Live CHQ News

Evening will also serve as a Salute to Chautauqua County’s First RespondersJAMESTOWN, NY: -- Live CHQ, Chautauqua County’s talent attraction and retention initiative, will be presenting a “Community Buyout Night” for the Jamestown Tarp Skunks’ July 11, 2024 home game against the Geneva Red Wings, beginning at 6:30 p.m. All tickets for that night’s game will be free to the public courtesy of Live CHQ and its two affiliate agencies, the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) and the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG). The theme for this special night is “A Salute to Chautauqua County’s First Responders,” honoring past and present members of the county’s EMS, Fire, and Police agencies. “Rewarding the community, and especially first responders and their families, with complementary tickets is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the men and women who work tirelessly to keep us safe,” said Mark Geise, Chautauqua County Deputy County Executive of Economic Development, and CCIDA CEO. “It also serves to remind residents and businesses about Live CHQ, our talent attraction and retention initiative, which highlights all the benefits of living and working in Chautauqua County.” “CCIDA and CCPEG, along with the Live CHQ initiative, has been working with us to find a way to salute and thank our county’s first responders and what better way to do that than to give them the opportunity to enjoy community baseball, free of charge!” said Christian Dolce, Tarp Skunks General Manager and Director of Business and Sales operations. “Not only will we be waiving admission fees for all attendees that evening, but we’ll also have a number of special events and activities planned to help honor and support first responders, especially our county’s numerous volunteer fire departments.” Pregame festivities will begin at 5 p.m. and include a “touch a truck” event with various first responder vehicles on hand; a meet and greet with Whiffy, the Tarp Skunks mascot and characters from Paw Patrol, provided by Chautauqua Safety Village; and volunteer fire department information and sign-up stations. There will also be a 50/50 drawing to support volunteer fire fighters, prizes and giveaways from LiveCHQ, and a special first pitch ceremony honoring all first responders in attendance. Representatives from CCIDA and CCPEG will also be on hand to share details and answer questions about the Live CHQ campaign and the Choose CHQ branding initiative, which works highlight all the economic development efforts, projects, and initiatives overseen by CCIDA and its affiliate agencies. Free tickets are available at Russell E. Diethrick Park the night of the game. Volunteer firefighters, local law enforcement, and EMS workers can also pick up tickets at their designated stations, with limited tickets also available at both CCIDA offices in Jamestown and Dunkirk. Any first responder group that would like tickets can also call the Tarp Skunks direction at 716-705-5600. Additional information about the Jamestown Tarp Skunks and the team’s 2024 season, along with a printable schedule, can be found at TarpSkunks.com. About Live CHQ – Live CHQ is a joint marketing campaign launched by the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency and the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth in 2024 to assist with talent attraction and retention efforts across Chautauqua County, NY. The overall goal of the campaign is to help raise awareness of Chautauqua County as a viable place for individuals and families to live by speaking to the sensibilities, desires, and expectations of people who are considering the county as their primary residence. For more information visit www.LiveCHQ.com.

Local businesses invited to participate by giving baskets to new employees moving to Chautauqua CountyLive CHQ Welcome Baskets with (L-R) Daniel Hietzenrater, President & CEO Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce; Monica Simpson, Partner Engagement Coordinator at Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth; Nate Aldrich, Economic Development Coordinator for the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency; Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development. (Media Release Provided by Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce) JAMESTOWN, NY: -- As part of a talent attraction plan to bring new, skilled workers to local businesses and organizations, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG) have teamed up on a new Welcome Basket promotion. Welcome baskets have been specifically designed in two sizes to meet a variety of needs, and each contains a myriad of local products curated by Chamber of Commerce staff from local businesses and producers. Products are tucked into branded Live CHQ buckets that coordinate with the county’s new Live CHQ campaign that highlights the excellent quality of life and affordable living options here in Chautauqua County. Thanks to a subsidy provided by CCPEG, the first two baskets purchased by any company or organization will be half-price. The subsidized purchases are for talent attraction or new hires ONLY and are not designed for general gift-giving. After the first two, you must purchase the baskets at full price. The Chamber has selected the local items and is selling the Welcome Baskets through its website. Proceeds from the sales will go towards perpetuating the program. Chamber President and CEO Daniel Heitzenrater noted, “We are proud to be part of this new program and look forward to making it work into the future. Our team has been involved from the outset, assisting with choosing locally made items to include.” “I especially want to thank our Coordinator Denise Szalkowski for serving on the committee that helped to get this project off the ground, and for collecting items for the first baskets,” he added. "We are delighted to introduce this program, which underscores our commitment to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment for recruits and new residents," said Monica Simpson, Partner Engagement Coordinator at CCPEG. "Each participant will receive a Live CHQ collapsible basket, thoughtfully packed with the flavors of Chautauqua County and our soon-to-be-released updated relocation guide. This initiative is designed to provide the resources and community connections that will help individuals thrive both personally and professionally in our county. We believe that by investing in our new members, we are not only enhancing their future but also enriching the fabric of our entire community." Items included in the initial Welcome Baskets are from a variety of local producers including 21 Brix Winery, Portland; Big Tree Maple, Lakewood; Borsari Foods, Jamestown; Chai's Chocolates, Fredonia; Chautauqua Soap Co., Jamestown; CK Natural Fruit Juice, Westfield; Crown Street Roasting Company, Jamestown; Franklins Honey & Apples, Dewittville; Jamestown Community College, Jamestown; Jo Jo's Cake Cottage, Dunkirk; Peterson Farms, Jamestown; Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood; SUNY FSA Bookstore, Fredonia; Sweeterson Farms, Clymer; and Whizz-n-Smash, Dewittville. Additional items will be rotated into the baskets over time. Live CHQ Welcome Baskets can be purchased through the ecommerce page at ChautauquaChamber.org. Small baskets are $54 including sales tax, while large baskets are $108 including sales tax. To purchase Welcome Baskets with a purchase order or invoice please contact the Chamber at (716) 484-1101.

