CIC board will meet on Tuesday

The Community Improvement Corporation Board of Trustees will hold its May meeting on Tuesday at The Steubenville Herald Star. The meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m. The CIC executive committee will gather at 2 p.m.

David Skiviat, the board vice president, will preside over the meeting in place of President Kenneth Perkins. The meeting will feature brief remarks from Patrick Ford, the new executive director of the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle. Ed Looman, executive director of Progress Alliance, will offer a review of his first year in the position.

Following the meeting, CIC trustees can attend a special edition of Business After Hours, the regular networking program operated by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. The event, called “A Taste of Downtown,” will be held in Herald Square Park.

The “Green Machine,” the neighborhood electric vehicle donated by Wildfire Motors to help raise money for Progress Alliance and the chamber, will be on display during the Business After Hours.

Apex looking to fill various positions

Apex Environmental, LLC currently is accepting applications for several positions at its Jefferson County operation.

Job openings include:

·        Heavy equipment operator.

·        Heavy equipment repair person.

·        Maintenance administrator.

·        Welders

If you have any questions regarding these openings, please contact Craig Petrella at (740) 543-4389.

Site encourages teens to spread the pride

Teens now have one less thing to complain about because a group of eight emerging Jefferson County leaders allows them to be represented at the county level via Facebook.

Teens are encouraged to become cyber friends of “Pride of the Valley,” a new Facebook site that seeks to showcase Jefferson County and encourages students to “spread the pride,” says Jefferson County Leadership 2008-2009 Class President Kristen Tucker. “With this site, we hope to inspire our county’s youth to embrace leadership, action, accountability, and ownership in making our county the place for new opportunities and a great place to live.”

The site is sponsored by the Jefferson County Leadership Class of 2008-2009. The Jefferson County Leadership Program, with new classes running annually September through May, is sponsored by the Jefferson County Community Action Council (CAC), Jefferson Community College, and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. The program’s monthly classes are held at various sites throughout the county and feature speakers and panels of area leaders representing a cross-section of the county’s professions.

“We learned a great deal about the projects and plans in place to market our county as an ideal place to locate new business and industry,” says Tucker. “This is a new era for our county. We have leaders who think outside the box…enthusiastic leaders who are working diligently to increase opportunities, improve our economy, and market Jefferson County’s resources in regional, national, and international arenas. These leaders want more involvement and ideas from our county’s teens and young professionals.”

Ed Looman, executive director of Progress Alliance, introduced the organization’s “Be Jefferson County Proud” campaign to class members last fall. The campaign inspired 2008-2009 class members to assist with this effort via its class project, which resulted in the “Pride of the Valley” Facebook site.

“If we’re to improve our county’s self-image, attract new industry, and showcase our county’s human resources and land potential, we must evoke a sense of pride and commitment in our residents and especially our youth,” Tucker said.

Fletcher will receive state award

The Ohio Association of Community College Governing Board will bestow its top award on Patricia Fletcher, vice chair of the Jefferson Community College Board of Trustees.

Fletcher will receive the Maureen C. Grady Award for Special Achievement during the OACC Excellence Awards Luncheon on Friday. The award recognizes extraordinary leadership and outstanding contributions to a trustee’s college or to community colleges as a while.

A Steubenville resident, Fletcher was selected for her “continued dedication to community colleges, as well as her efforts to build a positive reputation for JCC throughout the Upper Ohio Valley and around the state.” A veteran educator and long-time board member, Fletcher spent 34 years working in the Steubenville City Schools.

Workshop to focus on complete count

Progress Alliance will sponsor an informational workshop on Wednesday, May 27 regarding Census 2010.

The U.S. Census Bureau currently is developing partnerships with state and local governments, community-based organizations, faith-based groups, schools, businesses, the media and others to reach its goal of counting all residents during the 2010 Census. Data collected during the census affects how more than $300 billion in federal funds are distributed to governmental agencies each year.

Jefferson County is joining the effort by forming a Complete Count Committee. The primary focus on the local effort is to ensure every county resident is counted. The workshop, featuring Cynthia King of the U.S. Census Bureau, will be held at 4 p.m. on May 27 in the second floor community room of the Ohio Valley Towers, 500 Market St.

Small business seminar planned for May 22

The Stark Development Board Finance Corporation and the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Kent State University Tuscarawas Campus are once again conducting a series of small business finance seminars.

The 2009 seminar is being called Business Growth Summit:  Financial Programs. It will focus on available programs to assist small businesses in the current economic times. Instead of one annual meeting, the organizations will offer this program in six different locations on six different dates. The purpose of the revised format is to provide additional convenience to their partners.

Jefferson County will host one of the programs on Friday, May 22. It will run from 8-10 a.m. in the Jefferson Community College. For more information, or to make a reservation, contact Deanna Spencer at Kent State Tuscarawas, (330) 308.7522 or via e-mail at dmspence@kent.edu.