Special Thanks to Our February “All-Stars”
“Breakfast Club” to Recognize Operation Our Town Accomplishments
Leadership Blair County to Hold Joint Session
Sign-Ups Continue for Chamber’s “Five Rivers” Cruise
Small Business Partners to Hold Speed Networking
LBC Alumni to Hear Presentation on Memory
Safety Program Will Help Employers Avoid Hiring Mistakes
Chamber Sustainability Coalition to Partner on “Zero Waste” Event
WE-LEaD Program to Focus on Self-Defense for Women
Exhibitor Booths Now Available for WE-LEaD Spring Workshop
Open Spots Still Remain for Presidents’ Forum
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts
Special Thanks to Our February “All-Stars”
The Blair County Chamber’s ability to offer quality programming, events, recognition and advocacy efforts depends largely on the willingness of sponsors to step up to help underwrite the costs associated those efforts. So at the end of each month, we will publish a list of businesses or individuals who sponsored anything Chamber-related during the month. They have helped us to make a difference in the business community. For February, those sponsors were: Thompson Pharmacy (WE-LEaD Networking), Sun Air Express (Breakfast Club), United Datacom Networks (Business After Hours) and Robert’s Oxygen (Safety).
“Breakfast Club” to Recognize Operation Our Town Accomplishments
Value Drug Company will receive the 2015 Community Partnership Award from Operation Our Town at the Blair County Chamber’s monthly Breakfast Club, set for this Thursday at 7:45 at The Casino at Lakemont Park. Each March, The Chamber defers the presentation portion of its Breakfast Club to Operation Our Town so that individuals and businesses can be recognized for helping to rid Blair County of its drug problems. Operation Our Town is a community and business partnership that promotes healthy neighborhoods and protects its citizens from illegal drug use and resulting crime. “We are honored to once again assist in calling attention to the incredible work that Operation Our Town does on behalf of Blair County,” acknowledged Chamber President Joe Hurd. “Without their ongoing commitment, our area would be hard-pressed to maintain our high quality of life.” The cost to attend Breakfast Club is $18 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. A full breakfast buffet is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Leadership Blair County to Hold Joint Session
The Leadership Blair County Adult Class and the LBC Youth Class will have a joint session on Thursday at the Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center. The session will touch-on issues like personal economics, time poverty, harassment and social pressures. There will also be a team-building exercise and a presentation on the triggers and signs of depression that often lead to suicide. For more information on either the LBC Adult or Youth programs, contact Judy Juda at 943-8151 or visit the Chamber Website.
Sign-Ups Continue for Chamber’s “Five Rivers” Cruise
The Blair County Chamber is heading to Europe in late Fall for its first-ever river cruise. The cruise is being done in cooperation with Heritage Adventures Travel Agency. The special wine-themed “5-River European Cruise” will depart from the Chamber Office in the Devorris Center for Business Development on November 3rd, will fly from Dulles International Airport for an overnight flight to Prague and will return on November 13th from Paris. The trip will include one-night sightseeing stays at 5-star hotels in both Prague and Paris with the river cruise in-between. The Chamber trip will feature excursions on the Vistava, Main, Rhine, Moselle and Seine rivers via Avalon Waterways “Visionary,” considered the finest river vessel in Europe. The Visionary accommodates just 128 guests. Brochures on the 5-River European Cruise are available at the Chamber Office and at Heritage Adventures Travel Agency.
Small Business Partners to Hold Speed Networking
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Partners program will host a Speed Networking event on Tuesday, March 24th, from 8-9:30 a.m., at the Devorris Center for Business Development, located at 3900 Industrial Park Drive, Altoona. This high-energy event provides professionals with the opportunity to make valuable business contacts. “We’ve held several of these programs and they’ve all been successful,” explained Michael Eardley, who co-chairs the Small Business Partners. “Small business people don’t always get the opportunity to gain clients and make valuable new contacts in a relatively short period of time. This event allows them to do that.” The Chamber’s Small Business Partners committee emphasizes the importance of small businesses to the Blair County business community through various educational and networking programs. The cost to attend the Speed Networking event is $10 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members. For additional information or to register, contact the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 814-943-8151 or register online.
