Home & Garden Show opens Friday at Jaffa Shrine
Chamber energy program: Come hear how you can save!
Breakfast Club program to examine impact of Murtha's death
Chamber President to assist in opposition to card check
Nomination deadline approaching for Business Excellence Award
Informational meeting to be held on Chamber trip to Ireland
Blair County Chamber maps now available
WE-LEaD Networking event set for March 15 at Marzoni's
Chamber to assist park in determining community relevance
Leadership Blair County to hold informational open house
Excitement building early for WE-LEaD Workshop
Golf Classic spots filling up; sponsorships still available
Chamber pairing marketing opportunities for Members 
WPSU seeking information on PA Job market

Home & Garden Show opens Friday at Jaffa Shrine 
The 40th Annual Blair County Home & Garden Show will open Friday and continue through Sunday at the Jaffa Shrine. The show hours are Friday from 1 to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults and children under-12 are free when accompanied by an adult. There also is an early bird special from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday when the adult cost is just $2.  New for 2010 is canstruction®, an international design competition featuring 8 by 10 foot displays made entirely out of canned goods.  Show attendees also can register for a chance to win a $5,000 gift certificate that can be used toward products or services from any show exhibitor. Show sponsors for the 2010 show are: Barrier Waterproofing Systems, Noel’s Fire Protection, Stella Solid Surfaces, Steve Grabill & Son Construction, Window Perfections and Wolf Furniture.  

Chamber energy program: Come hear how you can save!  

If you haven't had an opportunity to hear about The Chamber's new program that may save you considerable dollars on electricity savings once the rate caps come off in December, you still have another chance. The next meeting to discuss the ChamberChoice Energy Program and hear a presentation by John Bodine of OnDemand Energy is this Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Devorris Center. Many of our members who have attended our two previous programs have been anxious to sign-on. Come hear the reasons why! Pre-registration is required. There is no cost to attend. To pre-register, call The Chamber at 943-8151. 

Breakfast Club program to examine impact of Murtha's death 
The recent death of Congressman John Murtha will create many challenges for Cambria County and, in particular, the City of Johnstown . What are those challenges likely to be and will Blair County feel reverberations in any regional efforts involving the counties in the 12th Congressional District? Bob Eyer, Managing Partner of the Johnstown accounting firm Wessel & Company was a campaign volunteer for Congressman Murtha, has been a consultant to several defense contractors in Cambria County , has been a Board Member of Johnstown Area Regional Industries and a former board chair of the Greater Johnstown Cambria County Chamber of Commerce. Eyer will present, "Life After Murtha: Steps to Regional Collaboration" at the next Chamber Breakfast Club to be held Thursday, March 11 beginning at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park . The cost to attend is $16 for Chamber Members and $25 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.   

Chamber President to assist in opposition to card check 
Blair County Chamber President Joe Hurd will be part of a contingent of chamber leaders and businesspeople from across the country that will be in Washington Monday and Tuesday to encourage legislators to oppose the controversial Employee Free Choice Act which would eliminate the secret ballot for employees working for employers that face unionization efforts. "It's a horrible bill for businesses of all sizes and would further hinder an economic recovery in this country," Hurd noted. The “fly-in” is sponsored by the United States Chamber of Commerce.   

Nomination deadline approaching for Business Excellence Award 
The 9th Annual Business Excellence Dinner will be held on Monday, June 7. The highlight of that event will once again be the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Excellence. The award recipient is identified through nominations made to The Chamber and a panel of judges then makes a recommendation to the Chamber Board, confirming the selection. To nominate someone for the award you can download nomination form here or pick up a form at the Chamber Office. Deadline to nominate is March 12, 2010.   

Informational meeting to be held on Chamber trip to Ireland 
The Chamber's first-ever excursion to Ireland in October is attracting a lot of interest. So much so that an informational meeting has been set for March 11 at 7 p.m. in the boardroom at the Devorris Center.  The meeting will last no longer than an hour (including questions and answers). There is no cost to attend the meeting and no obligation to sign-up for the trip. Come hear about the many attractions that the Emerald Isle has to offer and how you can be part of it all! For further information click here or contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or Donna Wilt at Classic Travel at 696-3558.  

Blair County Chamber maps now available

If you're one of the many Blair County businesses or individuals waiting for a local map that includes 911 information, your wait is over. The new Blair County Chamber of Commerce City/Borough/Township Map is now available at the Chamber Office and, needless to say, the anticipation has been considerable. "We've been receiving calls for the past couple months from people who were aware that we were having a map done that had 911 listings," reported Chamber secretary Marilyn Templon. "They’re anxious to have the information and many of them call us every week." The map project has taken longer than expected because the 911 information was not made available until just recently. "The county had a difficult task pulling everything together." admitted Chamber President Joe Hurd. "It made no sense for us to rush the map through with the old information. So we waited. And this map is very comprehensive and up-to-date." Maps are available to each Chamber Member-business at no cost up to quantities of 10.  Each additional map is $2. Non-members may purchase maps at $4 each. 

