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Volume 9| Issue 5| May 2013 May 5| Issue 9| Volume March 22, 2013, The Commons at Franklin “Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 2
WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
Em’s Cakes Em's Cakes offers gourmet cakes and cupcakes Emily Kovacs that are custom and made-to-order. Everything is 447 McPherson Road made from scratch and with fresh, high quality Oil City, PA 16301 ingredients. We can accommodate any of your Phone: 814-673-1611 catering needs, from small meetings to large wed- Email: [email protected] dings. Website: emscakesonline.com Published Category: Bakery Fireworks Displays, Pyrotechnics, and so much Pyrtotechnico more! Pyrotecnico is America's most creative fire- Victor Laurenza works display, pyrotechnics and special effects PO Box 149 company. Pyrotecnico is ready to present an ex- New Castle, PA 16103 ceptional fireworks display for every type Phone: 814-854-4705 of event from the 4th of July to wedding fireworks Email: [email protected] and beyond.
Website: www.pyrotechnico.com Published Category: Fireworks
Michael Anthony Poff Supporting member 35 1/2 Dwyer Street Oil City, PA 16301
Member News for the Newsletter Wondering how your business can include an item in a future newsletter? We continue to welcome your news re- leases that may highlight Significant Anniversaries, New management or staff promotions, Awards and accomplish- ments, Celebration events, Updates of contact information, location, hours. Send your press releases and "need to know" information to [email protected] any month, by the 25th for inclusion in the upcoming month’s newsletter. Please feel free to send photos or logos to accompany any news. Advertising inserts should be delivered to the Chamber by the 25th of each month. We need 575 copies. Call the chamber for pricing.
VenangoChamber Venango Area Chamber of Commerce Group
VenangoChamber Venango Area Chamber of Commerce
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org The Chamber is bringing you several opportunities to learn in May. Check out this line up of members and 3 partners, ready to help you run your business using the latest technology to work efficiently and affordable!
May Brown Bag: Is a Smartphone Credit Card Processor Right for Your Business?
Don LeGoullon of PennTAP (an Outreach of Penn State University) will be presenting our May Brown Bag at noon on May 22 in the Chamber conference room. We’re seeing lots of TV commercials about accepting a Credit Card on your Smartphone. Join us to learn the basic ins and outs of this technology, why it might be good for you, and more. Don’s program will include a ‘live’ demonstration. Bring your own lunch and we’ll have coffee and water available. There is no fee to attend!
Lunch & Learn presented by Energy Efficiency Solutions Tuesday, May 21 11:30-12:30 in the Chamber conference room See the insert in this newsletter for more details
The Power of Email Marketing - Constant Contact No cost to attend Judy Lipinski is a geek-to-business translator who helps May 24th Getting Started with Constant Contact organizations to connect using technology. She has Experience a live demonstration of Constant Contact’s tool for authored courses and provides training around the world email marketing and see how easy it is to create professional in various technologies and project management. Judy and powerful emails to reach the people that matter to your has been selected as the authorized local expert for Con- business. How to modify our templates with your branding stant Contact, providing training on their email market- How to upload your contact lists &add a sign up box to your website ing, event management, and social media services. How to integrate social share features for a broader reach How to access your reporting May 17th Power of Email Marketing New features and resources at Constant Contact Master the email marketing basics Build a quality email list Each session will be held from noon until approximately Create email content that gets results 1:30 PM in the Chamber’s conference room. Increase the number of emails that get read Marketing tips and best practices RSVP’s required by Friday May 10, as a different location will be determined as attendance demands.
School Counts! in the Oil Region
With high school students out looking for summer employment, we want to encourage all of our region’s busi- nesses to join us as Business Partners in support of School Counts! in the Oil Region an initiative to help students understand that school performance is important and will help develop a more qualified workforce.
The criteria students must meet each school year to earn a certificate are:
Obtain at least a “C” or better in every class Achieve at least a 95% attendance and punctuality rate Take more than the minimum number of required credits Graduate high school in eight consecutive semesters Demonstrate a positive behavior and no school suspensions
If your business believes in a work ethic that is demonstrated by these traits, please show your support by displaying this decal. To view the entire list of supporting businesses and to register your business as a School Counts! in the Oil Region Partner, visit http://www.venangochamber.org/invest/school- counts-in-the-oil-region/
“Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 4
Maidens IV to Perform at Barrow
The locally popular group will return to the area and perform at the Barrow-Civic Theatre on Friday, May 24th at 7:30pm. The group members are pleased to once again provide entertainment for local residents. The Barrow- The Arlington Hotel Civic Theatre is happy to have the opportunity 814.677.1221 1 Seneca St to provide such an appreciated cultural event for area 877.677.1222 Oil City, Pennsylvania residents. Tickets to the event are just $14.00 and can be fx: 814.677.0492 www.oilcityhotel.com purchased by calling the Barrow Box Office at 437-3440 /800-537 -7769 or see us on the web at barrowtheatre.com.
