[TRANSCRIPT]
0:00:00 - (Doug Jenkins): Coming up next on chamber amplified, accommodations.
0:00:03 - (Alanna Smith): Could cost as little as $300 or sometimes. Working with our company, OoD, we're able to help provide the cost for accommodations. So accessing resources is a lot easier than it used to be. We're able to identify those and bridge that gap.
0:00:20 - (Aaron Doty): What's nice having my father also as my boss when I started, is I felt comfortable asking questions, maybe that I wouldn't feel as comfortable asking someone who's not part of my family. And so I felt like that was a nice leg up, that I was not afraid to ask questions to continue learning.
0:00:42 - (Doug Jenkins): Hello, and welcome to the show. I'm Doug Jenkins from the Finley Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. On each episode of Chamber Amplified, we examine issues impacting the local business community, from employee recruitment, retention, marketing. It issues really anything that can be impacting your business. Our goal is to give our members tips each week on at least one way that they can improve operations and thrive in the current business environment.
0:01:05 - (Doug Jenkins): Each week, we're also talking to area businesses to learn more about how they got started and the lessons that they learned along the way. This week, we'll continue highlighting the 2023 Small Business Award winners. So today on the show, I'm talking with Alanna Smith of opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities. If you've been struggling to fill positions but you're not sure if your business is properly accessible for those with disabilities, you might actually be a lot closer than you think. And Alanna will tell us about the different free programs they offer to make sure that they can offer jobs to people with vulnerabilities.
0:01:36 - (Doug Jenkins): And in case you're wondering, like we said, a lot of those programs don't cost you a thing and give you access to a whole new workforce. We're also continuing to highlight our 2023 Small Business award winners. Yes, I'm aware we're two months into 2024 now. Today we're joined by Stan and Aaron Doty of Doty Dental. They won the 2023 Family Owned Business award. We'll talk about what it's like to be a multigenerational business and get some advice on how you bring the next generation of your family on board at your own business, if that's something you're looking at doing.
0:02:05 - (Doug Jenkins): Thanks for tuning in. Remember, if you're listening on Apple podcasts or on Spotify, you can rate and review the show there that really does help spread the word. Now let's get into it.
0:02:15 - (Doug Jenkins): Join now on the podcast by Alanna Smith with opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities. Alanna, thank you for joining us. Today.
0:02:21 - (Alanna Smith): Thanks for having me.
0:02:22 - (Doug Jenkins): So let's set the table and get people familiar with your office. And I don't want to say everything you do, because it's pretty all encompassing, but let's give people a general feel for the office.
0:02:32 - (Alanna Smith): Absolutely. So opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities is a state of Ohio agency, and our mission is to empower Ohioans with disabilities through employment independence and disability determination.
0:02:46 - (Doug Jenkins): There are a lot of places we can go into for that. But first of all, I think in a world where everybody is looking for employees, this is an office that's going to not only give people opportunities to enter the workplace and find full employment, but also help businesses with some of the problems they're having right now.
0:03:04 - (Alanna Smith): Right? Absolutely.
0:03:06 - (Doug Jenkins): So let's talk a little bit about some of the programs that are available for businesses to take advantage of and some of the things that maybe they need to be doing to make themselves more of an opportunity for people with disabilities.
0:03:19 - (Alanna Smith): Yeah. So actually, with opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities, all of the services that we provide are at no cost to employers. So that's a really good feature that we have. And with the agency that we have, we serve over 700 employer partners across Ohio. So we're providing qualified, prescreened candidates, and that helps them meet their workforce needs. So we have a regional team of counselors, job developers, a business relations staff. That's who I work with. We're on the business relations team. So our division is a division of employer and innovation services, and we work closely with those job seekers to identify job opportunities that match their skill set and experiences.
0:04:06 - (Alanna Smith): And so in my role, I'm the business relations specialist, and I provide a network of employer partners with services and resources. That way, we can help promote a diverse and inclusive work environment.
0:04:19 - (Doug Jenkins): That's really cool. When businesses come to you, what are some of their concerns? How are you able to point them in the right direction?
0:04:27 - (Alanna Smith): Yeah, a lot of the concerns that we see most of the time working with employers, maybe they're feeling like a lot of times they have misconceptions or fears, maybe even myths about people with disabilities. Maybe they're thinking somebody with a disability may not be qualified or accommodations could be too costly for them. Sometimes we know that barriers do exist, and sometimes in the application process, when working with individuals with disabilities, we've noticed that sometimes there are barriers. When applicants are applying, there could be an individual who is deaf, and maybe there's a video during that application process, and they don't have closed captioning. So that could prevent that individual from moving forward during that application process.
