Ohio Proud at the Market

Ohio Proud participated in the Market to Market ride a couple of weeks ago between The Hills Market and The North Market in downtown Columbus. Ohio Proud passed out water from Amanda Hills and other informational material. The event was a great success promoting the Ohio Proud program.

The picture to the right shows the water we passed out and the bike path sign in the background.

The Ohio Proud kitchen is ready to go for the summer. We are scheduling the events for the summer now and starting to take the Ohio Proud Kitchen all around Ohio promoting the Ohio Proud program. The picture to the left shows the kitchen open and one of the chef's preparing a delicious meal made from fresh herbs and spices.

Working at ODA

The marketing division at ODA has been very busy lately with lots to do. Renewals are coming in very slowly so I am having to call people to get them to send money in for renewing their partnerships. I have also been calling people for Retail Ready trainings and explaining to them how the training will benefit their company.

We've been receiving a lot of new member agreements which is awesome for Ohio Proud. It is great to see so much interest in the program. Once we receive an agreement we need to write a letter to them welcoming them to Ohio Proud then take the letter to get it signed by the Director Robert Boggs and others in the ODA. Once the letters get signed they come back to me then I put a welcome kit together full of Ohio Proud information, window clings, magnets, OP information and some other Ohio Proud materials useful to the company.

I am also busy answering phones and getting answers to questions people may have about the Ohio Proud program or about agriculture in general.

Retail Ready Training Seminars

I attended the first Retail Ready training this past tuesday. The seminar was very informative about how to sell to resturants and grocery stores. Tim Woods from the University of Kentucky was the director of the trainings. He helped gather the information from buyers for the sellers. We had around 30 people attend the training and several people from OSU and ODA.

I helped organize the event and get the lunch order prepared. As well as registering people and providing nametags to people. The participants seemed to enjoy the seminar and with the survey sent around we will be able to track the companies and see there performance increase or decrease from attneding the trainings.

People from local grocery stores like Whole Foods spoke on an open panel as well as people who buy for restaurants like the head Chef at OSU spoke on a panel to sellers. It was good for the sellers to get one on one time with buyers in the business. Hopefully the trainings opened up some doors for small food businesses.

I will continue to registar and call people for the seminars coming up in the next couple weeks. We need to encourage the small businesses to attend the sessions.

Working with others

I have always said I wanted to get a job in the Agricultural Field working with other people to help them improve there Agricultural business or increase sales. Well interning with Ohio Proud this past few monthes I have had the opportunity to work with several Agricultural Businesses to increase there sales. The Ohio Proud program is a great way to reach out to buyers and brand your products with quality and prestige.

Grown and Raised in Ohio products are what a lot of consumers look for these days when buying food products. I am proud to work with people who are interested in impoving Ohio's economy and strenthning the structures of small Agricultural Businesses across Ohio.

When I call people about the Ohio Proud program they are grateful for the program and most people work with me in trying to make the best for there company. Ohio Proud not only stamps there products with a logo but the people working for Ohio Proud try to help companies expand there horizons.

With the Retail Ready trainings coming up this week we are expanding business prospects as well as other events Ohio Proud offers to partners like The Food and Expo Show, The Power Show, Fabulous Food Show, Mobile Kitchen, Farmers Market Demonstrations and exhibiting at The Ohio State Fair. These programs are often offered to Ohio Proud partners at a fraction of the cost in order to let businesses expand.

The examples above were just a few things Ohio Proud does to make businesses successful. So next time you go to the store and look for vegetables or meat look for the Ohio Proud logo. Or look on the website and contact a grower personally for some fresh produce or meat straight from the farm.

Retail Ready Trainings

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is offering Retail Ready programs to small business owners across Ohio. These meetings will help small business owners gain knowledge about the complex system of owning, running and selling your products to bigger companies.

The trainings are offered across Ohio in March and April for small business owners to attend at a small price of only $25.00.

I am in charge of making the flyers and letters to send to Ohio Proud business owners. Then sending all the mailings to the partners. Once the business replies I put them into a data base so we can send them emails about the conference and to make nametags for the conferences.

The first training is March 9, 2010 which I will attend to help gain knowledge about the conference and help organize the first event.


http://www.agri.ohio.gov/public_docs/news/2010/Regional%20Retail%20Ready%20Trainings.pdf

ODA Tour

Recently I toured the campus of The Ohio Department of Agriculture. It was very interesting to see how much goes on here at ODA. From the business parts of the department all the way down to the research itself. We started at the Bromfield Building where the markets division is located and walked around to all the different buildings on campus.

We toured the plant industry building where we had the opportunity to take a look at the newest research labs in Ohio. The building is just over a year old and is very nice inside. We also saw how unsafe materials are brought in and decontaminated through a process.
Then we went to the Animal Industry building to see more labs and research being conducted. We saw where the animals are taken in to be researched and how the technicians dispose of the animals after they are done which is done in a big pressure cooker.
Then we went to the Weights and Measures lab where we saw how much thought and time goes into making sure everything in the stores is properly labeled. We also had a demonstration of how they check gas stations to see if we are getting the proper amount of gas in our tanks.
Lastly we toured the Consumer Analytical Division where more research goes on in the department. CAL mainly researches food for human consumption and other fun things like that.
The tour was very interesting and it made me realize how much work goes in to making our food system safe for all Americans.