Auto Venango Regional Airport, (FKL) Home Life The airline serving Franklin/Oil City, (FKL), is UNITED EXPRESS Commercial
Group operated by Silver Airways (Formerly Gulfstream Int’l.) The And Others…... Airline has experienced a major restructuring, name change and extraordinary growth in the past 2 years. This has brought some notoriety: Snapshot Certified Agent Silver Airways, dba UNITED EXPRESS, was recently named Check Us Out….. Call….. 2013 REGIONAL AIRLINE OF THE YEAR by Air Transport World WWW.BARRSINSURANCE.COM 888.399.6368 magazine. UNITED EXPRESS operates daily flights between Franklin/Oil City’s Venango Regional Airport (FKL) and the United Airlines hub in Cleveland where you can connect seamlessly to 101 flights to over 60 destinations throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Through the STAR ALLIANCE, United Airlines is your connec- tion to the World. The Staff at Venango Regional Airport are eager to serve your travel needs. Simply call 1-800-523-3273 or ask your travel agent to book your next flight to or from Franklin (FKL). It’s great for all those Oil Heritage visitors! Of course you can also do it yourself by visiting
State Farm® www.united.com , www.expedia.com, Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 or your favorite travel web site. Need help with the web Sandy K Hovis Ins Agcy Inc. sites?? Call O.C. at 814-432-5333 for personal service. Sandy K. Hovis LUTCF, Agent
857 Allegheny Boulevard, P.O. Box 310 Help us reach a 100 new likes in the month of May by Reno, PA 16343-0310 liking us and sharing our link with your friends on Face-
814 437 2716 Fax 814 437 2950 book. If we reach a 100 new likes everyone will be put [email protected] in a drawing for $50.00 in free Rada Cutlery merchan- dise. Deadline is May 31, 2013 and winner will be an- Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.® nounced June 3, 2013.
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org 5
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES
225 Singh Drive Cranberry, PA 16319 814.677.2640 The Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism will be 65 Rooms kicking off an exciting initiative 'Get on the Trail!' Entrepreneurial Indoor Pool Contest on May 15th. The Contest offers $5,000 for first prize; Wireless High Speed Internet $2,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place. The overall Deluxe Hot Breakfast Buffett goal with the contest is to spur economic development for Meeting Facility for Seating up to 60 recreational activities. WWW.HIEXPRESS.COM/FRANKLINPA This kick-off event is open to the public and will begin at 5:30 with a 'munch and mingle'. The program will run from 6 - 8 p.m. at the National Transit Building located at 217 Elm Street, Oil City. Reservations are needed by May 10th. Call the Oil Region Alliance at 814-677-3152 or register on line at www.getonthetrail.org
Museum Opens for the Season The Venango Museum of Art, Science and Industry is open for the season. Along with our Oil: Black Gold or Black Magic exhibit we have a wonderful changing exhibit “A Century of Transportation”. Come and see models of a variety of modes of transportation over the years. A highlight is a soap box derby car from the 1940’s.
Also on May 9th we will host our annual Sibley Mansion Tour. The tours will be held at the Mansion at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM. GILL They will begin with a video talking about the History of River Ridge and the Sibley Mansion, a guided tour throughout the CONSULTING mansion and of course wonderful refreshments. The cost is $20.00 per person and advance registration is required. Please Human Resource Management ▪ Strategic Planning Business Development ▪ Customized Training Programs call the museum to reserve your spot today at 676-2007. Employee Relations ▪ Executive Coaching On May 16th we will have our monthly card party and on May Route 8, Reno, PA 16343 (814) 676-5566 19th at 3:00 pm will be our second Sunday Afternoon concert of the season and the Pine Valley Boys will be here to entertain.
Local business woman and young professional Amanda Hippenstiel is making “Shop Local “ garden banners available at cost and encourages everyone to proudly iBelong iBelong display them this Summer. Flag $6.00 — Flag Holder $9.99 plus tax
Orders Due June 1st, delivery Mid June. Pay in Advance 101 N. 13TH STREET 25 E. FIRST STREET Mandy’s Gift Boutique FRANKLIN OIL CITY 309 E Second Street 432-4091 676-4504 Oil City Pa 16301 814-670-0724 “Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 6
FLEX, in cooperation with Pennsylvania CareerLink – Oil Region and Venango College of Clarion University, will host the Oil Region Career Fair June 4-6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, at Venango College of Clarion University, 1801 West First Street, Oil City. On June 4, the career fair will feature jobs in the healthcare and social services industries. Manufacturing jobs will be featured on June 5, and on June 6, business services will be highlighted. Refreshments will be available compliments of Venango Technology Center, and lunch will be provided by Sing- ers at a reasonable cost. For more information, please contact Bobbie Haag, Adult/DW Coordinator at Pennsyl- vania CareerLink – Oil Region, at 814-678-5078 or e-mail [email protected].
