ACEnet News Story Archive

NELSONVILLE — ACEnet unveiled a food processing facility for both meat and produce at its new Food and Farm Enterprise Center on Friday in Nelsonville.

ACEnet, which stands for Appalachian Center for Economic Networks, is a business incubator with locations in both Athens and Nelsonville. It offers guidance and work space for local entrepreneurs.

This new facility in Nelsonville is split into two sections to process both vegetables and meat. The site cost a total of ... Read More

The Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) is pleased to announce that the organization has received 2018 funding from the Farm Aid grant program. Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on the land. A program started by musicians Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, each year the proceeds from Farm Aid’s annual concert and their generous community of donors are granted to IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations working to strengthen family farm ... Read More

ACEnet held our first annual Holiday Open House at the beginning of December! Guests were invited to visit our Food Ventures Center’s shared-use kitchen and the facilities and businesses surrounding it to meet ACEnet staff & clients, learn about the work we do in our community & support some of the small, local businesses ACEnet calls clients.

After entering the Food Ventures building through the Ohio is Home retail space, also the home of Red Tail Design ... Read More

Chef Kathryn McGushin, CEC, was chosen as the 2017 CDC Community Leader of the Year at October’s Ohio CDC Association annual conference! Chef Katie McGushin is the Culinary Arts Instructor at Tri-County Career Center in Nelsonville, Ohio and is truly a Community Leader. Known to ACEnet as Chef Katie, she actively serves as a member on the Board of Directors for two Southeast Ohio CDCs: The Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) and Live Healthy ... Read More

ACEnet Meat Processing Update! Construction at our Nelsonville Food Hub will begin this Fall to add an ODA Certified Meat Processing Facility, and we’re still in the process of purchasing more equipment. If you’d like to know more about this new venture, please contact ACEnet Special Projects Coordinator Rosemary Roe at 740-592-3854 ext. 113, or email her at roser@acenetworks.org. Along with our new Biro Model 922 Stainless Steel Meat Grinder, we’ve also added a Biro Model 334SS-4003FH Stainless Steel Meat Saw, F. Dick ... Read More

The Healthy Food Access Promotion Program focuses on engaging in the work of community development organizations, farmer’s markets, local businesses and healthy food access programs throughout Southeast Ohio in order to address issues of poverty surrounding healthy and local food access in Appalachia Ohio

Alexandria, ACEnet’s summer AmeriCorps VISTA Associate is working with community partners and organizations to plan and implement marketing strategies to promote local food at the Nelsonville Farmers Market and other community events. ... Read More

We are excited to announce our first release of ACEnet’s 2017 Women in Business Conference Agenda!

We hope you will join us for a day of  networking, personal and professional development for businesses in all stages of development. Stay tuned to our website and social media for more agenda details as they unfold. Women in Business Conference Agenda Friday, May 5th 2017 The conference has three main objectives. To provide a space for networking so women entrepreneurs can create and feel a ... Read More

Registration now open for ACEnet’s 2017 Women in Business conference! ACEnet is excited to announce that registration is now open for our upcoming Women in Business Conference. Though the conference is targeted at women, anyone and everyone is welcome! The event is free of charge and will be hosted on May 5th, from 8am – 3pm at The Lodge at Hocking College. If you have any questions about ACEnet’s 2017 Women in Business conference, please contact Erin Phillips at erinp@acenetworks.org or ... Read More

Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) Announces Two New Board Members

Athens, OH— ACEnet announces the appointment of two new members to its Board of Trustees as they begin their three year term, as well as the full slate of officers and board members for 2017.

Joining the Board of Trustees are Scott Zielinski and Catherine Allgood. “I am excited to have Scott and Caty join our Board of Trustees; they bring valuable networks and skills that will ... Read More

At ACEnet, a great deal of our work focuses on Food Policy Work – Healthy Food Access. The 2016 Legislative Day & Food Microbusiness Showcase in May is a great example of the ways we make food policy work innovative and effective.

In 2015, thanks to a Central Appalachian Network small grant, the Appalachian Ohio Kitchen Incubator Network was formed. This networks consists of ACEnet, Youngstown’s Common Wealth Kitchen Incubator, Muskingum County’s FoodWorks Alliance and the Perry County Community Kitchen. ... Read More