WE-LEaD Networking event set for March 15 at Marzoni's 
The Chamber's WE-LEaD (Women Encouraging Leadership, Education and Development) program will hold a networking reception on Monday, March 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Marzoni's in Duncansville.  "These receptions have been extremely popular," explained Judy Juda of The Chamber. "They provide a great opportunity for women in business to share experiences in a relaxed atmosphere with good food and beverages." The cost to attend the reception is $12 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.  

Chamber to assist park in determining community relevance
For many years, The Park at Morrisons Cove has been the focal point of many events and numerous social and recreational opportunities in the Cove. In recent years, however, The Park has experienced a downturn in usage and had even considered closing at one point.  Although some creative planning has helped to revitalize the venue, more needs to be done. So The Park, with the marketing assistance of The Chamber, has scheduled a Business Breakfast Meeting on March 31 from 8 to 10 a.m. to brainstorm how the facility can better serve the needs of the county. The theme of the breakfast is "The Power of Community Networking" and Dr. Chuck Kormanski of Kormanski Consulting will facilitate an information gathering session. All Blair and Bedford county businesses are invited to attend. There is no cost and breakfast will be provided, courtesy of Doug Mingle of Roaring Spring Department Store and John Bolger of Bolger Funeral Home. To register, call The Park at 793-2176.  

Leadership Blair County to hold informational open house

Interested in being considered for a spot in the next Leadership Blair County Adult Class? Then you may want to attend an informational open house set for April 13 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. "It's a great way to have the opportunity to talk to people who have been through the program," disclosed Judy Juda who staffs the LBC program for The Chamber. "There's no obligation to commit to anything." To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151.  

Excitement building early for WE-LEaD Workshop

The highly-successful WE-LEaD Spring Workshop, which has attracted a number of nationally recognized speakers during its four years in existence, has hit another homerun in 2010. On April 20, Harry Paul, the funny, dynamic author of FISH! will address what is expected to be a large crowd at the Penn State Devorris Downtown Center . The event begins with registration from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and concludes with lunch at 12:30 p.m. During the 7:30 to 8:30 time slot, breakfast will be available as well as the opportunity to visit display booths that feature a variety of products and services. Paul's presentation begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. and continues until lunchtime. The cost to attend the WE-LEaD Workshop is $60 for Chamber Members and $70 for non-members. Exhibit space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Judy Juda for exhibitor information at 943-8151 or to reserve your space at the workshop. For the third consecutive year, Blair Medical Associates is corporate sponsor of the Workshop. 

Golf Classic spots filling up; sponsorships still available
The Annual Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Chamber Golf Classic is still a couple months away, yet that hasn't deterred golfers from signing-up early. "Maybe it's because the weather's so bad but there already seems to be a lot of interest," reported Stacy Hoover of The Chamber. "We’d like to sell out this event by the end of April. The Classic will be held Monday, May 17 at Iron Masters Country Club.  Event sponsorships and tee-and-green signs are available by contacting Stacy Hoover at 943-8151. 

Chamber pairing marketing opportunities for Members 
In order to give more Chamber Members the opportunity to better market themselves to the Membership and the community, The Chamber is lowering the cost of its monthly Privilege Pages and pairing them with a chance to gain additional exposure through the growing Business Bulletin network. "Our Marketing Committee encouraged us to find ways to help members position their brands and feature their products and services without attaching a high cost," admitted Linda Stotler, The Chamber's Vice-President of Communication & Marketing.  "The Privilege Pages have always been a good way to reach the 1,000 Member-businesses in our organization. Now, for just $200, a Chamber Member can send a Privilege Page and also have an ad on the Business Bulletin that will link to their Web site." The Business Bulletin is Emailed weekly to more than 3,000 Chamber Members. Members interested in doing just a Privilege Page, can do so for $125 (a reduction from the former $175 charge). "We've also created a package that includes a Privilege Page and a Business Bulletin ad for four weeks at just $300," Stotler pointed out. To take advantage of any of these offers, contact Mike McMullen at 943-8151.

WPSU seeking information on PA job market  
Television Station WPSU is looking to help employers determine shifts in Pennsylvania's job market. They encourage members to share stories about businesses that have done well challenging economy and those that have struggled. To learn more, visit the station Web site. 

For more information, visit www.blairchamber.com

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