Six New Chamber Members Approved by Executive Committee
Tri-Agency Coalition to Host Lieutenant Governor Cawley
Breakfast Club Will Feature Speaker on Impact on Non-Profits
Chamber Endorses Package on Federal Bills
Business After Hours is Thursday
Changed Your Buying Habits Yet?  Let Us Know!
July's "Buy Here. Live Here." Newsletter Available Online
Tired of New Customers Always Wanting to Give You Their Money?
Privilege Pages Provide Great Value at a Low Price
Chamber Seeking Fall Intern
Chamber Energy Program: Great Savings on Commercial Electric Rates
Congratulations...
Blue Card Discounts 

Six New Members Approved by Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the Blair County Chamber’s Board of Directors has approved the following businesses for membership: Cargill Feed & Nutrition of Martinsburg, John J. Castle General Contractor of Hollidaysburg, Healthy Blair County Coalition of Altoona, Mama Randazzo’s of Altoona, Reiki Center for Body and Mind of Hollidaysburg and The Tax Shelter of Altoona.

Tri-Agency Coalition to Host Lieutenant Governor Cawley
The Tri-Agency Coalition of Blair County, consisting of the Blair County Chamber, the Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation and the Allegheny Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau will host Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor James Cawley at a luncheon to be held Thursday at noon at the Devorris Center for Business Development. “The Lieutenant Governor expressed an interest in talking to business leaders in our area about Governor Corbett’s budget objectives and he’s looking for feedback on how to keep the Commonwealth moving ahead,” explained Chamber President/CEO Joe Hurd. “We’re more than happy to accommodate him.” Because of space limitations, attendance at the luncheon is limited to the boards of directors from the three agencies as well as The Chamber’s Executive Roundtable and its Legislative Action Committee. Following the luncheon, the Lieutenant Governor will tour New Pig Corporation in Tipton and then return to the Devorris Center to meet with local officials concerning the City of Altoona’s recent entry into Act 47 status.

Breakfast Club Will Feature Speaker on Impact on Non-Profits
Attorney Jack Owen of the Pittsburgh law firm of Rhoades & Wodarczyk, a former board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Organizations (PANO) and past president of Pittsburgh Planned Giving Council, will be the keynote speaker at the August 9th Chamber Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club will focus on the impact that local non-profits have on the Blair County economy. Attorney Owen has considerable experience in working with non-profits. The Breakfast Club will begin at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The cost to attend is $16 for Members and $30 for non-members. To register, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online. Sponsor for the August Breakfast Club is The Village at Morrisons Cove.

Chamber Endorses Package of Federal Bills
As part of its advocacy efforts with the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Blair County Chamber has signed-on to a letter sent to the U.S. House of Representatives strongly urging passage of a package of bills which would streamline the federal permitting process, impose transparency on the abused sue-and-settle process used by agencies and environmental groups to circumvent the rulemaking process and to prohibit agencies from proposing or finalizing major midnight regulations. “The consensus of the participating chambers is that sound regulatory policy is not possible unless the process is open and public participation is welcome by agencies,” explained Chamber President Joe Hurd. “We’re hoping that House members will see that as well.”

Business After Hours is Thursday
The Lutheran Home in Hollidaysburg, managed by Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries, will be the host of Thursday's Business After Hours from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. The staff always does a sensational job on the food and beveage. Join us for a fun night of networking!  Cost to attend is only $6 for Members (pre-registered) and $12 for non-members. To make reservations, call The Chamber at 814-943-8151 or register online.

Changed Your Buying Habits Yet?  Let Us Know!
Too often, recognition bypasses people who deserve it most. The Chamber is attempting to change that through its “Buy Here. Live Here.” program. “We’re encouraging people to change their buying habits,” remarked Randy Green of McCartney’s, who chairs the BHLH Steering Committee. “When they do, we want to point that out to others. And we want to thank the people who are showing consideration for the future of their community.” If you are one of those people or your business has taken steps toward local buying, call Joe Hurd at The Chamber today (943-8151) or email him.

July's "Buy Here. Live Here." Newsletter Available Online
The July edition of the Buy Here. Live Here. online newsletter is now available and features an article on The Summit Tennis & Athletic Club, a local business that has changed its buying habits to include more local vendors. If you haven’t received the newsletter it means that you haven’t yet signed a pledge card saying that you will attempt to buy at least 10% more of your products and services from local providers. You can access a pledge card either by visiting The Chamber Office or by visiting the website at http://www.buyherelivehere.com.

Tired of New Customers Always Wanting to Give You Their Money?
If you already have all the business that you need, make sure that you never end-up on The Chamber’s Blue Card List. Since there are more than 45,000 Blue Cards already in circulation, the last thing that you need is a bunch of customers bothering you to sell them some product or service. That will likely take up a lot of your time and maybe vault you into a higher tax bracket. Getting on the Blue Card List is free to Chamber Members and we know how much you hate free things. So avoid the Blue Card program like the plague or you might inadvertently become successful.

Privilege Pages Provide Great Value at a Low Price
If you were able to send an 8 ½ by 11 inch marketing piece about your business or organization to more than 1,100 business people for only $125, would you? Well several smart Chamber Members have been using “Privilege Pages” for quite some time. These marketing pieces are inserted in the monthly issues of the Blair Business Mirror that are direct mailed to The Chamber’s membership list. They are an effective way to hit a target audience that is often hard to reach. If you want your business to gain a competitive edge, call Jessica Meck at The Chamber today at 943-8151 and reserve your Privilege Page.

Chamber Seeking Fall Intern
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce is seeking an intern for the Fall Semester. The intern should be majoring in Business Management, Marketing or Communications. The internship can be either for credit or personal enrichment. Interested students should contact Linda Stotler at 943-8151. 

Chamber Energy Program: Great Savings on Commercial Electric Rates
If your business is a member of the Blair County Chamber and you haven’t enrolled in a discount program for electricity, you’re already losing money. To remedy that situation, check out The Chamber’s commercial energy program through OnDemand Energy. The rates are great and the service is outstanding. Simply visit the website at http://www.ondemandenergy.com/ and see what you’ve been missing!

Congratulations...
. . . to Keith Crownover, President & CEO of Delta Health Technologies, who has been named to the Pennsylvania e-Health Collaborative Advisory Committee. He is the committee’s sole representative from the home care, hospice and private duty industries.

Blue Card Discounts
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.    

Oak Spring Winery	Present your Blue Card to save 10% on your order at Oak Spring Winery.
Park Audio Plus	Present your Blue Card to receive 4 years Interest Free Financing on all Tempur-Pedic & Serta Icomfort mattress sets plus a Free $200 gift card, free delivery, & Free removal of old bedding.
Park Hills Country Club	Present your Blue Card to receive a FREE round of golf when you purchase three rounds for the same date and tee time. (Some restrictions apply.)
Peter C. Pham, DDS, PC	Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive 10% Discount on Major Restorative Work OR receive Free X-Rays (New Patients Only) OR receive $50 off Zoom Whitening.
Phoenicia Mediterranean Restaurant	Present your Blue Card to receive 10 percent off your bill. Discount excludes alcohol purchases.