Rotary Club Members Learn About Live CHQ | News, Sports, Jobs

From left: Rotarian Becky Robbins, club president Ruth Lundin, Jason Sample, IDA Chautauqua County communications and marketing coordinator, and Nick Erickson, an IDA summer intern.

Rotarian Jason Sample, communications and marketing coordinator for the Chautauqua County IDA, spoke with the Rotary Club of Jamestown about the IDA’s recent marketing campaign.

LIVE – CHQ is a joint marketing campaign launched in 2024 by the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency and the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth to support talent attraction and retention efforts across Chautauqua County. The overall goal of the campaign is to raise awareness of Chautauqua County as a great place to live for individuals and families by addressing the sensibilities, desires and expectations of people considering the county as their primary residence.

A key component of Live CHQ is a new website – LiveCHQ.org – that addresses quality of life issues in the county, in addition to employment and business development opportunities. The campaign is designed to help local businesses, companies and nonprofits by helping them inform prospective employees about all the county has to offer.

In addition to the LIVE CHQ website, there is another website, ChooseCHQ.com, a promotional video and other advertising marketed in neighboring cities such as Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The marketing focus is on outdoor recreation, affordable cost of living, cultural communities and economic opportunity.

Choose CHQ aims to encourage businesses to locate in Chautauqua County.

Sample was born and raised here and attended Falconer High School. He earned an associate degree in communications from Jamestown Community College before transferring to West Virginia University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Jason has worked in local media for over 20 years, including as a news reporter, news anchor, live sports commentator, disc jockey and program director – all for Media One Radio Group. He also served as Director of Public Affairs and General Manager of WRFA Radio for 12 years and as editor and writer for the local weekly newspaper, the Chautauqua Star.

During his work in the media industry, he has interviewed countless people and organized and moderated various events and programs, including local election debates, community forums, live music events and fundraisers.

Sample is a trustee of the Chautauqua County Historical Society and previously chaired the program committee. His notable contributions include writing and producing the Bicentennial Biography series in 2011, which profiled 200 people in celebration of the county’s bicentennial. He also shares his knowledge through lectures on local history topics. He has also served on the board of Infinity Visual and Performing Arts.

Sample and his wife Johanna live in Jamestown with their two cats. When Jason isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his family, being outdoors and being active – regardless of the weather or the season.