0:05:18 - (Doug Jenkins): And the nice thing is, in this age of technology that we live in, it's pretty easy to just drop your video in a program and it'll give you the closed captioning that you need pretty good, or the results are pretty good when you do things like that. I guess in cases like that, is it easier than businesses might have had it even just ten years ago and turning around some of their programs to make it more accessible?
0:05:43 - (Alanna Smith): Yes, actually, there's so many more resources out there for employers to take advantage of. We actually have a different program that's along with our business relations program, and it's the accessible Ohio. So with the accessible Ohio program, that is a really cool program because they are able to identify those resources and connect these employers to the resources that can be free at no cost. Sometimes accommodations could cost as little as $300. Or sometimes, working with our company, Ood, we're able to help provide the cost for accommodation. So accessing resources is a lot easier than it used to be. We're able to identify those and bridge that gap.
0:06:29 - (Doug Jenkins): We've been very fortunate in Finland, Hancock county, the Blanchard Valley center helps people with disabilities earn job placement as well. And they've put together some really good programs, such as Project Life and things like that. What's nice is this is a community that wants to help people find ways to work. I guess when you talk to somebody and they talk a little bit about some of their concerns and things like that, is cost the biggest thing that they're, oh, I don't know if I can get what I need put in place.
0:07:00 - (Doug Jenkins): And how are you able to walk them through that process? Do you find people are worried that maybe they might get dinged with, like an ADA violation or things like that?
0:07:07 - (Alanna Smith): Sometimes. A lot of times they're feeling like they might say the wrong thing. That's one of the bigger issues. They're feeling like maybe I might say the wrong thing or they feel, like, uncomfortable when approaching it at all. So that's how we come in, and we're able to let them know that here are the resources. This is what you can do, and I can connect you to.
0:07:30 - (Doug Jenkins): Let's. Let's walk through the process a little bit. We always, on the podcast, use my fake business, Doug's widgets, home of the best widgets in Finland, Hancock county. And I want to connect with you. I've got a warehouse. I've got people boxing things in my warehouse, things like that. But I need more resources. I've heard about the program, I come to you. What does that conversation look like?
0:07:53 - (Alanna Smith): Right. So the first thing that you could do for an employer, if they don't have my direct contact information, they can go to Ood, Ohio Gov, and they click on that employers tab. And all of our services are listed out there. Whether they're looking for somebody to refer candidates for them, maybe they might be looking for qualified candidates. They might be looking for somebody to come out to do an accessibility work. Site specialist might come out to look at the facility. So they get a hold of us. And I would be the main point of contact. So you don't have to worry about talking to a bunch of people.
0:08:32 - (Alanna Smith): I know that's for employers. They're like, oh, who do I talk to? I got to call this, oh, no, now you have to talk to this person. It's just one person that you talk to, and I'm that person, Alanna Smith. So you reach out to me and I let you know. You talk about what are your disability goals? Maybe you're looking for trainings. We offer disability etiquette trainings, and we also offer connections for, if you have some businesses have internship or apprenticeship opportunities and we have candidates that are looking for that. And we always go through our candidates when we're identifying them, making sure that they meet those minimum qualifications that the employer is looking for.
0:09:12 - (Doug Jenkins): The process seems very approachable. Just from everything that you've outlined, it doesn't seem like, here's a roadblock. Here's a roadblock. Here's a roadblock. It's more like, here's a plan. Here's some ideas you can do. It's really awesome to see something like that.
0:09:24 - (Alanna Smith): Yeah. We try to make it as simple as possible so that it's at ease for that employer and as well as for our candidates that we're working with.
0:09:33 - (Doug Jenkins): Can you give us an example of some success stories that you had?
0:09:36 - (Alanna Smith): A success story? I had. Well, I've been working with Ood since 2019, and I started as a job developer, and in that role, I worked closely, hands on, with the individuals who are looking for jobs. And this particular individual, we'll just call her Amber, she had been with this business for 25 years, and she was a liaison for a legal system, legal office, and she provided services for individuals who spoke a different language. So she helped bridge that gap for that barrier. And she noticed once her employer was reaching out to her and they were meeting and the employer brought up that she was having difficulty remembering things, they noticed that there was a discrepancy in her work, and she did share with that employer that she had a traumatic brain injury that she had in her younger years.
0:10:40 - (Alanna Smith): That employer actually was an employer partner of Ood. So they had an employee resource group. So that was something that they implemented in their facility. To be able to have that resource for their employees to reach out to us if they were experiencing any onset disabilities or if they had maybe a new disability or a disability that they've been having, she was able to reach out to us, contact us, get connected with our counselors, and eventually assigned to me, and I was able to help her get connected with an OT who came out to assess what was going on.
