Volunteer for the Chamber on Small Business Saturday

In The Know

The Weekly Newsletter of The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce

November 17, 2017

Today's Featured Video

Four Last-Minute Tips for Small Business Saturday

Including Hashtags to Use on Social Media

Here's a great video that gives a quick rundown on how to make Small Business Saturday work for you and your business on November 25. With information on the types of logos to add to your marketing, streamlined hashtags to get your businesses noticed on social media, and what to say in a last-minute email blast to regular customers, you're sure to find something helpful by clicking on the Play button.

Even More Ways To Promote Your Business This Holiday!

This year's 2017 "Shift Your Shopping" campaign, co-sponsored by Hauser's Furniture , is better than ever before. We've got a great slate of programs, events, and marketing products for you to use, so don't delay. Check out the list below and make this the best holiday you've ever had.

Volunteer! Get yourself and your employees involved in our holiday programs by volunteering. It's a great way to be more engaged in the community, meet prospective customers, and help out the chamber at the same time. The Chamber is in need of volunteers on Small Business Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until noon. You'll help set up and man our five, "Small Business Saturday" stations throughout the county. We'll be handing out tote bags, coupons, menus, and fliers, along with fresh coffee & doughnuts.

Take advantage of these easy-to-use tools with just a click:

2017 Shift Your Shopping Program Overview

2017 Shift Your Shopping Checklist

Customizable "Eat, Drink & Be Local" sign

Printable sheet of "Shop Small" stickers

2017 American Express/Small Business Saturday toolkit

Small Business Saturday - Drop off your coupons, fliers, menus, or other promotional items to the Chamber offices no later than Wednesday, November 22. We'll be greeting customers and handing them out, along with coffee, doughnuts, and tote bags at five locations throughout the county on Saturday, November 25, from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. This year's stations include: Riesbeck's in Toronto, M & M Hardware in Steubenville, Peoples National Bank in Dillonvale, Steubenville Popcorn Company in downtown Steubenville, and Hollywood City Center in Steubenville.

Buy Local Receipt Drawing - For every $50 you spend locally between November 1st and December 25th, you'll get an entry into our drawing for $500 cash. Complete a simple form online at www.jeffersoncountychamber.com or by clicking here .

Member Morsels

Remember to visit individual member websites by clicking on the business name or logo.

The Ohio Valley Cloak & Dagger Company , in partnership with Striplight Theatre , will present a Thanksgiving-themed "Cloak & Dagger On the Air" on Saturday, November 18, at 8 p.m. at The Ashley Marie Theatre, located at 3383 Main Street in Weirton. Featuring an adaptation of the classic Edgar Allan Poe short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher," and live commercial skits for sponsors Saxon Jewelers and Iconic , with community guest star Cathie Caranda of Graphics in Print , tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for seniors and students and can be purchased at the door, picked up at the Business Development Corporation , or reserved by calling (724) 255-5911.

On Saturday, November 18, Valley Wine Cellar , located at 193 Main Street in Wintersville, will be hosting a Holiday Open House from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy free wine and beer and get a taste of the Season while you shop. Start on your gift list, create a personalized gift basket, or get a gift card that is sure to please. There will be a free gift with each purchase. For more information, please call 740-264-5100.

The holidays are happening at Something Special By Sheila located at 132 Linduff Avenue in Steubenville. Stop in and check out the huge selection of unique and special gift ideas and accessories for everyone on your gift list. Click here to view and print a 15% off coupon.

Show your good taste and thoughtfulness by giving something out of the ordinary this holiday. From baby and kitchen items to gourmet foods, skin care, fragrances, jewelry and top of the line collectibles from Brighton, Sheila truly has something for everyone. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Learn more by visiting the Something Special Facebook page by clicking here.

Steubenville Lights Up the Night! on Tuesday, November 21, with the Grand Opening of the 2017 Steubenville Nutcracker Village and Advent Market from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at S. 3rd and Market Streets. There will be live music and entertainment as Mayor Mucci and the leaders of the Nutcracker Village gather to welcome visitors and jointly light Steubenville's 35-foot-tall Christmas Tree in the fountain plaza of Fort Steuben Park. Free treats for the kids will be handed out in the green space by the city building at 5 p.m., and Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive at 5:35 with a Christmas Program at 5:45. The lighting of the Christmas Tree will take place at 6:30. The full Nutcracker Village schedule may be viewed here or print and share the complete schedule by clicking here .

