BRIGHT SPOTS - Did you know that last week an endangered greater one-horned Asian rhinoceros, also known as an Indian rhino, was born at the Wilds? Learn about this and other bright spots in our community by visiting our This is Zanesville & Muskingum County, Ohio webpage, and check back frequently to see new content.

LAST CALL - Attend the upcoming live seminar titled "How You Can Create A Customer-Focused Culture In Your Organization." It will be held on Friday, September 12 at the John McIntire Library in Zanesville from 9 am to 12 noon. The presenter will be Dave Hamilton, Senior Vice President of Signature Worldwide in Dublin, Ohio. Signature Worldwide delivers sales and customer service training, marketing, and mystery shopping services to both front line personnel and managers in service-based industries. For more information or to make a reservation visit the Chamber website.

PERFORMANCE PAY - "Linking Pay to Performance" will be the topic at this week's meeting of the Muskingum Valley Human Resource Association. The topic will be presented by Tom Hurley and Kimberlie England, HR Consultants at Findley Davies, Inc. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 10 from 8 am to 9:30 am at the Chamber. Anyone is welcome to attend. Members of the association are admitted free while the non member fee is $10. Make a reservation if you plan to attend by emailing dmatz@zmchamber.com.

SHALE INDUSTRY - Today is the deadline to advertise in the next edition of Shale Mart, which is a print and online publication. Shale Mart is one good way to reach the players in the Ohio oil and gas industry, and Chamber members receive a discount. For more information email sales@shalemart.com.

MARKETING - MarketingProfs.com offers some good advice on improving your customer interactions that will directly result in business growth in their article 3 Key Ways to Help Your Business Find '2X' Profit Growth.

SOCIAL MEDIA - Why do consumers follow your business on social media? Many in business have long held the opinion that consumers want to be part of a community and feel connected to a company and its products. A study by IBM finds that is not necessarily so. Look at the illustration on page 9 of "From Social Media to Social CRM: What Customers Want." It makes the point that what we as business people think customers want from us on social media differs significantly from what the customers themselves say. Feeling connected and part of a community are far less important than many of us have believed.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY - The Convention & Visitors Bureau is working with the national Reebok Spartan Race organization to hold an event at the Wilds on October 4 that is expected to draw 10-15,000 competitors. The Spartan Race is an obstacle and endurance running event with a loyal following of competitive athletes. If you are interested in ways you can become a sponsor and capitalize on this major influx of visitors to the area, visit http://www.zmchamber.com/Spartan.htm.

BUSINESS GROWTH- An independent assessment of your business might be just what you need right now to get to the next level. The Chamber and MCBI have teamed up to bring that service to you. As this article in the Huffington Post says, "A business assessment helps identify the business growth and development opportunities in your business." Contact Wendy Edgar at MCBI today to talk about getting your business assessment. And read on for more about business assessments...Some entrepreneurs assume a business assessment points out what's wrong with their business. Although that's one perspective, we prefer you use the business assessment as a tool to identify opportunities to grow your business rather than as a weapon against yourself or your business.  Read More  

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