FLEX’s First Friday Lunch in May will be held Friday, May 3, at noon, at Lona’s Restaurant & Pub, 1213 Liberty Street, Franklin. Reservations are not necessary. The meal is Dutch treat. For more information, please e-mail [email protected] or contact the Chamber at 814-676-8521.
Jason Bidish want YOU to join FLEX for the next First Friday Lunch
FLEX will host an Intern Welcome Mixer with happy hour, co-hosted by Taking Care of Business (TCB), to follow on Friday, June 14, at the National Transit Building in Oil City. Both events are free. Reservations can be made by calling the Chamber at 814-676-8521 but are not required. Interns from all area businesses are encouraged to attend the Intern Welcome Mixer for opportunities to network with peers and mentors across the region. The Intern Welcome Mixer will begin at 4 p.m., and then will transition to happy hour for all Chamber mem- bers from 5-7 p.m. Area businesses are encouraged to support initiatives for our commu- nity’s young leaders. Those attending the TCB Happy Hour are asked to bring a canned good for the benefit of the Community Services of Venango County food pantry. Oil City’s north side will also host the 6th annual Oil Region Indie Music Festival on Friday, June 14. Interns and Chamber members are encouraged to support the events that evening. Free shuttle service, compliments of FLEX, will be provided by Oil City’s National Transit Express Trolley. The shuttle will be available for the evening, stopping at marked locations on both the north and south sides of Oil City. For more information about the Intern Welcome Mixer or happy hour on June 14, or if you are interested or know a young professional who would like to be involved in FLEX, e-mail [email protected], like us on Facebook, text FLEX to 42828, or contact the chamber at 814-676-8521.
Text FLEX to 42828 to receive emails
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org 7
Allegheny Notary Service LLC was started in the fall of Allegheny Valley Real Estate LLC started business in 2012 by Kevin and Liz Roth. Kevin became a Public No- May 2011 and is owned by Kevin and Liz Roth of Oil tary last August and Liz became a Notary Public this City. Liz, the agency's Broker, has been a licensed past January. Kevin’s focus is the Notary Business, but realtor since 1999 and has worked as a full time agent in the local Venango County real estate market we work as a Team to complete much of the notary since that time. The agency handles residential, paperwork. In addition to handling signature notariza- commercial, land and property management for tions Allegheny Notary Service is a Pennsylvania De- buyers, sellers and property investors. During the partment of Transportation approved Full Service past year they added rental property management Agency. We are able to do vehicle title transfers and to the services they offer. Liz especially likes issue new plates for all vehicles. We can also transfer working with property investors as she and Kevin title to and register ATV, Snowmobiles and Boats. As own multiple rental properties in the area. She believes that as an owner of rental property she has of this month we will be “online” with the state and a better insight into true market rents and able to issue vehicle registrations instantly . We are property maintenance costs to pass along to her the only Full Service Notary in Oil City. We are avail- investor clients than agents that do not own rental able by appointment anytime and can provide signa- properties themselves. Jody Torino of Oil City ture notary services at your location with advance ar- obtained her real estate license last year and rangement and an additional fee. Allegheny Notary joined the agency as a realtor. Service is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Fri- The company has a website www.alleghenyvalleyre.com and can also be found day from 9AM till 7PM and Wednesdays and Satur- on facebook. days from 9AM to 2PM. It is conveniently located across from Rite Aid & Giant Eagle at 515 East Second Street in Oil City.
Caldwell Printing was established in 1996 and has been a chamber member right from it’s beginning. Matt Caldwell, son of owner Jim Caldwell, has worked in and around the busi- ness since it was founded and has been an employee since the age of 16. Matt began working full-time for the business in May 2012.Before Matt manages production and sales and produces all vinyl products, a new service added in 2011. Among the vinyl services first offered was cut vinyl, letters for doors windows and banners, and later full-color vinyl. The newest service offered by Caldwell is full or partial vehicle wraps. Matt recently traveled to Philadelphia to become a certified wrap installer. Wraps provide an affordable alternative to a custom paint job on a vehicle and act as a mobile billboard. Mobile advertising provides the lowest cost per impression of any form of advertising.
Matt is also excited about a vinyl service offering full-color reflective vinyl, which is visible day and night, doubling the opportunity for impressions. Log on to Caldwell's website at caldwell-print.com For more details or contact Matt by cell phone at 673-0290 or email at [email protected].
“Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 8 The Venango Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 2013 Business and Partner of the Year Wagner Family Eyecare named as the 2013 Business of the Year.