0:11:20 - (Alanna Smith): And all of these services are absolutely free, so they were able to identify what was she missing, what was that discrepancy there and provide that as an option for her to take on that, to continue to work there.
0:11:34 - (Doug Jenkins): Yeah, that's really cool. The thing that I like about that is we hear so much about businesses that lose good employees, and sometimes they don't know why. Like in this case, all of a sudden their productivity may have dropped off and they don't understand why. And here's an avenue to one. Keep an employee that people like having on staff and does good work and also help them out in the process. That's a win across the board for everybody.
0:12:01 - (Alanna Smith): Yes, because onboarding new employees is very costly, but keeping that employee on, they were able to eliminate that cost.
0:12:09 - (Doug Jenkins): That's awesome. So you put out your contact information, but if people want to kind of look at just some of the services offered and take a look at that, what's the best way to do that?
0:12:20 - (Alanna Smith): Yeah, so they can go on to Ood Ohio Gov. If they're an employer, they can click on that employers tab. If they're an individual looking for services, maybe they're an employee, or maybe the employer themselves is looking for services, they can go to odworks.com and sign up for our services. Or if you are like, I want to skip all those steps, you can definitely reach out to me and it'll be my first name, last name. So. Alanna Smith at Ood Ohio Gov.
0:12:50 - (Doug Jenkins): I'm curious, just in the way that work has changed over the last three or four years, we do see more work from home and things like that. Do you see more people with disabilities coming into the workforce just because of the opportunities for them to perhaps work from their own home or the technology has changed and has allowed them some more opportunities?
0:13:11 - (Alanna Smith): I do see an increase because with the more technology that we have every day something's brand new that we didn't know we could use before. And so it's awesome to see all of the resources we're able to connect them with on being able to have accommodations and with us being able to provide, it goes case by case, and we're able to assist these individuals with the cost of accommodations and even also helping the employers access those resources for accommodations.
0:13:40 - (Doug Jenkins): That's very good. Well, Alana, we really appreciate your time on the podcast here today. The programs are awesome, and I hope that some of our businesses here in the area are able to take advantage of them. Thanks for joining us today.
0:13:51 - (Alanna Smith): Thanks for having me.
0:13:54 - (Doug Jenkins): Thanks again to Alanna for joining us. It really is good to hear about all of their programs and know that there are good people dedicated to making sure that the workplace is accessible to everyone, while at the same time helping guide businesses through that process in a friendly and accessible way. One quick note before we get back into the program. Chamber Amplified is a free podcast available to the community thanks to the investment of our members at the Finley Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. Because of our robust membership, we're able to focus on providing timely information to the Finley and Hancock county business community, run leadership programs for adults and teenagers, and be an advocate for the area while also providing tools to help local businesses succeed.
0:14:31 - (Doug Jenkins): If that sounds like something that you'd like to be a part of, just let me know. We can talk about how an investment in the chamber helps strengthen the community and how you can get involved. You can reach me anytime at djenkins@Findlayhancockchamber.com now let's get back into the show.
0:14:46 - (Doug Jenkins): Joining us now on the podcast, the winners of the family owned small business champion of the year. It's Aaron and Stan doty of Doty dental. Thanks for joining us today, guys.
0:14:56 - (Aaron Doty): Thanks for having us.
0:14:58 - (Doug Jenkins): Yeah, so it's amazing to think it's February and we're still talking about the small business awards that were held back in October. But there are just so many winners. It takes us a while to catch up with everybody. So it's great to finally have you guys on here, but let's go back to that day in October and just kind of the thoughts that ran through your head when you were announced as the winner.
0:15:16 - (Aaron Doty): Oh, my gosh, it was pure excitement, and we were just overjoyed. And first, the fact that we were nominated, yet alone being announced the winner of that award.
0:15:29 - (Stan Doty): Yes, it certainly was a surprise. And we feel grateful that they decided to honor us as champion.
0:15:39 - (Doug Jenkins): So, Stan, let's start with you. Since you started the practice, go back a few decades when you got it started. And what made you choose to come back to Findlay to launch the practice?
0:15:51 - (Stan Doty): Okay. I was born and raised here, so I'm a hometown boy here, right in Findlay. I went down to Ohio state as a high school senior, and entering there as a freshman, I thought Findlay was the last place I'd ever want to come back to. Not that I didn't like Findlay. It's just that I thought I'd go out and see the world and all that. But as I went through undergraduate school and then got into the college of dentistry and graduated from there, and I'm looking for a place to set up a practice, I'm looking all around, and Findlay just was the right spot.
