Thursday’s “Breakfast Club” to Focus on Workplace Wellness
Chamber Board of Directors to Meet
“Guerilla Marketing” Program Aimed at Small Businesses
“Advocacy 101” Geared to Assist Non-profits
Espenshade, Kelley to Address Executive Roundtable
Chamber Foundation to Begin Budget Discussions
“Issues” Program to Feature Five Altoona Mayors
Safety Program Topic is Employee Engagement
Chamber Again Supporting “Operation S.O.S” Effort
Paying Too Much for Employee Healthcare?
Congratulations…
Blue Card Discounts
Thursday’s “Breakfast Club” to Focus on Workplace Wellness
Like most communities in the United States, Blair County has a difficult time implementing and maintaining healthy lifestyles among citizens of all ages. Undertaking an effort to confront such a troublesome trend has led to the creation of Workplace Wellness Committee at the Blair County Chamber. What that committee hopes to accomplish and how the business community in general can have a positive impact is the topic of a presentation to be given by Bill Young at this Thursday’s Blair County Chamber Breakfast Club. Young has been the Director of Compensation, Benefits and Risk for Sheetz, Inc. for the past twelve years. He is a member of the Workplace Wellness Steering Committee and has a leadership role in the Healthy Blair County Coalition.
Young’s presentation, “Creating a Healthier Blair County,” will touch on the importance of establishing a strong emphasis on wellness in the workplace, will point to several local businesses that are already having some level of success with wellness programs and will speak to the vision of gaining greater buy-in from those businesses that have not yet seen the value of creating a program of their own. The Breakfast Club begins at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The cost to attend is $16 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Chamber Board of Directors to Meet
The Blair County Chamber’s Board of Directors will meet on Thursday at noon at the Devorris Center. The Board will continue to explore issues that relate to the Strategic Planning process so that a plan can be in place by the end of 2014. Anyone who would like to address the Board should contact Joe Hurd by Tuesday at 943-8151.
“Guerilla Marketing” Program Aimed at Small Businesses
Kyle Dammann doesn’t believe that small businesses fully understand the potential they have to successfully recruit and keep customers. So this Wednesday, September 17th at 1:00 p.m. in the boardroom of the Devorris Center for Business Development, he’ll present a program called “Guerilla Marketing for Small Businesses.” Dammann owns 10 Seven Web Design, a small business itself, and he routinely assists small businesses in harnessing the power that is necessary to compete with “the big guys.” His presentation will focus on how to grow a business without a marketing budget. The presentation will last 90 minutes. The cost to attend is just $5.00 for Chamber Members and $10 for non-members. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by calling The Chamber at 943-8151 or registering online.
“Advocacy 101” Geared to Assist Non-profits
Non-profit organizations face many challenges in their attempt to meet the growing needs of individuals and communities. One of those needs that doesn’t always get its due is advocacy. For that reason, The Chamber’s Community Benefit Coalition of Non-Profits has planned a Best Practices Forum to heighten the awareness among non-profits of the importance of being able to take an advocacy role. That Forum, branded as “Advocacy 101” will be held this Friday, September 19th from 8:15 to 9:45 a.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. Guest speakers will be Pam Klipa, Government Relations Director at The Arc of Pennsylvania and Jay Layman of Capitol Associates. There is no cost for Chamber members to attend the Best Practices Forum but pre-registration is required due to space limitations. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Espenshade, Kelley to Address Executive Roundtable
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Chamber’s Executive Roundtable, members will have an opportunity to hear an update on the progress that the City of Altoona is making toward removing itself from distressed status. Presenters at the meeting will be Act 47 Coordinator John Espenshade and Altoona City Councilman Bruce Kelley. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. at The Blairmont Club. For more information on the Executive Roundtable, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or email him.
Chamber Foundation to Begin Budget Discussions
The Blair County Chamber Foundation’s Board of Directors will meet on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. at the Devorris Center. The Board will begin the budgeting process for 2015, will continue exploring the possibilities associated with securing grants and will recruit scholarships to offset the cost of the Leadership Blair County Youth program. For more information on the Chamber Foundation, contact Cindy Cessna at 943-8151 or email her.
