In The Know
The Weekly Newsletter of The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
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Today's Featured Video
One Simple Tip for Productivity
SPOILER! It Involves Your Smartphone.
In today's video, David Pham, CTO/CPO at Mogul, a publishing platform for women, explains how he boosts his productivity by allowing himself to be bored. Put another way, he empties his mind. At first, he says, this may seem counterproductive, but it can actually lead to greater productivity, especially if you're willing to put aside a certain magical device.
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Have You Considered A Mystery Shopping Program
At Your Business?
As the holiday shopping season looms on the horizon, now's the time to make sure your customer service is top notch. The Chamber is excited to announce, “Customer First”, a mystery shopping program that is affordable, easy to implement and can provide crucial information to our local business owners and managers.
If you're not familiar with mystery shopping services, you're not alone. Many small businesses either have not heard of them or believe they are too expensive to utilize and not important enough to explore. In short, mystery shoppers are hi
red to pose as shoppers to assess your business operations. They discreetly and professionally perform a specific set of tasks such as purchasing a product or service, returning a product, registering a complaint, asking questions of sales reps, contacting your business by phone, and other related assignments. The business owner or manager completes a short survey prior to the visits to outline what information they are interested in gathering. Afterward, the business is provided with a comprehensive, confidential summary report that outlines the results. You may use it in a variety of ways; from rewarding employees who stand out to putting training and policies in place to remedy problem areas. Phone shops are also available to help ensure that all calls to your company are being handled politely and professionally.
In essence, a mystery shopping program will provide objective quantitative and qualitative feedback about the experience that the shopper had at your business. From their feedback, you are able to determine if your employees are living up to the standards you've set for them and if they're following company procedures and practices on a regular basis and/or when the owner or manager is not present.
Promote local shopping by making the decision to patronize your business an easy one. Utilize the chamber’s new program to get an honest, all-encompassing view of an actual customer experience. Click here for more information and pricing or contact the chamber offices at 740.282.6226.
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Check Out the Newest Issue of Newsline
Four times a year, the Herald-Star prints a special insert from the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce called The Newsline that's included with the regular edition of the newspaper. It's a great opportunity for non-Chamber members to learn about the work we are doing within the community and how the Chamber is providing important benefits and programming to local businesses.
As you can see from the most recent issue, feature stories highlight the chamber's 31st Annual Golf Classic, the Market Street Mile, the latest quarterly workshop sponsored by Ascent Resources, the most recent Small Business Start-Up Class, and the 7th Annual Burger Bash.
In future issues, coverage will be expanded to include features on chamber member businesses and organizations, member programming updates and state, local and federal business news. The goal is for The Newsline to become a compelling, informative resource that will generate awareness about the chamber, its goals, its members and the entire local business community.
If you have an idea for a story or a feature that you would like considered for the next issue, please contact the Chamber's content creator, Pete Fernbaugh, here.
In the meantime, please enjoy the most recent issue by clicking below. And a big thank you to the advertisers who support this quarterly publication and the Herald-Star for providing it.
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Member Morsels
Remember to visit individual member websites by clicking on the business name or logo.
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On Monday, August 7, Neidengard's Harley-Davidson, located at 284 Canton Road in Wintersville will be hosting Bike Night from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Featuring classic rock-country-R&B band White Collar Criminals, the evening will also have free food and soft drinks (until they're gone). Stop by, hang out and browse their amazing retail store. A great way to spend a summer evening.
NOTE: In case of rain, the event will be canceled.
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The cost is $300 per team with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The Scramble will continue until 2 p.m. For more information, please email Kathy Musso here. You can also visit the Facebook Events Page here.
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On Thursday, August 17, Craig Butler, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, will be hosting an open house from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Zane State College. This event is targeted at businesses in Jefferson Counties and surrounding counties. Attendees will receive information on how the Ohio EPA is improving its operations to better assist you in meeting your environmental compliance and sustainability goals.
There is no charge for this event, but space is limited. To register, click here. Please contact Holly Tucker, chief of the Southeast District Office, at 740-385-8501 or by email, with any questions you may have.
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Winter Drive In Now Open Every Night - Check Out The New Digital
Screen Upgrades.
Now through August 3rd, see Despicable Me 3, Rated PG, Spiderman Homecoming, Rated PG13, Cars 3, Rated G, Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Rated PG13. Ticket booth and snack bar open at 8 p.m. Movies begin as darkness permits - this week around 9 p.m. Cash only for tickets. Visa & Mastercard accepted in snack bar. For more information, visit, www.winterdrivein.com.
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Keep your membership information up-to-date.
Make any changes to contacts, phone numbers, email addresses, and more by clicking below.
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"First Friday"
Friday, August 4
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
820 Canton Road, Wintersville
$10 per person
More info can be found here.
No RSVP necessary.
3
50 Three Springs Drive, Weirton
$10 per person in advance
$12 per person if invoiced
More info can be found
here
.
Please RSVP by August 7.
