Chamber News

The Official Newsletter of the Troy Chamber of Commerce

CHAMBER NEWS TUESDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER, 2022

Spotlight Interview: Pop-UP @ 4 W Main Member of the Month Digging Into What's New Did you know?

Inside This Issue: Welcoming New Members

Member Discount Program Nominations for Community Service Awards Notes Going Into September Business Tip of the Month Connect With Us

ABOUT OUR SPOTLIGHT This month we have done a spotlight interview on POP-UP @ 4 W. Main Street.

Pop-up @ 4 W. Main is a unique and picturesque event venue located on the Square in downtown Troy.

The space is versatile and can be used for most any type of event or gathering. The business was created and is run by Jessica Minesinger and Karin Boone.

SEPT. 2022

SPOTLIGHT: POP-UP @ 4 W. MAIN

Q: What Inspired You To Start This Business?

A: When we opened in 2018 as Lunch @ 4 W. Main, our main goal was to provide more fast lunch options for downtown Troy. We had some great anchor restaurants, most of them were sit down places that would take at least an hour for lunch, or they didn’t serve lunch at all. We wanted to bring some different menu options to downtown Troy. In addition, we recognized how difficult it is to start your own small business and carry the overhead of a brick and mortar. We wanted to offer an amazing location to people who are just starting their businesses. We also saw the need for a private event venue for under 50 people.

Q: What was your mission at the start of your business? How does that compare to your mission now?

A: Our mission was much the same as our inspiration. Quick and tasty food options, support local, and start-up small businesses, and to provide a private event venue able to accommodate various types of events.

We rebranded in the fall of 2020 to Pop-up @ 4 W. Main, which expanded our mission and inspiration.

Our venue is multi-use, you can have a pop-up lunch, party, business meeting, or shop.

Q. How did you come up with the name for your business?

A: We have long believed that the name of your business should say what you do. We chose Lunch @ 4 W. Main initially because our main focus was providing quick & tasty lunch options.

Rebranding to Pop-up was actually a fairly simple evolution. We realized that while offering lunch options was great, Pop-up made more sense to people – eat, party, shop: you can do it all at Popup @ 4 W. Main.

Q. How many employees does your business have?

A. It’s just the 2 of us. Jessica owns 2 other businesses – Troy Land Development, Inc. & Surgical Compensation & Consulting, Inc. Karen works for those companies as well.

SEPT. 2022

Q. What moments/things have been most rewarding to you running this business?

A. Jessica – Pop-Up is the ultimate entrepreneurial journey, which I absolutely love! I started my first business my senior year of college, 27 years ago, and have been self-employed ever since. I am an entrepreneur at heart, and I am uniquely aware of the challenges to start, and run, a successful business. My favorite part of Pop-Up is supporting other small, start-up companies, especially woman-owned companies, as they work through their business plans and find their market niche. Pop-up is a great place to test a small business concept on your schedule and budget.

Karen – I really enjoy working with people as they are planning their various pop-ups and events, as well as the change of pace of not sitting in front of a computer all day. I enjoy being involved in the local, downtown community. There are challenges to this for certain, but I chose to live and work in downtown Troy and there is definitely a feeling of pride for what our small businesses, the Troy Chamber and Troy Main Street have created in our downtown community. In a previous life, I was a pre-school teacher, so I appreciate the creativity and flexibility that Pop-up offers.

Q: What challenges have you had to face and overcome?

A: Obviously, the pandemic was a huge challenge for everyone. We were fortunate to have Smokin’ BeeBee-Q with us consistently. We worked with them to quickly provide pre-ordered, pick up meals as soon as we could open back up. We were able to reschedule many of our private events and only had to refund a few.

Working with the City & Health Department have had its challenges as well. Any small businesses and/or food establishments know that there are often a lot of every changing hoops to jump through. We have learned to communicate clearly, educate ourselves, and to keep an open mind and willingness to grow and learn as we navigate various obstacles.

Q:You call yourself “an incubator for small businesses”, how many small businesses would you say you have helped get a foothold and/or brick and mortar business in the community?

A: Poppin’ Off, Oh Crepe & Oh! Boba are our official Pop-up babies, but we have helped many other small business gain traction. Michelle’s Macarons had a few pop-ups with us before opening her brick & mortar.