Dr. David Wagner joined the practice of Tracy Sepich in 1999 as an extern while completing his education at the PA College of Optometry. While it was not in his long-term plan prior, he accepted an offer to move back and join the practice full-time in 2000. Three years later he would become a partner with Dr. Sepich and in the next year become the sole owner of Wagner Family Eyecare. At that time the practice had a staff of only two in addition to Dr. Wagner. The practice has now grown to a staff of eight. With the growing practice, Dr. Wagner recognized the need for more space and in 2011 purchased and moved into the building previously occupied by Black's Bakery, located at 3285 State Route 257 in Seneca. With an investment of over $100,000 for renovations and state-of-the-art equipment, Wagner contracted local contractors and architects to customize the building. In addition to a growing staff, Wagner Family Eyecare has enjoyed a steady growth of patients, an increase of more than 800% over the past 10 years.
In 2010, 2011, and 2012 Dr. Wagner and his staff welcomed to their office additional staff, to accommodate the growing practice and the increasing patient demand.
Dr. Stephen M. Reinsel joined the practice in the spring of 2012 as the office's first Student Intern and then officially in the summer of 2012 upon graduation from PCO, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University in Philadelphia, PA. He is a board certified Doctor of Optometry by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. He, like Dr. Wagner, is a member of the American Optometric Association, Pennsylvania Optometric Association and the Northwestern Pennsylvania Optometric Association. Dr. Reinsel is an active member of the Cranberry satellite of the Oil City Rotary Club. Dr. Reinsel is the son of Joseph and Suzann Reinsel of Oil City and graduated from Oil City High School in 2005.
Dr. Reinsel also shares the passion for treating Pediatric Eye issues, specializes in Low Vision eye care, evaluating and treating major eye conditions such as cataracts, Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, Hypertensive Retinopathy, as well as Glaucoma. Dr. Wagner and Dr. Reinsel are able to treat pediatric eye development issues and can work with families and educational professionals to equip children with vision therapy to assist in correcting most learning disabilities caused by visual issues. Continued on page 10 The Oil City Area School District has been named the Venango Chamber's 2013
Partner in Business.
With the largest enrollment of any school district in the region and as one the county's 10 largest employers, the school districts employs more than 300 with 1/3 of the staff, under the age of 40. Directed by a school board of nine elected community volunteers, the school district is a $28 million per year corporation, authorizing a budget of over $2,000,000 per month.
As the Partner in Business, the school district is recognized by the chamber for its efforts to work with the business community in assuring a quality workforce for the future. Dr. Carrico facilitated the beginning of the Business Education Round Table forum, inviting business leaders from across the county to meet with local superintendents. The first initiative resulting from these meetings is School Counts in the Oil Region, a program addressing soft skills as criteria for employability.
Dr. Carrico remarks "Public-school systems responsibility is to be a public servant and to foster relationships with the business community in the region at-large, preparing students for integration into the community and to encourage students to invest in their community." To that end, the Oil City Area School District has fostered relationships with a diverse list of community members that are engaged with the staff and students of the District, a number that is simply too long to be listed here. Students and staff serve, in groups and individually, in positions on local boards and councils, to volunteer groups at events and community projects. Their impact is felt across the community. Annually an average of over 100 students assists the downtown business community for the local spring cleanup effort. Student musicians and artists showcase their works at local nursing homes, within the business community, and at local events and festivals. Student athletes volunteer their time throughout the community as well. Continued on page 11 Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org 9
2013 Member Dr. Reinsel uses the OCT imager Directory and Venango County Map… coming soon
Derrick Special Edition Tab These valued publications are available to you because of member sponsored advertising! Making the Most of your Advertising Budget Most businesses are approached weekly with new advertising opportu- nities. In many cases these opportunities are familiar and you are Wagner Family Eyecare Team at Bowl for Kid’s Sake dealing with local representatives that you know and trust. But what should you do when the sales person is not someone you know? Over the past year, several members have contacted the Chamber office after being approached for advertising, on occasion after having committed to invest in one of these advertising requests. Maps, banners, community guides are just a few. Sound familiar? Advertising is an important part of promoting your business and in addition to providing exposure of your goods and services, often benefits local organizations. So how can you be sure that your money is well spent? If you are not familiar with the salesperson and their company, always do a little homework. Do not take the word of the person asking for your money without understanding where your business name will appear, for how long and the distribution of the Students at the OCHS Dental Center advertisement. When in doubt, ask for a local referral or call the Chamber Office and we will be happy to check out the information you have been provided and confirm the credibility of anyone selling advertising in our region. While it is important to explore a variety of ways to advertise, we can recommend many of our Chamber members that can assist you with planning the most effective route, from design and copy, to inclusion in local publications and media. Our best advice? Don’t wait to be approached. Begin now to plan your advertising budget and don’t 2013 Spring Clean Up in downtown Oil City forget the Chamber! We have several advertising opportunities available to our members.
“Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 10
Wagner...continued from page 8
During November of 2012, Wagner Family Eyecare added a state of the art Heidelberg Spectralis OCT (Ocular Coherence Tomography) imager with Autofluorescence technology. The OCT imager allows the doctors to view images of the eye that were previously impossible to see. By viewing multi-layer scans of the retina and optic nerve, the doctors can detect even the smallest of changes in patient’s eyes. The Spectralis OCT aids the doctors in detecting eye diseases and in developing treatment options before loss of eyesight becomes an issue. This is a cutting edge addition to the overall eye healthcare of patients with diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other eye conditions. Wagner Family Eyecare is one of a select few practices nationwide to offer this service with this device.
As of January 1st, 2013, Wagner Family Eyecare is now a proud member of Vision Source. Vision Source is North America’s largest and most prestigious network of private practice optometric offices. Vision Source will allow Wagner Family Eyecare first access to the most up to date technology and treatments to even further improve the quality care given to patients. Vision Source allows all at Wagner Family Eyecare to pass on savings, quality, and technology to their patients.
Wagner Family Eyecare consists of staff: David A. Wagner OD; Stephen M. Reinsel OD; Office Manager, April Stewart; Medical Secretary Receptionist, Diana Kiser; Technician Assistant, Susie Hlawati; Optician, Jennifer Mason; and Optician and Technician Assistant, Elizabeth Fish, CPO and new to our staff, Medical Secretary Receptionist ,Heidi Malys,. Wagner Family Eyecare will continue to host Optometric Interns from the PA College of Optometry throughout the years to help educate the next generation of Optometric eye health physicians.
Wagner Family Eyecare works closely with Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services and Office of Vocational Rehabilitation all under the Pennsylvania Dept. of Labor and Industry in correctly matching eye needs of patients with specific devices to enable patients to continue living as independently as possible. Wagner Family Eyecare is also a new provider for the Veterans Administration and enables veterans to have their needs met with low vision devices, eyewear and eye care services.
The goal of Wagner Family Eyecare staff never changes, which is to provide high quality eye healthcare services to their patients; to treat each patient as they would their own close family members. Helping patients in all aspects of care related to the eyes; be it eyewear needs such as contact lenses, frames, services, or insurance claims processing. This continues to be the driving goal for both the doctors and staff at Wagner Family Eyecare.
When asked what his biggest challenges have been over the years, Dr. Wagner cites that such steady growth alone offers challenges. The continued competition of large national providers has demanded that small businesses find their nitch.
Superior customer service and state-of-the-art technology have been his best response to such competition. In September 2012 the practice converted to electronic health records. This has improved accessibility of patient records and reports to the rest of the patients' healthcare team as well as accuracy of information in the records. Additionally the practice began e-prescribing, also improving accuracy and providing better communication with the pharmacy, lowering the risk of medicine interactions.
Dr. Wagner and his wife Jodi are the parents of an eight-year-old daughter Madison. In March 2012 Dr. Wagner traveled with a mission trip to Haiti setting up an eye care clinic delivering thousands of pairs of glasses and eye healthcare to the residents there. He plans to make this a yearly occurrence and hopes to include many from his office and community to increase the number of Haitians that can be aided.
In 2012 Dr. Wagner was a nominee for the FLEX Young Professional of the Year.
When asked about the future of his practice Dr. Wagner states that he continues to look for opportunities to build efficien- cies into the practice and eventually add more employees to support the growth of Dr. Reinsel's part of the practice. His office is ready to embrace the changes and influx of new patients that are anticipated with the changes in our national healthcare. This will make available eye care to many children and adults that have never had access before. Especially the fact that a Pediatric Benefit will be part of all new healthcare plans beginning in 2014 .
Wagner Family Eyecare will be hosting an open house and Chamber Mixer on May 23rd. Please join the Chamber for the Business of the Year Recognition Mixer on May 16th at the Movies at Cranberry. Details are included inserts in this newsletter.
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org 11 Oil City Area School District...continued from page 8
While the impact the Oil Area School District is most strongly felt in the immediate community there is evidence of a much larger reach within the region. They recently took the lead in the coordination of the Regional Emergency Response Protocol for Venango County. This protocol provides a plan for local school districts private and public, and police and emergency responders, to have standard procedures in the case of emergencies and public safety threats. School facilities have been available for regional events such as the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life.
Faced with aging facilities and changing needs, the school district recently completed a multi-million- dollar renovation to the high school and middle school, as well as the athletic complex. The district is currently in the final stages of a feasibility study to address the current and future challenges of its elementary schools. While the recent upgrades to facilities are quite obvious it may be the changes inside the school that are even more impactful. Attention to security was a high priority and infrastructural needs to support the current student population and technology requirements. The Oil City Area School District embraces 21st Century learned as evidenced by their Classrooms for Future imitative that began at the high school 6 six ago. The district is currently refining the technology strategic plan for a K-12 approach. Dr. Carrico explains that schools must learn how to embed technology as the primary modality for delivery of instruction.
