Association will host its convention in Toledo this summer. The Ohio Association of Community Action will meet here in June.
The U.S. Senior Open golf championship will be at the Inverness Club in July, drawing as many as 100,000 visitors to the area that week. National television coverage on NBC will benefit the region, Nachazel said.
The Biggest Week in American Birding took place in Northwest Ohio in May, attracting 55,000 vehicles from 38 different states with people who spotted 225 species of birds. It will return this year from May 5-15.
The YMCA National Gymnastics Competition will be here in June and draw 4,000 to 5,000 people, Vetter said.
Casey Koenig, director of gymnastics for the YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo, and her husband Rob were instrumental in bringing this event to Toledo, he said.
The Ohio County Auditors Association will host its statewide convention in Toledo in June 2012 due to the efforts of two local county auditors. Henry County Auditor Kevin Nye, president of the association, was instrumental in bringing the group here.
Lucas County Auditor Anita Lopez worked behind the scenes to make sure auditors who came to review the site met the right people in the area.
“We wanted to make sure we brought our group to Toledo,” Lopez said.
It’s not unusual for local business people or government officials to help bring their professional groups to the area for conventions, Nachazel said.
Destination Toledo is conducting a contest, “Bring It Home Toledo,” to encourage local people to bring their convention, meeting or sporting event to Toledo with a chance to win $2,500 and other prizes in 2011.
The goal of the sales staff is to bring tourism to the Toledo region and sell hotel rooms, said Vetter, who has 20 years of sales and marketing experience for local hotels.
Nachazel said he is working with the branding committee that is developing a “brand” for the Toledo and Northwest Ohio region. The best tool is to tell tourism success stories about the region’s many assets, he said.

Newspapers receive a lot of what I call “library information desk requests.” People call to ask for historical dates, names of elected leaders, confirmations of rumors and to lodge consumer complaints against restaurants, doctors, etc. One of the most common appeals is for help in reaching elected officials.
“I e-mailed Politician X about Issue Y but have not heard back. Can you help?” comes up a lot. It’s good customer service to follow-up on such requests whenever possible; I always keep in mind that it was record store owner Brian Epstein’s dedicated effort to meet customer Raymond Jones’ request for a single copy of “My Bonnie” that led him to discover The Beatles.

So on Jan. 23, when David Eichenberg posted a photo to our Facebook page and asked, “Anyone know why the new Beverly School on S. Detroit, where the old Bowsher was located is sporting Christian Crosses around the top of the Gymnasium? I tried contacting the TPS Board but none of them have replied,” it was part of our normal routine to try to help him find an answer.
Up to that point, there was no news. One person asked one question we promised to answer. Toledo Free Press Web Editor Lisa Renee Ward sent the picture to Toledo Public Schools officials on Jan. 23. On Feb. 14, James Gant, chief business manager for TPS, told Ward that the cross design “was not part of the original plans, and that the design was to have been what could be described as a plus sign.”
He then said the architect responsible was going to fix the problem, and the fix would not cost TPS any money.
Now there was news to report. Someone at TPS saw the design and decided it would be prudent to contact the architect to have the elements removed. Remember, during the 22-day span between Ward asking the question and Gant answering it, Toledo Free Press did not publish the photo, or any news story or editorial on the topic. I had lunch with Gant, TPS Superintendent Jerome Pecko and TPS Board of Education Vice President Lisa Sobecki on Feb. 9 and never broached the subject.
When the story was posted and linked on Facebook on Feb. 14, there was an instant reaction.
“Your kidding me right!” wrote Steve Crippen, a sentiment echoed by Beth Beley Cutcher and Kim Bristow Dilloway.
Less than 10 minutes after the post, Chris Coan wrote, “Is it you TFP, that had a problem with this?”
Amy Hanson DeAnda wrote, “From what i’m reading, TFP is not in touch with their readers, and may lose fans from causing controversy over something like this … your story doesn’t mention ANYTHING about a concerned resident … just a representative of TFP trying to find a story where there isn’t one.”
Charlie Ramirez wrote, “TFP is this what you call in reporting news get a life … way 2 go give yourself a dam pat on the back for reporting that you have a problem with the cross and what it stands for.”
Lord knows (that’s my Christian Lord, by the way) I am used to reading criticism of our work online, but it bothered me that some of the readers assumed we approached the story from an anti-Christian angle and somehow bullied TPS into making a change on the building. The story clearly stated that the photo was sent from a reader and did not contain a single word of our opinion, but several readers still assumed we “felt” a specific way or “Have a problem with the cross.”
Ward responded with some calm comments, but soon, some level-headed readers who actually read the story spoke up.
Lauren ‘Lulu’ Tipton wrote, “Why is everyone pissed that TFP is doing what they are supposed to do & reporting on things in our community? You’re going to stop reading their paper because of that?! Really??”
Jason Arbogast posted, “I’d like to applaud the TFP for actually caring what the citizens of their community think.”
Most importantly, Eichenberg pitched in: “It was not TFP that started this, it was I. So why did I do it? … First it is unconstitutional for our government to back one religion. Since this is a public building being paid for by all Toledo tax payers, including myself, it can not have these symbols … I was not trying to bash Christians … what I was trying to do is to get the problem fixed while the tax payers of Toledo did not have to foot the bill … I am glad that the TFP helped in getting the answers to my questions and that the TPS is working out a solution with the builders. I also wish that the TPS board would have had the decency to answer the inquiries that I sent them.”
There was also an interesting comment from Dave Smith: “I’m a Jew. I live approximately 250 feet from the building. I pay taxes just like you do; however, every time I drive away from my house, I have to see the three crosses of Golgotha that are blazed across the gym roof line … It’s simply wrong-headed and violates my rights under the US Constitution…which doesn’t say anything about sorta, kinda, sometimes…it speaks quite directly against the “establishment of religion” and not just when it suits the majority. Thanks to TFP for being that other part of the First Amendment, a truly free press. I applaud your efforts.”
The conversation continued, mostly in civil and intelligent tones. As Toledo Free Press melds social networking into its information stream, this interaction and accessibility is crucial to our mission to serve the Toledo community. If you have a library information desk request, contact us and we will help if we can.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. E-mail him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

