Have you ever wanted to work with a local nonprofit but weren't sure which one? Here is a great opportunity to work with ACEnet, Community Food Initiatives AND Rural Action! If you have a commitment to sustainable development and building healthy communities with strong local economies, please consider this career opportunity.

For more info: https://acenetworks.org/support-us/career-opportunities/

ACEnet is excited to announce a newly installed spray booth in the Wood Manufacturing Center located in our Nelsonville Business Campus, funded through an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) POWER grant.

The 10’x10’x12’ spray booth will allow woodworkers to apply finishes to their products in a controlled, dust-free environment, thus enabling them to use less product. Priority sign-up will be given to Nelsonville anchor tenants, “but any community member who wants to do woodworking is welcomed to become an ACEnet client and operate from our facility,” said Chris Quolke, ACEnet’s Small Business Support Specialist and Trainer, who oversees the wood manufacturing shared-use space.

The booth, which should be up and running in the next 30 days, weighed in at over 3,000 lbs of freight, but Quolke said overall the installation went smoothly. “I figured when I saw 70 pages of instructions that it would take the better part of probably a week just to get that done, but our staff was able to install it in a day.”

Tim Martin owner/operator of Red Tail Design Co. and Ohio is Home, woodworker and long-time ACEnet tenant has offered to be an in-house trainer for the equipment.

For more information, see full Community Update by Delia Palmisano or contact Chris Quolke.

We are excited to invite you to join ACEnet and Rural Action at Woodland Ridge Farm & Learning Center in Athens on September 25th from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Come to this free event to learn about the value and role of livestock in this farm model with Paul Harper of Woodland Ridge, enjoy a farm-to-table lunch, and take a whole farm tour.

Contact Barb from the BnB Stays button at Woodland Ridge.net if you would like the full farm stay experience. There are 4 guesthouse rooms available at a special workshop rate.

To register for this free event or to view the agenda: https://conta.cc/3hbiPPc

Event supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) programs.

We're so glad to be able to support area organizations in achieving their goals!

The Meigs County Innovative Youth Society is a society in Meigs County dedicated to helping and aiding the Innovative Youth of Meigs with their businesses and creative endeavors.

MCIYS will be officially registered as a non-profit very soon, so visit their FB page and message, text, call or email (mcinnovativeyouthsociety@gmail.com) them to sign up!

ACEnet's Small Business Support Specialist and Trainer Chris Quolke, pictured left with MCIYS, can assist you too! Contact ACEnet for more info.

ACEnet client Hrothgar's Hoard's latest product, Rogue Reborn, is now live on Kickstarter! Rogue Reborn: Hardwood Cases for Superior Heroes. Six years ago, Hrothgar's Hoard brought the Rogue miniature case to the gaming world. Today, they have redesigned this classic case into a high-quality system of miniature, dice, and stylus organization that is tailored to YOU.

They are precision cut, using a traditional and decorative box joint. To top it off, your choice of design is engraved in the lid of the case, making for a unique, reliable, and beautiful mini organizer that you can show off to your friends. And for the first time, Hrothgar's Hoard is offering solid-wood inlays to adorn your favorite designs!

Eliminate the doubt, stress, and hassle that can surround gameplay—the forgotten dice, the broken miniature figures, the misplaced pencils and pens that inevitably interrupt the flow of the story. Hrothgar’s Hoard wants to help you bring your game to the next level so that you can make the most of every session.

We are pleased to welcome Delia Palmisano to ACEnet as our new Multimedia Designer! Delia utilizes the latest software and provides direct 1-1 technical assistance to entrepreneurs to provide them with high-resolution designs and promotional materials such as brochures, rack cards, posters, books, etc. She focuses on strengthening her clients’ brand identities by visually conveying a narrative that appeals to a wider, more inclusive audience. Delia utilizes her background in photojournalism to provide clients with high quality product photography, photo & video storytelling, and is a contributor to the ACEnet blog highlighting ACEnet entrepreneurs & events.

Delia is a 2002 graduate from Ohio University with degrees in Photojournalism and Spanish. Prior to moving back to Athens in 2017, she lived for 12 years in Denver, Colorado, and owned and operated a photography business. Delia earned a Master’s of Fine Arts in Communication Media Arts from Scripps College in May of 2020, focusing on Multimedia Interactive Storytelling for Social Change. Her award-winning documentary thesis project, “Prescription Nature, Green Time Over Screen Time,” explores the physical and mental health benefits of connecting children with the outdoors. Delia recently served as an Americorps volunteer with Ohio’s Winding Road, working to tell authentic local stories and place-making to build a regional brand. In her spare time she can be found exploring the hills of Appalachia with her husband, two children and dog.

ACEnet's own Food Enterprise Coordinator, Adam Kody, is one of the speakers at the The Food Corridor's Food Incubation Summit this year!

