In The Kn o w
The Weekly Newsletter of The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce   



Friday, March 29, 2019
Today's Featured Video

The Only Guide You'll Ever Need to Inflation
And what the Fed is most worried about...

We're hearing a lot these days about inflation and how the Fed is afraid of it being too low. On the surface, that sounds like a good deal. However, this video from the Wall Street Journal explains not only why low inflation alongside low interest rates concerns the Fed, but also what inflation is and how it impacts our economy.
First Friday Is Back
Don't Miss April's Event At Margaret's Cafe!
Spring is just around the corner and that means it's time once again for First Friday. Started in 2017 as a way to promote our local eating and drinking establishments, it's a casual, fun way to end the week. And it's the Chamber's only official "non-event." There's no program, no speaker, no charge and no need to RSVP. Join us next Friday, April 5th, at Margaret's Cafe , located at 805 North 5th Street in Toronto as we kick off the 2019 season of "First Friday." Margaret's will be offering appetizer and drink specials too in addition to their famous fish. Gather up friends, co-workers and family members and we'll see you there. More details below.
First Friday
Date: Friday, April 5th, 2018
Time:  5 to 7 p.m.
Location: Margaret's Cafe
805 North 5th Street, Toronto
Price: No Charge.

 Coffee and Connections
Date: Wednesday, April 10th
Time: 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Price: $15 Per Person
587 Bantam Ridge Road, Steubenville

Join us for a very special Coffee & Connections as members of the Farm Bureau serve as celebrity chefs and create delicious, made-to-order omelettes using local meats, eggs and cheeses. It's become a favorite annual tradition. Reservations required.

Online reservations are not available at this time due to a software change taking place at the Chamber. Please RSVP by email to Cassie Balvin at cbalvin@jeffersoncountychamber.com or by calling the Chamber offices at 740.282.6226.
2019 Trinity Health System Chamber Golf Classic
Date: Tuesday, May 21st
Time : 10 a.m. shotgun start
413 Lovers Lane, Steubenville
Price : $500 per team


First Friday
Date: Friday, May 3rd
Time: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: JC Wine Cellars
8306 State Route 43, East Springfield
Price : No charge

Coffee and Connections
Date: Wednesday, May 8th
Time: 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Price: $15 per person

Please contact the Chamber offices at 740.282.6226 with question or to make a reservation.
Modern Marketing 101:
 21 Secrets to Social Media Marketing
for Small Business

Continuing our month-long blitz of handy-dandy infographics that boil complex marketing concepts down into comprehensive visual aids, here's another one from SocialMediaToday that reveals 21 ways in which small businesses can have social media marketing success.

From last week: Here's an infographic from SocialMediaToday that boils the essentials of social media marketing down into memorable, easily accessible steps. Does your marketing plan incorporate these five Ps? They'll help you create engagement for each post, which is the cornerstone of online marketing success.

If you missed or want to re-read any of our previous Modern Marketing 101 installments, click here . We encourage you to print, save, share, and add these articles and resources to your business or organization's social media marketing manual.
Member Morsels
Remember to visit individual member websites by clicking on the business name or logo.

Last call to be a sponsor of the 2019 Fort Steuben Summer Concert Series !

These annual performances attract crowds ranging from 500 to 1200 people to the beautiful Berkman Amphitheater, bringing the community together through a variety of musical genres. Sponsors are prominently displayed in the 3,000 keepsake program booklets that are distributed over the summer.

Call Judy Bratten at 740-283-1787 by Monday, April 1st, to be included.
Toni Moreland State Farm Insurance is announcing the relocation of its Toronto offices. The new location will be 1373 Franklin St, Toronto.

The current location will be closing at noon on Friday, March 29th, and will re-open at the new location in the Gem City Plaza (next to Domino's) on Monday April 1st, at noon.

For more information, please call Toni's office at 740-537-9500 or email her here .
Indian Creek High School is proud to announce its 2019 Job and College Fair hosted by The ICHS FCCLA on Wednesday, April 10th, from 12 p.m. to
2 p.m. in the high school gym for students and their families.

Representatives from universities, colleges, career technical schools, apprenticeships, and local businesses will be available in an exhibit-style format to meet and ask questions on admission and career opportunities.

Businesses and organizations that are interested in participating should email Julie Robinson by clicking here or call 740-264-1163. Indian Creek High School is located at 200 Park Dr. in Wintersville.
On Saturday, April 13th, the Brightway Center invites you to its annual Youth Easter Celebration! Join them for crafts, an Easter egg hunt, a light lunch, a reading of the true meaning of Easter, and more!

This is a free event for children ages 2 to 10, but ALL children must be accompanied by an adult. Transportation is provided from Urban Mission in Steubenville, but space is limited, so register your child on the Brightway website or mobile app by Wednesday, April 1 0th. For more information, please contact Shannon Marshall, Director of Marketing & Programming, at 740-733-7480 or 304-374-0372 or via email here .
Urban Mission Ministries' Jobs for Life program helps individuals address the roadblocks that are keeping them from being employed and thriving in life.

What sets Jobs for Life apart from other job readiness programs is that it addresses the spiritual aspect of the person. This program offers healing and hope through spiritual transformation that leads to employment.