Various food trucks, home bakers, online boutiques, local artists, and home makers regularly use our venue to set up their own little pop-up shops. We have a new vendor that should be licensed and ready to serve in late September/ early October that we are excited about so stay tuned for details on that!

Q: What elements of your business do you think makes you so unique and so vital to the Troy small business community?

A: The fact that our venue is adaptable and multi-use is huge. We are licensed Satellite Kitchen, so food vendors can sell from our space. Our furniture can easily be redesigned to host a pop-up shop, dinner party, bridal shower or a business meeting. The process is really simple and we are fairly hands off except for the marketing your small business, which we feel like also makes us super unique. We are constantly promoting other people and businesses.

SEPT. 2022 Q: What is something new you would like to do with your business, or start to offer more?

A: We love seeing all the many things that people dream up to do in our venue.

The Chamber and a few other local corporations have used our space for weekday business meetings. This is definitely something we would like to promote. Moving your team meetings to a new space sparks creativity and inspiration, while also providing a boost to your concentration, which results in more effective meetings. It improves participants' morale and boosts their overall energy. Our pricing is cost effective and we coordinate boxed lunches if needed. Contact us today for more details – info@popuptroy.com.

Q. Are there any needs that you have not met in the community, that you would like to serve in the future?

A: We’d love to see the Pop-Up used more frequently on weekdays, morning, and evening. We offer the perfect space for business meetings, club meetings, brainstorming sessions, church groups, home school groups, holiday parties, luncheons, etc.! We’re happy to coordinate breakfast and/or lunch delivery for your group and our pricing is extremely cost-effective.

Q: What is a dream goal that you would love to achieve with your business in the future?

A: Ultimately, we’d love to see the space used every day in a way that meets our mission, supports downtown Troy and the community, and promotes small business owners on their entrepreneurial journeys.

A huge thank you to Pop-Up @ 4 W. Main from the Troy Chamber of Commerce, for this wonderful interview!

MEMBER OF THE MONTH: MEDWAY TOOL

SEPT. 2022

Medway Tool Corporation, located at 2100 Corporate Dr. in Troy, are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Working closely with many Troy businesses (who they also sub-contract additional work with), provide machined details and fabrications from steel and aluminum; they also produce precision assembly tooling and fixtures along with short run production tooling.

Their major customers are: Honda of America Plants in Marysville, East Liberty, Greensburg IN., Anna Engine Plant, Honda of Alabama and Honda Canada, F & P America here in Troy and F & P Georgia, all Hobart Brothers plants, Hobart Corp Service, Dayton Phoenix, Monarch, French Oil, and Collins Aerospace (BF Goodrich).

Medway Tool currently employs 17 full time employees and 2 part-time employees. With their current officers: Tom Drake-Owner/Pres., Jeff OtisVice-Pres./Gen Mgr., Mark Rice-Vice-Pres, Sales Mgr., and Marybeth Pilcher -(Ret.)/Amy Carmean, Office Mgrs..

The owner and president Tom Drake, has lived in Troy since 1976 after moving here from Tipp City. He and his wife Cathy have raised their two kids Jim and Julie here in Troy, and both have returned from college to work in the City of Troy

DIGGING INTO WHAT'S NEW....

SEPT. 2022

Groundbreaking: Miami County Commissioners "Commerce Center Building" The new Commerce Center Building happened on August 3, 2022. It will be located on the northwest corner of Barnhart Rd and State Route 55; the facility will be 18,000 sq. feet and is a $6.2 million dollar project. It will house the Ohio BMV, County Department of Development & Building, and the Health District, with the hopes that it will be a central location for vehicle, title, license, and permit needs. The goal date for completion is by the end of June 2023.

Groundbreaking for Greenville Federal in Troy The groundbreaking for the new Greenville Federal Troy was on July 26, 2022. It will be located on Dorset Rd. in Troy, and will be a full sized office to serve the Southern part of the City. The goal for completed construction is in 6 months, with the hopes to open at the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023. Once it is completed, the branch in Kroger Marketplace will move there.

DIGGING INTO WHAT'S NEW (CONT.)....

SEPT. 2022

Webinar Wednesday Info: Did you Know?

