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Briarwood Studios Flower Essences:
Supporting Balance and Transformation
Flower essences are made from fresh blossoms infused in water, activated in sunlight, and preserved with brandy. Flower essences work through the body's electrical system and are considered a form of energy healing. The electrical pattern of the flower carried in the essence serves as a catalyst to support change in thought processes, emotions, and feelings. They support balance in our emotional responses and help us transform our lives.
Dr. Katherine Ziff of Briarwood Studios is a flower essence maker and practitioner. She received her flower essence training from the Flower Essence Society and the FES professional practitioner certification in 2014. Briarwood Studios has a library of 250+ flower essences from around the world and offers custom blends created to meet the needs and intentions of their clients.
 Briarwood Studios has a mail order catalog, is available for one-on-one virtual consultations, has a variety of flower essences available at Kindred Market in Athens, and has a line of four flower essences created in partnership with Passion Works Studio!
Read the exciting, first-hand account from Katherine, from beginning bottling to pivoting business strategy during Covid, and don't forget to follow Briarwood Studios Flower Essences on Facebook & Instagram!
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ACEnet Wood Sector Updates
 The newest addition to ACEnet's Nelsonville Business Center is Rogers Woodworking owned by Justin Rogers. In 2011, Justin bought a historic house to rebuild and restore and then started his own finish carpentry business the following year. After completing a two-year intensive fine woodworking degree program at the University of Rio Grande, he knew he'd found the perfect vehicle for both his creative, artistic spirit and his meticulous attention to detail. 
Justin has started to move in from his old workshop in Pittsburgh and will complete his move this month. Rogers Woodworking is a wood product business that produces cabinets and furniture. ACEnet has a Wood Manufacturing Center available to Justin, however he owns much of his own equipment already and so has opted to have his own work space within the facility.
 Winston West is the second newest addition to the Nelsonville Business Center and he operates out of the ACEnet Wood Center. Winston has already started doing some projects, including objects made for other clients and tenants of the Nelsonville facility. Winston has also created a cabinet for ACEnet Wood Center storage.
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McAvoy Massage: Open for Business and
Taking Every Precaution
 McAvoy Massage owners, Leila and Aaron McAvoy, a tenant business in Build B on theACEnet Athens incubator campus, are happy to welcome back their customers during these stressful times. Aaron explains, "As medical practitioners have an obligation to provide a safe space for our clients and ourselves. We follow the Responsible Restart Ohio, Department of Health guidelines for massage therapy." This includes: disinfecting all contactable surfaces before and after each massage, using hand sanitizer, providing clean linens for each customer, and monitoring the therapist's temperature and blood oxygenation levels every day and posting to a white board on their office door. The McAvoy's request that everyone wear face masks, as they do, and be prepared to have their temperature and blood oxygenation monitored with a forehead, non-touch, thermometer and a finger, non-stick, oxygenation sensor. They also require customers to call or text when they arrive for their appointments.
 McAvoy Massage began operations at ACEnet in 2019 and have a pleasing and relaxing and private space at the end of the hallway. Aaron C. McAvoy, LMT has practiced massage therapy in Athens County, Ohio for over 15 years. After receiving his Medical Massage License from the state of Ohio in 2003 he went on to receive a Biological Science degree from Ohio University. While studying at the Sacred Mountain Midwifery School in Spruce Knob, WV, Leila became enthusiastic about massage therapy. She now practices medically oriented massage, for not only the pregnant, but any who are in need of her services. Leila shares that "touch is a cornerstone of living. We touch the food we eat, the air we breathe, the earth as we walk. Massage is a sacred and ancient practice. We are mindfully dedicated to that which promotes the clinical application of our trade." The McAvoy's are proud to serve the community by providing medical and clinical massage therapy treatments that focus on custom treatments that are a thorough blending of multiple modalities within the scope of medical massage therapy, according to individual needs. For more information or to make an appointment visit www.mcavoymassage.com. Appointments can be booked online and detailed descriptions of their treatments are offered.
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Farm to School News!
