New Energy, New Jobs

by Todd Shelton, Director, Athens County Economic Development Council

I was very excited when it was announced that Athens would host the 2009 Appalachian Regional Commission Conference. The conference took place on Oct. 26-28 on the campus of Ohio University and was a great success! With over 350 participants, individuals from across the 13 state appalachian region witnessed first hand what Athens County has to offer.

With the theme of the conference being New Energy, New Jobs, I knew this would be a wonderful opportunity for our Alternative Energy Companies here in Athens County to show the wonderful things they are working on. It was a great honor to have Governor Strickland personally visit and see first hand the tremendous work that Third Sun, Sunpower, Global Cooling, and Dovetail are accomplishing. These companies are great examples of how Athens County is becoming a leader in the Alternative Energy Industry.

posted in: alternative energy, athens, athens county, development, economic development, employment, entrepreneur, workforce

November 2, 2009 | comments (0)

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Findings In and Under ACHS&M

by Kelee Riesbeck, Executive Director, Athens County Historical Society \& Museum

Well this is embarrassing. Here I thought me, of all people, with always plenty to say, would be more forthright in submitting her blogs that she agreed to do every week. The only excuse I can offer is that our rather large and extensive remodeling project demanded more of my attention than I had planned. Namely, weve found a few things inside the highest reaches of the building as well as underneath the building that have made this particular renovation project intriguing.

One of the construction workers found what appeared to be animal bones while he was digging out the pit for the elevator we are installing. To make sure, we called Dr. Nancy Tatarek, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Ohio University. She is an expert in skeletal biology and is the instructor for some of ACHS&Ms student interns. She determined the bones were from a young horse. Next, an archeology student noticed some interesting-looking stone slabs in the pit that appeared to be purposefully set. So we called Dr. Elliot Abrams, a professor in the same department who specializes in Ohio Valley Archaeology. He determined that, since the North end of Court Street was home to many liveries, we had probably stumbled upon the edge of the livery building, making he horse bones make a lot more sense. Both neat things to have happen underneath the historical societys building.

posted in: athens, athens county, buldings, infrastructure, living in athens, quality of life, real estate, sites, transportation, unique

October 20, 2009 | comments (0)

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Love the Buzz

by Kelee Riesbeck, Executive Director, Athens County Historical Society \& Museum

When I started as Executive Director at the Athens County Historical Society & Museum in August, 2006, I noticed that it was quiet, (which one would expect at a museum) but perhaps it wastoo quiet. Where were the Ohio University students learning about collections care and researching, designing, and executing changing exhibits? Where were all the county school children coming in for a lesson on some aspect of Athens County history? This is what I envisioned in a historical society workplace environment. It was clear I needed to find ways to bring in the community. Little did I know it would take more than posting our info on an OU volunteer website.

We used to get OU students who just wanted to volunteer somewhereanywherevia this website. The students were polite and meant well, but they didnt have a passion for history thats required when building an exhibit or organizing a collection. How do we get students that are already in the history tent? We approached professors in the history department and a history club already established at OU: the Undergraduate History Association. Now we were cooking with gas: these students, a small handful, researched, developed and designed their own exhibits and a few did collections work.

posted in: athens, athens county, leadership, moving resources, networking, people, strategy, workforce

September 25, 2009 | comments (0)

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Sould Be Old to This, Yet, I’m New

by Kelee Riesbeck, Executive Director, Athens County Historical Society \& Museum

posted in: arts, athens, athens county, child care, entertainment, family, food, hiking, living in athens, people, specialty foods, sustainable

September 10, 2009 | comments (0)

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Social Networking 101

by Todd Shelton, Director, Athens County Economic Development Council

As the Director of The Athens County Economic Development Council I am always looking for effective ways to promote Athens County. This is essential for attracting new business and entrepreneurs to our county which help create quality jobs. As many businesses and organizations know, an effective marketing campaign can be very expensive. Many of you are looking for inexpensive ways to promote your business and products.

One of the most cost effective ways is social networking/marketing. Most of us have heard of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These are the most popular social networks currently, but there are many others that can be just as useful. Using social networks can provide an avenue to market your products or share information about you or your business in timely and cost effective way. Even though this is a great way to curb some of your marketing cost, it is vital to note the importance of taking the time to learn and identify which networks to use, and the most effective ways to use them.

posted in: CEO, entrepreneur, marketing, networking

September 1, 2009 | comments (0)

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