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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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Brew Stimulus

by Sara Marrs, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Athens County Economic Development Council

Summer is officially here. The pools are open, summer softball is well under way, and my girls are catching lightning bugs in the back yard. For many folks summer means the official vacation season is here. But this year, for many families, traveling somewhere far away is not an option. Economically. Recession.. nasty, nasty word! So, we make due with what we have, our more local options, and there are many. We have so much to offer right here in Athens county. Not to mention the money you spend here will go farther, help your neighbors businesses, impact our economy in a positive way.

My vacation this year is hereright here in Athens. Im so excited for Ohio Brew Week Festival, and the best part, it comes to me!! One of my favorite things to do is meet new people, engage in interesting conversations, share experiences. Ohio Brew Week brings an estimated 8,000 people into our little community throughout the week of carefully planned events and activities. All of our local businesses see overflow spending from OBW. Hotels are filled with Brew-goers who spend their money here in the Athens area as patrons in, restaurants, gift shops, carry-outs, and countless other businesses. There is a beautiful economic trickle down from all of this spending. This comes at a time when many of these businesses are experience less patronage because of the absence of the student population.

posted in: development, entertainment, events, family, food, fun, living in athens, uptown
June 26, 2009 | comments (0)
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Democracy in Action!

by Sarah Conley, Market Manager, Athens Farmers Market

Last Thursday, I joined over 150 fellow Athenians for a Town Hall Meeting. The topics ranged from Transportation Infrastructure to Uptown Economic Development. I facilitated the panel on Increasing Food Security, and was impressed when ten eager and knowledgable individuals sat down at the table. Our group whipped up an incredible brain storm discussing ways in which we can inform and improve the way our City tackles the issue of food security. There must have been an inspirational spark at many of the other tables, too, because after each group met indivdually, we collectively shared some highlights from our discussions. A lot of great ideas were shared, and most groups made plans to meet again before the next Town Hall meeting.

It’s a real testament to this community to see that many citizens excercise their civic responsibility. I was equally impressed with the Mayor and City Planner, as they voiced high regard for hearing the voices of their citizenry.

posted in: athens, development, economic development, government, infrastructure, leadership, networking, strategy, sustainable, uptown
March 18, 2009 | comments (0)
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Dial-Up Land

by Sarah Conley, Market Manager, Athens Farmers Market

Remind me, next time you see me, to thank my lucky stars. Yes, I need reminded from time to time that life works out, and that my list of blessings is truly endless. Life in our country home is a dream come true and I’ll never look back on the chance we took two years ago to buy nine acres in the hills of Southeastern Ohio.
That said – I will take the next three sentences to complain.
Dial-up internet is for the birds. No, perhaps even the birds would complain, because they can certainly fly faster than the time it takes for me to upload one simple webpage. There are days when I actually consider applying for a tech job with Verizon simply to infiltrate the business and run hi-speed internet service to me and my neighbors.

Living in rural Athens County, such is life. Roads are paved with tar and cinder and may become impassible with a hard rain. Access to utilities is not a guarantee, some places just now getting pipelines installed. Ridges are steep, bridges narrow, but there’s nothing like the view from atop Hooper Ridge.

posted in: , athens, athens county, balance, development, infrastructure, place, quality of life
February 16, 2009 | comments (0)
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The Jetsons Visit the Flintstones.

by Emily Prince, Program Specialist, ARTS/West

Welcome to Business Remixed! I am Emily Prince, the program specialist for ARTS/West: Athens Community Gateway to the Arts – the City of Athens’ community performing arts facility. What’s a “program specialist,” you say? Well, I kind of run the arts section for our Arts, Parks and Recreation Department. I am a humble civil servant, a director, I dabble in acting, I love to knit, read books and am an arts advocate – that’s my passion.

Among the many things that make living in Athens County so fantastic, and there are many – are the people. This community never ceases to amaze me.

posted in: , arts, athens, athens county, development, entertainment, music, networking, quality of life
February 3, 2009 | comments (1)
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