The Feb. 16 issue of Toledo Free Press Star, featuring Oscar coverage, is available as an electronic edition.

Crum Manufacturing in Waterville has found ways to increase revenues by 70 percent from 2009 to 2010 and expects a 40 percent increase in revenues in 2011 with new customers, patents and products.
The company adopted a goal of adding market share to its revenue stream, balancing it with automotive and non-automotive products while focusing on business development and marketing in a team effort, according to Douglas Waldie, vice president and chief operating officer.
Waldie joined the family-owned business in March 2009 when it had reached its lowest revenues and gone from 37 to 15 employees. Today, the company is increasing revenues with a work force of 26 by keeping it lean and productive, he said.
“It was a good time to rebuild or re-create the business with diversification of customer service, quality, cost reductions and operations, all achieved in a  team environment,” Waldie said.
For 26 years, Crum Manufacturing has supplied metalworking and machining to a variety of industrial and manufacturing customers. It specialized in manufacturing customized tooling, mandrels and quality check fixtures as a Tier 2 supplier for the formed rubber hose industry.

From left, Douglas and Deborah Waldie, Chad Graham, Jim Pelland and Kelley Rowe.

The firm was founded by the father and son team of Ernest Crum Sr. and Ernest Crum Jr.  Ernest Jr. serves as president and CEO but has given daily operations of the company to his son-in-law Doug and daughter Deborah Waldie, who serves as vice president and chief financial officer.
“I’m extremely proud of the job Doug and Deb are doing with the company. Doug is an excellent manager of the team there,” said Ernest Jr.
Deborah joined the family business in 1994 and now is responsible for the financial areas and assists Doug in human resources. She said they needed to be creative to make sure the cash flow is working and the company is stable financially, by conducting cost analyses of custom work and reducing the time it takes to receive payments for completed orders.
The quick turnaround of the business resulted in Crum Manufacturing being named “2010 Business of the Year” by the Waterville Chamber of Commerce.
The rebuild started when the company lost business with a large customer and adopted a goal to regain that business which it has started to do, Waldie said.
Through its business development and marketing efforts, Crum is finding new customers in California, Brazil, India and Mexico. The company is also seeking local business, such as Tier 1 suppliers for Whirlpool in Ohio and La-Z-Boy in Michigan.
Those efforts include researching new leads, participating in trade shows and establishing relationships with new companies and industries, said Kelley Rowe, who joined Crum last year as business development and marketing manager.
With a bachelor’s degree in business management and master’s in information technology, Rowe recently developed a new website for the company.
The Crum team aggressively positioned the firm in other markets that resulted in additional business. It is developing quality check fixtures for use by La-Z-Boy.
With several new patents in the works, Crum plans to introduce a new C-Roto Cutter Fixture in the second quarter of 2011 for customers waiting to use it. The product is designed to reduce scrap hose by 70 percent which is significant for that industry,  Waldie said.
The company also plans to introduce automation and robotics into its production by mid-year to meet demands from its customers, he said.
“We’re working on new projects to push us to the forefront with our competitors in the business,” Waldie said.
Customer service and quality were critical in the company’s turnaround. Crum had only one late order out of 1,700 shipments in 2010, according to Customer Service and Quality Manager Jim Pelland.
Pelland has worked at Crum for 15 years, starting in the shop and learning all aspects of manufacturing. He currently quotes jobs turning them into orders while building strong relationships with customers who trust Crum to meet their requirements, Waldie said.