Mama G's Catering will be holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21, to celebrate its grand opening in Toronto. Located at 206 North 4th Street, Mama G's Catering is a full-line caterer that will cater at your home or your business or on-site at Hellenic Hall (in Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church) in downtown Steubenville. All of Mama G's food is homemade, just like Mama used to make. Tours will be offered following the ribbon-cutting. For more information on the event, please contact Matt Parise at 740-632-0323 or by email here .

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There's no charge. Just click the button below and fill out the short online form.

Deadline is Wednesday at noon.

"In The Know" Submission Form

Small Business Saturday

Saturday, November 25th, 2017

Help us kick off a season of buying locally as we host "Shift Your Shopping" stations throughout the county.

Fresh coffee, doughnuts, shopping bags, coupons, and more will be handed out by volunteers to encourage local buying. Watch your mail and the weekly, "In The Know" for details. Volunteers needed and welcomed. Click here for the complete 2017 list of "Shift Your Shopping" programs and events.

2017 Holiday Open House

The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce

Thursday, December 7, 2017

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

630 Market Street, Steubenville

Please Use Rear Entrance

Complimentary Admission

For more information, please call 740-282-2662 or email here .

The Chamber offices are pulling out all the stops to welcome Chamber members and their employees. Please join us as we celebrate the season and thank our members for their hard work, dedication, time, and efforts over the past year. Stop by any time for carolers, great food and drink, music, goody bags, and more. Enter the "Ugly Get-Up" contest and vie for a $50 gift card and the Traveling Trophy.

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. Or print a hard copy by clicking the button below.

November 2017 Chamber Calendar

Around the State. Around the Country.

Up-to-Date Information from the Ohio and United States Chamber of Commerce

Legislation to Remove Budget Authorization to Raid Employer Dollars from BWC & IC Advances

Earlier this year, a dangerous provision was added to the state budget bill, House Bill 49, which would have allowed the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) to transfer up to two percent of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) and Industrial Commission (IC) budgets to the General Revenue Fund (GRF). Authority to transfer budget money from agencies is not a new concept, as it is known colloquially as the “rotary raid” of agency budgets when the state is looking for money to fill budget gaps at the end of state’s budget cycle. However, this would have been the first time the BWC and IC were included in the list of agencies potentially subjected to this raid. This would have set a dangerous, and potentially illegal, precedent of raiding entirely employer funded agencies to finance general government operations, through the GRF.

Unlike the state’s main operating budget, both the BWC and IC are funded entirely by the payment of premiums and assessments by Ohio’s employers.

Read the article in its entirety by clicking here .

The Clock is Ticking,

and the Dreamers Can't Wait

From the outside Dreamers don’t seem different than anyone else living in the United States. They look, sound, and act like other Americans. They went to elementary school and high school here. Some joined the military. Others got jobs or started businesses. They are part of the fabric of their local communities and the country.

The only difference is their legal status. They’re Americans except on paper. Through no fault of their own, they’re living in the U.S. illegally, because they came here with their families when they were young.

To give them temporary legal status in 2012, President Barack Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Nearly 800,000 people are part of it.

But DACA was just a temporary fix.

Read the article in its entirety by clicking here .

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,"

The Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County will directly connect

you to a business book or magazine that will inspire, teach, inform, or elevate you, professionally and personally. This week's book is:

Glass House:

The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town

by Brian Alexander

In 1947, Forbes magazine declared Lancaster, Ohio, the epitome of the all-American town. Today it is damaged, discouraged, and fighting for its future. In Glass House , journalist Brian Alexander uses the story of one town to show how seeds sown 35 years ago have sprouted to give us Trumpism, inequality, and an eroding national cohesion.The Anchor Hocking Glass Company, once the world's largest maker of glasstableware, was the base on which Lancaster's society was built. As Glass House unfolds, bankruptcy looms. With access to the company and its leaders and Lancaster's citizens, Alexander shows how financial engineering took hold in the 1980s, accelerated in the 21st Century, and wrecked the company. We follow CEO Sam Solomon, an African-American leading the nearly all-white town's biggest private employer, as he tries to rescue the company from the New York private equity firm that hired him.

View or download the book by clicking here .

Today in History

- November 17, 1973 -

As his administration battled the ongoing, intensifying Watergate investigation, President Richard Nixon was doing everything he could to maintain his reputation and public standing. During a question-and-answer session at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, President Nixon was asked if he had played a role in the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up. Nixon's response was immediately destined for the history books and stand-up comedy acts: "People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got." Of course, this statement did nothing to allay the investigation. For more information on Nixon's statement, check this article out . And for video of this historic press conference, check out this link .

- $9.3 billion -

The amount that would be directly returned to the economy if every U.S. family spent just $10 more per month than they currently do at a local, independently owned business.