Bill Yokas, senior vice president for manufacturing, DTR Industries, provided an update to Bluffton chamber members on DTR during the Nov. 13 chamber breakfast in the town hall.

He told chamber members that all associates laid off eariler this year have returned to work (except for temp workers).

"There are no sacred cows as we have looked at ways to reduce costs at DTR," he said. He told the chamber audience that DTR will beome an all-AV plant, as the rubber hose products will transfer to China.

He said that DTR expects to be at full recovery to its 2007 levels by 2012.

"There is a very good, bright future for the Bluffton, Ohio, DTR facility," he told the chamber members. DTR has 777 employees.

His talk also reviewed the history and products created by DTR in Bluffton. Over 40 chamber members attended the breakfast.

In other chamber business the following board members were reelected to three year terms starting Jan. 1: Brendon Matthews, Robert Neff, Julia Szabo and Matt Luke.

Sheryl Schirmer, recently retired administrator of the Bluffton Public Library, was presented a $25 chamber gift certificate. She lead the library for 28 years. During that time the library moved from the high school across the street and had one expansion project.

Richard Zunkiewicz, planned giving officer of the Blanchard Valley Health Foundation, told chamber members that the Bluffton Hospital expansion project is still in the works. Bids for the project will be opened in December. The Blanchard Valley Health Foundation and Bluffton Hospital were breakfast sponsors.

The chamber announced that Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce gift certificates are now available at Citizens National Bank. The certificates make great holiday gifts.

A mock-up of a 2010 chamber-created Explore Bluffton visitors' guide was shared with members. The chamber is asking members to consider advertising in the guide and keep it in their 2010 budgets. The chamber will share additional details on the guide later this winter.

Andre Swartley of Bluffton, who recently launched Workplay Publishing, was introduced at the meeting.

The December chamber breakfast is at 7:30 a.m., Friday, Dec. 11. The speakers are the new fixed-base operators of the Bluffton Airport.