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ShaleLink Launches Today; Links Producers, Suppliers
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- George Farris, CEO of Farris Marketing, Boardman, and Andrea Wood, publisher of The Business Journal kept running into each other at shale energy seminars.
Most of the events, they found, provided some basic information to businesses looking for their share of the shale energy business.
But none of the events actually helped business owners directly connect and expose their products and services to the big oil companies, drillers, producers and contractors.
“Small-business owners were being directed to oil company and large contractor websites to list themselves as potential suppliers, and were told to get their insurance, safety and other certifications in order,” says Wood. “That’s all good – but after that, the businesses were left to fend for themselves.”
“I agreed with Andrea,” says Farris. “There’s a lot more to it than signing up on a website. There were hundreds of businesses at these events. How does one stand out and not just be a name on the vendor list? We knew there had to be a better way.”
So Farris Marketing and The Business Journal set out to create a more effective method for potential suppliers and producers to connect.
“We did months of research to learn how a business gets into the supply chain,” says Wood. “A lot of it is knowing what to do and who to approach.”
Farris adds, “But it’s clear that to be chosen, a business also has to get noticed and be positioned correctly. Just as with any other business-to-business market, it’s the companies that stand out and get noticed that have the best shot at earning the business.”
So The Business Journal and Farris Marketing decided to create a public forum where a potential supplier business could be noticed by the buyer – a forum that also lets suppliers mingle with, support and even do business with each other.
That was the start of ShaleLink.
ShaleLink has created a website (ShaleLink.com) where it allows businesses to “show off” – via a company profile – in the Supplier Showcase. The showcase is displayed on the ShaleLink.com homepage, and is also sent out to hundreds of industry contacts in the shale energy business.
The supplier showcase profile is free for businesses in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Businesses outside these two states must pay a $699 listing fee, Farris says
“The website is just a piece of ShaleLink,” he continues. “We’re also offering marketing advice, sales tools and key information to ShaleLink members – anything they need to reposition themselves, from branding to websites. Whatever it takes to make sure Ohio and Pennsylvania businesses get their share of the shale energy boom.”
When it comes to key information, ShaleLink members can count on The Business Journal, which will be the source for news on the ShaleLink website and email updates called ShaleMail.
“ShaleLink members will see the latest news on contracts as well as producer and supplier news,” says Wood. “But we’re also keeping track of top company officials. We’ll be interviewing them, and we’ll deliver the ShaleLink showcase to the people who make the buying decisions.”
ShaleLink officially launches today, the first day of the Young 2012 Conference at the Covelli Center, where ShaleLink will have a booth.
Businesses can sign up for the free Supplier Showcase at the expo. They can also enter a company profile right now on the pre-launch version of the ShaleLink website at ShaleLink.com.
The showcase will not be visible until the launch but, Farris says, businesses who enter their profile now will be among the first to “show off” on launch day, Sept. 6.
ShaleLink listings are free for businesses in Ohio and Pennsylvania. GO TO ShaleLink.com.
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.