You can have your events shared on the Chamber Website & Community Calendar. There you will be able to view events going on throughout the community, along with information related to the event. If you are interested in submitting your event to be entered into the Community Event Calendar, you can do so through the Member Info Hub; or by emailing hmccartney@troyohiochamber.com You can sign up for automated monthly billing for your membership investment. You can do monthly or annual billing can be automatically debited to a credit card. Contact Kathi for more details: roetterk@gmail.com You can access Webinar Wednesday if you were unable to attend. Our next Webinar Wednesday is on September 14th

Meet Our Newest Team Member:

Hannah McCartney is the new Administrative Assistant here at the Troy Area Chamber of Commerce. Hannah is a Wittenberg University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in History, with minors in Archaeology, Studio Art, and PreModern & Ancient World Studies. She’s previously worked as a programming assistant, librarian assistant, and switchboard operator/dispatcher. When she’s not working, you will find her with her dog: reading a good book, watching her favorite hockey team, and spending time with her friends and family.

SEPT. 2022

Welcome New Members

Boord-Henne Insurance Agency 915 S. Main St. Englewood,OH 45322 (937) 832-4001 https://www.boordhenne.com/wpcontent/cache/all/index.html

Housing Opportunities for People, Inc. 1625 Troy Sidney Rd Troy, OH 45373 (937) 440-3003 https://www.riversidedd.org/

Kable Staffing 2315 West Main Street Troy, OH 45373 (937) 935-2713 https://www.kablestaffing.com/

Basinger Life Enhancement Support Services/B.L.E.S.S. LLC 1554 McKaig Ave Troy, OH 45373 (937) 552-7970 https://blessllc.org/

TAB West Ohio (937) 931-1136 http://www.tabwestohio.com

Member Discout Progam Program

SEPT. 2022

Now Accepting Nominations for Community Service Awards

SEPT. 2022

The Troy Area Chamber of Commerce awards program recognizes and celebrates achievements of individuals who distinguish themselves through their work or personal involvement within the community. Nominations are due by September 30th.

The Awards Committee of the TACC seeks nominations and recommends candidates for community leadership awards, including: Young Man of the Year, Young Woman of the Year, Community Service Award, Outstanding Educator of the Year, and Distinguished Citizen.

The specific qualifications can be found with the nomination form can be found at https://www.troyohiochamber.com/communityawards/ Award recipients will be recognized at the Community Awards Night on Thursday, November 3.

Notes for This Month

SEPT. 2022

Troy Is Open For Business

Yes....more construction. "A Road To A Better Troy" will be continuing construction in Troy as the year goes on; however, do not fear! Here at the Chamber we understand that there are inconveniences that come with updating our roads, so we've created a Facebook page to help you navigate and stay up to date.

You can also post on this Facebook page yourself. If you have information you would like to submit to us to post on the page, please contact hmccartney@troyohiochamber.com. https://www.facebook.com/troyisopen

Want to Learn Join the Troy Chamber on October 21st 3:00pm for Join us for More?

“Chat with Kat”. “Chat with Kat” are just casual

Chat with meetings where we can have conversations to connect with you about your business, and how we Kat! can best serve you; light refreshments will be provided. You will have the opportunity to connect with other members, and ask the Executive Director any questions you may have.

If you would be interested in joining us for these “Chat with Kat” meetings, please email: hmccartney@troyohiochamber.com or call 937-339-8769 with the date that best works for you (seats are limited).

SEPT. 2022

Business Tip of the Month

It feels like so many things these days are changing quicker than we can keep track of them ....which means we need to make sure we update information regularly. This could mean making sure your hours of operation, location, and contact information is up to date on your website and Google listing. But it could also mean making sure your menu items have been updated. Especially if you are now offering allergen/dietary friendly items. Marking them It's time with the appropriate identifier and/or having a section for a.. for them in your menu, can help bring in new customers to your business, or even help current customers find the food items they need. When you're done updating your information...make sure you don't forget to share it with others on social media!

MEMBER FACEBOOK GROUP Did you know that the Chamber has a Members Only Facebook group?

The purpose of the group is to find connections, share current promotions, business needs and additional resources.

LETS CONNECT Follow the Chamber on social media platforms to stay connected.

Use our hashtags: #MyTroyChamber #RememberAMember Want us to share your post? Be sure to tag us in the post or in the comments and we will do our best to share and help you with added reach.