SellingHive, a social network for business located in the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator, officially opened its online service this week and is now being used by companies in Chautauqua County. The site went live on Aug. 8, and is rapidly gaining momentum both locally and across the country.
New members are gradually being added to SellingHive by invitation only. Companies who pre-registered during the past year on SellingHive’s web site and at Chamber of Commerce events are now being invited to join the service, a process which began Aug. 8 and will continue for the next two weeks.
“Our social networking site is now enrolling business members and we’re gradually growing the membership” says Bob Richardson, SellingHive Executive Vice President and the executive responsible for the company’s activities in Western New York. “Our tools will allow members to create new business relationships and in turn, increase their revenue. It’s great that we can begin our expansion by helping companies right here in Chautauqua County.”
Dawson Metal Co., located in Jamestown, N.Y., was the first company to join SellingHive and several other Chautauqua County businesses joined the services in its first few days online. Dawson, a family-owned custom metal fabricator with customers in the electronic, medical, retail, power generation and transportation industries participated in several of SellingHive’s test programs and provided feedback on the site before it launched.
“We’re excited to see SellingHive open up online and to begin working with Chautauqua County companies to grow their sales,” said Bill Daly, CEO of the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, an early investor in SellingHive Corporation through the Chautauqua Seed Fund.
SellingHive’s local affiliate, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, will begin their SellingHive presence on Monday. This will allow current Chamber members to receive exclusive invitations to join SellingHive before the site opens to the general public. The chamber will also offer exclusive support for its members with the enrollment process, use of SellingHive’s business tools and will hold monthly seminars focused on achieving maximum success with SellingHive.
“Being able to invite our Chamber members to join SellingHive before it opens to the general public gives local businesses a great head start. By partnering with SellingHive while the technology was in development, we were able to ensure that our members’ needs were incorporated into SellingHive’s tools. That also means our members will be able to use the site for free during the next year,” says Todd Tranum, President and CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director of the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier. “SellingHive is a phenomenal resource for businesses looking to increase sales and enter new markets.”
The Chamber’s first monthly seminar on SellingHive is scheduled for August 24th, and will be held at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown at 8 a.m. The seminar will include a live, in-depth demonstration of SellingHive and will discuss how local companies are using the online tools. Attendance is free for Chamber members. To register for the seminar, or for more information about receiving an invitation to join SellingHive, call the Chamber at 366-6200 or 484-1101.