Why should I get involved? 
Involvement in your community shows dedication and commitment to your business and the people you serve. Whether you’re a newer business, or your business has been around for a while, it’s never too late to get involved! 

How can I get involved with the community?
There are so many ways to get involved with the community. Think about what you want out of your connections in the community. Do you want to meet new people? Give back to those in need? Offer your expertise to others? Or just have fun and relax? Consider your desired outcome to help guide your next steps. 

• A great way to start – especially if you’d like to volunteer your time – is to reach out to United Way of Logan County. Their volunteer guide has a wealth of information on volunteer opportunities.
• No time to volunteer? Consider donating or sponsoring an event or program in our community. You can also donate food and clothes to places like LCS if you prefer to donate items instead of money.
• Just want to have fun? Take a look at a local events calendar to find fun things to do in Logan County.
• If no events appeal to you, your community benefits when you spend local. Make an effort to buy anything you can from local retailers and service providers. You can even give the gift of shopping local in the form of Chamber Checks!

What are the benefits to getting involved?
By getting involved in the local economy, you are making an impact, whether it would be big or small. Volunteering and getting involved gives your business the chance to give back to the community, while giving you a feeling of gratification. When your business makes a positive impact, you also create a positive image for your brand. Volunteering in the community also opens opportunities to network and make connections with whomever you are volunteering with/for. 

Getting involved won’t harm your business - there are no downsides. Start getting involved to help you and your business expand and grow!

Networking helps contribute to professional development, builds and strengthens relationships, all while allowing you to connect with new resources. Regularly attending networking events and connecting with the community will be extremely beneficial to you as you work on growing your business. Here are some ways networking will help your business flourish:
 
1. New Connections
By networking and attending events within the community, you can build professional, long-lasting relationships and make connections that will add value to you and your business. These relationships can aid you when times are tough, or they can even just be familiar faces that you see on a regular basis. The Chamber hosts regular networking events, including our First Thursday Coffee each month at various coffee shops around Logan County.

2. New Resources
Your new connections that you make can help you gain new perspectives, while also providing you with new knowledge. By bouncing ideas off one another, businesses can help each other grow by sharing their expertise. Our quarterly Member Meet & Greets are a great way to get to know other business owners and leaders who can aid you in ways you might not have known about!

3. Be More Visible
Networking will ultimately lead to more visibility. Making it known that you are out in the community and representing your business will make more people knowledgeable of you and your business. When people are looking for a product or service, you want to be the first one to come to mind!

4. Positive Image
Regularly attending professional events will show that you are involved and willing to make an appearance in the community. This creates a positive image for not only you but also your business!

5. Increased Opportunities
Your involvement and connections will give you more opportunities. You may be offered certain job advice, and new doors may open up after networking. This is especially true for our Young Professionals events held throughout the year.
 
What are some ways you can network within the community?
There are endless ways that you can network within the community. This could be grabbing coffee with a neighboring business, popping into a new store to introduce yourself, or even simply connecting with a business via social media or email. Keeping up to date with events in Logan County is a great way to network. Getting involved – and staying involved – will allow you and your business grow.
 
Stay up to Date with all of the Chamber’s networking opportunities!
https://members.logancountyohio.com/events
​​

For over seven decades, Lakeside Pro Bass Shop and Mini Golf has been a cherished establishment in Logan County. Founded 76 years ago as Lakeside Landing by Gertrude and Jesse Pittard, this family-owned business has evolved into a beloved community hub for fishing enthusiasts and families alike.
​

The West Liberty Business Association held their Annual Dinner on Thursday, January 18, 2024. It began with a social hour and membership drive with music provided by Rise FM.  After that, WLBA President Heather Chamberlain welcomed all the attendees and a prayer was offered by Jeff Vernon.  The meal that followed was prepared by Paul’s Catering.  After dinner, Chamberlain welcomed West Liberty-Salem Band Director Paul Waibel.  Earlier in the year, the WLBA was made aware of a few students that needed some additional funding in order to be able to go to Disney with the WL-S band.  Several members of the WLBA donated money for these students to be able to go on this trip.  Mr. Waibel thanked all of those members for helping to make this trip a reality. 

Some highlights of 2023 for the WLBA are as follows: Increased membership by 45%, finalized their 501c3 status to be recognized as an official non-profit organization, and purchased a trolley along with the Lion’s Club and the Village. 

​The start of Heaven’s Dew was rooted in a collective desire for innovation and a concern for overall health and environmental well-being. Formed amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the founders – guided by a shared vision – crafted a plan to honor God by caring for creation. The name “Heaven’s Dew” was inspired by the blessing that the dew gives the earth, referenced in Genesis 27:28 which says, “May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness – an abundance of grain and new wine.”