Pelland works closely with Operations Manager Chad Graham to make sure every order goes out in a timely manner. Graham manages the firm’s “just-in-time” operations for production where almost every job is custom work.
Waldie credited Graham and the 18 employees involved in design and production for reducing the average overtime to get jobs done from 12 to 15 percent to 4 percent.
“We react quickly to customer changes,” Waldie said, citing turnaround time of three weeks or less “for customers who can’t find it with other suppliers.”
In an emergency, Crum achieved 24-hour turnaround for one customer, Graham said.
In another move, Crum will offer a profit-sharing plan for employees in the nonunion shop for 2011 in addition to a 401(K) matching plan. Waldie said Crum has an excellent benefit program, with the company paying for 100 percent of benefits that include health insurance.

Ohio faces an estimated $8 billion deficit in the 2012-13 budget. That is a big hole! How does one climb out of a hole like this? That is what the Ohio legislature is trying to figure out. First, we should look back and figure out how did we get into this mess in the first place. Some will say it was because the state lowered the income tax; others will say that we spent too much. But what do the facts say? According to the Ohio Office of Budget and Management website, we know the following:
In Ohio, spending in 2000 was $19.243 billion. It increased to $26.783 billion in 2009, a 39.2 percent increase. That is a lot of money to spend, but if income kept up it would be no problem.
Ohio income tax receipts in 2000 were $15.617 billion, which increased to $17.093 billion in 2009, a 9.5 percent increase. With a decrease in the tax rate, Ohio tax receipts increased by almost 10 percent.
So the state increased spending by 39 percent but income increased by only 9.4 percent. You don’t have to be a economist to see the problem here. In simple English, expenses went up a lot more than income. Many of us are familiar with this scenario, as it has been happening to us for the past four years. We have a basic understanding of how we got into this mess, but how do we get out?
An important first step is Ohio Senate Bill 5 (SB5). This bill would end collective bargaining for most state employees, end salary schedules and steep increases and replace them with merit pay provisions. But more importantly, it would begin to restore sanity to the Ohio budget.
Take a quick look at the numbers and you will see that the current system has lost touch with reality. Look at the median wages of the private and public employees. These Lucas County numbers come from the Buckeye Institute website.
n Private sector wages in Lucas county went from $32,194 in 2000 to $37,769 in 2008, a 17 percent increase.
n State employees wages in Lucas county went from $36,796 in 2000 to $48,004 in 2008, a
30 percent increase.
nMunicipal worker wages in Lucas county went from $36,809 in 2000 to $46,381 in 2008, a 26 percent increase.
State employee wages increased by 30 percent, local government employee wages increased by 26 percent, and public sector employee pay increased by only 17 percent? There is a discrepancy here so large that even The Blade could not ignore it. On April 11, The Blade did an article about Toledo workers’ pay: “At $23.62, the average hourly wage of municipal employees … is 26 percent higher than the $18.69 average for all Toledo workers”  and “Workers hired at Jeep or Powertrain today … will start at $14 an hour and top out at about $16- $17 an hour.”
The same article quoted UAW Local 14 President Ray Woods as saying, “we definitely saw the situation for what it was. … we realized we had to make sacrifices for GM to survive. If they don’t survive, we don’t survive.”
The State of Ohio can’t survive an $8 billion shortfall without changes being made. SB5 begins to make those changes. The private sector has had to make cuts and freeze wages, so  the fair thing would be for the public sector to do so.
We need to get behind SB5 so we can climb out of this giant hole we have spent ourselves into.

Scott Allegrini is a co-founder of the Children of Liberty. E-mail him at thechildrenofliberty@yahoo.com.