0:16:38 - (Stan Doty): I fought it at first, but it was just the right place to come back to. And I'm very happy I did. I came back. I graduated from dental school in 1980, and I came back and worked with Dr. Sprague and Dr. Kane for about a year and a half, and then I started up with Dr. Blackburn, became a partner with him, and then went on with the business. I practiced dentistry for 43 years, and I have really loved it right here in Finley, ohio.
0:17:21 - (Stan Doty): My wife and I have raised four kids here, and it's just been a wonderful place to live and work.
0:17:30 - (Doug Jenkins): Aaron, so you see your dad running the practice and everything.
0:17:34 - (Doug Jenkins): What made you decide that, hey, I.
0:17:35 - (Doug Jenkins): Want to go into dentistry and come back and be part of the practice.
0:17:41 - (Aaron Doty): You know, same thing. I thought I was going off to college and didn't know where I'd end up or what I'd end up being. And I knew I was always interested in business, and so my dad here is like, well, hey, Aaron, this is a business, too. Why don't you come check it out for a week this summer, and if you don't like it, great. Or if you do, hey, then, you know. So I shadowed a week going into my senior year of high school, and it was one of the greatest experiences, job shadowing ever.
0:18:15 - (Aaron Doty): And right then and there, I knew that's what I wanted to do. So I went also to ohio state for undergrad and for dental school and knew right where I wanted to come back to is to work with my dad here and right here in Findlay. So, yeah, started right around age 16 to 17 that I really kind of had a good heading.
0:18:38 - (Doug Jenkins): You both have alluded to it that you thought you would go out, but the allure of coming back home drew you back. What is it? About Finley and Hancock county. That makes it a great place to do business.
0:18:52 - (Stan Doty): It is really a know. I just enjoy it. There's great people here. That's a wonderful thing. People really take pride in Finley, and they really make it a welcoming and I'm going to say a happy place. It's a happy place to be. The people are happy and friendly and they just get along.
0:19:23 - (Aaron Doty): Absolutely. Billy, you get a real sense of community being here, both working and in your personal life after work, too, raising a family. We have a one and a half year old little boy, so I grew up in Finley and seeing all the potential experiences you can have and excited to do the same for my family and to live and work here, too, and it's a great place to be.
0:19:52 - (Doug Jenkins): It's always felt to me like Finley is large enough where there's a decent pool of customers or clients or whatever your business needs, but it's small enough that you feel like you know just about everybody at the same time, which is always an interesting juxtaposition. It sounds like that's how it's worked for you, too, as well.
0:20:12 - (Stan Doty): Absolutely. In fact, my kids, as they were growing up, they'd rather go to the grocery store or the mall or a restaurant with my wife than they would with me. Because if they went with me, they'd know that I'd have to stop and talk to 50 people or something along the way. And it's just, hey, people know each other here, and they like each other.
0:20:45 - (Doug Jenkins): I think your kids and my kids can start a support group because it's hard to. There you go. Never feel like a stranger anywhere. I will say that much, which is a great feeling. And I think a lot of people feel that way in the community.
0:21:00 - (Aaron Doty): It is. And now that obviously felt that way. But now that growing up and am in that position, now I realize how amazing that feeling is. And it's really a unique situation to be in, and it's a great one.
0:21:16 - (Doug Jenkins): So you guys won the small business award for family owned businesses. We have lots of family owned businesses in Findlay and Hancock county.
0:21:23 - (Doug Jenkins): Some have been here for generations.
0:21:25 - (Doug Jenkins): Some maybe are just getting started. We're at a point where that next generation is ready to either start getting.
0:21:31 - (Doug Jenkins): Involved or even take over.
0:21:33 - (Doug Jenkins): What advice would you have for businesses in that situation where maybe the next generation is getting ready to come on board?
0:21:42 - (Stan Doty): I'd say I'm going to take the lead, and then I'm going to let Aaron come. Just the nice thing about it with a generation, family business, intergenerational is that you've always wanted as a parent, you always want to try to make it easier for your children than you had it. You want to smooth out the bumps. You don't want them to bump their head where you've already bumped yours. And it is great to feel that way, not only as a parent, but then as a business owner and a community leader. It's nice to be able to get them involved, not only in the business, but I've been involved in scouts forever.
0:22:44 - (Stan Doty): Aaron's involved in it. I've been involved in community activities, Aaron's involved in other community activities and church. And you just want them to be able, you want to pave the road a little bit, but you also want them to grow and be able to handle it and take it over and handle all the obstacles because there's always obstacles.
