Celebrating our first years Celebrating Excellence Photo by Jerry Sowden/The Derrick Chamber to honor 2011 Citizen of the Year September 17, 2011 Morrison Park Mr. Louis Kraft Seneca, PA at Annual Dinner February 29th Cross Creek Resort Volume 8| Issue 1| January 2012 January 1| Issue Volume 8| Nomination information inside “Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 2 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT NICOLE RUSSELL Nicole’s Bridal Boutique NEW MEMBERS V.P. LORI SIBBLE Edward Jones Investments, Seneca Office SECRETARY BOB RICHARDS Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Oil Region Realty Unit TREASURER EMILY GILL Valerie Luebke Moxie Media 252 Waterford Street Edinboro, PA 16412 ROD ADAMS Phone: (814) 734-5610 Changing Times Telephone Service Fax: (814) 734-5806 eMail: [email protected] DAN BROCKETT Web: www.IU5.org Penn State Cooperative Extension Published Category: Education DR. JOE CARRICO Oil City Area School District Stifel Nicholas Jim Williams DAN ESTADT 1284 Liberty Street Seneca Insurance & Notary PO Box 1060 Franklin, PA 16323 DR. RAY FEROZ Phone: (814) 432-3196 Clarion University Fax: (814) 432-4579 eMail: [email protected] BUTCH HARGENRADER Published Category: Financial Planning/Investments Pepsi Bottling Company BETH HARMAN Stone Construction Northwest Savings Bank Charlie Stone/Laurajane Stone 216 Kathy Drive DR. RYAN JACKSON Seneca, PA 16346 Gonstead Family Chiropractic Phone: (724) 968-9801 BILL KAPP Fax: (814) 670-0470 Action Auto Service, Inc. eMail: [email protected] Web: www.stoneconstructionwpa.com ROGER MCCAULEY Published Category: Construction UPMC Northwest PATRICK PELLETIER Williams Insurance Intern Joins Chamber Staff DAVE SNEDDEN Hagan Business Machines-Cranberry We are pleased to announce that Katie Ragon, an Oil City High STAFF School graduate and current EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUSAN WILLIAMS Sociology major at Gettysburg [email protected] College, will be joining the EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT DOTTIE TAWNEY chamber staff for two weeks in [email protected] January and will return to the chamber for the summer in May. INTERN KATIE RAGON [email protected] Welcome Katie! Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org 3 Chamber honors 2011 Citizen of the Year Mr. Louis Kraft Oil City native and well-known business owner Lou Kraft has been named the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce 2011 Citizen of the Year. Kraft will be presented with the award during the chamber’s annual dinner on Feb. 29 at Cross Creek Resort Needing no prodding, Lou Kraft loves to share stories. He is the consummate raconteur, skillfully telling tales laced with sharp wit and gentle humor. The listener is invited in to the story by way of Lou’s quick smile and kind eyes. Sometimes there is a life lesson to be learned in the story. Likely, there is a history plug about his native Oil City snuggled in the verbiage. Often, an anecdote is shared simply to recall the hilarity of a prank or practical joke. Always the storyteller, the well-known Oil City business owner has become the story, courtesy of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce that has tapped Kraft as its 2011 Citizen of the Year. The award is given to an individual who consistently shows leadership through extensive and diverse participation in volunteerism and service to community. It will be presented at the chamber’s annual dinner Feb. 29 at Cross Creek Resort. “When I called to tell him he had been chosen, he said he would have ‘to think about it’ first,” said Susan Williams, executive director of the chamber. “That’s so like him - he never will take credit for anything wonderful that he does and he said there are so many other deserving people.” Self-effacing to a fault, Kraft chuckled and said he agreed to accept it after reading some excerpts from letters written “by people I think very highly of” who nominated him for the annual award. Continued on page 6 Annual Dinner to be held Wednesday, February 29th Cross Creek Resort 50th Anniversary Founders Dinner Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Robert W. Rhoades Center From its very beginning to the present, Clarion University–Venango Campus has been a product of community and university, working together to advance the needs of our region. This community-wide dinner celebrates the Venango Campus’ golden partnership of university and community and will honor the men and women who have provided life-changing opportunities for the residents of our region for 50 years. Join us to recognize the founders of the campus who saw a need for a higher education presence in Venango Campus and made it a real- ity, the community leaders who have supported the campus throughout its history, donors who have provided scholarship support and funds for student apartment housing and other facilities, dedicated Clarion University and Venango Campus faculty and staff who make each student’s success their own, and the families of our stu- dents who are instrumental in their achievement. ***For information about dinner tickets, call 676-6591, ext. 1215, after February 1, 2012.