 ACEnet Food Enterprise Coordinator, Adam Kody, has been working Rural Action on their plans to offer a shelf-stable tomato sauce as part of their Farm to School line of products, including providing all of the hands-on technical assistance in developing the product. 
After conducting a test run in the ACEnet Food Ventures kitchen to make sure the natural pH of the tomatoes was safe, Adam and Rural Action ordered jars and scheduled a full-fledged production in ACEnet's Thermal Processing Room.
 They ran a full production in the wet room on the 17th to produce about 50 gallons of tomato sauce: 30 gallons of "stewed" (chunky) tomatoes and 20 gallons of pureed tomatoes. Federal Hocking's Farm to School Coordinator, Lynn Genter, who gave them the idea to do the stewed tomatoes also joined in.
This initial production was a pilot run to see if the cafeteria workers are happy with the finished product. We haven't received any feedback yet but once we do they will probably look at scheduling another production. 
Another product they have been working on is peppers. Pepper production day yielded 60 pounds of diced & frozen peppers.
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Athens MakerSpace & Thrift Store
As you've likely heard, ACEnet is partnering with Rural Action and five other community organizations to reimagine the former ReUse Industries MakerSpace and Thrift Store on West Union Street on the outskirts of the city of Athens. Since January the partners have banded together to assist Rural Action to purchase the assets of ReUse Industries and save these important assets for our community of makers throughout the county.
 In early October an open house allowed community members to visit the two new social enterprises: UpCycle Ohio Thrift and The Community Makerspace. Passion Works Studio is already back in the Community Makerspace preparing the metal plates that make up the world famous Passion Flowers. ACEnet and Passion Works are in the early planning stages of new product development concepts and encourage makers to connect with ACEnet staff uncover new ways they can participate.
We would also suggest that entrepreneurs and DIY enthusiasts visit the website and take  advantage of some of the introductory rates currently in the offering such as 20% off the annual Community Makerspace memberships if you sign up before Oct. 15, 2020. That means the $400 annual subscription costs just $320 -- an $80 savings. Once you sign up, invite a friend to join and the Community Makerspace staff will add two months to your membership for free. Producer Memberships will cover daily access from 10 am - 8 pm with additional business development support from ACEnet.
Also please consider subscribing to Rural Action's UpCycle Ohio newsletter if you'd like to join us as we continue the journey that our friends at ReUse Industries started. We're so excited to be working with the many great partners bringing the Community Makerspace and a zero-waste focused Thrift back to life. To learn more please visit the following link to learn more: https://upcycleohio.com/
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Produce Perks: Produce Coupons
The Fruit and Vegetable Coupon Program offers $40-worth of coupons for FREE fruits and vegetables to families who qualify. If you fit ALL THREE qualifications listed below, sign up the Athens Farmers Market on October 24th!
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Relief Resources for Artists, Farmers, Food Service & Retail, Individuals, Nonprofits & Small Businesses
ACenet is maintaining & regularly updating our Relief Resources web page. It includes funding relief resources for artists, farmers, food service & retail businesses, individuals, nonprofits & small businesses in general. If you have any questions or would like assistance applying for any funding packages, please contact LeslieS@acenetworks.org.
 ACEnet facilities, including the Food Ventures Center in Athens & the Food & Farm Enterprise Center in Nelsonville are and will remain open until further notice. ACEnet staff is available (remotely) for our various business counseling services.
Please email your needs to LeslieS@acenetworks.org and you will be connected with a staff member who can assist you.
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Upcoming Events
Saturdays, Wednesdays; 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
The Athens Farmers Market takes places every Saturday and Wednesday at the Market on East State. For more information & information on becoming a vendor, see the Athens Farmers Market website.
Saturdays, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM The Meigs County Farmers Market takes place every Saturday at the levee parking lot on Main Street in Pomeroy. For more information & information on becoming a vendor, see the Meigs County Farmers Market website.
Wednesday, October 14th; 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Virtual Community Art Nights with Passion Works Studio. Check the Passion Works Facebook page for details each week.
