Every business knows that some weeks are busier than others. This week at the Chamber has been one of those weeks. Bobbi was off on a much-needed vacation so Briana and I tried to hold down the fort and keep things running up to speed. So far, so good.
This week we gathered at the Chillicothe Country Club to thank outgoing Economic Development Director Chris Manegold on his 11 years leading the Economic Development Alliance of Southern Ohio (EDASO). Chris announced his retirement earlier this year.
Later in the week, Ohio's Lt. Governor, Mary Taylor, welcomed our county's new Economic Development Director, Brad Morton, with a proclamation from she and Governor John Kasich. Brad will direct the development efforts under the new name of the organization, Greater Chillicothe Ross County Development. (GCRC).
The Chamber also was honored to be the host for the Small Business Advisory Council under the state's Common Sense Initiative. This program is administered through the office of the Lt. Governor. She joined the council and spoke to several of our community business and educational leaders. We also heard presentations from the Ohio Dept. of Education and the state's Development Services Agency.
It was great to hear that our community is leading the state in many areas in education and business development. We want to thank Adena Health System for allowing us to meet in the community room at the Carlisle.
Another tour made its way to Chillicothe and Ross County this week. The International Red Poll Congress and Tour stopped by Pastured Providence Farmstead. Paul Dorrance was the host of the event. Pastured Providence Farmstead was selected for inclusion in this tour to highlight the Red Poll breed's grass-marbling characteristics, as well as to showcase the pasture-based, multi-species, rotational grazing operation. Red Poll is a breed of cattle and breeders from all over the world were included in the tour, including New Zealand, Australia, Kenya, England, Canada and the USA. This event takes place every three years. During the 2017 tour, the 25-day visits will take them to eight states, 14 cattle farms, an implement plant, brewery manufacturing facility, a research farm and they'll get to enjoy Music Row in Nashville. Congratulations to Pastured Providence Farmstead and Paul Dorrance for the hard work that has been put into this farm and for this event. It's a huge success in our community and we are fortunate to have you here and your willingness to share with others.
Also this week, many members joined us for lunch to dive into the topic of understanding insights and analytics of websites. It's important to not only keep websites current and up-to-date, but also to know who is visiting your site, what is being reviewed and for how long. If you'd like more information, give us a call and we'll schedule an appointment with you to review or refresh this information with you.
On Wednesday, Kingston National Bank was the host for this month's Business After Business. The rain gave us a little threat, but those who joined us had a great time. Thanks KNB and all of your co-sponsors.
Two of the special events that took place were the ribbon cuttings of two new businesses. H&N is a BBQ eatery at High and Arch streets. Also, Rent-to-Own opened a second location in Chillicothe with a brand new store on Enterprise Dr., just off of Western Avenue. Stop by both businesses, wish them luck and thank them for investing in our community.
And thank you for investing as well. Being a member of the Chamber of Commerce just doesn't help the chamber do it's day-to-day business. It allows us to work with many businesses, organizations and community leaders to help make our entire community a better place to live, work, and visit. We do want to be an extension of your business, but your investment with the chamber makes you an extension into our community. And your efforts and financing are making a difference!
Have a great weekend!
