Membership Matters for June 15, 2012

Here's our latest member newsletter.  Topics covered in this edition include:

• Member News
• Welcome New Members
• Muskingum Oil & Gas Coalition Meeting on June 21 
• Chamber-Jaycees Golf Outing
• Energy Cost Reduction Program Offered by MCBI 
• Stars & Stripes on the River
• Update Your Business Information
• Newsletter Highlights Assistance Programs
• Buyers Guide Promotes Your Business 
• Earn a Workers Comp Rebate Through Safety Education
• Get Chamber Updates in Your Inbox
• Special Logo to Highlight Your Membership
• "Support Local Businesses" TV Campaign 
• Anthem Health Insurance Program

Save This Date for Chamber-Jaycees Golf Outing

Oil & Gas Coalition Meeting on June 21

Please join us for an introductory meeting of the Muskingum Oil & Gas Coalition.  The purpose of this meeting is to explain the coalition’s goals, which are outlined below, and discuss marketing plans for the remainder of 2012.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Campus Center Building

Zane State University/Ohio University Zanesville

1425 Newark Road  Zanesville, Ohio

Admission is free to those considering joining the coalition

Reservations are required:  Call 455-8282 or email jmasterson@zmchamber.com

Special Guest Speaker

Jerry James, President & CEO, Artex Oil Company

Artex is one of the largest oil and gas producers in Ohio, and Mr. James has served as President of Artex since 1995.  Prior to assuming his current role, he held positions with various major oil companies in Texas, Louisiana and Wyoming, and served as a petroleum engineering consultant for James Engineering, Inc.  Mr. James also currently serves as President of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) and previously served as chairman of the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP).  Mr. James will be providing an update on the shale oil and gas industry in Ohio and discussing public policy issues affecting oil and gas exploration.

Coalition Goals:

·        Form a coalition of companies to cooperatively market their products and services and our community to firms producing gas and oil from the Utica and Marcellus shale.

·        Jointly advertise – through a variety of promotional methods and media – area businesses and their products and services to oil and gas producers and their suppliers and contractors.

·        Complement local development efforts to promote the Muskingum County area as an advantageous site for supply chain companies serving the oil and gas industry.

·        Support oil and gas production in the immediate area, the region, and Ohio.

·        Have a positive economic impact on the local economy.

For more information about joining the coalition visit www.muskingumshale.com

The Muskingum Oil & Gas Coalition is a program of the Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce

Update Your Business Information with the Chamber

As the Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce prepares to print its 2012 Official Buyer’s Guide & Chamber Membership Directory, it is vital that we have your most up to date information.  Plus, it is important to your business that we have your current information on our member website and accurate contact information (email addresses, P.O. box numbers, etc.) in our member database.   

As a member, your company or organization is listed free of charge in both.  Our member listings in the online directory have been viewed over 30,000 times since January, so it is well-used resource for local business details. Please help us and help yourself by taking a few minutes to be sure we have accurate information about you!

TO UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION:

1. Request your login and password from jmasterson@zmchamber.com or dmatz@zmchamber.com.
2. Go to zmchamber.com and click the red member login button on the left side of the home page.
3. Review and if necessary update all your contact information. Be sure we have at least one email address for your business (see below).
4. Expand and customize your listing by clicking “Webpage Info” choice in the lefthand navigation menu.  This allows you upload photos, web links, logos, and detailed information about your products and services.

AT A MINIMUM: 

If you are not getting emails from us you are missing important and helpful information.  Please send us an email address today!  Send your email addresses - as many as you want from your organization - to jmasterson@zmchamber.com.  Newsletters, meeting announcements, and other updates are sent each month.  Email addresses are not sold or shared with anyone outside of the Chamber office.

Thank You!

Newsletter Highlights Assistance for Businesses

The Chamber has introduced a new newsletter called, simply, "Financial Assistance Programs".  The newsletter strives to answer the question "What financial help can I get for my business?".

Its purpose is to provide information about programs provided primarily by government agencies to businesses to help their bottom line.  The programs range from tax incentives, to discounts on things like workers' comp, to exporting assistance, to lending programs, and more.  In short, the focus will be on development incentives - rewards for creating jobs and growing - and other forms of assistance that help companies save money. 

Our plan is to compile the newsletter monthly and send it by email to all chamber members.

Muskingum Oil & Gas Coalition Forming

The Chamber has formed a group called the Muskingum Oil & Gas Coalition, and we encourage you to consider joining.  The purpose of the coalition is to conduct marketing and advertising activities that will help local firms enter the supply chain for the oil and gas industry in Ohio. We want to help make Muskingum County a focal point for oil and gas related activity and we want to support area businesses in their efforts to do business with oilfield production and service companies. An annual fee paid by each member will go directly to coalition marketing projects. You can view the coalition's 2012 marketing plan here. LINK Although membership development is just getting started, many local firms are joining because they support our goals for the coalition and for this industry in Muskingum County.  You can see who is currently a member here. LINK Again, we encourage you to become a member of the coalition.  We welcome any local company or organization that either wants to become part of the oil and gas supply chain or just wants to support the economic impact that this industry could have on our community.  Please visit the Muskingum Oil & Gas Coalition website - www.muskingumshale.com - for a membership application or for more information

Monthly Art Walk This Friday

The Artist Colony of Zanesville holds an art walk downtown on the first Friday of each month in the evening, and it is the perfect opportunity for socializing, networking, and enjoying the local art scene. 

Its fun, its casual, and the artwork is first class.  You can start the evening at the gallery or venue of your choice, and make your way around town at your own pace.  There are of course a variety of antique stores, restaurants, and other businesses open, too, and the monthly entertainment line up includes adult comedy and music.

Again, this is great entertainment, a terrific networking opportunity, and the perfect way to support the arts. Please join us!