The School District has been committed to using local vendors and businesses, during renovation and construction, and for events and activities. The impact on the region is far reaching, whether driven by a million dollar project or a $1 piece of pizza at a Friday night football game.
When asked about the most recent challenges facing the district, Dr. Carrico remarks "there is a fine art in recognizing, embracing and celebrating education as a business."
At a time when many education providers across the country are struggling, the Oil City Area School District has continued to make facility improvements and advancements in curriculum with minimal impact to its workforce or programming. Dr. Car- rico credits good fiscal management by his administration, a superb professional team of educators, great students, a suppor- tive parent network and community.
Please join us in congratulating the Oil City Area School District as our Partner in Business.
Bright Ideas offer Google Apps Class
In the world of ever changing technology, is your business keeping up? Do you need your tablet, laptop and flash drive to be productive in meetings? Google Apps may be a the solution to make your company more effective and efficient, and allow you to carry one device everywhere. Google Apps are web based pieces of software that can be accessed on any device to make your business run smoother. If you need to have access to your work files everywhere you go and are tired of carrying your laptop, tablet and flash drive to access and back up all of your files, then Google Drive is the app for you. If you wish there was a way to create and edit word processing. spreadsheet and presentations files while on your tablet, computer or smart- phone and share one document between multiple people, then Google Docs is the app for you. If you wish that everyone in your office had a place to view and post important dates, meetings and events, then Google Calendar is the app for you. Bright Ideas Learning Center is offering you the chance to learn all about what Google Apps has to offer. They will be holding the Discover Google Apps class on May 13th and May 20th from 6-8 PM. The cost of the class will be $79.
“Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 12
Darkhorse Championship Wrestling"
Bryan Hogue, owner of Hogue Entertain- ment, LLC, has created a weekly studio 716 East Second Street ● Oil City, PA 16301 wrestling program which will air every (814) 677-4005 ● www.fscas.org Sunday on Erie's CW Channel! The new Our services include: Adoption Services Home & Community Habilitation wrestling organization is called Alternatives to Violence The HEIGHTS Program "Darkhorse Championship Big Brothers Big Sisters Oil City P.R.E.P. Program Wrestling" (DCW). The television tapings have so far been filmed Drug & Alcohol Programs PPC Violence Free Network locally in Oil City and air on Erie's CW. The viewing area covers a Family Foundations Program Supervised Visitation good deal of Northwest PA, Northeast OH, Southwest NY & parts General Counseling Venango Fatherhood Initiative Giving Strength to Families Since 1887 of Southeast Canada. Darkhorse Championship Wrestling airs weekly on Erie's CW, Channel 3 Sundays at 10:30 AM and for "Night-Owls" on WICU, Channel 12 Fri. into Sat. mornings, 4:30 AM. Darkhorse is a term used for an unknown, unexpected contender who comes in out of nowhere and wins the event. Hogue has Cranberry 7029 US 322……………….…(814) 676-8600 enlisted the help of local tech guru, Jonanthan Wenner as his Franklin 1301 Liberty St……………….(814) 432-2195 technical director (in charge of lights, cameras, sound) and Pitts- Oil City 259 Seneca St…………….…(814) 676-5736 105 Petroleum St.………....(814) 676-5648 burgh resident Chad Henry as his Booker. Henry seeks out the talent and books them for episodes and live events. This should Northwest Direct: 1-877-672-5678 www.northwestsavingsbank.com come as second nature for Henry, who not only has a history in Member FDIC the professional wrestling business, but is also a talent scout for NFL's Detroit Lions. Bryan Hogue is the first and only local producer to land a QUALITY INN & CONFERENCE CENTER network television deal and produce the show locally. In addition 1411 Liberty Street (Route 8) to bringing great family entertainment to the area, this provides Franklin, PA 16323 a terrific opportunity to our local businesses for affordable TV Reservations: 800.535.4052 Ph: 814.437.3031 advertising. To learn more about sponsorship, contact Bryan at
Liberty Street Ale House (814) 657-3864. For more details visit Darkhorse-Championship- Restaurant and Bar Wrestling-DCW on Facebook or darkhorsewrestling.com. Deluxe Continental Breakfast Wireless High Speed Internet King, Queen & Jacuzzi Suites Largest first class banquet & meeting facilities in the Taste of Talent Vocal Competition – Franklin, PA area; seating up to 400 in our Grand Ballroom WWW.CHOICEHOTELS.COM The Franklin Fine Arts Council will sponsor the fourth annual Taste of Talent Vocal Competition GLENVIEW APOTHECARY, INC. this summer. The competition is WHERE PHARMACY IS STILL A PROFESSION open to individual soloists ages 16 &
2 SPRING STREET up. The competitions will be held at OIL CITY, PA 16301 Bandstand Park in Downtown 814-676-3731 Franklin.
