A New Name, a New Era, and Greater Impact

Over the past few months the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership has worked closely with the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce to plan for the Partnership's first annual Shale Shoot Sporting Clay Championship & Utica Conference, which is coming up Nov. 5 and 6 of this year.

Partnership Chairman Dave Kirven has had a number of meetings and conversations with Amy Rutledge, executive director of the Carroll Chamber, and other representatives to determine ways the two organizations can work more closely together to promote the oil and gas industry in the region.

While Stark County has offered its many resources for company relocation, residents moving into the area, and numerous entertainment, dining and shopping options, Carroll County is Northeast Ohio's hub of activity in the Utica Shale; it's where the majority of drilling is actually taking place in our area.

After ongoing discussions dating back to late 2014, the Partnership's name is changing to the Stark Carroll Oil & Gas Partnership, to reflect the participation of businesses and organizations that are not only doing business with companies in the region, but are located in those respective counties as well.

More details will be shared in the weeks ahead. Stay in touch with the Partnership via this blog, our website, and our Facebook page. And, if you're not already a member, be sure to join to receive all the benefits of membership, including our bi-weekly "Drill Bits" e-newsletter and more.

Pro Football HOF Village Holds Promise for Region, Building Trades

The news about the Pro Football Hall of Fame and their Hall of Fame Village project just keeps getting bigger, better and more impressive, and promises to deliver a tremendous economic boost to Stark County and the entire region.

As published in ShaleMart magazine

We at the StarkCounty Oil & Gas Partnership are especially excited, because it represents continued diversity to the development of the region. We are already actively involved in the biggest economic windfall to affect the United States in this young century—the expansion and growth of the oil and gas industry. While that is having a positive effect nationwide, the expansion of the Pro Football Hall of Fame will have a significant impact close to home, and is clearly deserving of our support.

David Baker, president and CEO of the Hall, began sharing the potential for the project more than a year ago in speeches and presentations to chambers of commerce and other business groups in Stark County. When he and others involved in the Hall of Fame Village announced the details at a press conference in May, the full scope of the $476 million project became known. It will be exciting to watch the village become a reality in the months and years ahead.

One of the reasons we’re so excited is that the Hall of Fame has a track record of using local contractors and local Building Trades craftsmen, and our area Building Trades are actively involved with the oil and gas industry. Dave Kirven, chairman of the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership, is also president of the East Central Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council.

“We’ve been in discussions with Dave Baker and others at the Hall of Fame with the goal of securing a commitment to the hiring of local Building Trades craftsmen for the Village project,” Kirven said.

Kirven attended the press conference at which the Hall of Fame Village details were announced, and drew applause from the audience when he assured Baker that the project would “be ready for you when you bring the NFL Draft here in 2019.”

Stuart Lichter, president of the company that is developing the village, assured those in attendance that they would utilize local labor as much as possible.

That’s good news for Stark County. The Partnership applauds the Pro Football Hall of Fame for its commitment to our region, and to the local workers who are helping to build it.

This article was originally submitted for publication in ShaleMart's print and online editions.

Audience Learns About the Dramatic Impact of the Price of Oil at SCOGP Expo May 13

About 85 professionals from businesses related to, or interested in doing business with, the oil and gas industry attended the Supply-Demand-Price Expo, sponsored by the Stark County Oil and Gas Partnership (SCOGP), on May 13 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.

Dave Kirven, chairman of the Partnership, emceed the event and introduced the lineup of speakers for the day. First up was Tom Delamater of Delamater Media Group, a Stark County-based public relations firm, who talked about the SCOGP’s media partners. His company is one of those, along with: Creative Source, a Canton based company that creates large format signs, displays and printing; Ponder Systems, a local video production company; Studio 7, a photography company that handles projects for the SCOGP; and ShaleMart.com, which publishes oil and gas newsletters and directories online and in hard copy.

The first featured speaker was John Felmy of the American Petroleum Institute (API) who talked of the strong and lasting impact of oil and natural gas in America and the world. He said the U.S. is now the largest producer of natural gas in the world and is on track to be its largest oil producer as well. He cited the strong demand around the world for fuel for heating and transportation.

