Last week a few of the ACEnet's staff went to the Ohio CDC Association's 38th annual Conference in Downtown Cincinnati. The conference of community development professionals featured local tours covering community-led development, nonprofit grocery stores & markets, equitable development, workforce housing, and transit-oriented development. Workshops topics included preserving affordable housing despite institutional investors, community development advocacy, and fighting the racial wealth gap. The conference also featured an evening reception at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, member awards breakfast, and a keynote conversation to be remembered with Nicole Fleetwood.

ACEnet staffers Adam Kody and Chris Quolke presented on our program work with Reentry Workforce Development and the STAR Community Justice Center in Nelsonville during the "Helping Small Businesses Take the Next Step" workshop on Thursday.

Once again, the Ohio CDC conference offered connection and honest conversations while strengthening us for another year!

After the Ohio CDC Association annual conference, ACEnet staff visited the Brown County Fair, in Georgetown, Ohio, to check in with Drew Homan, an agribusiness entrepreneur who is launching a mobile red meat processing business serving Southern Ohio called Straight Creek Farms.

ACEnet staff and a team of subject matter experts completed a feasibility study in Spring 2022 that focused on the viability of mobile meat processing thanks to a USDA LFPP grant. Drew was one of many passionate people we met during the study who are deeply invested in a robust and resilient food system related to red meat production.

While at the fair we couldn’t help but stop and have some fun and visit the animals!

Last month, ACEnet long-time Food Ventures tenant, Milo's Whole World Gourmet, celebrated the Grand Opening of their brand new $1 million 2100-sq ft production facility at ACEnet's Food & Farm Enterprise Center in Nelsonville!

The event was well attended by friends, family, local business owners, nonprofits and other longtime supporters of Milo's. The Grand Opening featured tours of their new facility and equipment upgrades, a selection of hors d'oeuvres from Olive Branch Catering, and beverages from Jackie O's Brewery and Dutch Creek Winery.

In addition to hosting the festivities and leading tours, the Milo's staff offered a wide variety of products for sale from their Brownwood Farms line and engaged with community members into the evening.

“We have been experiencing exponential growth,” said Jonathan Milo Leal, founder and owner of Milo’s WWG, "this new facility will allow us to take on larger customers that we haven’t had the capacity to handle to date.”

The new facility will have upgraded machinery, multiple large kettles, and a whole host of other equipment and technology to enable fast, safe, and consistent production.

Have an idea for a sauce you'd like to sell? Milo's WWG offers co-packing services! From creating and bottling your sauces to helping you navigate the specialty food industry, Milo's WWG is a one-stop shop focused on you.

We're very excited for Milo's Whole World Gourmet & wholeheartedly congratulate Jonathan on this fantastic expansion!

Save the Date - ACEnet's Food Enterprise Coordinator, Adam Kody, will be tabling at ECDI's Central Ohio Small Business Resource Fair in Columbus on Thursday, October 13th! Stop by ECDI between 11AM – 2PM for all types of local resources for small business owners. There will also be drop-in mini workshops, networking, food trucks and more!

Register today: https://www.ecdi.org/resource-fair

ACEnet is seeking a Facility Manager for our Nelsonville campus that includes our Nelsonville Business Center, Food & Farm Enterprise Center, and Wood Manufacturing Center.

For Position & Salary Details: https://acenetworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Facilities-Manager-2022-1.pdf

Looking for something to do this Saturday afternoon? Everyone is cordially invited to join Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and ODNR Director Mary Mertz to celebrate completion of the new Hocking Hills State Park Lodge and Conference Center, 1:30PM - 4:00PM.

This event will include official remarks, a ribbon cutting, tours of the new lodge and refreshments.

More info: https://ohiodnr.gov/home/news-and-events/all-events/parks-wc-events/SE-Ohio/Hocking-Lodge-Celebration

Sign Up Today! https://www.handhewnfarm.com/event/3-day-whole-hog-workshop-november-18th-20th-2022/

The Shawnee Farmers Market (SFM) runs the first Friday of every month, May through October, and is organized by a grassroots network of Shawnee residents, local government, and nonprofit organizations including Destination Shawnee, Southern Perry Incubation Center for Entrepreneurs (SPICE), Rural Action, and the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet). The final market of the season is Friday, October 7th from 5-7pm in Shawnee.

The Shawnee Farmers Market supports ongoing work to highlight local history, arts, entrepreneurs, outdoor recreation and regional agriculture in Shawnee. A robust and collaborative network of nonprofit organizations and local government entities keep the culture of Shawnee alive through annual events, education, outreach, and outdoor activities for the community.

Applications are being accepted for financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crop Program 6/27/2022 - 1/31/2023.

Through generous support from Farm Aid, and the USDA Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program that ACEnet is a sub-awardee for under Rural Action, we are excited to assist small farmers with their applications! Contact info@acenetworks.org for more info.

The Athens Farmers Market takes place year round on Saturday at the Market on State Shopping Mall, both inside and outside, and Wednesdays April 20th - November 23.

The Meigs County Farmers Market takes place May - October on Saturday at 100 Main St. Pomeroy, OH

The Shawnee First Friday Farmers Market takes place May - October on the first Friday of the month at the intersection of State Route 93 & 155 in Shawnee, Ohio. This Friday is the final Market of the season!

Have you heard of UpBEAT? A program sponsored by OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital in Athens, Ohio, UpBEAT offers free programs for those in our community 55 years and older.

For UpBEAT in October, we will also have the opportunity to Explore the Hopewell Culture with the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and explore navigating the internet to perform everyday tasks online, in a safe, secure way with Sarie Cornwell and Syd Hutchison, technology training librarians at the Athens County Public Library. This program is a part of our Technology for All series, one of our most popular programs, with the goal to boost confidence in using technology! In addition to these topics, we will have additional opportunities to learn, socialize and remain physically active, through our book club and exercise class. Please feel welcome to share our UpBEAT newsletter with those you feel may enjoy joining us: www.ohiohealth.com/UpBEAT

Contact Caitlin Bond with questions and to receive UpBEAT newsletter: 740-566-4680; caitlin.bond@ohiohealth.com.