Springing into May with ACEnet! 
Nelsonville Food Hub Updates

ACEnet staff & local architect Richard Schultz review his blueprints for the future veggie prep and meat processing rooms in our Nelsonville Food Hub.  Appalachian Regional Commission  funding is making this next phase of construction & equipment purchasing possible. When we're done, ACEnet clients will be able to expand their product lines & distribution capabilities!

Interested in Starting A Coop?

Interested in learning more about a worker-owned cooperative/business? Thursday the 18th is the Entrepreneurship Development Group (EDG) of Athens County's May Lunch & Learn featuring Roy Messing from the Ohio Employee Ownership Center and Leslie Schaller from local coop Casa Nueva (and ACEnet). Free Avalanche pizza provided by ACEnet!


Women in Business Conference Re-Cap
Friday May 5th, ACEnet was proud to host our inaugural Women in Business Conference at the Lodge at Hocking College. We would like to thank Hocking College for donating the space to us, and to thank all of the speakers, trade show participants, workshop leaders, food vendors, Hocking culinary students, attendees & everyone who made this conference a success!

We are busy uploading many of the presentations to our Conference Re-Cap webpage so be sure to check back often! Conference photographs (a special thanks to Kailee from Kailee Slusser Design for volunteering her time & skills as photographer for this event) are on our Facebook so check them out!

ACEnet Funding Updates

As part of its Healthy Food Access Initiative, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville (OHFN) has approved continued support for efforts designed to measurably increase the accessibility, affordability and consumption of healthy foods by low-income, vulnerable populations in southeast Ohio.

This support includes funding for a join effort between ACEnet,  Community Food Initiatives &  Rural Action to increase the supply of healthy foods from area farmers into local markets, including schools and the food pantry system; building capacity and infrastructure to process, aggregate and store increased amounts of healthy foods; and expanding distribution to meet the growing needs of food insecure families.

To learn more about OHF's healthy food access work: See this story.
Arbor Day Celebration
 
ACEnet celebrated Arbor Day early this year by co-donating 6 trees along the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway with the City of Athens. Here's the press release from the City of Athens:

"The Columbus Road Bikepath Spur links the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway to the Columbus Road area of the City - providing recreation and economic opportunities while providing transportation and environmental benefits.

This important project would not have been possible without community partnership and support. The City would like to especially thank the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) for providing an easement for the bikepath and donating the tree plantings along the Columbus Road Bikepath Spur. Thank you!"

We'd like to thank The City for letting us be part of such a great project!

Upcoming Events

The Athens Farmers Market takes place every Saturday and Wednesday from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the Market on East State. For more information & information on becoming a vendor, see the Athens Farmers Market website.

Sunday, May 14th: Mother's Day

Thursday, May 18th; 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
May Lunch & Learn, Interested in Learning More About an Employee-Owned Cooperative/Business? featured in above story. Register with  Trenia Twyman  by May 16th.

Tuesday, May 23rd; 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Appalachian Ohio State of the Region Conference will take place in the Baker University Center Ballroom, Ohio University, Athens. This free event offers statewide public officials, regional economic development personnel and representatives from other businesses and organizations an opportunity to learn about the theme "A New Era in Economic Resiliency" in a series of panel discussions and presentations. Preregistration is recommended as space is limited.  Visit http://sotr.ohio.edu/ for details.

Friday, May 26th; 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Nelsonville Final Friday takes place on the Historic Public Square in Nelsonville on the last Friday of every month except December. May will feature  Hands-On Make-& Takes, Artist chats & demos, Art Openings, Food & Libations. For more info, see Final Fridays on the Square.

Monday, May 29th: Memorial Day

Your tax-deductible contribution helps ACEnet expand economic opportunities in the Appalachian Ohio Region! Thank you for your continued interest in and support of what we do here at ACEnet!
Sincerely,
Meggan Loveland
Appalachian Center for Economic Networks
94 Columbus Rd,  Athens, OH 45701 
(740) 592-3854
94 Columbus Rd, Athens, OH 45701 
740-592-3854