Jackie Stewart of Energy In Depth provided statistical evidence for the strength of oil and gas in the state. She said that Ohio’s Utica Shale is producing, as indicated by the fact that the state’s Utica oil production is up 200 percent, while natural gas production is up 350 percent over that same period.

In addition to a presentation about the Hall of Fame Village project by Pete Fierle of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bryce Custer of NAI Spring Realty and Rebecca Heimlich of API rounded out the agenda. Ms. Heimlich reported that there are almost 10 million people in the United States who either work in oil and gas or whose jobs are supported by the industry.

The event concluded with a networking reception until 7 p.m. The Hall of Fame was also open to guests of the expo until 8 p.m.

The expo received extensive coverage from area media. Click on the following links for articles in the Canton Repository, the Massillon Independent, the Alliance Review, and Farm & Dairy, the leading agricultural publication in our region.

COMING SOON: Next up for the Partnership is the annual Golf Outing, June 15 at Shady Hollow Country Club in Massillon, and the inaugural Shale Shoot Sporting Clay Championship and Utica Conference, Nov. 5 and 6 in Carroll County.

Our Marketing Partners Are Here to Serve Our Members and the Oil and Gas Industry

As published in ShaleMart magazine

As the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership continues to be an advocate for bringing jobs, residents and opportunity to Stark County and the surrounding region, we are striving to provide additional services to our members and to the community.

On our website (www.choosestark.com), we list the many advantages of being a member of the Partnership, including a number of benefits that we’ve added in 2015. One of those advantages is the access we can provide to our strategic marketing partners. We’d like to introduce those partners to you in this article.

Creative Source, based in Canton, is a leading supplier of signs, displays and printing. Co-owners Mike Boyd and Dave Hess founded the company almost 20 years ago and have gained a reputation for outstanding service. They’re fast and easy to work with. Contact them at (330) 497-5556 or online at www.csforideas.com.

Delamater Media Group, based in North Canton, provides advertising and public relations in Canton and the surrounding region for a fraction of the cost you’d encounter at a traditional agency. DMG handles the public relations, website, Facebook page and e-newsletter distribution for the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership. Contact Tom Delamater at (330) 437-5975 or online at www.delamatermediagroup.com.

Ponder Systems Media and Marketing is a video production company that has produced programs for PBS affiliates, network affiliates, cable systems and corporate clients. It is owned and operated by Ron Ponder, who is host of a popular weekday morning show on WHBC radio in Canton. Ron can be reached at (330) 705-6730.

Studio 7 Photography is a commercial photography company in Canton. Owner Shawn Wood blends a masterful eye with a flawless technique to bring ideas to life. Shawn has photographed many of the key events for the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership. You can reach him at (330) 224-0641 or online at www.studio7photography.com.

We also want to acknowledge ShaleMart.com for collaborating with us to promote the Partnership and our many events. In fact, members in the Partnership will now qualify for promotional opportunities with ShaleMart.com in its print and online publications.

We hope you will consider the many advantages of being a member of the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership, and we encourage you to patronize our strategic marketing partners for all of your promotional needs.

This article was originally submitted for ShaleMart's print and online editions.

The 'Shale Shoot' Makes Its Debut in November

The Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership will debut a brand-new event in November, and it's already drawing the attention of sporting clay enthusiasts in Northeast Ohio.

The first annual Shale Shoot Sporting Clay Championship & Utica Conference will take place in Carrollton on Thursday Nov. 5 and Friday, Nov. 6. Final details are still being set, but it will kick off with the Shale Shoot event (dinner included) at Upland Sporting Clays on Thursday, followed by a Utica Conference at Atwood Lake on Friday.

The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce will co-sponsor the event. For more information or to sign up to receive updates via email, click this link: Shale Shoot 2015.

Ohio Valley Expo: Dave Kirven, chairman of the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership, attended the Ohio Valley Oil & Gas Expo, April 28 and 29 at the James E. Carnes Center in St. Clairsville.

The two-day expo included a network reception, one-day vendor displays, trade professionals and speakers from the oil and gas industry.

Dave also spent time distributing literature about membership in the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership, the upcoming Supply-Demand-Price Expo in Canton on March 13, and the Shale Shoot in Carrollton Nov. 5 and 6.

