Workplace Wellness is Topic of Next “Issues” Program
Retail Roundtable Looking at Impact of Holiday Shopping Season
Amber Terrace to Host Wednesday’s “Business Before Hours”
Legislative Action Committee to Hear COG Presentation
Breakfast Club to Focus on Transportation Projects
Penn State Student Showcase Set for Next Friday
Enrollments Begin for Residential Electric Energy Program
Booth Space Now Available for Home & Garden Show
The Chamber Has “Treasure Tags” to Help Area Children
Meeting on Chamber Southern Trip Set for Next Week
Chamber Members Encouraged to Update Business Information
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts
Workplace Wellness is Topic of Next “Issues” Program
The Blair County Chamber’s next “Issues” program taped tomorrow and will run throughout the month of December. The program is entitled, “The Abundant Advantages of Workplace Wellness.” Panelists are: Richard Bishop of Northern Blair Recreation Center; Coleen Heim of Healthy Blair County Coalition; Scott Lawhead of The Hite Company; Bill Young of Sheetz, Inc.; and family physician Dr. John Reinhardt. Sponsors of the program are: McLanahan Corporation, Nason Hospital, Sheetz and Stiffler-McGraw & Associates.
Retail Roundtable Looking at Impact of Holiday Shopping Season
The Chamber’s Retail Roundtable will meet on Tuesday at 8:15 a.m. at the Devorris Center. The agenda will focus on taking a hard look at the weekend shopping blitz and how retailers can work more closely together to guarantee a successful shopping season. Any retailer is welcome to attend.
Amber Terrace to Host Wednesday’s “Business Before Hours”
The next Business Before Hours will be held this Wednesday, December 3rd from 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. at Amber Terrace at the Altoona Center for Nursing Care. There is no charge for Chamber Members; non-members can attend for $10. To make reservations, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Legislative Action Committee to Hear COG Presentation
Jim Steff, Executive Director of the Centre Region Council of Governments, will speak to The Chamber’s Legislative Action Committee on Thursday. The committee is exploring the possible creation of a COG in Blair County that would address a number of key issues. Anyone interested in attending the meeting who is not on the committee, should contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or email him.
Breakfast Club to Focus on Transportation Projects
Like most areas in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Blair County is playing catch-up with its transportation infrastructure upgrades. A major transportation funding bill, passed last summer, will make it possible to address a number of projects in PennDOT Engineering District 9-0, many significantly overdue. Which projects rate highest priority? That will be the topic of discussion at the next Blair County Chamber “Breakfast Club,” set for December 11th at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The event begins at 7:45 a.m. Thomas Prestash, District Executive, will be the keynote speaker. The cost to attend the Breakfast Club is $16 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. The cost includes a full buffet breakfast. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Penn State Student Showcase Set for Next Friday
The 2014 Penn State Altoona Business and Engineering Student Showcase will be held next Friday, December 12th at the Devorris Downtown Center. Opening remarks will be at 8:45 a.m. Presentations will begin at 9:00 followed by a networking lunch at noon. The presentations will resume at 12:40 p.m. A complete schedule of the day’s presentations may be found by clicking here. See firsthand how Penn State Altoona students are using knowledge from the classroom to enhance Blair County organizations’ operations, products and services. To attend the Showcase, contact Judy Paul at (814) 940-3400 or email her at JAP24@psu.edu. There is no cost to attend. Lunch is provided.
Enrollments Begin for Residential Electric Energy Program
The ChamberChoice Residential Energy Program has signed an agreement with Constellation Energy to provide competitively “fixed” priced residential energy products to Chamber Members and their friends and families. Constellation replaces First Energy Solutions as the provider for the ChamberChoice program. This program is an option for anyone who received a letter from First Energy Solutions, indicating that their contract with FES would expire in December. Interested residential customers can enroll in the new program by calling 1-855-544-3830 or can register online at www.ondemandenergy.com via the residential energy button. Anyone on the ChamberChoice program who did not receive a letter from FES can assume that their current contract has not expired and should NOT enroll in this new program unless they want to pay a penalty for breaking their current contract. If you are unaware when your contract ends, call the FES Customer Service Line at 877-204-9520.
Booth Space Now Available for Home & Garden Show
The Annual Blair County Home & Garden Show will be held on March 6-8, 2015 at The Jaffa Shrine and booth space for that event is now available. Show sponsors for the show have already been determined. They are: Re-Bath, Window World, Home Depot, First Commonwealth Bank, CCS Custom Builders, and Superior Walls by Advanced Concrete. For more information on the Home & Garden Show, contact Stacy Hoover at (814) 943-8151, email her or visit www.blairhomeshow.com to access an exhibitor application.
The Chamber Has “Treasure Tags” to Help Area Children
The Blair County Chamber will once again be making Treasure Tags for Children available to anyone within the membership who would like to help make the holiday season extra-special for young children in the area. If you would like to secure a tag(s), stop by the Chamber Office or call 943-8151.
Meeting on Chamber Southern Trip Set for Next Week
After a number of successful trips outside the United States, the Blair County Chamber has decided to offer a Spring 2015 trip closer to home. The Chamber will travel by motor coach to Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia and to Monticello from April 20-26. The cost of the trip, which includes six nights lodging and a number of outstanding guided tours, is just $995-per-person. Epic Journeys, a member of The Chamber, is coordinating the trip. An informational meeting about the trip will be held on December 10th at 6:00 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. For more information or to secure a spot on the trip, contact Epic Journeys at (814) 266-5070 or 877-705-7030. Brochures and itineraries are available at the Chamber Office, located in the Devorris Center for Business Development. The trip is open to Chamber Members and non-members.
Chamber Members Encouraged to Update Business Information
The Blair County Chamber’s Membership Directory and online database are among the county’s most trusted sources of information regarding Chamber members. Unfortunately, some of the information is outdated due to changes in staff people, new contact information, etc. Is your company’s information up to date? Simply visit the member information section of the Chamber website and check it out. If changes need to be made, call Cindy Cessna at 943-8151 or email her at ccessna@blairchamber.com.
Congratulations . . .
. . . to Ray Eckenrode, Altoona Mirror General Manager, who was recently appointed to a three-year term on the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Board of Directors.
. . . to Nason Hospital, which has been recognized as a 2013 “Top Performer on Key Quality Measures” by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States. This is the second year that Nason Hospital has been recognized as a Top Performer, having previously received that designation in 2011.
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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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.
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Drill Baby Drill Staffing
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Present your Chamber Blue Card to 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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December 1, 2014
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Upcoming Events
Register online
Business BEFORE Hours
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Amber Terrace at Altoona Center for Nursing Care
Register Here
Breakfast Club
Thursday, December 11, 2014
7:45 - 9:00 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Business After Hours
Thursday, December 18, 2014
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Hampton Inn
Register Here
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Week of 12/1/2014
Retail Roundtable
Tuesday, December 2, 8:15 a.m.
Devorris Center
Small Business Partners
Wednesday, December 3, 11:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
Legislative Action Committee
Thursday, December 4, 8:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
BASICS Subcommittee on Early Childhood Education
Thursday, December 4, 10:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
Transportation Committee
Friday, December 5, 8:15 a.m.
Devorris Center
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