If you are having trouble reading this email, please read the online version.

Tomorrow's WE-LEaD Program to Focus on Business Etiquette
Business After Hours "Down on the Farm" is Thursday
Wolf Furniture to Host October 5th "Business Before Hours"
Chamber Submits Transportation Funding Resolutions to Corbett
Chamber Members Can Win One-Year of Free Electric Generation
"Issues" Program on Higher Education Continues on Channel 14
Have You Registered for the Regional Expo?
Flood Insurance is Topic of October Lunch 'n' Learn
Chamber Again Supporting "Operation S.O.S"
Congratulations...
Blue Card Discounts

Tomorrow's WE-LEaD Program to Focus on Business Etiquette
The Chamber’s WE-LEaD Committee will feature a Lunch ‘n’ Learn program this Tuesday, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at The Blairmont Club. The program is entitled, “Business Etiquette: How to Achieve Poise & Confidence.” Dede Kazmaier will be the presenter and will teach attendees how to perform flawlessly with poise and confidence in every situation – from dining and social etiquette to general courtesy and consideration for others. The cost to attend is just $22 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Business After Hours "Down on the Farm" is Thursday
The Chamber’s annual Business After Hours “Down on the Farm” will be hosted by Hilecrest Farm, a dairy farm in Sinking Valley, this Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Hilecrest Farm, LLC, previously owned by David Hileman, is currently owned and operated by Phil Kulp of Kulp Family Dairy, located in Martinsburg. "Down on the Farm" is not only fun for the whole family, it is also designed to be educational. Booths will be set up to help answer questions including representatives from Red Barn, Land O’Lakes and the Blair County Conservation District. For those not accustomed to farming, the "Down on the Farm" Business After Hours is sure to be a crowd pleaser. This family oriented event has something for everyone including an old-fashioned pig roast, door prizes, live entertainment by Zupe and hay rides to tour the farm. Tickets are only $5.00 and children 12 and under are free. Call The Chamber at 814-943-8151 today for tickets and directions to the farm or register online.

Wolf Furniture to Host October 5th “Business Before Hours”
Wolf Furniture, located at 4 Sellers Drive in Altoona, will be the host of the next Chamber “Business Before Hours,” set for Wednesday, October 5 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Wolf Furniture is very excited to be hosting the event. They will offer “a first-class display” of food and drinks. Handouts will be given to all attendees with significant discounts that they can use later. There is no cost to Chamber Members to attend and a $10.00 cost for non-members. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Chamber Submits Transportation Funding Resolutions to Corbett
With the strong possibility that transportation funding will be addressed early this Fall by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Blair County Chamber has submitted a copy of its Transportation Funding Resolution along with a similar resolution approved last week by the Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation to Governor Tom Corbett. “It’s imperative that the Governor understands that the business community supports quick action to resolve a problem that many legislators have put on the back burner,” remarked Eric Wolf of AMTRAN who chairs The Chamber’s Transportation Committee. “The Chamber and ABCD have been proactive in making sure that the Commonwealth does what it needs to do to insure that Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure needs are addressed.” (For additional information or to join the Transportation Committee, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or email him at jhurd@blairchamber.com.)

Chamber Members Can Win One-Year of Free Electric Generation
Chamber Members who register for commercial electric coverage through the ChamberChoice program by October 14th will qualify for the chance to receive free electric generation for one year (a $5,000 value). Residential customers can win a similar prize (worth $1,000). Enrollment is easy. Simply go to fes.com/chamberchoice, select your utility, and get the special pricing available to members in our area. Call 1-866-699-9968 to speak to a program representative.

"Issues" Program on Higher Education Continues on Channel 14
The Chamber’s latest “Issues” program is being aired on the Altoona Public Access Channel (14) on Mondays at 9:00 p.m. and Wednesday’s at 9:00 a.m. throughout the months of September and October. “The Role of Higher Education in Regional Development” is the title of the hour-long program that is moderated by WTAJ’s Carolyn Donaldson. Panelists are: Dr. Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry, Chancellor of Penn State Altoona; Dr. Wayne Powel, Provost of Saint Francis University; Dr. Walter Asonevich, President of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College; John Hille, Executive Vice-President of Juniata College; and Dr. Thomas Foley, President of Mount Aloysius College. Sponsors for the “Issues” program are: Altoona Mirror, Keller Engineers, McCartney’s, Inc., Mount Aloysius College and Penn State Altoona.

Have You Registered for the Regional Business Expo?
The Blair County Chamber will once again partner with twelve other chambers throughout the region in presenting the Central PA Regional Business & Industry Expo, to be held Thursday, November 3rd from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College. Despite the fact that the event is more than six weeks away, initial registration has been somewhat heavy, according to The Chamber’s Stacy Hoover. “The event has been in play for the past couple years and businesses see the value in either exhibiting or attending,” Hoover pointed out. “We’re expecting our best year yet.” Hoover encouraged members of the Blair County Chamber to register early. “Some pretty good spots are still open but they’ll close quickly,” she noted. To obtain a registration form for the event, click here.