Registrations packets may be
JAMES M. HIMES RPh, President submitted through the end of LINDA HIMES-SHUTTY CPhT, Vie President April. The Taste of Talent Application packet is available on OPEN MON-FRI 9-6, SAT 9-5 the front page of the website: www.franklinpa.gov or call Closed Sundays & Holidays Emergency 814-676-6169 814/437-1619, ext. 123 or email: [email protected]
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org 13 Adoption Support Group to meet
Open Line Adoption Connection Support Group will hold its first meeting for adult adoptees at 6:30p.m. Tuesday, June 24, at Heart 2 Heart, 304 13th Street Franklin, PA 16323. Sears, The Bon-Ton, JCPenney, Dunham’s Sports & much more! The group’s purpose is to gather together adult adoptees who have searched and located their birth families and who 6945 U.S. Route 322 Cranberry, PA 16319 want to share their experiences, good or bad. To offer General Info: (814) 676-2353 support for adult adoptees who want to search for their birth Leasing Info: (814) 676-3406 families, and to discuss any PA legislation that may involve www.cranberrymall.com Adoption and Open Adoption Record, including original birth certificates. Anyone interested in talking about or simply
being supportive of the “adoption option” may also attend. The group is not an adoption agency, but a group of adult adoptees there for support and to answer questions.
For more information, interested persons should e-mail [email protected]
Antique and Collectibles Consignment Sale
Venango County Historical Society is once again holding its Antique and Collectibles Consignment Sale Friday through Sunday, May 3, 4 and 5, at the Society house, 301 South Park Street, Franklin, PA. Hours for the sale are 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and Noon – 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Several area collectors are participating this year and there will be a wide selection of items available for purchase. In conjunc- The Oil Region’s Best Mix tion with the antique sale, the Society is also going to have a yard sale that will be located on the sidewalk on the South 96.3 WKQW Park side of the house. & Since our sale is being held during Franklin’s May Mart, we are ESPN Radio 1120 AM keeping with the gardening theme by offering for sale flower www.venangocountydailynews.com seed packets contained within quilting squares. Varieties such 806 Grandview Rd, Suite C Ph: 814-676-8254 as Oxeye Sunflower, Big Leaf Lupine, Cosmos and Black-eyed Oil City, PA 16301 Fax: 814-677-4272 Susan will be sure to brighten your garden. For more information, please contact the Society at 814-437- The FUN Bank 2275 or [email protected]. First United National Bank
FRANKLIN OIL CITY CRANBERRY 814-437-5758 814-676-8647 814-678-1115
Offices also in Fryburg, Clarion and New Bethlehem Venango Catholic Preparatory Schools invites community members to sign up for their eNews that comes out every other Monday, and includes info about St. Stephen School, St. Patrick School, and Venango Catholic High School. Anyone in- Donna Rapp Financial Advisors Lori Sibble terested in the eNews can sign up through the VC website, 105 East First St Rte 257, Seneca Commons http://venangocatholic.org/newsletter.php Oil City, PA 16301 Seneca, PA 16346 (814) 676-1151 (814) 677-4880
“Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 14 Ditch the Small Talk...It’s Time for Big Talk [email protected]
So why put all this time and effort in to building relationships? Why should you not only attend business functions, but actively engage others at these events? You do these things to help construct your social frame- work. Your social framework, or network, can be an immensely valuable tool that can be used in numerous situations that you encounter on a daily basis. You can call on a friend in your network to help solve a problem that has you stumped, to collaborate on a project, or even to help a friend.
These all sound like great ways to get things done, but if you have not done the legwork to develop relationships to construct your social framework, you may be stranded in a time of need. Often times we neglect the relationships and our networks never develop, or begin to crumble if they have been established. If you don’t maintain your relation- ships, you might as well have never developed them in the first place.
Some of us struggle with figuring out who we need to develop relationships with for our business. Here’s a simple exercise that Casey McVay and I developed. Casey is a master networker who works as the Assistant Coordinator of Admissions and Financial Aid at Venango College of Clarion University. This is the Big-Talk Top 10 Challenge. Construct a list of the 10 people you would like to contact if you found out right now that you have lost your job. These can be people you know, people you see on tv or read about in magazines, or major names that you have just heard being tossed around. Once you have constructed your list, make it a point to take the steps necessary to make contact with these people. You will probably meet a few others along the way in your quest to fulfill your Big-Talk Top 10 Challenge. Remember these people too, even if they are little people, because little people have big friends!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT LORI SIBBLE Edward Jones Investments, Seneca
V.P. DR. RAY FEROZ Clarion University
SECRETARY EMILY GILL Moxie Media
TREASURER ROGER MCCAULEY UPMC Northwest
ROD ADAMS Changing Times Telephone Service
DR. KATE ECKERT Eckert Chiropractic
484 Allegheny Blvd. Suite A | Franklin, PA 16323 DAN ESTADT Seneca Insurance & Notary
Phone: (814) 432-2188 | Fax: (814) 437-9372 SALLY HARDS Webco Idustries, Inc.