Keep an eye on the Partnership's website at www.choosestark.com for updated details on future events.

Education Opportunities Abound to Prepare Workers for Oil and Gas Jobs

A report released in 2014 by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington D.C. think tank, emphasized the importance of education to a local economy: "Overwhelmingly, high-wage states are states with a well-educated workforce. There is a clear and strong correlation between the educational attainment of a state's workforce and median wages in the state."

As published in ShaleMart magazine

The Stark Education Partnership collaborates with educators, businesses, and civic and community leaders to foster sustainable improvement in colleges and schools throughout the county. Furthermore, Stark County is well-positioned to remain competitive in the years ahead, with the undergraduate and graduate programs at Kent State University at Stark, Malone University, the University of Mount Union and Walsh University, as well as the education available in technology and the local building trades at Stark State College, one of Ohio's premier community and technical colleges.

As our educational institutions continue to adapt to the changing economy, more focus is being placed on training students for careers in the oil and gas industry. As an example of this trend, Stark State College opened a new oil and gas well site training center in Canton in 2014. Part of a satellite academic building downtown, the facility represents a direct partnership with the energy industry designed to better prepare skilled laborers for the workforce.

The R.G. Drage Career Technical Center in Massillon, which is a two-year joint vocational facility serving the public school districts in Stark County, has recognized the impact of the oil and gas industry by adapting the curriculum to promote increased employment opportunities and allow for continued training at the post-secondary level.

The construction trade unions that are a part of the East Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council also provide apprenticeship and training programs that are endorsed by the U.S. Department of Labor. These programs ensure that there is always a pool of highly skilled construction workers to serve the needs of oil and gas and other industries.

Career training is vital to the future of any region, and the Stark County Oil and Gas Partnership is proud to partner with these educational institutions and labor organizations to provide programs that will prepare our residents to qualify for the new job opportunities created by the oil and gas industry.

This article was originally submitted for publication in ShaleMart's print and online editions.

'Supply-Demand-Price' Expo jump-starts 2015 event calendar

Visit choosestark.com for
details on the Expo in May

Get the low-down on the oil and gas industry's impact on Stark County at the "Supply-Demand-Price" Expo, Wednesday, May 13 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The event will feature guest speakers from 3 to 5 p.m. and a networking reception to follow. 

Industry experts scheduled to speak are:

• John Felmy, chief economist with the American Petroleum Institute, who will offer a national perspective on the oil and natural gas industry, the impact of lower oil prices, and what that means for shale plays across the country including in Ohio;

• Jackie Stewart of Energy in Depth, who will discuss "State of the Utica Shale: How Ohio Compares to Other Basins";

• Bryce Custer of NAI Spring Commercial Realty, discussing the impact of oil and gas on commercial real estate; and 

• Rebecca Heimlich of the American Petroleum Institute, who will discuss API’s Energy Nation program and how it brings together the employees, retirees, vendors and suppliers of the oil and natural gas industry on critical issues facing the industry. 

The cost to attend is $65 for members of the Stark County Oil & Gas Partnership, and $80 for non-members. However, you can receive a $25 discount when you register if you sign up for a free membership in Energy Nation, a non-profit organization that promotes U.S. energy development, energy industry jobs and a stronger, more independent American energy future. Energy Nation is a major sponsor of the "Supply-Demand-Price" Expo.

For more information about the Expo or to register, click here.

Beautiful Shady Hollow C.C.

Also on the calendar is the return of our Annual Golf Outing. This year's event promises to be another great day of golf and networking and will take place on Monday, June 15, at Shady Hollow Country Club in Massillon. Golf will be followed by dinner and a special guest speaker. Watch our website, www.choosestark.com, for details to come.

And keep an eye out for information on a special fall event that we'll be hosting in conjunction with the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce. The event will include a day of activities that every sportsman will enjoy, plus more updates on the Utica Shale and progress in the oil and gas industry. 

There's never been a better time to join the Partnership and to be a part of the economic and commercial boom in Stark County and the surrounding region. For more information, visit the membership page on our website. We hope to see you at the Expo in May, and at all of our events in 2015!