Chamber to Host Meetings Today on Low-Cost Healthcare Program
Blair County Home & Garden Show Opens Friday at Jaffa Shrine
Governor Corbett to Speak at March “Breakfast Club”
Friday is the Deadline for Discount on Chamber’s Tuscany Trip
Chamber Board Approves New Committee to Address Wellness
Twelve New Members Added to Chamber Rolls
Altoona Community Theatre to Host Thursday’s “Business After Hours”
Business Excellence Award Nominations Being Accepted
ARC to Host First “Buy Here. Live Here. Day”
GRYP to Hold Paintball Event
Save the Date: Chamber Golf Classic Set for May 12th
Knickerbocker to Host Next GRYP Networking Event
Date Changed for Dale Carnegie “Skills for Success” Course
Blue Card Discounts

Chamber to Host Meetings Today on Low-Cost Healthcare Program
The Blair County Chamber and Empower3 Center for Health will hold two informational meetings today to discuss a low-cost healthcare option. Attendees have a choice of two times: 8:30 a.m. or 6 p.m., at the Devorris Center for Business Development. The Chamber has partnered with Empower3 to offer Chamber-member employers an affordable community-based health plan for their employees. The plan features level group rates, no deductibles, no pre-existing condition exclusions, substantial prescription drug coverage with co-pays of $10 or less and the opportunity to add dental and vision coverage. Non-Chamber members can attend as well, but must join to participate in the program. There is no cost to attend. For more information call The Chamber at 943-8151.

Blair County Home & Garden Show Opens Friday at Jaffa Shrine
The 44th Annual Blair County Home & Garden Show will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona. The Show will feature exhibitors from throughout the region. There is something for the entire family to do! Admission is only $3.00 and children 12 & under are Free. Kids can do a craft at the Home Depot Craft corner or participate in a treasure hunt. You will not want to miss the Home Treasures Rooms! For more info, contact Stacy at The Chamber, 943-8151. A special thank you to our show sponsors: Home Depot, Re-Bath, Window World, CCS Custom Building & Remodeling, Superior Walls by Advanced Concrete Systems and Warner's Landscaping. The Blair County Home & Garden Show is brought to you by the Blair County Chamber of Commerce and the Blair-Bedford Builders Association.
 
Governor Corbett to Speak at March “Breakfast Club”
Governor Tom Corbett will be the keynote speaker at the March 13th Chamber “Breakfast Club” to be held at The Casino at Lakemont Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. The Breakfast Club will once again be a collaborative event between The Chamber and Operation Our Town. The Governor will speak on the impact that Operation Our Town has had in addressing drug-related issues in Blair County during the past seven years. The event will also include the presentation of the 2014 Community Partnership Award and several Law Enforcement Awards. The cost to attend the Breakfast Club is $16 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
 
Friday is the Deadline for Discount on Chamber’s Tuscany Trip
The Blair County Chamber, in cooperation with Classic Travel and Chamber Discoveries, has scheduled a trip to Tuscany from October 20 to 28 and it’s an experience that you won’t want to miss! And if you register by Friday, you will get a $100 discount off the cost of the trip. For more information, call The Chamber at 943-8151.

Chamber Board Approves New Committee to Address Wellness
The Board of Directors of the Blair County Chamber approved a request from the Healthy Blair County Coalition to form either a Chamber committee or a roundtable to address issues related to wellness. The purpose of the committee will be to engage the business community in efforts aimed at reducing health challenges such as obesity and diabetes.  More information, including how people can participate in the committee, will be available at a later time.
 
Twelve New Members Added to Chamber Rolls
At last Thursday’s Chamber Board of Directors meeting, the organization added the following new members: Absolutely American, Inc.; Allegheny Mountains Toastmasters Club; Batrus Home Integrated Security Systems; Bright Ideas Childcare and Preschool; Days Inn & Suites, Altoona; Gambone, Songer and Associates Realty; Graphics Café; JMG Systems; KMS Interior Design & Home Staging; Leib, Inc.; The Ultimate Sub Company; and Wilmington Trust.
 
Altoona Community Theatre to Host Thursday’s “Business After Hours”
Join The Chamber at February's Business After Hours at the Altoona Community Theatre on Thursday, February 27 from 5 – 7 p.m. Enjoy an evening of great networking, food and beverages.  Cost to attend is $6 for Chamber Members pre-registered and $12 for non-members pre-registered.  To make reservations, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Business Excellence Award Nominations Being Accepted
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).

ARC to Host First “Buy Here. Live Here. Day”
The first official “Buy Here. Live Here. Day” will be held on Monday, March 3rd at both locations of ARC Federal Credit Union in Altoona. ARC’s hours that day are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The newly-introduced promotional event gives businesses, organizations and school districts the opportunity to decorate their customer and work areas with signs, balloons, streamers – whatever it takes to create an atmosphere for local buying – based on The Chamber’s Buy Here. Live Here. program. ARC customers who visit the business that day and who sign a BHLH pledge card will be eligible to win a prize basket. If your business is willing to host a Buy Here. Live here. Day, contact The Chamber at 943-8151.
 
GRYP to Hold Paintball Event
The Chamber’s Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) will hold a paintball event on March 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Urban Warzone, located at 3519 Route 764 in Duncansville. The cost will be $20-per-person based on twenty people to be paid at the time of the event. The cost includes use of a paintball gun, mask, 200 paintballs and unlimited CO2 refills. It is highly recommended that participants wear padded clothing. Reservations are required. Call The Chamber at 943-8151 by no later than February 27th.

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.

Knickerbocker to Host Next GRYP Networking Event
The Chamber’s Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) will hold its next networking event on March 20th at The Knickerbocker Tavern, 3957 Sixth Avenue in Altoona. The evening will feature appetizers, a cash bar, and many opportunities to get to know other young professionals. The event is free for GRYP members and $5.00 for non-members. For more information or to make reservations, contact the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 943-8151 or register online.

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.

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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