| Civil Rights Chairwoman Ignores Gov's Request, Moves Forward With Maternity Leave Changes
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission won't honor the governor's request to delay a hearing on a requirement that companies with four or more employees allow women 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Chairwoman Barbara Sykes, appointed to the job by Gov. Ted Strickland in August, said Friday she won't try to stop a legislative hearing Dec. 3 over the requirement. Kent Markus, Strickland's top office attorney, asked Sykes on Tuesday to delay the hearing to make sure small businesses have the chance to voice their concerns about the proposal. Sykes said she asked the other members of the five-person commission their thoughts on Markus' request. The majority declined to go along, she said. "It is the position of the commissioners that we should proceed," Sykes said.
Patriot Express Loan program is off to a hot start, SBA says
Just five months after launching a loan program to benefit the military community and veterans, officials with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) say the numbers look good. More than 500 small business loans have been awarded to date through the SBA's Patriot Express Loan Initiative nationwide. According to the San Antonio office of the SBA, 14 loans were awarded locally since the program's inception -- totaling $1.428 million. The average loan amount, according to Linda Olinick, spokeswoman with the local SBA office, was $102,050. Correction:An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information regarding the percentage rates on Patriot Express loans. .
Business Briefing
Jerry Boehm has been appointed vice president and manager of First Independent Bank's new community banking department. The department focuses on small business clients with lending needs of up to $2 million. Christie Rust has been promoted to director of sales and marketing for the Hilton Vancouver Washington. Rust, a certified meeting planner, will lead a team of five sales managers and has been part of the Hilton chain for 12 years. Diana Fitzpatrick has been appointed vice president and cash management officer for Riverview Community Bank. Fitzpatrick will team with commercial banking professionals, branch managers and asset management to help make customers more aware of the bank's cash management solutions. Jill Homme has been appointed chairwoman of the Board for Educational Opportunities for Children and Families.
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