LBC Alumni to Hear Presentation on Memory
Members of the Leadership Blair County Alumni will have an opportunity to learn how to enhance their memories at a program to be held on March 26th from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The keynote speaker of the program will be Rick Capozzi who has been delivering personal growth and development training as well as providing global marketing services since 1991. A native of Franklin, PA, Capozzi has worked with small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. His primary focus as a speaker deals with soft skills such as time management, etiquette, non-verbal communication, memory, life balance and creativity. In the presentation to the LBC Alumni, members will learn techniques that will help them to remember a person’s name, reduce the time that it takes to recall facts and figures and create memorable passwords that meet security requirements. The cost to attend the program is $20 for Chamber Members and non-dues-paying alumni and $18 for those who have paid their LBC alumni dues. A full buffet breakfast is included in the cost. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Safety Program Will Help Employers Avoid Hiring Mistakes
One of the great laments of employers is hiring new people and then finding out that they aren’t able to handle the physical demands of the job. To help employers avoid that predicament, the Blair County Chamber’s Safety Committee is holding an educational program entitled, “Can Your New Employees Measure-Up?” That program is set for March 27th from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Hoss’s Steak & Sea House in Duncansville. The keynote speaker is Jeff Hiserman, a physical therapist with Phoenix Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Services. Hiserman is a Certified Ergonomics Technician with the National Association of Safety Professionals. He has done dozens of Job Site Analyses, hundreds of post-offer screenings and treated thousands of patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Hiserman’s presentation will help employers decrease injury risk and workers compensation costs, reduce turnover, improve productivity and increase profit margin. The cost to attend this program is $20 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. A full breakfast buffet is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Chamber Sustainability Coalition to Partner on “Zero Waste” Event
Blair County Chamber of Commerce's Coalition on Sustainability is proud to announce the first ever “ZERO WASTE” event to be held at the Penn State Altoona Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence on March 27, 2015 from noon-1pm. This event will include a tour of the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, a light lunch, and a presentation by the Penn State Altoona Enactus team. The tour and the Enactus team presentation will focus on sustainability, both economic and environmental. Chamber Members will hear about the economic sustainability efforts of Penn State Altoona in the Ivyside Campus, the downtown campus and in downtown Altoona. The presentation by the Penn State Altoona Enactus team will highlight their social entrepreneurship projects focusing on people, planet, and profit - the triple bottom line. The Enactus team has worked with a number of local businesses to complete "green" projects concentrated around energy conservation and changes in the waste stream. “We’re delighted to work with the students at Penn State Altoona on such an important event,” explained Donna Fisher of the Blair County Conservation District who chairs the Coalition on Sustainability. “We’re hoping that business people who have never seen the Sheetz Center or who have an interest in sustainability will capitalize on this chance to learn more about how efforts like these will impact our community.” There is a nominal fee of $5.00 to attend the event to help offset the cost of the lunch. To register for the event, contact The Chamber at 943-8151.
WE-LEaD Program to Focus on Self-Defense for Women
The Chamber’s WE-LEaD (Women Encouraging – Leadership, Education and Development) Committee will hold a special program on “Women’s Self-Defense” to be held Tuesday, March 31st from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Park Hills Country Club. The program will focus on ways that women should prepare themselves for threatening situations, particularly in locations in which others are not in a position to provide help. The hands-on demonstration of self-defense will be presented by Rocco Alianiello, who is the owner and head martial arts instructor of Progressive Martial Arts and Fitness Center. Alianiello is internationally certified under the Zen Do Kai International federation and holds a 4th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. The cost to attend this program is $25 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online. Sponsors of the WE-LEaD program are Marianna’s Fundraisers and DelGrosso’s Amusement Park.
Exhibitor Booths Now Available for WE-LEaD Spring Workshop
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce WE-LEaD program is hosting its annual Spring Workshop featuring internationally known speaker Ron Culberson. The Chamber is offering businesses the opportunity to exhibit their company/products at the event Thursday, April 25, at the Heritage Discovery Center, Altoona. The cost per booth is $120 for Chamber Members and $170 for Non-Members and includes admittance for one to the workshop (a $70 value), an eight-foot skirted table with chair and pre-event publicity. For more information or for reservations call The Chamber at 943-8151 or email Judy Juda.
Open Spots Still Remain for Presidents’ Forum
The Chamber’s goal of creating at least two new Presidents’ Forum groups will depend on its ability to involve just a couple more people. “We’re very close to having the number of participants that we need to put additional groups together,” explained Chamber President Joe Hurd. “We know that there were people who weren’t able to make the informational meeting but who have an interest. We’ll be following-up with those people this week.” Anyone interested should call Hurd at 943-8151 or email him.
Congratulations . . .
. . . to Home Nursing Agency’s Private Duty Home Care program which has been recognized with Home Care Pulse’s “Best of Home Care” distinction for the third consecutive year.
. . . to Concurrent Technologies Corporation which has received affiliate level status with the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, an energy innovation hub sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
. . . to Robert Pennington, owner/broker of Coldwell Banker Town & Country Real Estate, who has received the Office Manager’s Award for Excellence for 2014 from Coldwell Banker.
. . . to Robert Clark, assistant professor of criminal justice and social sciences at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, who has been elected vice-chairman of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (Critical Criminal Justice section) for 2015-16.
Blue Card Discounts
To see a compplete listing of the Blue Card discounts available, please click here. To have an ffer listed, contact The Chamber at 943-8151. There is no fee to offer and have a discount listed.
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March 9, 2015
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Upcoming Events
Register online
Breakfast Club
Thursday, March 12, 2015
7:45 - 9:00 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Small Business Partners Speed Networking
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
8:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Devorris Center
Register Here
LBC Alumni Breakfast
Thursday, March 26
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Business After Hours
Thursday, March 26
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Stuckey Ford Stuckey Subaru
Register Here
Safety Program
Friday, March 27
7:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Hoss's - Duncasville
Register Here
WE-LEaD Lunch 'n' Learn
Tuesday, March 31
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Park Hills Country Club
Register Here
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Week of 3/9/2015
BASICS Steering Committe
Monday, March 9, 8:00 a.m.
GACTC
Presidents' Forum Steering Committee
Monday, March 9, 1:30 p.m.
The Chamber
Non-Profit Marketing Subcommittee
Tuesday, March 10, 8:30 a.m.
Home Nursing Agency
LBC Alumni Committee
Wednesday, March 11, 7:30 a.m.
Reliance Bank
Golf Committee
Wednesday, March 11, 8:30 a.m.
The Chamber
Coalition on Sustainability
Thursday, March 12, 1:30 p.m.
Devorris Center
Workplace Wellness Committee
Thursday, March 12, 2:30 p.m.
The Chamber
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