Chamber Board to Bid Farewell to Departing Members
Hampton Inn to Host “Business After Hours”
Television Program to Recognize Role of Young Professionals
Nomination Forms Available for Annual Meeting Awards
Athena Award Nomination Deadline Also December 31st
Update Your Information for the Chamber’s Membership Directory
Chamber Seeking Spring Intern
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts

Chamber Board to Bid Farewell to Departing Members
The Chamber’s Board of Directors will meet this Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at the Devorris Center. It will be the Board’s last meeting of 2013 and will be the last meeting for five board members whose terms are expiring.  The five are: Dr. Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry of Penn State Altoona, Gary Drenning, Randy Green of McCartney’s and Ron Muffie of The Hite Company. Altoona Mayor Bill Schirf, an ex-officio member of the Board will also be leaving the Board. “These people represent a significant part of the success that The Chamber has experienced within the past several years,” remarked Board Chair Doug Mingle. “They will be tough to replace.” Any Chamber Member wishing to address the Board at Thursday’s meeting should contact Joe Hurd by noon on Tuesday at 943-8151. 

Hampton Inn to Host “Business After Hours”
The Hampton Inn Altoona will host Thursday’s “Business After Hours” from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The hotel is located at 180 Charlotte Drive in Altoona. The cost to attend Business After Hours is $6.00 for Chamber Members in advance and $7.00 at the door.  Non-members may attend for $12.00 in advance and $15 at the door.  To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Television Program to Recognize Role of Young Professionals
The Chamber’s next “Issues” program, which will be aired on the Altoona Public Access Channel beginning Monday, will focus attention on The Chamber’s Growth and relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) program. That program, created by The Chamber, is currently in its 10th year. “The Essential Role of Blair County’s Young Professionals” is the title of this 35-minute panel discussion show that is moderated by Carolyn Donaldson of WTAJ Your News Leader. Panelists are: Amanda Drumm of Saint Francis University, Pam Jones of Net Health Solutions, Mandy Lauber of Preferred Healthcare System, Ban Mazur of Intelmarx and Andrew Snare of S&T Bank. Sponsors for this “Issues” are: Juniata College, Keystone Environmental, Health & Safety Services, Lee Industries, Reliance Bank, S&T Bank and UPMC Altoona.  The Issues program will air every Monday at 9:00 p.m. and every Saturday at 9:00 a.m. throughout the month of December.

Nomination Forms Available for Annual Meeting Awards
The Blair County Chamber’s Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation is one of the most popular events among attendees that the organization holds.  Much of its popularity centers on the fact that the awards presented that morning are to unsuspecting recipients. That practice will not change. At this year’s Annual Meeting, set for January 31st at 7:30 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park, the number of awards presented will be reduced by two. The Athena Award and the George Award will be presented at the February and June Breakfast Clubs respectively to allow them to have a more singular focus. Both award recipients will be announced in advance.
The awards that will be presented at the Annual Meeting are: The Small Business Person of the Year, the Donna D. Gority Servant Leader Award, the Joseph P. Rosenhammer “Chamber Spirit Award” and the GRYP Impact Award.  To make a nomination, call The Chamber and a nomination packet will be sent to you.  Or you can pick one up at the Chamber Office. Or, better yet, you can go to the Chamber Website and download an application.

Athena Award Nomination Deadline Also December 31st
Even though the prestigious Athena Award will not be presented until the February Breakfast Club, the nominations for that award must be received in the Chamber Office by no later than December 31st.  Visit The Chamber Website to download a Nomination Form.

Update Your Information for the Chamber’s Membership Directory
The Chamber is heading into the final stages of preparing the member information for the 2014 Chamber Membership Directory and it’s important that members visit the Chamber Website and determine if any of the information listed there has changed.  If any has, please contact Cindy Cessna at 943-8151 or email her at ccessna@blairchamber.com.

Chamber Seeking Spring Intern
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce is seeking an intern for the Spring 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. 

Congratulations . . .
. . . to Michael Pennington, Assistant Director of Career Services / Alumni Liaison at Juniata College who was recently named a master career development professional by the National Career Development Association in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
. . . to J. Martin Kooman, registered principal and financial adviser at Kooman & Associates, who has been named to Raymond James Financial Services 2014 Chairman’s Council in recognition of outstanding client service and exemplary professional growth.

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 The Chamber at 943-8151.     

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