Urban Mission Ministries, located at 423 North Street in Steubenville, partners with local businesses to help individuals gain employment by producing qualified candidates who are ready to work. If you would like to learn more about how you can be a part of this program, please call Kelly Jeffers at Urban Mission Ministries at 740-282-8010 or via email here . There is no cost to joining.
The YWCA of Steubenville is hosting its monthly, "Taking The Lead" program on Wednesday, May 1st from 8 to 9 a.m. at its 320 North 4th Street location. The featured speaker is Kelly Jeffers, the new Director of New Initiatives at the Urban Mission Ministries . She will be speaking about the new, "Jobs For Life" program. The cost is $10 per person and includes a continental breakfast. To register, contact the Steubenville YWCA at 740.282.1261 or email steubenvilleywca@comcast.net.
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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.
Around the State. Around the Country.
Up-to-Date Information from the Ohio and United States Chamber of Commerce
Chamber Urges Swift Passage of Critical Infrastructure Bill

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony this week on Senate Bill 33 (SB 33), legislation that strengthens protections for critical infrastructure. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce provided testimony in support of the bill. While fortunately Ohio has not faced the sort of disruptions seen elsewhere, taking this proactive step would protect Ohio’s economy and improve our business climate.

This infrastructure is vital to a well-functioning economy. Retailers, hospitals, schools, and homes all rely on electricity, safe drinking water, telecommunications networks and the efficient transportation of products that this infrastructure provides.

Ohio’s abundant natural resources, such as Lake Erie and the Ohio River, lead to ports and rail facilities that businesses rely on. The continued growth of Ohio’s economy depends on businesses being assured that capital investments in infrastructure in our state are safe from physical damage.

Read the article in its entirety by clicking here .
Unlocking the Digital Potential
of Rural America

From an economic standpoint, we’ve yet to unlock the full potential of rural America. But we know just where to start.

To help realize the commercial promise of our small cities and towns, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – in partnership with Amazon – published a report detailing the impact of technology on rural communities. Our study outlines strategies that will help small businesses harness digital tools to drive unprecedented revenue and growth.

Rural America is a land of untapped economic potential. Consider the facts: According to our research, there are 37 million working-age adults in the rural U.S. While accounting for nearly 15% of the country’s adult population and nearly 75% of its landmass, rural businesses represent only 3.7% of total gross revenues. Our study reveals a gaping chasm between what the rural economy is and what it could be – but we believe technology could help bridge the divide.

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


Dead Companies Walking:
How a Hedge Fund Manager Finds Opportunity in Unexpected Places
by Scott Fearon

Unlike most investors who live in fear of failure, Scott Fearon actively seeks it out. He has earned millions of dollars for his hedge fund over the last 30 years shorting the stocks of businesses he believed were on their way to bankruptcy. In Dead Companies Walking , Fearon describes his methods for spotting these doomed businesses and how they can be extremely profitable investments. In his experience, corporate managers routinely commit six common mistakes that can derail even the most promising companies: they learn from only the recent past; they rely too heavily on a formula for success; they misunderstand their target customers; they fall victim to the magical storytelling of a mania; they fail to adapt to tectonic shifts in their industry; and they are physically or emotionally removed from their companies' operations.

View or download the book by clicking here .
Today in History

- March 29, 1973 -

The Vietnam War officially came to an end following the Vietnam peace agreement two months earlier. It had been eight years of direct U.S. intervention. However, U.S. involvement in Vietnam had gone on much longer than that.

Per History.com : "In 1961, after two decades of indirect military aid, U.S. President John F. Kennedy sent the first large force of U.S. military personnel to Vietnam to bolster the ineffectual autocratic regime of South Vietnam against the communist North. Three years later, with the South Vietnamese government crumbling, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered limited bombing raids on North Vietnam, and Congress authorized the use of U.S. troops. By 1965, North Vietnamese offensives left President Johnson with two choices: escalate U.S. involvement or withdraw. Johnson ordered the former, and troop levels soon jumped to more than 300,000 as U.S. air forces commenced the largest bombing campaign in history."

President Richard Nixon presided over the final years of the war, in which the gradual withdrawal of troops was accompanied by widespread protests on the homefront.

"Finally, in January 1973, representatives of the United States, North and South Vietnam, and the Vietcong signed a peace agreement in Paris, ending the direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. Its key provisions included a cease-fire throughout Vietnam, the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the release of prisoners of war, and the reunification of North and South Vietnam through peaceful means."

However, this was not the end of the Vietnam story. For more, click here .
- $10,000 -

The average amount of startup capital needed by a small business owner.
Source: Fundera
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:

Get The Information You Need - The Chamber Staff Is Here To Help
Janet McLaughlin
Investor Relations Coordinator

Janet will assist you with utilizing your membership benefits, answering questions about member programming or how to promote your business through the Chamber.
Tricia Maple-Damewood
President

Contact Tricia with suggestions, input or feedback on member programming, how to get involved on a committee or special project or with questions or information about anything related to the Chamber.
Cassie Balvin
Administrative & Accounting Assistant

Cassie will assist you with event registrations, updating your membership information, questions about your dues or event invoices and any other Chamber programming questions you may have.

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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