When they convened yesterday in central Ohio for the 2016 OPMCA Annual Meeting, members from throughout the state connected with colleagues and learned the latest insight on a variety of timely topics to enhance their business.  Participants heard from nationally-recognized payments expert Gray Taylor, executive Director of Conexxus, who delivered advice to retailers who need to protect their fuel pumps against skimming attacks. Labor and employment law expert Jeff Lindemann, Esq., an attorney with Frost, Brown, Todd, LLC, shed light on the soon-to-be-implementing federal overtime regulations, and introduced a number of options for managing employee classifications as well as upcoming categories for tracking and calculating wages. The morning session closed out with an overview of the complex regulatory climate in Ohio from Director of Regulatory Affairs Bill Behrendt, who updated attendees on the status of a number of critical issues, including air quality standards, Underground Storage Tank rules, as well as the new Ohio Fire Code.

The Annual Meeting closed out with a provocative and engaging analysis of the high-profile and hotly-contested presidential election from keynote speaker Jim Ellis, a renowned political analyst and contributor to media outlets, including the Washington Times, CNN International and Glenn Beck's The Blaze website .  Mr. Ellis examined historical voting patterns and trends from the latest voter polls and offered a number of potential scenarios for election day—including the possibility of an electoral college tie. His impactful, visual presentation included illustrative maps of key campaign areas, and also offered insight into the potential down-ticket ramifications for U.S. House and Senate seats in the event of a Republican or Democratic win in the race to the White House.

Mark your calendars now for the 2017 OPMCA Annual Meeting and Legislative Reception, which returns to the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Columbus, Tuesday, February 14, 2017. Watch your e-mail for details later this year.