West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Workforce & Economic Development Division is rolling out a welding lab on wheels to meet a growing need for area businesses to provide on-site training and testing to welders. The mobile welding lab will be unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony conducted by the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, at Hino Motors.

The welding lab, designed by WVU Parkersburg welding program faculty and staff, has the capability to transport four welding units, a bench grinder, and a generator to run all electric, tools, and lights to a company’s worksite. In addition, the lab is fully stocked with a toolbox and personal protective equipment needed for welding, such as welding jackets, safety glasses, welding hoods and more. Training will be provided by instructors in the college’s Workforce & Economic Development Division.

The purchase of the welding equipment was made possible through a Rapid Response Advance Grant from the West Virginia Community and Technical College System to address the state’s workforce needs. “Being able to bring on-site quality welding training to industry partners in our seven-county service region saves our partners time and money,” said Michele Wilson, executive director, WVU Parkersburg Workforce & Economic Development. “We are excited to let companies know that our mobile welding lab is open for business. We are also thankful for the West Virginia Community and Technical College System who make these projects possible.”

WVU Parkersburg’s Workforce & Economic Development Division offers local businesses, industries and organizations a variety of training opportunities designed to increase employee productivity and efficiency, helping them to maximize profits.

Local businesses interested in scheduling the mobile welding lab may contact WVU Parkersburg’s Workforce & Economic Development Division at 304-424-8383 to learn more.

JUST ADDED TO THE CALENDAR!

Legislative Update and Employer Challenges in Balancing Benefits and Costs

Mark Schwendeman, President of the Schwendeman Agency, Inc. will be providing an update on the Affordable Care Act and will be addressing new regulations affecting group health insurance plans for 2020. Additionally, Mark will be presenting the challenges that employers will face going forward concerning medical and prescription drug cost increases, and creative ways employers may use to alleviate the pressure of these cost increases.

This event is open to members of the MOV, Marietta and Belpre Chambers of Commerce.

Registration will begin at 8:30am and the presentation will start at 9:00am in the auditorium at Washington State Community College.

Light breakfast will be served. Reservations are required by Monday, October 28.

Please join us for our November Lunch & Learn with Anne Silvis Photography!

TOPIC: Personal Brand Photography and How it Can Help You Grow Your Business

SALE! SALE! SALE! BUY THIS! DON’T MISS OUT!

Not that these taglines DON’T get our attention. But do you feel like the media is screaming at you to purchase the next best thing?

Social and digital media gives us a great platform to sell our products and services. Don’t have to go door-to-door anymore! It’s easy, right? Just slap some pictures on your website or social media feed, write a couple of paragraphs about what you’re selling, why they should buy it, and BAM… folks will come running! Uh… not quite. 

Fun fact: it takes you 50 milliseconds to form an opinion about a website.

We have two things going on here.

1. Imagery.

2. Content.

How do you make those two work together to build an audience and an intimate customer base to buy your products or services?

Herein lie the benefits of building a personal brand. Personal branding is literally adding the ‘personal’ to the ‘branding’. Folks are searching for your product, but they’re also searching for YOU, the person behind the brand. They want to know that what they’re seeing is an authentic version of you. No longer are we talking logos, sales, and even business name alone. People connect with and remain loyal to a person way more than to a business/company. And that, friends, is where STORY comes in. Coca-Cola doesn’t just put a picture of their CEO and a bottle of Coke on their front page. What do they show? Go ahead, check it out for yourself.

Come to the Lunch & Learn to discuss!

SPACE IS LIMITED to the first 20 registrants. Open to all MOV Chamber members. Pre-registration is required to help our host plan accordingly. Please RSVP via the link below by Friday, November 1st.

Please join the MOV and Belpre Chambers as we celebrate the Grand Opening of Vienna Indoor Aquaculture!

Vienna Indoor Aquaculture (VIA) is a local startup business located behind Cheddar’s at 100 12th St. in Vienna, and is a subsidiary under the ACE Educational Foundation (ACE P3, LLC) which aims to bring indoor aquaculture to the Mid-Ohio Valley. In early 2019, VIA purchased an unused City of Vienna vehicle maintenance facility and renovated it for the installation of ultraviolet “grow lights,” four 50-ft rows of ECSIA® troughs and grow trays, and four large fish tanks. ECSIA®’s patented aquaculture technology is designed to produce high nutrition, flavorful produce, with a significantly longer shelf-life than standard produce. On average, product is turned every four weeks, 365 days a year (even out of season). Fish waste is mineralized to nourish produce such as herbs, leafy greens, tomatoes, and strawberries, and product will be sold to local businesses and eating establishments. Customers can advertise VIA products as “locally-grown, organic.” A portion of our electrical power needs are augmented by solar panels supplied by Pickering Energy. Our employees bring nearly 100 years of construction, business, leadership, and project management experience to the table to aid in the promotion and success of VIA. Eventually, we hope to expand our business to include more greenhouses, and work with health providers to make fresh, healthy food available for patients. VIA can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ViennaIndoorAquaculture

Please RSVP below if you would like to attend this event so that we can give a proper count to our host.  

Ladies and Gents, this is the moment you've waited for! 

The Annual Dinner and Awards Banquet is getting a refresh this year - a THEME AND and a new FORMAT!

Instead of a sit down dinner, we've expanded the networking, fun, food and activities to the entire night with a break in the middle where Hugh Jackman (ok, maybe not THE Hugh Jackman) will announce our Award Winners! So come one, come all! 

Click HERE to check out the fun and exciting SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES!

Click HERE to reserve your tickets.

$50/person

This meeting is CANCELLED in lieu of the Legislative Meet & Greet on Thursday, November 21st. Please see this event on our calendar to register to attend the Meet & Greet.

The 2020 Legislative Session will soon begin in January. Our local elected Senators and Delegates spend 60 days in session. Here's your opportunity to meet with them prior to the start of the session, in a local setting without the distraction of all the busy legislative schedules and activities. There will be a short 2 minute introduction from each legislator, and then we will have an open panel question and answer session from Chamber members. 

Here's a starting point for Chamber members as you prepare some Q&A or concerns to share at this Meet and Greet - What one thing could our elected officials do that would allow you to hire 10% more workforce? 

Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Here is the list of the invited elected officials:

Senator Donna Boley

Senator Mike Azinger

Delegate Bill Anderson

Delegate Chuck Little

Delegate Tom Azinger

Delegate Vernon Criss

Delegate John Kelly

Riverview Credit Union

Right Here.

Right Where You Belong!

HELLO WOOD COUNTY!

We are a community-minded and a member-owned financial institution that provides financial needs to the area by offering competitive products and services that help you save money and live better.

Stop by our newest office in Vienna on Friday, November 22! 

Ribbon Cutting from 10am - 11am

Open House from 10am - 2pm 

The Wood County Senior Citizens Association is excited to show its new Senior Center!  Help them celebrate with the ribbon cutting at 11:00am; Open House and Reception follows from 11:30am - 5:00pm.

Open to all MOV Chamber members.

Please RSVP.