*** “Building a Future for Venango Area Business!” 4 Social Media Webinars Slated for Businesses by ® Penn State Extension Social media tools, like Facebook and Twitter, offer access to hundreds of millions of people. Mobile tools, operated from a smart phone or tablet (such as an iPad), offer many other op- by Vantage tions to help customers find and connect with a business. 814.677.1221 1 Seneca St An eight-session class will be held to help local business owners 800.677.1222 Oil City, Pennsylvania fx: 814.677.0491 www.oilcityhotel.com learn how to take advantage of these tools to increase their sales. Penn State Extension is partnering with Ohio State and Minnesota Extension to offer a series of webinars to help small Auto business owners understand how to integrate social media and Home Life mobile applications into the company’s marketing plan. From Commercial January through April, eight webinars will cover topics including Group And Others…... the following: Developing a social media strategy Generating high-quality content for social media Snapshot Certified Agent How to reach mobile customers How to take payments via mobile devices Check Us Out….. Call….. How to use the MarketMaker mobile app WWW.BARRSINSURANCE.COM 888.399.6368 How to manage your reputation in social media Tools to manage your social media accounts Webinar participants will gain a better understanding of social media and mobile tools but, more importantly, will learn how the tools may be integrated into their marketing plans to reach customers and increase sales. The eight-session webinar series is offered at a cost of $10 per person. This fee provides access to all eight webinars and recordings of the webinars (in case one is missed). For more information, people may go online to http://www.cvent.com/d/lcq890 Junior Achievement seeks Support State Farm® By focusing on education, economic and youth development, Providing Insurance and Financial Services Junior Achievement programs contribute to the vitality of our Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 community and the availability of a well-educated workforce. Sandy K. Hovis, LUTCF Please consider contributing to Junior Achievement today, Agent either with a financial donation or of a commitment of your 857 Allegheny Boulevard, P.O. Box 310 time as a volunteer. With your investment, JA will continue to Reno, PA 16343 be at the forefront of providing effective business education 814 437 2716 Toll Free 888 437 2718 programs for kindergarten through high school students. More Fax 814 437 2950 importantly, it will help to ensure a better quality of life for ® Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. them. Venango Area Chamber of Commerce ● (814) 676-8521 ● www.venangochamber.org Somers Dentistry 5 HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES Welcomes New Dentist 225 Singh Drive Dr. David Somers of Somers Dentistry Cranberry, PA 16319 814.677.2640 welcomes his son, Dr. Mitchell Somers, to his dental practice located in Seneca, PA. 65 Rooms Indoor Pool Dr. Mitchell Somers graduated from Juniata College with a B.S. Wireless High Speed Internet in Chemistry and pursued his dental education at the University Deluxe Hot Breakfast Buffett of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. Meeting Facility for Seating up to 60 Upon graduation Dr. Somers practiced in State College before WWW.HIEXPRESS.COM/FRANKLINPA recently returning to the area. He explains, "I've always liked this area and hoped to return here to live and work. Both my wife and I are very happy here." Venango Internal Medicine - UPMC Dr. Somers was born and raised in Oil City and comes from a dental family. His sister is also a dentist. One Memorial Drive Oil City, PA 16301 814-676-8571 His dad adds, "I've been a dentist for over 30 years, and it's very rewarding to now have my son join me as a partner. We work Stuart Shapiro, MD, Alison Dilks, MD, well together, and he is very passionate about the work he Christopher MacDonald, DO, and does." Robert Wolbert, CRNP are committed to providing satisfying, high-quality care Dr. Mitchell Somers and his wife, Elise, reside in Oil City and are for you and your family. glad to be part of the community. Dr. Mitchell Somers, DMD and will join his father's dental practice beginning January 1, 2012. Chamber Board Retreat Planned GILL CONSULTING The Board of Directors of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding a planning retreat in January. The Human Resource Management ▪ Strategic Planning one day session will be held at The Commons at Franklin and Business Development ▪ Customized Training Programs will be facilitated by Vern Squire, President/CEO of the Centre Employee Relations ▪ Executive Coaching County Chamber of Business and Industry ad chamber Route 8, Reno, PA 16343 (814) 676-5566 professional of more than 25 years.