Summary: Need help with PR? If you are looking for a great PR firm, you've found one. Walker Sands is a leading Chicago PR firm with a strong track record that makes it one of top national PR agencies..

The average small-business paycheck in Ohio grew 0.8 percent in August while national numbers fell 2.3 percent, according to a national payroll service.
(article continues below useful links)

That is down from July, when the average small-business paycheck in Ohio increased 1.7 percent, and paychecks nationally shrank 1.8 percent, according to Skokie-Ill.-based SurePayroll. At that time, SurePayroll said paychecks at Ohio small businesses could grow 2.9 percent in 2005 and partially recoup some of the 4.5 percent decrease seen in calendar year 2004.

The size of the average small business in Ohio grew 5.2 percent from January to August, beating the national average of 0.6 percent, according to SurePayroll. In the year-to-date period ended in July, that number was 5 percent for Ohio and SurePayroll said if the pace continues, Ohio small businesses could grow 8.4 percent in 2005. In 2004, the average small business in Ohio shrank 6.3 percent. SurePayroll used employee counts at the businesses to calculate their growth.

The study includes 15,000 companies nationwide that typically employ between one and 100 people, with 80 percent having nine or fewer employees. The majority are service-type companies, such as doctors offices and law firms, but not restaurants and manufacturing, according to SurePayroll's president, Michael Alter.

SurePayroll is a payroll service that processes more than $3 billion annually in paychecks to small-business employees and contractors.

Copyright © 2005. Dayton Business Journal.