be here

Selling Be Here Effort

Story by Rosemary Fielding, staff writer at The Derrick & The News-Herald Photos by Richard Sayer “Will the kids stick around?” has been a perennial question in homes and gathering places around the region ever since the Rust Belt began its manufacturing decline many years ago and … READ MORE

Be Here Quarterly

A series of community conversations around challenges we face in the Venango Area and how we can work together to tackle them. The September topic is “Collaborating Across Communities.” We will discuss how we can collaborate as a region to help the area thrive. Limited seats … READ MORE

Be Here Internship Reflection

Written by Jessica Wilson, 2019 Venango Chamber/Be Here Intern What does it mean to Be Here? What kind of opportunities are there for a young professional in Venango County? Before this summer, I would have said there are jobs for engineers in our area but … READ MORE

Be Here Quarterly Session Two – Communication

What kind of community do you want to live in? What does communication look like in this community? These were some of the questions discussed at the second Be Here Quarterly held at the end of June at the Franklin Industrial & Commercial Development Authority … READ MORE

Be Here Quarterly

A series of community conversations around challenges we face in the Venango Area and how we can work together to tackle them. The June topic is “Communication.” We will discuss how we can effectively communicate across the region about events, initiatives, and ideas. Limited seats … READ MORE

Be Here Quarterly Session One – Community Conversation

While we spend a lot of our time promoting the positives of our area through the Be Here initiative, we know there are challenges we face here. Not one person or organization can create change; it takes the whole community coming together. That’s exactly why … READ MORE

No Place Like Home

Story by Judith O. Etzel, contributing writer at The Derrick & The News-Herald Photos by Richard Sayer It’s one thing to make the pitch that young people should seriously take advice to come back home to live and work. It’s quite another to have up-close … READ MORE

Two Years of Be Here

Two years sure flew by! This month, we’re celebrating the second anniversary of the Be Here initiative. As we look back, we are excited for all we’ve accomplished and look forward to making more of a difference in our region. Changing the Narrative While we … READ MORE

Be Here Celebrates One Year

Join us on Friday, January 26, at Karma Coffee Co to celebrate one year of the Be Here initiative (details at the bottom of this blog post) It’s hard to believe it has already been almost one year since we introduced the Be Here initiative … READ MORE

Be Here Has Officially Launched

The Venango Area Chamber of Commerce officially launched its Be Here Initiative at an event on Thursday, January 26, at Karma Coffee Co in Oil City. Be Here was created to attract and retain people and create an overall positive attitude of the area. People … READ MORE