“Issues” Program to Feature Five Altoona Mayors
The City of Altoona is experiencing a number of key challenges and opportunities and no one understands the impact of that better than the people who have been in a position to oversee the City’s fortunes. The next Chamber “Issues” program, to be broadcast on the Altoona Public Access Channel (and then placed on You Tube), will be entitled “A City in Transition: Altoona’s Quest to Move Forward.” The panel discussion format will include current Mayor Matt Pacifico and former mayors Bill Schirf, Wayne Hippo, Tom Martin and Allan Hancock. Carolyn Donaldson will be moderator. The 45-minute program will tape on September 30th and will air throughout October at times to be specified later. Sponsorships for the program, at $150 each, can be obtained by calling Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or emailing him.
Safety Program Topic is Employee Engagement
The Chamber’s Safety Committee will hold its next educational program on September 26th from 7:30 to 10:00 a.m. at Hoss’s Steak & Sea House in Duncansville. The title of the program is “Employee Engagement: The ZONE to Deliver Value.” The topic will cover outstanding theories of motivation and practical principles for managing motivation, how to align engagement in the safety management system at all levels of the organization and how to understand the importance of employee recognition. The guest speaker is Tom Churbock, President of Centre Safety. The cost to attend is $20 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. Breakfast is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Chamber Again Supporting “Operation S.O.S” Effort
“Operation S.O.S. (Support Our Soldiers)” is beginning its 11th annual campaign and the Blair County Chamber is once again proud to assisting in the promotion of that worthwhile endeavor. During last year’s project, 503 holiday care packages were sent to soldiers serving in the 25th Signal Battalion who were stationed in Afghanistan. Once again, Smith Furniture in Duncansville will be the headquarters for the collection of donated items and monetary contributions. Visit www.smithfurniturehof.com to see a list of preferred items to be donated. Items may be dropped-off from October 27th through November 22nd.
Paying Too Much for Employee Healthcare?
The Blair County Chamber has partnered with Empower3 Center for Health 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. Call Maureen Frucella for details. Her number is (814) 317-5063.
Congratulations…
. . . to Tyrone Hospital, whose turnaround and development of Tyrone Regional Health Network was featured in the August 12th edition of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, a national magazine that is the flagship publication of the American Hospital Association.
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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Dr.'s Centar & Imler
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Present your Blue Card to receive 20% off of spectacle lenses and frames
AND/OR
receive 20% off of an exam and contact lens fitting. (Discounts cannot be combined with any other insurance programs, coupons or courtesies.)
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Drill Baby Drill Staffing
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Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive a 15% Discount off of motor vehicle record search - US and Canada *Note: This discount does not include the individual court fees which vary by state
AND/OR
receive a 25% discount off of Criminal Background Checks - The Background Screening Packages listed below include" *Social Security Number Verification/Track *Felony and Misdemeanor Record Court Search (Seven year residence history based on given adress(es) and those developed from Social Security Number Verification, Primary name only is verified, more than one name is additional cost. * National Criminal Database Search (includes criminal records in 46 states, national sex offender registry, and multiple government sanction lists) *Federal District Court Search (Federal crimes are not included in the National Criminal Database Search)
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Enterprise Rent-A -Car
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Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive discounts on your next vehicle rental through Enterprise-Rent-A-Car. Call 814-942-7000 for details and mention acct. # 40A4359.
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Foxtrot Runners, Inc.
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Show your Chamber Member Blue Card at checkout and receive 10% off each individual pair of shoes.
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For more information, visit the website
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September 15, 2014
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Upcoming Events
Register online
Guerrilla Marketing for Small Businesses
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Devorris Center for Business Development
Register Here
Breakfast Club
Thursday, September 18, 2014
7:45 - 9:00 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Business After Hours
Thursday, September 25, 2014
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Holiday Inn Express
Register Here
Safety Program
Friday, September 26, 2014
7:30-10:00 a.m.
Hoss's Steak & Sea House - Duncansville
Register Here
Down on the Farm
Thursday, October 2, 2014
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Curryview Farms
Register Here
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Week of 9/15/2014
BASIC Steering Committee
Monday, September 15, 8:00 a.m.
GACTC
Presidents' Forum Steering Committee
Monday, September 15, 1:30 p.m.
Chamber Office
Executive Roundtable
Wednesday, September 17, 7:30 a.m.
Blairmont Club
LBC Alumni Committee
Wednesday, September 17, 7:30 a.m.
Reliance Bank
Chamber Foundation Board
Wednesday, September 17, 8:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
Home & Garden Show Committee
Wednesday, September 17, 8:30 a.m.
Chamber Office
LBC Youth Committee
Wednesday, September 17, 3:30 p.m.
Devorris Center
Chamber Board of Directors
Thursday, September 18, Noon
Devorris Center
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