For young professionals, by young professionals. This monthly newsletter is published by Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange (FLEX), the young professionals group of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce.
Click here or the image below for a PDF of the FYI.
Find articles from the FLEX FYI on the Chamber’s blog.
Your Chamber staff has been hard at work this summer and we’re excited to have a full team!
Most recently, we welcomed Morgan Pifer as our second intern. Morgan is specifically helping with the Be Here initiative and FLEX young professionals. So far she has been populating our events calendar and job board, putting together welcome packets, planning Be Here Ambassador events, assisting with FLEX events, and much more. You can read more about Morgan in this month’s FLEX Your Ideas (FYI) newsletter.
We also shared an article in June welcoming back Lexi Henry, who was our intern last summer, too. Lexi does a variety of tasks around the office, especially with the Oil Heritage Festival.
In addition to Morgan and Lexi, we have:
• Heather Hondel, our marketing assistant who shares all our blog and social media posts
• Ashley Sheffer, the Be Here Program Manager, who also assists FLEX
• Kat Thompson, our newest full-time employee who focuses on education and membership efforts
• Tessa Byham, our Executive Assistant who manages all Chamber operations and communications
• Susan Williams, the Chamber’s President & CEO
It’s been a great summer so far! We’d love for you to reach out or stop in to meet our team. You can contact us at chamber@venangochamber.org or (814) 676-8521.
This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s July 2022 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.
For young professionals, by young professionals. This monthly newsletter is published by Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange (FLEX), the young professionals group of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce.
Click here or the image below for a PDF of the FYI.
Find articles from the FLEX FYI on the Chamber’s blog.
Originally from Lucinda in Clarion County, Maggie Schwabenbauer currently lives in Franklin and works for IA Construction Corporation as the Assistant Environmental Coordinator.
In her career, Maggie hopes to continue expanding her knowledge of the asphalt industry and the environmental impact her workplace’s operations have. She attended Kent State University and graduated in 2020 with a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry.
Over the COVID-19 pandemic, Maggie has taken the opportunity to gain some new skills. She taught herself how to make quilts and found much joy spending afternoons with her sewing machine. She mainly makes quilts as gifts for family and friends, which has been extremely rewarding. “I still have a lot to learn, but I am proud of all the progress I have been able to make in the last year,” she said.
Also in her free time, Maggie enjoys taking her wheaten terrier, Finley, for walks and spending quality time with loved ones, including her fiancé Damien. She’s also a fan of hot yoga classes at Impel Pilates and Yoga in Franklin, which has inspired her to start a 200 hour yoga teacher training.
Other favorite local spots include Trails to Ales for a delicious beer and a soft pretzel and Karma Coffee Co for anything on their menu.
“Venango County is a wonderful place to work. Aside from the beauty of the area, there are tons of places to visit on a lunch break or after getting off work,” she said. “There are also so many beautiful places to take a break and go for a short walk during your work day! I love strolling through downtown Franklin or the Justus Trail.”
Maggie has been a FLEX member since August and has especially appreciated the opportunities to network and get to know people she may have never met. “I think networking is an invaluable tool in everyone’s professional life. I hope to continue networking and learning more about all of the wonderful things the people of Venango County have to offer the world.”
Devin Zagar is the owner of 7 Foot Productions & Marketing, a business that offers a variety of marketing services, like videography, photography, and social media marketing.
He is originally from this area, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the College of Wooster, as well as multiple certifications in Digital Marketing.
Devin has enjoyed starting his own company and being able to help local businesses and organizations. Some of his other achievements include being nominated for Young Professional of the Year and graduating from the Leadership Venango program.
Lifelong learning is important to Devin and he plans to continue to expand his knowledge and grow relationships and build new ones. He also has goals for his company to grow to continue helping local small businesses and organizations.
In his free time, Devin has fun playing basketball (which he played in college), podcasting, learning, hanging out with friends, riding his one wheel or motorcycle and volunteering.
Enjoying all Venango County has to offer is important to Devin, too, and he often goes out to local restaurants and breweries, attends community and FLEX events, and uses our local trails and waterways.
“I love working with the people here,” he told us. “Starting a new company is never easy and I am thankful for all the support I have received from others in our community including businesses and their owners, the Venango Chamber, and friends and family. I love being able to capture and help share the beauty of our area and the people in it through video.”