February “Breakfast Club” Will Feature Athena Award Presentation
Kaup, Murray Are Next “Role Models
Informational Meeting Scheduled for Chamber’s Tuscany Trip
Small Business Partners to Hold Speed Networking
Safety Program to Focus on Bullying, Workplace Violence
Nomination Period Underway for Business Excellence Award
Limited Booth Space Still Available for the Blair County Home & Garden Show
Save the Date: Chamber Golf Classic Set for May 12th
Date Changed for Dale Carnegie “Skills for Success” Course
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts

February “Breakfast Club” Will Feature Athena Award Presentation
The next Chamber “Breakfast Club” will be held on February 13th beginning at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. Guest speaker will be Jane Grebenc, President of First Commonwealth Bank. The highlight of this Breakfast Club will be the presentation of the Athena Award to Kate Shaffer, Executive Director of Blair County Arts Foundation. Southern Alleghenies Elite Orthopedics is the corporate sponsor of the breakfast. The cost to attend is $16 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
 
Kaup, Murray Are Next “Role Models
The popular “Role Models” program, providing insight on the professional growth and development of Blair County’s business leaders, will feature two giants in the accounting and healthcare fields. Rex Kaup, CPA/Partner at Young, Oakes, Brown & Company in Altoona and Jerry Murray, President/CEO of UPMC Altoona will answer questions during the 90-minute program set for February 20th at the Blair County Convention Center. The event begins with lunch at noon. The Role Models format is strictly Q&A. The initial questions come from the moderator; all thereafter come from the audience. The cost to attend Role Models is $25 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included in the cost. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
 
Informational Meeting Scheduled for Chamber’s Tuscany Trip
The Blair County Chamber has scheduled a trip to Tuscany from October 20 to 28 and it’s an experience that you won’t want to miss! To show you the specifics, an informational meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 18th beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. The meeting should last approximately one hour. Partnering with The Chamber on this trip are Classic Travel in Duncansville and Chamber Discoveries. To register to attend the meeting, call The Chamber at 943-8151. There’s no cost or obligation.

Small Business Partners to Hold Speed Networking
Back by popular demand, The Chamber’s Small Business Partners will hold a Speed Networking program on February 18th from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. The program will give small business owners and employees the opportunity to make connections that will result in new clients and new ways to purchase products or services more inexpensively. If you are a business with fifty or fewer employees, this event will be right up your alley. The cost to participate is just $10 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members. A Continental breakfast is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Safety Program to Focus on Bullying, Workplace Violence
The next Chamber Safety program will focus on a topic of great concern to all businesses. “Bullying and Workplace Violence: What All Employers Need to Know” will be presented on February 21st from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Express in Altoona. Presenters will be Officer Jeff Petucci of the Pennsylvania State Police and Rebecca Bywater of Penn State University’s Threat Assessment/ Community Education Department.  The cost to attend is $20 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. A hot breakfast is included. Seating is limited so call The Chamber today at 943-8151 or register online.

Nomination Period Underway for Business Excellence Award
The Blair County Chamber’s Annual Business Excellence Dinner will be held on Monday, June 9th at The Casino at Lakemont Park. That event, in its 13th year, will once again focus on a local business leader with the presentation of the coveted “Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Excellence.” The nomination process has begun and will conclude at noon on February 28th. Nomination forms are available at the Chamber Office or can be downloaded from the Chamber Website. Previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award are: Ernie Wissinger (2002), G. William Ward (2003), Stephen Sheetz (2004), Donald Devorris (2005), Willard Campbell (2006), John Wolf (2007), Lee Hite (2008), Donald Detwiler (2009), Michael McLanahan (2010), Barry Smith (2011), Fred Imler (2012) and Ben Stapelfeld (2013).

Limited Booth Space Still Available for the Blair County Home & Garden Show
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce and the Blair Bedford Builders Association have announced that some booths are still available for the 44th Annual Blair County Home & Garden Show to be held February 28, March 1, & 2, 2014 at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona. Exhibitor booth space is now open for businesses interested in showcasing their home or garden business. The Show is also accepting applications from vendors for the Home Treasures room. Home Treasures offers a boutique type setting that will feature home interior items, candles, spices, hand-crafted items, and much more. To reserve booths, or for more information, call Stacy Hoover at The Chamber, 814-943-8151.  
 
Save the Date: Chamber Golf Classic Set for May 12th
The Annual Chamber Golf Classic will be held on Monday, May 12th at Iron Masters Country Club in Ore Hill.  Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield will once again be the main sponsor for this popular event which routinely sells-out several weeks prior. The Chamber’s Golf Committee is still finalizing plans for a couple special features to this year’s Classic. Registration for sponsors and golfers, however, is already underway. For more information or to register, contact Stacy Hoover at 943-8151 or email her.

Date Changed for Dale Carnegie “Skills for Success” Course
The Dale Carnegie “Skills for Success” course, which had been scheduled to begin this week, has been postponed until March 13th at the Comfort Inn in Duncansville. The course is being offered in cooperation with the Blair County Chamber. For more information or to register for the course, call Jeff Davis at (814) 931-1963 or call The Chamber at (814) 943-8151.

Congratulations . . .
. . . to Diana McClure (Joseph P. Rosenhamer Chamber Spirit Award), Jim and Heather Little (Donna D. Gority Servant Leadership Award), Jeff Sefchok (Small Business Person of the Year) and Jamie Baser (GRYP Impact Award) who were honored at last Friday’s Chamber Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation.
. . . to Servpro, which has been named to the top 10 list for the fifth consecutive year in Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500 rankings for financial strength and stability.  Servpro of Altoona is a member of the Blair County Chamber.
. . . to Joe Keller of Keller Engineers who has been selected as the Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission’s 2014 Respected Citizen Award recipient.  The award is presented to an individual who motivates and inspires others through their vision, leadership, dedication, community service and work with youth.
. . . to Stephen Lewis, president of Retirement Plan Solutions in Tipton, who recently received the designation of Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Consultant from the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries.
. . . to Lake Raystown Resort which was recently reflagged as an Outdoor Destination by RVC Outdoor Destinations.

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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