Flood Insurance is Topic of October Lunch 'n' Learn
Recent hurricanes and other types of weather-related disasters makes it more important than ever that businesses and homeowners understand the financial and property repercussions of flooding. For that reason, The Chamber is holding a Lunch ‘n’ Learn program on Thursday, October 27th from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Park Hills Country Club entitled, “Flood Insurance and Mortgages: Keeping Your Head Above Water.” Presenters will be: Theodora (Teddie) Kreitz of Keller Engineers, State Farm agent Lisa Mancinelli, Donna Myers of Reliance Bank, Cassandra Schmick of Logan Township and A. Jane Beveridge of the City of Altoona. The topic to be discussed will be the National Flood Insurance Program and its impact on local communities and residential and commercial property owners. The cost to attend is $22 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Chamber Again Supporting "Operation S.O.S."
For the third consecutive year, The Chamber will assist in the promotion of Operation S.O.S. (Support Our Soldiers). This is the eighth year of the campaign which last year sent 277 holiday care packages to soldiers in the 298th Maintenance Company from Altoona who were stationed in Iraq. For information on how you or your business can participate in this tremendous project, contact Gary Clare at 695-5635.

Congratulations...
. . . to the members of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce who received awards at last week’s Annual Awards Social, held by the Allegheny Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Halbritter Family of Midstate Tool won the Visionary Award; State Representative Jerry Stern received the Ambassador Award, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art was the recipient of the President’s Award; the Altoona Curve won the Destination Champion Award and Roseanne Conrad of The Park at Morrisons Cove received the Excellence in Partnership Award. Another longtime Chamber member, County Commissioner Donna Gority, was recognized by the AMCVB for her many years of service.
. . . to Altoona Regional Health System which has been awarded three-year terms of accreditation in both nuclear medicine and mammography as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology.
. . . to Concurrent Technologies Corporation which won national recognition for publication excellence in layout and design for its annual report. CTC won two gold awards and an award of excellence from the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals.

Blue Card Discount offers
Here are a few of the discounts you can receive with your Chamber Blue Card. Click here to see the full list of Blue Card Discounts. To have an offer listed contact Stacy Hoover at The Chamber at 943-8151.

Sanctuary Salon
Present your Blue Card to receive $5 off any service when you book an appointment at Sanctuary Salon.

ServiceMaster Prof. Cleaning Present your Blue Card to receive 10% off all commercial and residential cleaning services.

Shear Perfections Present your blue card and receive 50% off any service for first time customers. You then receive 10% off every service thereafter.

Smith Furniture - House of Fashion Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive a 5% discount on your entire purchase. (Offer excludes sales tax or services.)

SNAP Fitness of Altoona Present your Blue Card to receive FREE enrollment, 10% off of membership and 1 FREE personal training session at SNAP.

September 26, 2011

Upcoming Events
Register online

WE-LEaD Lunch 'n' Learn

Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Noon
The Blairmont Club

Register Here

Down on the Farm

Thursday, September 29, 2011
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Hosted by: Hilecrest Farm, LLC

Register Here

Business Before Hours

Wednesday, October 5, 2011
7:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Wolf Furniture

Register Here

GRYP 'next' Seminar

Friday, October 14, 2011
8:15 a.m. - Noon
Ramada Altoona Conference Center

Register Here

Hall of Fame Dinner

Monday, October 17, 2011
5:30 p.m. - Reception
6:45 p.m. - Dinner
Blair County Convention Center

Register Here

GRYP Networking

Thursday, October 20, 2011
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
US Hotel Restaurant & Tavern

Register Here

Safety Program

Friday, October 21, 2011
7:45 - 9:30 a.m.
Hampton Inn

Register Here

Farm-City Dinner

Tuesday, October 25, 2011
6:30 p.m. - Milk/Punch Reception
7:00 p.m. - Dinner
The Park at Morrisons Cove

Register Here

Business After Hours

WEDNESDAY, October 26, 2011
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Hosted by:

Register Here

Lunch 'n' Learn

Thursday, October 27, 2011
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Park Hills Country Club

Register Here

Upcoming Committee Meetings
Week of 9/26/11

Business Opportunities Committee
Monday, September 26, 8:00 a.m.
The Chamber

Coalition on Sustainability
Tuesday, September 27, 10:00 a.m.
Devorris Center

Buy Here/Live Here Subcommittees
Tuesday, September 27, 1:30 p.m.
Devorris Center

Non-Profit Advocacy Subcommittee
Thursday, September 29, 8:15 a.m.
The Chamber

Non-Profit Internal Education Subcommittee
Thursday, September 29, 9:30 a.m.
The Chamber

Non-Profit External Education Subcommittee
Thursday, September 29, 1:30 p.m.
The Chamber

Non-Profit Collaboration Subcommittee
Thursday, September 29, 2:45 p.m.
The Chamber

Follow The Chamber
on Facebook

Click here

For more information, visit the website

To subscribe or unsubscribe, email