Aces of Trades: Jordin Harmer finds her job at visitors bureau to be a fun challenge
ZANESVILLE – She was on a different path until she found a fun challenge.
“I’d say I was a pretty outgoing kid but serious about my goals,” recalled Jordin Harmer. “My grandparents used to joke that I’ve always been a little adult. I loved school and put in as much effort as possible. I wasn’t overly concerned with career goals until high school began. Then I discovered my love for biology and all things nutrition related. I thought for sure I would have a career as a registered dietician. And even if that didn’t work out, I knew it would be in healthcare. Healthcare seemed like such a sensible choice at the time. Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself promoting Zanesville/Muskingum County.”
Today, Harmer is an information specialist for the Convention & Visitors Bureau, which is part of the Zanesville Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce.
“My role,” she explained, “involves answering questions when visitors pop in the Welcome Center, promoting events on social media channels, assisting in the creation of printed marketing materials, assisting in events sponsored by the chamber or visitor’s bureau. Essentially, doing everything I can to let visitors and locals alike know how wonderful Muskingum County really is. Showing folks that Muskingum County is a neat place to visit and live. Positivity is at the heart of this position, and that’s what I’m all about.”
Harmer initially grew up in Gallipolis but moved to Zanesville when she was 9. She graduated from Philo High School in 2009, then attended Ohio University, first in Zanesville and then in Athens, to study clinical nutrition with a minor in business.
“I considered marketing/promotions to be mostly fluff and not serious or important like healthcare,” she said. “Now I know that’s not true in the slightest. It wasn’t until I took my first marketing class as a junior at OU when I understood the importance marketing plays in businesses, organizations (non-profits or otherwise), and even individuals. Branding is everything. I ended up really liking all my business classes and breezed through each one. But I also still loved studying nutrition. Looking back, it probably would have been wise to switch my major, but I was already in pretty deep with my dietetics classes.”
After stints with medical billing and a media company, Harmer started at the chamber, more specifically the convention and visitors bureau, on May 1, 2023.
Kelly Ashby is vice president of the Zanesville Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce
“Jordin has an amazing ability to bring a smile to each guest that walks in the front door at the Welcome Center,” assessed Ashby. “She meets and greets with kindness and ‘what can I help you with attitude’ that is amazing. Jordin's talent of marketing, social media, ad development, guest services and kindness are invaluable to the Zanesville-Muskingum County CVB and chamber.”
“I happily accepted the position because I thought it would be a fun challenge,” responded Harmer. “I’m amazed how much effort goes into planning and executing community events, projects, and attractions. I get the privilege of seeing a lot of the behind the scenes stuff. Like how much work goes into attractions such as the Lorena Sternwheeler and First Friday Art Walks. It gives a new perspective of our community members and how much care they put into bringing positive change to the area. It’s encouraging.”
Zanesville Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce is located at 205 N. Fifth St. For more information, call 740-455-8282 or log on www.zmchamber.com.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at trnews@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Jordin Harmer says her job at visitors bureau is a fun challenge