Whats going on at ODA?

Lots is going on in the Ohio Proud division of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Recently we attended the Power Show with great attendance. Each of the companies I sent letters to asking them how the show went said "The show was very successful and they looked forward to participating in the future."

Renewals are still coming in for our annual $25.00 fee to be an Ohio Proud member. I am also working on a Women's Show flyer and mass email sending. As well as the Food Expo and Women's Show at the Cuyahoga Convention Center recruiting partners to show and sell there products to potential buyers. The shows are a great way for companies to reach out to buyers and have buyers get a taste of the products they might purchase. As well the shows provide businesses with potential large scale buyers.

The 2010 Calendar is coming together very well. I have organized and put together the calendar events for this coming year. More events may be scheduled for the kitchen so the calendar never stays up to date but it gives us a general idea.

I have also been putting together an estimate list for attending the Produce Marketing Association Show in Orlando, Florida next October. The show features companies from all over the United States and it is a great way for our larger companies to reach out to other states and countries.

Last week Lori and I met with a potential Ohio Proud member. We sat down with her one-on-one and explained Ohio Proud and the benefits of being a member. Then she explained her company to us, some of her buyers and her plans for the future. It was great to see from a first hand perspective how a small business owner was reaching out to buyers and deciding what options were the most profitable for the business. She had a lot of great ideas and Ohio Proud partners could add to her buyers and sellers list.

Recently we've been putting a lot of time into an event called Retail Ready Trainings. This is where businesses and people that want to start a business will attend a session around Ohio for a day and learn the important steps in becoming Retail Ready. There are going to be six training sessions throughout Ohio which companies can choose to go to. Then a trainer will provide people with tools and ideas to becoming retail ready so businesses can sell on a larger scale. I am working on flyer's for this event and deciding how to manage all the information which will be coming into the office like addresses, names, appointments, products, etc. The trainings will be great for the businesses and hopefully provide them with tools to run a successful business.

That's all the main things going on right now at ODA. We are currently cleaning out files in the office to make more room for new interns coming in and just doing some much needed house cleaning.

Power Show

A lot has been going on at the ODA lately. The Columbus Power Show was a huge success for the Ohio Proud program. With ten companies and the mobile kitchen the show was a huge success. The feedback from the Ohio Proud partners was very positive. They enjoyed the show and talking with potential buyers. The mobile kitchen was also a huge success. Many food samples were given out throughout the weekend. The food smelled delicious, with many different dishes like BBQ and stirfry. Around 50-75 people attended the cooking demonstration each time. We had three demonstrations each day with different partners each day. I coordinated the cooking demonstrations and calling people to participate in the show. When at the show I helped setup, introduce the chefs, help with the demos, serve and clean-up the kitchen at the end of each demonstration to meet health code standards. Each of the partners were supplied with napkins and bags which Ohio Proud provided. The show was a great way to meet companies and interact with the Ohio Proud partners.

Ohio Proud Logo

This is the logo mostly used for our promotional materials. We also have a square one, black & white and a couple other variations. Partners can put this logo on any of there All Ohio, All Grown products.

Whats happening at Ohio Proud?

I've been working at the Ohio Department of Agriculture for about two monthes now and I am really enjoying the work I am doing. Right now in the Ohio Proud Department we are working on getting all the companies to renew their partnership memberships for the year 2010. Each company pays an annual fee of $25.00 which covers them as partners for all of 2010. As Ohio Proud partners they are permitted to use the Ohio Proud logo on there Ohio Proud products and sell there products as Ohio Proud. This marketing program is trying to get people to buy local products, support local farmers, increase sales of Ohio companies, provide jobs to Ohioans and reinvest money into Ohio's economy.

Being the Ohio Proud intern also requires knowing of the companies in order to know the products the companies are selling etc. I call companies on a daily basis about concerns they may have pertaining the Ohio Proud program. I recently researched sugar beets in Ohio for a consumer. Although they're no sugar beet companies still left in Ohio it was interesting calling all the company owners and extension agents asking them if they had any knowledge about the sugar beet industry.

Mailing out information about the Ohio Proud program is another very important task for my internship. We mail out promotional materials like banners, stickers, labels and pamphlets to our partners. Ohio Proud recently did a promotional mailing to people who visited surronding partners and then sent the postcards with the stamps of the companies so we could send them an Ohio Proud gift box. The box was filled with Ohio Proud products, water, recipes, measuring spoons and reusable grocery bags. This was a great way to get the Ohio Proud logo out to the public.

Lately, I've been putting together partners for the 2010 Power Show at the expo center, January 29, 30, & 31. We will have ten partners at the show selling and demonstrating their products to consumers. The Ohio Proud kitchen will also be there for demonstrations and promotional material.

Ohio proud plans to attend the 2010 Women's summit in March and we are currently getting flyers sent out to all the women owned companies. The flyer will include dates of the show, logos, reasons for attending, etc. The show will be a great way for women partners to show off their product to possible consumers.