0:23:14 - (Doug Jenkins): Most definitely, I want to come back to that. But Aaron, I just kind of want to get your thoughts on that as.
0:23:21 - (Aaron Doty): It was. What's so nice as being the next generation, the next one up and is one getting that motivation? And it's a legacy. You feel that sense of legacy to carry on from the generations before. And you mentioned what's maybe some advice, too. What's nice having my father also as my boss that I started is I felt comfortable asking questions, maybe that I wouldn't feel as comfortable asking someone who's not part of my family.
0:23:58 - (Aaron Doty): And so I felt like that was a nice leg up, that I was not afraid to ask questions to continue learning from him, from things that he'd recommend to do things that he wouldn't recommend to do that he's learned along the way. Just tapping into that experience that I was able to ask about through him. So that was a great help in terms of getting started and been going for. This is the beginning of my third year now since owning the business, since the transition, and it's been off to a know three year start here.
0:24:35 - (Doug Jenkins): Steve, you said something interesting about you.
0:24:37 - (Doug Jenkins): Try and pave the road and make.
0:24:38 - (Doug Jenkins): It a little bit easier.
0:24:40 - (Doug Jenkins): But I have to imagine that you want Aaron to go through challenges with.
0:24:43 - (Doug Jenkins): You so you can kind of guide your experience, but you also have a new set of eyes on it with Aaron. And I think sometimes where family owned businesses that have been around for generations maybe stumble a little bit, is where the older generation takes all the challenges and the new generation comes in and doesn't have any real experience with those challenges. And that's where there can be stumbling blocks and.
0:25:05 - (Stan Doty): Absolutely. But I will say that it has worked out great between Aaron and I, because even when he was an employee early on in the business, I put a lot of responsibility on him. And I'm sure he felt like at times, well, dad, I thought, you're still the owner. Aren't you supposed to do this? But I made him take on things. And if projects life changes by the minute, dentistry changes, business changes, and I let Aaron be the spearhead. He was the one who took on all of the new things, and that was what was nice, because he took on all the new projects, everything that needed to happen that was new.
0:26:13 - (Stan Doty): And I was in the background for that to support him, ask him questions about it, and then let him make the decisions about it. And he still had a little bit of buffer because I was still in the business.
0:26:33 - (Doug Jenkins): I think that's a great way to look at it. You mentioned changes. I have to imagine the industry has changed. You know, what I need to do is stop saying I have to imagine. I've just realized it's a huge verbal crutch.
0:26:43 - (Aaron Doty): Come here and find out.
0:26:47 - (Doug Jenkins): There's been several changes in the industry. Certainly just the way that the cavities are filled are different than they were in the. Where they are now. How do you stay on top of how things change in your industry? And how would you advise people to stay on top of their industry?
0:27:04 - (Aaron Doty): Absolutely. So always have the hunger to learn. So that's what perfect timing. We are actually as an office about to attend a large dental conference called the Midwinter meeting in Chicago in two weeks, where it's a weekend of taking continuing education classes, networking with other dental professionals and other producers of new dental materials, and just building on what we already know and growing our repertoire of how to handle different situations, take on adversity and depending on what walks through the door, to be able to handle all that is just exactly learning about what is out there.
0:27:53 - (Aaron Doty): Like you said, things are changing all the time. New opportunities and products are coming out. You know, staying involved in the know is a huge benefit. To feel comfortable, to then handle whatever comes your way.
0:28:12 - (Doug Jenkins): Well, guys, I appreciate your time today. If people want to learn more about Doty Dental, what's the best way to do that?
0:28:18 - (Aaron Doty): Well, you can always find us on Facebook. We have a doty dental page. And then also you can always give us a call. Our phone number is 419-423-1534 and we're also located right here on South Main street, close to downtown.
0:28:37 - (Doug Jenkins): Very good. Well, I appreciate both your time today. Thanks for joining us on the podcast.
0:28:42 - (Stan Doty): Okay, thank you, Doug.
0:28:47 - (Doug Jenkins): Thanks again to Stan and Aaron for joining us. And congratulations once again on their small business award in 2023. That'll do it. For this week's episode. I hope you learned a little something about the local business community, and maybe a little something to help you run your business better. Next time on the show, we'll be getting an update on flood mitigation in the community. And if you have ideas on topics that we should be covering, just send me an email.
0:29:08 - (Doug Jenkins): D. Jenkins at Fin Remember, if you're listening on the chamber website, you can make it even easier on yourself. Have every episode of Chamber amplified delivered straight to your phone. Just search for Chamber amplified in your favorite podcast player. Click subscribe and you're all set. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time on chamber amplified from the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce.