Marching Into Spring with ACEnet! 
Buying Local... Locally

Have you been to Seaman's Cardinal Super Market on W. Union Street lately?  Seaman's Cardinal Supermarket has been serving the Athens community for over sixty years, and is committed to furthering Athens access to local food for years to come. 

Seaman's carries produce from Green Edge Organic Gardens, Hill Brother Produce and the Chesterhill Produce Auction, eggs from High Bottom Farms in Guysville and dairy products from Snowville Creamery. 

You can also find locally produced foods from  Shagbark Seed and Mill , Crumbs Bakery ,  Heini's Cheese ,   Frog Ranch , Kiser's BBQ ,  Athens Own and the  Herbal Sage Tea Company .  

Seaman's carries more than local foods, however. You can find  locally produced beer from Jackie O's, wine from Shade Winery and mead from Wolftree Winery.  Seaman's also carries all natural cleaners made by Natures Magic . 

What really sets Seaman's apart is it's unparalleled selection of local meats! Dry-aged beef from Athens Own, hormone & antibiotic-free beef from RL Valley Ranch and pasture-raised hormone, MSG & antibiotic-free poultry from King Family Farm. To top it off, the butcher is willing to do a variety of custom cuts for customers that call ahead. Now that is customer service! 
Entrepreneur of the Month

Open since 2009, Plaid Butterfly Soaps is a great locally owned and operated business in Nelsonville, Ohio where you can buy handmade soaps, aromatherapy DIY gift sets, bath salts, body spray, beard oil, locally made art/jewelry, vintage aprons and oddities. Plaid Butterfly Soaps is the heart and soul of creator, Johanna Ansel & a true grass roots small business powered by faith and those who support the adventure.
  
If you can't always make it to Nelsonville, or if you've moved out of the area & miss Johanna's soaps, bath salts, etc. we have some great news for you! Plaid Butterfly has expanded its online retail store to include handmade soaps, bath bombs, body butters & lotions, incense, essential oils & gifts and other miscellaneous items like locally grown loofah! 

If you can, be sure to stop by the brick & mortar store at 27 West Columbus Street in Nelsonville. If you're out of the area, be sure to stop by their online store!!  http://www.plaidbutterfly.com/shop.html
 National Good Food Network 2016 Conference

The 2016 National Good Food Network Conference is happening March 30th - April 1st in Atlanta, Georgia. This year's theme is Maintaining Values While Building Value. ACEnet's Director of Programs, Leslie Schaller, and Rosemary Roe, the Food Partner Coordinator for ACEnet, Rural Action & Community Food Initiatives, will be presenting on the Appalachian Food Hub Network for the Value Chain Coordination track on Thursday, March 31st. Ms. Schaller will also be speaking the second day during the plenary Financing the GLUE of Regional Food Systems: Supporting Value Chain Coordinators to Strengthen Regional Food Systems Development session.

There will be many interesting & informative sessions, tours & workshops this year. If you're able to attend, you should register ASAP before registration closes!

 Startup Weekend Athens

Have the next great idea? Want to collaborate with artists, engineers, or entrepreneurs? Come to Startup Weekend Athens!  The event is open to all people of all ages who have an entrepreneurial passion. The event runs through the weekend on March 18-20 at the Ohio University Innovation Center.  

All Startup Weekend events follow the 
same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers.  Don't have an idea but just want to learn how to start a business?  No problem!  Your skills will benefit another's idea. Have an idea but not sure what to do with it?  No problem!  Your idea will spark thought and perhaps generate action. 

For more information, check out the Startup Weekend Athens website!
Upcoming Events

March 8th
The Nelsonville Farmers Market is holding an informational meeting from 5:00-7:00PM at the Nelsonville Public Library for old vendors, new vendors & potential vendors.

March 13th: Daylight Savings Time Begins

March 17th: St. Patrick's Day

March 17th
The Athens Economic Development Council presents their monthly Lunch & Learn event. This month's topic is  Learn How to Grow Your Business Using the Power of Social Media. You'll learn how to:  Measure success on social media;    Increase brand awareness and sales, improve customer service & effectively distribute content to the right audience;    Learn how to manage Facebook ads;    Plan and schedule epic content;    Write compelling content for social media;    Use social media to drive traffic to your website; and  Drive sales to your website & evaluate success using Google Analytic. Lunch provided by Rocky Brands. Register HERE.

March 17 & 18 marks the first annual  Appalachian Conference on Social Enterprise!  Please join business and community leaders for an exciting exploration of business' power to do good. Do you have an idea for investing in your community and earning profit? Do you believe profit is more than the money we can make? Join us for the region's first social enterprise conference and connect with other pioneers in this powerful sector. For more information & to register, click HERE.

Startup Weekend Athens comes back to the Ohio University Innovation Center! The event is open to all who have an entrepreneurial passion.  All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Following the opening pitches, teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it's a 49 hour frenzy of business creation.  The weekend culminates with presentations in front of a judging panel of thought leaders with an opportunity for critical feedback.

March 23rd
Sustainable Food Systems and Grassroots Democracy with Anna and Frances Moore LappĂ©. Ohio University's  Sustainability Studies theme brings Anna and Frances  Moore LappĂ©, a mother-daughter  team internationally  renowned for their work on sustainable food systems, food justice and grassroots democracy, to Ohio University in March.  The founders of the Small Planet Institute ( smallplanet.org ) will discuss sustainable food systems in a lecture on Wednesday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Baker Center Ballroom.  Free and Open to the public!!!

March 26th
Community Food Initiatives is having their annual Spring Seed Exchange on  Saturday, March 26th from 1-3pm in the ACEnet Building C Conference Room (94 Columbus Road Athens). Everyone is invited! Come meet local seed savers, buy, trade and exchange open-pollinated seeds, and get your gardens started right! This is the second and final seed exchange of the year.  If you're a seed saver and would like to table at this event, please email gardens@communityfoodiniti atives.org 
Your tax-deductible contribution helps ACEnet expand economic opportunities in the Appalachian Ohio Region! Thank you for your continued interest in and support of when 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