BUTCH HARGENRADER Pepsi Bottling Company
BETH HARMAN Northwest Savings Bank
DR. RYAN JACKSON Gonstead Family Chiropractic
BILL KAPP Action Auto Service, Inc.
Visit our website: www.nextsteptherapy.net WENDY LINEMAN PNC Bank
Email: [email protected] 814-677-1390 DEB LUTZ Oil Region Alliance
DAVE SNEDDEN Hagan Business Machines
SCOTT STAHL Oil City Area High School
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUSAN WILLIAMS [email protected]
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT DOTTIE TAWNEY [email protected]
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org 15 Trail Towns – a natural fit for SCORE
In our series of articles this year we’ve covered an overview of SCORE, the resources available from SCORE, and the organiza- tions that interact with SCORE to help local businesses become successful. This month we will move into something that is be- ginning to develop right in our area – Trail Towns.
What is a Trail Town ? A trail town is a community that provides the goods and services to support the users of any trail system. When a trail user passes through a community, first, they need safe passage, then adequate signage to direct them down the trail, then some means of identifying goods and services relevant to a trail user and where they are located. A trail town is one which has taken this into account, and has maximized the positive experience for the user so that they will spend some time and money in the town, recommend it to their friends, and return to re- peat the experience. In other words, a trail town can be an economic engine for a small community. How does SCORE fit into this concept ? Generally, the types of businesses that are needed to support trail users are small businesses. Bicycle shops, outfitters, sporting goods stores, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, bed and breakfast lodging, recreational equipment rental companies, campgrounds, and taverns are typical in trail towns. These are the types of busi- nesses that SCORE specializes in. When a new business in any of these categories develops plans to open, SCORE can be there to help them to have the best opportunity for success, from the development of the business plan, to marketing, to financial advice. Many of the people who start these types of businesses have a great idea and enthusiasm, but need a little assistance with the things that will assure that the business will sustain itself over time. Why are trail towns important in our area ? Our area is unique in many ways. We have significant outdoor resources that most of us take for granted but are very desirable and hard to get in larger cities. We have fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, cross country skiing, boat- ing, geocaching, beautiful scenery, two major river highways with the Allegheny and the Clarion, and what I like to call the “Recreational Interstate”. A bike and hiking trail is well under way from Erie to Pittsburgh, and it links to trails that go all the way to Washington, DC. This trail intersects the North Country Trail, which is a hiking trail like the Appalachian Trail, and it runs from North Dakota to New York. These are becoming major recreational corridors, and they run right through our area. We can take advantage of this privileged location by having the businesses in our area to support the trail traffic. Is anything happening now in our area ? The missing links of the trail through this area are being completed, with the McClintock Trail between Oil City and Rouseville currently under construction. In addition, the Oil Region Alliance is spearheading a Business Plan Contest to jump start the entrepreneurs to develop trail related businesses and that effort kicks off on May 15th. How do I find out more ? Contact the Oil Region Alliance at 814-677-3152 for information on the trails and the Business Plan contest. To get a further overview of SCORE, and the services that it offers, go to the website www.SCORE.org. If you are interested in receiving counseling or becoming a SCORE counselor, go to www.SCOREERIE.org and “request a meeting” or contact Frank Hajduk or Mary Cochran at the SCORE office in Oil City at 814-677-3152.
“Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 16 41 MAIN STREET P.O. BOX 376 OIL CITY, PA 16301 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT # 280 Address Service Requested
This Calendar of Events is brought to you by: CS Technologies Plus & 4 Your Car Connection
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May 15: FLEX Meeting - Chamber Office 5:30PM June 4-6: FLEX/CareerLink/Venango College, Career Fair May 16: Board of Directors Meeting June 5: Farmers Bank/Cranberry Pennzoil Mixer 5-7PM May 16: Business of the Year/Partner in Business June 11: Chamber Day - Harrisburg Mixer - 5-7PM June 12: Venango Training & Development - Mixer 5-7PM May 17: Constant Contact Workshop June 13: Chamber Golf Outing - Hi-Level - 11AM May 22: Brown Bag Lunch - Don LeGuollon 12PM June 14: FLEX /Intern Mixer 4-7PM May 23: Wagner Eye Care Open House Mixer June 19: FLEX Meeting - Chamber Office 5:30PM May 24: Constant Contact Workshop June 20: Board of Directors Meeting
COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS AVAILABLE AT WWW.VENANGOCHAMBER.ORG/CALENDAR
The Venango Area Chamber of Commerce builds, serves and promotes regional business.
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org