Ohio UniForum was formed in 1990 and has been a UniForum affiliate throughout its existence. President Ken Kowicki says he founded the group to extend the benefits of a user organization to his area. "I called UniForum and said 'These things are great that you give me, but what have you got going on in this area?' So basically I went out and got people interested and about a year later we put together a forum and got things rolling. We've been doing it every month since then."
The organization has about 300 members throughout the state, including many general members of UniForum who have joined the affiliate group under the joint membership program. "That helped out," Kowicki says. "I see a really good synergy building now. There seems to be more interest from UniForum members." Chapters meet monthly in Cleveland and Cincinnati, and a new chapter is being organized in Columbus.
The group sends out a newsletter once a month to announce local activities, meeting times, special offers and information on how to contact group officers. Meeting agendas and programs are put together in a steering committee meeting held each fall. A corporate sponsor program has been instituted at three levels, and IBM, Community Mutual Insurance Co., and Cyber Access have now been signed up as sponsors for $250 a year. Sponsorships are also available at $500 and $750, with additional benefits provided. Sponsors receive an opportunity to sponsor special meetings at which they take over the agenda.
Ohio UniForum also has helped coordinate the needs of local UNIX users in conjunction with local expositions. "We get on their expo staffs and advisory boards and help meet the needs of people in the area," Kowicki says. "We do that rather than sponsor our own expo. We generally hold a statewide meeting during that time and provide all the members with a free pass." One recent such expo was the Computer and Office Systems Show in Cleveland in early November.
For more information on Ohio UniForum, Kowicki can be contacted by phoning (216) 886-2018 or via the Internet at dz371@ cleveland.freenet.edu. Kowicki especially urges Columbus residents interested in getting that chapter started to call him.