It's good to be back from vacation and into a very busy work week. Thanks to Briana and Bobbi for continuing their great work in assisting our members. And thanks to Brad Morton, our community's new Economic Development Director, for helping out with the newsletter last week.

Today is a fun day. It's the annual Valero Cup Golf Outing. Not only is it one of our largest fundraisers, but also a great day to spend with 140 of our members in a relaxed atmosphere enjoying a game of golf. I want to thank all of the sponsors for this year's outing and to all of you who generously donated items for the golfers to enjoy. It's greatly appreciated.

This week our community was fortunate to host another large organization and their executive committee. Members of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) spent Thursday touring our community and meeting in the downtown for their annual meeting. MORPC is a voluntary association of central Ohio governments and regional organizations that envisions and embraces innovative directions in transportation, energy, housing, land use, the environment, and economic prosperity. Having them tour many of our projects and see a lot of the accomplishments of our region will help us continue to plan for a productive and prosperous future.

Also, this week we were able to welcome many of our new second quarter members with a breakfast provided by Ross County Banking Centers. It's always a great opportunity to sit down for an hour and talk about the new businesses in our community and how the chamber can be an extension of their business. We always welcome that opportunity for all of our members. Make sure to give us a call or drop us an email if there are ideas or projects that we can assist you with.

We appreciate your membership, and your investment in our community.

When I started working at the Chamber four years ago I never dreamed that I would be writing this note today and talking about a group of young people called EPIC. Alot has changed in the last four years to say the least! As a staff member of your Chamber I couldn't be more proud of all we as a community and as a Chamber have accomplished. One of those things being the formation of EPIC. 

One of the many conversations I have with our members revolves around millennials. Part of this is because I am a a millennial and often our members say I'm the "exception to the rule" when it comes to my generation. One thing EPIC has taught me is that the concerns of many of our members are very real but they are also very changable. I have had the privilege of working with some amazing young professionals over the last six months and am anxious to see what the next six months has in store. 

What does EPIC mean to you as a Chamber member? EPIC helps to create a pool of future leaders, future business owners, managers, office managers, accountants, restaurant managers, non-profit leaders, bankers, and more. So much of what is lacking from the "older generation" and the "new kids" is connection. The Chamber has always prided itself on being able to connect YOU, our members, to what you need. 

In addition to helping you connect with young professionals EPIC is diligently working to provide professional development trainings for area employers. The current training they are in the midst of planning is a "FIT Course", which is First Impression Training. This course will assist area businesses with training employees on customer service basics, community knowledge 101, and how to interact with not only residents but visitors to our community. 

This is just a drop in the bucket, an overview. The sky is the limit with EPIC and I firmly believe this group of young people can change the pulse of our community given the right resources and continued passion for our area. It is their mission to attract, retain, and engage young professionals (ages 21-40) to the Ross County/ Chillicothe area. 

If you have someone in your business who would be a good fit for EPIC membership please give me a call at 740-702-2722. If you are interested in sponsoring this dynamic group of YP's, I can help you with that also. One way you can support EPIC is by attending Party On Paint, July 14th from 7-10PM. 

A special thank you to the following businesses for their annual sponsorship of EPIC: Janney Montgomery Scott, Metropolis Design Studios, The Pioneer Center, and Horizon.