New Website and Advertising Effort to Focus on Talent Attraction and Retention in Chautauqua CountyJAMESTOWN, NY: -- The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG), along with the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), is announcing the launch of a new, multi-year marketing campaign. The effort, called Live CHQ, will focus on talent attraction and retention by highlighting quality of life aspects and career opportunities available in Chautauqua County.  “Live CHQ is primarily intended to market our county to people living outside of our county in order to attract new and professionally talented residents by focusing on the best our county has to offer – including affordability, job opportunities, our cultural and entertainment attractions, and a wide variety of outdoor recreation options,” said Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and CCIDA CEO. “As part of the talent retention effort, we will also remind current residents of the benefits of living in Chautauqua County.” WATCH THE APRIL 16 PRESENTATION The campaign is modeled after a similar talent attraction and retention marketing effort in Buffalo, known as the Be in Buffalo campaign. That effort was spearheaded by Invest Buffalo Niagara, which also provided assistance with initial planning of the Live CHQ campaign. A major component of Live CHQ is a new website – LiveCHQ.org - that will inform the public about the various quality of life aspects the county has to offer, along with employment resources and business development opportunities found across the county. The campaign is also intended to assist local companies, businesses, and nonprofits across all sectors by helping to inform their prospective employees about what the county has to offer. “Many of our local businesses and nonprofits need more skilled, talented, and experienced employees to fill vacant jobs. But it can also be challenging to recruit individuals to fill those positions, due to a high demand for skilled workers, compared to the number of candidates currently living in our county. We are encouraging the business community to use the website to assist with their recruitment efforts, especially for talent located outside of the area who may be unfamiliar with what Chautauqua County has to offer,” explained Nate Aldrich, Chautauqua County Economic Development Coordinator and CCPEG Manager. CCIDA and CCPEG contracted with Buffalo-based Block Club to develop the Live CHQ campaign following an RFP process in late 2022. Throughout 2023, Block Club then worked to develop Live CHQ by visiting the county and meeting with key stakeholders during the “discover phase” of the campaign, to determine its focus – young families, active adults, and professionals with a passion for outdoor recreation and cultural/community experiences who currently reside outside of Chautauqua County. Current county residents are a secondary target audience. Block Club also designed a “choose your adventure” theme, incorporating “CHQ” into the messaging of each ad. The company also designed specific digital ad assets for the campaign, along with a promotional video advertisement. The website was designed by Clevermethod, also based in Buffalo. In addition to designing LiveCHQ.org, Clevermethod also developed ChooseCHQ.com, the new website for CCIDA and CCPEG, along with the other affiliation agencies – the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC) and the Chautauqua County Capital Resource Corporation (CRC). Funding for the Live CHQ campaign was derived from American Rescue Plan Act funding provided to CCPEG by Chautauqua County, a multi-year grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and from the CCIDA’s general marketing budget. Assistance in developing the campaign was also provided by Chautauqua County Government and the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau, along with a variety of organizations and attractions found across Chautauqua County. “We want to emphasize that this is not a panacea that will suddenly reverse decades of population decline experienced in our county and across the Western New York region. Our hope is that it will be a valuable tool that, when combined with other efforts, will help to move the population needle in a positive direction,” explained Geise. “The launch of Live CHQ is the culmination of a year’s worth of planning and development, and we’re excited to see it rolled out and implemented.” Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel said he is encouraged on what this new rollout program can and will do. “‘Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.' That’s my new motto as we move forward,” Wendel said, quoting Colin Powell. More information about the Live CHQ marketing campaign will be announced in the coming weeks. # # # About Live CHQ – Live CHQ is a joint marketing campaign launched by the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency and the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth in 2024 to assist with talent attraction and retention efforts across Chautauqua County, NY. The overall goal of the campaign is to help raise awareness of Chautauqua County as a viable place for individuals and families to live by speaking to the sensibilities, desires, and expectations of people who are considering the county as their primary residence. For more information visit www.LiveCHQ.com.