Big Orange Shoe Shop was opened in 1975 by West Liberty native, Ken Lehman. An avid fan of all things running, Ken founded the “Big Orange” Cross Country program at West Liberty-Salem Schools, where his team won four consecutive state titles in a row from 1976-1979. As Ken is a well-known icon for West Liberty athletics, Big Orange Shoe Shop (B.O.S.S.) is well known as an icon for the West Liberty community (and beyond!).

B.O.S.S. now offers silk screen and custom embroidery for teams, organizations or even businesses. Customers love the store because of its history and loyalty to not only the West Liberty community, but other local schools and community organizations, as well. Team uniforms and apparel are provided to Benjamin Logan, Triad and many others. You can also order and customize your school jacket with Big Orange Shoe Shop.

Big Orange Shoe Shop has sponsored the annual BOSS Summer Run since its inception in 1977, where male and female age group winners receive certificates to the store. Proceeds from the BOSS Summer Run benefit the West Liberty-Salem Big Orange Cross Country program. The B.O.S.S. crew provides the t-shirts for the race, as well as other races like the Annual West Liberty Luminaria 5K. First place winners from the Luminaria 5K also receive certificates to B.O.S.S.! You will also find the B.O.S.S. crew set up at different sporting events and festivals, like the West Liberty Labor Day Festival – where you can shop their full store. It is important to them to support the community and give back when they can.
​
“B.O.S.S.,” the store’s nickname from a time when Ken’s team was overcoming adversity and winning state titles still holds true to this day. After Ken, Pat & Jim Clement were owners, as well as Julie & Dennis McIntosh. Tim continues to hold the business to the same old-school high standards that the previous owners did and pushes through adversity like the Covid shut down and the challenges that come from being a rural, small-town business. One thing that stands out now is that Big Orange Shoe Shop is now the official uniform shop for AGC Automotive. They provide three full uniforms for each AGC employee, and this service has positively enhanced the success of B.O.S.S.

Please join us in congratulating Big Orange Shoe Shop as being the Logan County Chamber of Commerce December 2023 Business of the Month!
​

Located next door was a flower shop and on slow days, Kristie would join them to help create flower arrangements. They taught her a lot (more than either of them knew!) and before long, she was even creating vintage setups for weddings, such as unique arbors made of books and trees and adding seating areas! Not long after, a bride came to her in a panic when their florist could no longer provide for the wedding. Kristie used her years of creative experience and saved the bride’s wedding day (which was the next day) and wedding flowers! Since then, people have been calling and requesting wedding flowers and that’s really where Dorcey’s Flowers begins.

Four years ago, Kristie moved the business to Logan County because she saw a positive change in the area that she wanted to be a part of. Initially opening in Bellefontaine, Kristie soon began looking for a bigger space as business continued to expand. Thankfully she found the perfect spot at 118 N. Detroit Street in West Liberty a little over a year ago. Timing was great for the larger space, as last year during the busy Fall wedding season, Dorcey’s had 14 weddings to prepare flowers for!

Starting with 3 machines and a small tool shop, IEG Plastics was founded in 2004 with a vision to supply customers with high quality plastic injection molds. Initially, the company started supplying customers with plastic injection molds that were built offshore and then brought back to the United States for production. In addition, IEG chrome plated parts out of Korea, China and Taiwan. This practice gave the company a chance to diversify their services and ultimately open their Bellefontaine injection molding facility in 2015, located at 223 Lock and Load Drive. This was done in an effort to re-shore work and to better support their customer base.
​
Selecting the Bellefontaine location was a strategic decision for IEG. After sitting down with community leaders and discussing many options, the local support and the promising manufacturing labor pool made Logan County a favorable choice for the company. Jim Moore, Owner, boasts about what a great team and staff he is privileged to have. This can be attributed to the fact that the team “lives and dies by their core values.” Those core values are: Positive Thinking is Powerful Thinking; Lock & Load; Individual Commitment to the Group Effect; Do the Right Thing; Aim for the Highest Peak. IEG’s experienced team of professionals operates on the Traction Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). This EOS is built around accountability, both to the team members at IEG and to their customers. Using the tools and key components of Traction (Vision, Data, Process, Traction, Issues & People) fuels IEG’s business approach of providing customers with top notch service, impeccable quality, and unparalleled partnership with clients.

Not only does the IEG team strive to exceed expectations in their business, but they also focus on being positive community members. They actively share their time and talents in support of causes to help improve and bring measurable change to the community. IEG has been a Chamber member since shortly after opening their Bellefontaine location. They believe their Chamber membership is beneficial in many ways, but especially in the areas of networking and keeping up to date on what’s happening around Logan County. This greatly affects the company, as IEG thrives on word of mouth.