You can find him on the Friday panel, Let's Get Down to Business: Shared kitchens talk scaling up food processing, copacking, and meat production.

Adam will also be available for one-on-one mentoring, but time slots fill up quickly so sign up soon!

For more info & to register: https://www.foodincubationsummit.com/

At Blue Rock Station, Annie Warmke views agritourism in a unique way. “Agritourism” is an umbrella term used to describe the practice of tourism in rural areas. Usually it takes the form of urban residents driving out to the countryside for a day of farm tours, food, and sometimes educational workshops. It can be a great way for farmers to diversify their income by repurposing resources they already have to earn money from people who feel a sense of “farm nostalgia” or a desire to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

On the one hand, Blue Rock Station is a perfect site for this kind of agritourism. A small, scenic farm with goats, dogs, and unique buildings like the earthship (built from discarded tires and bottles and held together with a mud-like mixture) fits the bill to a T for urbanites desiring a taste of rural life – I should know, as I was one of these tourists when I toured Blue Rock Station with my mom at age 12!

But at Blue Rock Station, Annie sees agritourism as serving a different purpose for her and her “customers” (if you can call them that). Unlike the typical business mode, where customers experience a problem and an entrepreneur provides them a product or service as a solution, Annie sees her visitors as partners with characteristics in common with her. Characteristics like a desire to build community, resilience, and innovation as tools for climate adaptation.

Check out more of this experiment in green living with "Building Community Resilience & Climate Adaptation through Agritourism at Blue Rock Station," by ACEnet's Fresh & Healthy Foods Ohio CDC Association AmeriCorps VISTA, Rachel Brunot!

National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. This year, the Bailey's Trail System is recruiting volunteers to assist with trail maintenance on the Wayne National Forest's Baileys Trails! Kids welcome! Join them on Saturday, September 25 from 9am - 11:30am for a fun morning in service to our public lands.

If you're unable to help with trail work, you're still invited to a picnic in the park, open to volunteers and the general public! (Please bring chairs and blankets.) Patrons are welcome to pack a lunch and enjoy live music, games and activities in the park. Area businesses and organizations will have information booths and provide interactive outdoor recreation demonstrations. Special guests include Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl, who's turning 50 this year!

Starting and running a business is a challenge, given the failure rate of 50% to 70% in the first four years. The economic volatility of recent COVID-19 disruption has only amplified confusion, anxiety, and fear.

Profit Mastery is a leading financial management program that gives participants the tools and confidence needed to manage their businesses by the numbers. The program provides independent business owners unparalleled financial perspective and tools to take advantage of opportunities – and deal with challenges. The case-study format enhances the application to your network. You'll be introduced to management resources that should be part of every business owner's tool kit.

Unlimited three-month access to the Profit Mastery online video curriculum.

Unlimited access to six supplemental virtual 45- to 60-minute sessions (live or archived) to enhance each Profit Mastery online module with introductory and summary comments.

Downloadable course materials for each module.

Six live virtual supplemental training sessions (20-40 minute sessions) every Thursday at 4:00pm September 23th to October 28th

FREE, courtesy of the Ohio Small Business Development Centers (Retail price is $895)

For more info, course syllabus & to register: https://clients.ohiosbdc.ohio.gov/workshop.aspx?ekey=999410003

September marks the 25th anniversary of UpBEAT! Starting in 1996 with the mission to “Be Educated and Active Together,” Peggy Irwin had a wonderful vision that continues to live on, today. This celebration is for current UpBEAT members, as well as those who may be interested in learning more about what members have experienced in their involvement with UpBEAT over the years. Please note with the recent change in the status of the pandemic, all UpBEAT programs in September will be held virtually only. This includes the UpBEAT anniversary celebration.

URL: https://ohiohealth.webex.com/ohiohealth/j.php?MTID=ma51f394d6b23938e9ed0901738081de8

If you're 55+, connect with UpBEAT! https://www.ohiohealth.com/health-and-wellness/upbeat-program-athens You can also call Caitlin Bond, UpBEAT Program Coordinator, at (740) 566-4680 for more info or to receive the UpBEAT newsletter.

The Athens Farmers Market takes place year round on Saturday and from mid-April up to Thanksgiving on Wednesday at the Market on State Shopping Mall. For more information & information on becoming a vendor, see the Athens Farmers Market website.

The Meigs County Farmers Market is open from May 1st until the end of October in the levee parking lot (Main Street). For more information & information on becoming a vendor, see the Meigs County Farmers Market website.

Regenerative Agriculture with Animals at the Center: Join ACEnet and Rural Action at Woodland Ridge Farm & Learning Center in Athens for this free event to learn about the value and role of livestock in this farm model with Paul Harper of Woodland Ridge, enjoy a farm-to-table lunch, and take a whole farm tour.

Register here: conta.cc/3hbiPPc