Testimonial speakers selected for Business Excellence Dinner
Second part of healthcare trilogy begins airing today
Gang expert will address May Breakfast Club
Don't miss your chance to play in Chamber's Golf Classic
No Blarney! Chamber's Ireland Trip will be one to remember
LBC selling chances on "Immaculate Reception" photo
Chamber partnering with members on leadership broadcast
LBC class identifies project, fundraising strategy
Chamber Members to attend Energy Program
Information packets available on Chamber's energy program
Nominated anyone for the Hall of Fame yet? 
Congratulations . . .

Testimonial speakers selected for Business Excellence Dinner  
An integral part of The Chamber's Business Excellence Dinner is the testimonial comments made by three people closely associated with the evening's honoree who can speak about him from either a business or personal perspective. When Michael McLanahan is honored June 14 with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Excellence, the three people who will each have five minutes to pay tribute, or roast him, will be local bankers Dick Scholton of S&T Bank and Tim Sissler of Reliance Bank as well as McLanahan’s brother, Dr. C. Scott McLanahan, a pediatric neurosurgeon from North Carolina. The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:45 p.m.  Reservations can be made by calling The Chamber at 943-8151 or reserving online. Sponsorships of the event or ads in the program book can be secured by contacting Mike McMullen at the Chamber Office at 943-8151. 

Second part of healthcare trilogy begins airing today  
“Healthcare and Blair County’s Future,” the Chamber’s trilogy on the impact of new legislation impacting the local healthcare industry will launch its second show at 11 a.m. this morning and will continue to be offered Mondays at 11 a.m. and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on the Altoona Public Access Channel. Panelists for the program are: Chris Dear of Valley View Home, Kathy Johnson of the Lutheran Home at Hollidaysburg, Debbie Larkin of Presbyterian Village of Hollidaysburg, Ward Prostejovsky of The Village at Morrisons Cove and Theresa Zurilla of Home Instead Senior Care.  Sponsors are: Affinity Health Services, Altoona Center for Nursing Care, Altoona Regional Health System, Golden LivingCenter-Hillview, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Homewood Retirement Community, The Winds at Mattern Orchard and Young, Oakes, Brown & Company.

Gang expert will address May Breakfast Club 
If you’re a business person who believes that gang influence is something that takes place only in big cities, you are in for an unnerving surprise.  Blair County not only has a growing number of gangs, it also has documented evidence that those gangs will create severe obstacles to future business development. Want to learn more? Then make sure that you attend The Chamber’s next Breakfast Club, scheduled for Thursday, May 13 at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park . Dr. Todd Negola, Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Gang Investigators Association and one of the country’s foremost experts on gang activity, will be the speaker.  Dr. Negola’s presentation, “Your Business and Blair County ’s Gangs,” will run until 9:30 a.m. but I can assure you that the additional time will be well spent. 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. Corporate sponsor for the May Breakfast Club is YTI Career Institute.  

Don't miss your chance to play in Chamber's Golf Classic 
The Annual Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Chamber Golf Classic is set for May 17 at Iron Master Country Club in Ore Hill.  Registrations are well ahead of last year so make sure you don’t end-up on a waiting list. Event sponsorships and tee-and-green signs also are available by contacting Stacy Hoover at 943-8151.  

No Blarney! Chamber's ireland trip will be one to remember 
Will kissing the Blarney Stone in Ireland guarantee that you will always speak nothing but the truth? You’ll never know until you sign-up for the Blair County Chamber's first-ever trip to Ireland , set for Oct. 2-11, and spend nine wonderful days on the Emerald Isle. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see more of Ireland than practically any other tour will provide,” acknowledged Chamber President Joe Hurd. "This is really the best possible way to experience a fabulous country and not have to worry about anything except relaxing." For more information on the Ireland trip, contact Donna Wilt at 696-3558.  

LBC selling chances on "Immaculate Reception" photo 
In order to raise funds to support its adult scholarship program, Leadership Blair County is raffling-off an autographed Franco Harris "Immaculate Reception" photo. The beautifully framed photo is 16x20 and includes a certificate of authenticity.  Chances are being sold at $5 each or three for $10 and the drawing will take place at the LBC Adult Graduation in June.  Contact Judy Juda at The Chamber to purchase a chance.

Chamber partnering with members on leadership broadcast
For the second consecutive year, The Chamber will partner with four of its members to bring an important broadcast event to Blair County . "Leadercast," a one-day live broadcast featuring such notable speakers as Jim Collins, Tony Dungy and John Maxwell, will be shown on May 7 beginning at 8 a.m. at Martinsburg Grace Brethren Church , 300 South Mulberry St. in Martinsburg. The cost to attend is $69 per person although Chamber Members can attend for $59. Lunch is included. To register, call 793-2513.  The co-sponsoring Chamber Member Businesses are: Freedom Rentals, Ritchey’s Dairy, Martinsburg Grace Brethren Church and Roaring Spring Bottling.

LBC class identifies project, fundraising strategy
The LBC 2010 class project is the fundraising and construction of Phase II of the Booker T. Washington Park. The overall goal of the park project is to create a focal point within the community that all members of the family can enjoy. Phase I was the construction of the basketball court on 19th Street and 13th Avenue in Altoona. The class project phase will be opposite the basketball court and concentrates on activities for adults and young adults. The “mind and body” park will include outdoor exercise stations, walking paths, gaming tables and a picnic area. The property as it stands now is an abandoned lot, including a blighted building, collapsed retaining wall and dumping area. Future phases of the overall park will add an event gazebo and children’s playgrounds. The park is the site of the annual Booker T. Washington Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament. The fundraiser is “A Night at the Races” which will be held on Saturday, June 5 at the Bavarian Hall. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner is at 6 p.m. and races begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include admittance and the buffet dinner. You also have the opportunity to purchase and name a horse prior to the event. Minimum cost is $10 per horse. There also will be silent auction items and an open bar. Tickets can be purchased at The Chamber or from any class member. Checks should be made payable to Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission.   

Chamber members invited to energy program
Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, in cooperation with The Hite Company, Penelec and Knisely & Sons, is coordinating two Act 29 seminars – one in Altoona and one in Johnstown – and members of the Blair County Chamber are invited to attend at no charge. Act 29 is legislation meant to help Pennsylvania’s electric consumers ease the financial effects of rate deregulation. For more information about the seminars or to register, click here.

Information packets available on Chamber's energy program
If you’re a member of the Blair County Chamber and a current Penelec customer, you’re eligible to be part of a new Chamber program that is guaranteed to save you money beginning in January when the rate caps come off on electricity. The program is part of ChamberChoice and is brokered by OnDemand Energy.  It already is functioning in several areas of the Commonwealth where the rate caps have already been removed and the savings have been considerable. The Chamber already has held three informational sessions on how the program works and what members need to do to participate. If you have been unable to attend those meetings, you can still secure an informational packet that includes a registration form by visiting the Chamber Office, located in the Devorris Center for Business Development.

Nominated anyone for the Hall of Fame yet?
The nomination process is under way for the 2010 Blair County Business Hall of Fame. Do you know of a business in Blair County that absolutely should be in the Hall of Fame or should receive an award for such things as safety, technology or community service? How about your own business? Visit The Chamber’s website to download a nomination form. It’s our one chance each year to show what a great business community we have!  

Congratulations . . .
. . . to DelGrosso Foods, Inc. who was recently honored by “Every Day With Rachael Ray” magazine. DelGrosso’s specialty sauce called La Famiglia DelGrosso Uncle Jim’s Late Night Puttanesca was named the magazine’s best sauce in the vegetable category.   

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