Small Business Start-Up Class
Wednesday, August 9
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
630 Market Street, Steubenville
$30 Chamber Members
$
40 Non-Chamber Members
Please use rear entrance;
RSVP by clicking
here
.
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Jefferson County Safety Council
"Lunch 'N Learn"
Wednesday, August 16
Registration/Lunch: 11:30 a.m.
Presentation: 12 p.m.
Speaker: Craig Petrella
"Heat Stress in the Workplace"
Hellenic Hall at
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
300 South 4th Street, Steubenville
$15 per person;
RSVP by clicking here.
"Businesses Out for Blood"
American
Red Cross/Chamber Blood Drive
Friday, August 18
10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
YWCA 320 North 4th Street, Steubenville
For more info, click here.
American Red Cross Training Class
Wednesday, October 4
4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
630 Market Street, Steubenville
$95 Chamber Members
$115
Non-Chamber Members
Space is limited;
RSVP by clicking
here
.
Donors who provide an email address during registraton will receive a $5 Targe e-gift card.
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To RSVP or get more information on any Chamber event, please visit the Chamber
website
and click on the event you wish to view on the scrolling event calendar.
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Around the State. Around the Country.
U
p-to-Date Information from the Ohio and United States Chamber of Commerce
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Ohio Department of Taxation Hosts
Ohio Virtual Tax Academy
The Ohio Department of Taxation is having their next free Ohio Virtual Tax Academy on Wednesday, August 16.
Since its introduction in December 2013, the Ohio Virtual Tax Academy has been enthusiastically received by the business and tax professional community and the public. Here are some recent comments from attendees:
“As a taxpayer and tax preparer, I appreciate these webinars. Ohio’s efforts to communicate the workings of the tax system are very beneficial to me and help me better service my clients. I know it is a lot of work for your personnel, but it is appreciated. Keep up the good work.”
“The Department should be commended for providing this service. The presentation is well done, the materials are excellent and so were the speakers. This is an excellent way to get meaningful CLE.”
Read the article in its entirety by clicking here.
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House Says 'No!' to
CFPB's Arbitration Rule
After a few month hiatus, Congress is firing up the Congressional Review Act (CRA), this time to protect a useful tool for resolving disputes.
Earlier this month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) went “rogue” and issued a regulation eliminating the option of arbitration. Apparently it prefers letting plaintiff lawyers launch class-action lawsuits.
However, as Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA) explain, consumers get the short end of the stick from those:
"There are already about 15 million class-action lawsuits filed each year. But just 13% of them actually result in a benefit to consumers—and the average payout is roughly $32. Plaintiff lawyers, meanwhile, earn an average of $1 million per settled case. In other words, trial lawyers walk away with millions, while consumers are stuck paying new fees to cover the costs."
R
ead the article in its entirety by clicking here.
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The Library Link
Great Books About Business
With Just A Click
Your link to success begins at the library. Each week in "In The Know,"
you to a business book or magazine that will inspire, teach, inform, or elevate you,
professionally and personally. This week's book is:
The End of Advertising:
Why It Had to Die, and the Creative Resurrection to Come
by
Andrew Essex.
One of the most successful admen of recent years throws down the ultimate challenge to his profession: innovate or perish. The ad apocalypse is upon us. Today millions are downloading ad-blocking software, and still more are paying subscription premiums to avoid ads. This $600 billion industry is now careening toward outright extinction, after having taken for granted a captive audience for too long, leading to lazy, overabundant, and frankly annoying ads. Make no mistake, Madison Avenue: traditional advertising as we know it is over. In this short, bound-to-be controversial manifesto, Essex offers both a wake-up call and a road map to the future. With trenchant wit and razor-sharp insights, he presents an essential new vision of where the smart businesses could be headed, to the cheers of advertisers and consumers alike. (Description provided by publisher.)
View or download the book by clicking here.
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Today in History
- July 28, 1932 -
Zombie movies and TV shows are big business these days, but then again, they always have been. Eighty-five years ago, the very first feature-length zombie movie, White Zombie, was released in theaters. True to how the genre would evolve, it was an independent film starring Bela Lugosi and Madge Bellamy and directed by Victor and Edward Halperin. Also true to how the genre would evolve, critical response was lukewarm. However, White Zombie was popular in small towns across the country and in Nazi-led Germany. True to the genre as well, a sequel, Revolt of the Zombies, followed in 1936. For the whole story, check out this Wikipedia entry.
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- 8%
-
The remarkable projected growth rate of the network and computer system administrators field from 2014 to 2024. Today is System Administrators Appreciation Day, so be sure to thank the folks who keep your IT infrastructure running and your computer on and functioning. For more info on SysAdmin Day, check out this site.
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Questions about Oil & Gas?
These non-profit organizations are here to help you stay up-to-date on the oil and gas industry
in Jefferson County:
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Contact Us
The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
630 Market Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
Phone: 740.282.6226
Fax: 740.282.6285
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