Friday, October 16th; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Webinar: Creating your Business Identity: Logos, presented by ACEnet Multimedia Designer, Maggie Prest. When starting your business one of the first things you should think about is how you present your identity to the public. With this webinar we will go through the basics of what a logo is, how a tagline helps, and the different forms and feelings to consider when bring your identity to life! Your logo is the face of your business. It's a visual representation of who you are and your product. Having a quality logo is important for catching the eye of consumers.
Monday, October 19th; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Webinar: Securing Grants, Loans and Private Donations for Community Facilities or Small Business Expansion. Webinar presenters will share resources for non-profits, cooperatives, associations and private businesses to identify and secure financing and investment options for community revitalization.
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 833 1391 3618
Passcode: 452274
Wednesdays, October 21st; 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Webinar: Google: Registering Your Business, presented by ACEnet Microenterprise Program Trainer, Kyle Verge. Having a presence on Google is important if you want customers to find you online. We'll show you the basics of registering your small business, so you can start getting noticed!
Registration link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5237530646117576206
Thursday, October 22nd; 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Webinar: Going Virtual: Moving Work and Programming Online, presented by AIR Institute Executive Director, Beth Flowers. Explore new technology and techniques that can help rethink your daily work and programming using virtual spaces. In depth, real-time, hands-on training of the latest Zoom functionality and case studies for moving meetings, workshops, fundraising, community events, and performances online. Executive Director of the AIR Institute, Beth Flowers will spend the first hour presenting the latest tools on zoom. From 2:00 to 2:30, attendees can participate in a networking clinic to get individual questions answered. Attendance is limited to 12 participants.
Join Zoom Meeting:
Monday, October 26th; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Webinar: The Power of Regional Brands. Learn more about Ohio's Winding Road and the 30 Mile Meal brand programs and how to participate in collaborative messaging and marketing. Presenters will share success stories from entrepreneurs in the food, agricultural, hospitality and tourism networks of our Ohio Hill Country counties. Start-up or established business will learn ways they can immediately connect with the brand programs to increase awareness for their enterprises.
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 819 1118 3546
Passcode: 224334
Wednesday, October 28th; 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Webinar: Understanding Ohio's Cottage Food Regulations, presented by ACEnet Director of Programs, Leslie Schaller. Are you a home-based food or farm business getting ready to sell your food products at farmers markets, pop-up events or online for the holidays? This webinar will walk you through what is allowable by the State of Ohio for direct and retail store sales. Leslie will share tips and affordable resources for labels, packaging and online marketing.
Friday, October 30th; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Webinar: Instagram for Business, presented by ACEnet Special Projects Coordinator, Madelyn Brewer. Instagram will soon surpass Facebook in the number of users and the frequency of use. Facebook and Instagram continue to integrate, so it's important your business has a presence on both platforms.
Wednesday, November 4th; 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Webinar: Google: Info Tab, presented by ACEnet Microenterprise Program Trainer, Kyle Verge. A continuation of the last Google webinar. We'll continue to show you how to continue to build your profile and add information.
Friday, November 13th; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Webinar: Getting Familiar with the New Facebook, presented by ACEnet Special Projects Coordinator, Madelyn Brewer. You may have noticed that your Facebook home page has changed. We'll discuss how those changes impact the way you use your small business page and the impact it has on your followers.
Registration link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7781409126696129548
Wednesday, November 18th; 11:00 AM - 12 PM
Webinar: Using Facebook Groups to Sell Products, presented by ACEnet Special Projects Coordinator, Madelyn Brewer. Are you interested in selling online, but websites and Etsy aren't your style? We'll talk about connecting with customers using Facebook groups and how creatives all over the country are using Groups to boost sales in the wake of COVID-19.
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Did You Know?
Did you know that Kroger has a community rewards program much like Amazon Smile? If you sign up for Kroger Community Rewards & designate ACEnet as your nonprofit of choice they'll donate a percentage of the money you spend on groceries to us!
You may need to renew your choice if it's been a while. Go to Kroger Community Rewards and search for ACE NET (needs to have the space), after you choose us, Kroger donates to us every time you shop!
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94 Columbus Rd, Athens, OH 45701
740-592-3854
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Sincerely
