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Chamber Board approves Transporation Resolution
Audit, 2011 Budget gain unanimous approval
Cortez, Gensimore, Ritchey awarded Board positions
Committee Chair slots filled by Chamber Board
Chamber to add InfoLaunch affinity program
Leadership Blair County Alumni now part of Chamber
WE-LEaD Networking event tonight at Marzoni's
Big night for Hileman's at tomorrow's Farm-City Dinner
Home & Garden Show will again feature canstruction®
Chamber Members asked to help with Plank Road survey
Seminar to focus on responsibilities of 401-K providers
"Backbone Bash" returns to help small businesses network
Injury prevention topic of next safety presentation
Chamber, PEL to examine impact of midterm elections
Chamber Board approves Transportation Resolution
After considerable deliberation and modest input from Chamber Members, The Chamber’s Board of Directors approved a Transportation Funding Resolution that would address immediate highway and infrastructure needs but would also increase fuel taxes, vehicle and driver’s license fees and shift State Police funding from the Motor License Fund to the General Fund. The Resolution was initiated in The Chamber’s Transportation
Committee where it passed by a 19-0 margin. The Board decision to approve it was not unanimous. “I’m pleased that The Board was so conscientious in its approach to this resolution,” acknowledged Board Chair Bob Bilger of M&T Bank. “They wanted to do the best thing for the business community as it pertained to transportation and they were aware that there’s a price
to pay for that. It wasn’t an easy decision.” The Resolution will now be forwarded to elected officials at the state level and to other organizations that may wish to adopt similar policies. 
Business After Hours Wednesday at the Hampton Inn
October's Business After Hours event will be held this Wednesday at the Hampton Inn. The event was moved to Wednesday to not conflict with Blair County's Trick or Treat evening which is Thursday. "We hope every one will come out for some great food, cold beverages and networking at the Hampton," said Stacy Hoover, The Chamber's Vice President of Events and Technology. "The October After Hours event has done well in the past the night before Trick or
Treat and we are certain this event will be no different." To sign up for the Business After Hours, call the Chamber at 943-8151 or register online. 
Audit, 2011 Budget gain unanimous approval
The Chamber’s Board of Directors voted last Thursday to approve the organization’s 2009 Annual Audit and followed that with a thumbs-up for the 2011 Chamber Budget. The Audit, conducted by Young, Oakes, Brown & Company, gave The Chamber high marks for organization and efficiency. The Budget is “ambitious-but-conservative,” reported Chamber President Joe Hurd. “It’s
always difficult to predict with great certainty things like membership recruitment and retention, program participation and the volatility of the stock market on long-term investments. It’s very often a crap-shoot.” He’s encouraged by the growth in several of the programs and the willingness of the staff to be prudent on the expense side. “We’ve looked for creative
ways to keep expenses under control. I assure you, our membership would be impressed by how we treat their money.”
Cortez, Gensimore, Ritchey awarded Board positions
The Chamber’s Board Development Subcommittee, acting
as the organization’s nominating committee, fielded nominations from The Chamber Membership and compiled a slate of new board members for 2011. Receiving three year terms on the Board were Mike Cortez of Sheetz, Inc,. Carol Gensimore of Hayes Large Architects and Andrew Ritchey of Ritchey’s Dairy. Three board members whose first three-year terms expired were awarded second terms. They
were: Dr. Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry of Penn State Altoona,
Gary
Drenning of Blair Companies and Randy Green of McCartney’s. Three additional one-year appointments to the Board will be made by the incoming Board Chair in November.
Committee Chair slots filled by Chamber Board
Two
new committee chairs were approved by The Chamber’s Board at the Oct. 21 board meeting. Katrina Pope of the Intermunicipal Relations Committee was appointed chair of the Coalition on Environmental Sustainability succeeding Amie Myers of Your Green Life who accepted a position in Virginia. Jim Kilmartin of Joshua House is the chair of The Chamber’s newest committee – the Non-Profit Roundtable
– which will begin meeting in January. A vice-chair will be appointed for the Roundtable sometime in the next few weeks.
Chamber to add InfoLaunch affinity program
The Chamber has added a new affinity program to its array of offerings to its members. InfoLaunch, a data breach readiness program is being offered through Immersion, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of NPC, Inc. The
InfoLaunch Breach Ready Program provides pre-planning tools to help Chamber Members improve their data breach incident response, guides members through the breach incident response process, helps members comply with federal and state statutes by printing and mailing required notifications to victims of the breach incident and helps the members protect valuable customer and/or patient relationships and the members’ reputation and brand. The
program will begin operation on Dec. 1.
Leadership Blair County Alumni now part of Chamber
The Leadership Blair County Alumni Association, comprised of graduates of The Chamber’s highly-successful
Leadership
Blair
County
program, has become a Chamber committee. The Association had operated independently since its founding in 1998. “Members of the Association recognize the importance of staying active and relevant,” explained Judy Juda, The Chamber’s Vice-President of Programming & Education. “With an all volunteer staff it was often difficult to meet organizational goals, particularly as
the pool of LBC graduates continues to grow. It makes sense for The Chamber to assist in overseeing the transition from class member to graduate, and we’re happy to do that.”
WE-LEaD Networking event tonight at Marzoni's
Business women who understand and appreciate the value of effective networking are invited to attend the next WE-LEaD networking event this Monday, Oct. 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Marzoni’s in Duncansville. Great hot hors d’oeuvres, excellent cold beverages and a terrific forum for interactive networking are all part of this night. The cost is just $12 for Chamber Members and $20 for
non-members. Corporate host is Evolution Physical Therapy & Wellness Studio. To register, call The Chamber by noon today at 943-8151. WE-LEaD is an acronym for Women Encouraging – Leadership, Education and Development. It is a program of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce.
Big night for Hileman's at tomorrow's Farm-City Dinner
Mike
Pechart,
Pennsylvania
’s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, will be the keynote speaker at The Chamber’s Annual Farm-City Dinner, set for tomorrow night at The Park at Morrisons Cove. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with a Milk-Punch Reception followed by dinner at 7 p.m. A major focus of the Farm-City Dinner is the presentation of the Agricultural Community Excellence (ACE) Award which this year goes to David and Janet Hileman of Hilecrest
Farm in
Sinking
Valley
. The Hileman’s have been instrumental in helping young people from throughout
Blair
County
to better understand the importance of agriculture on the local economy. What has changed about the 2010 dinner is that for the first time, the event has been moved from the banquet hall to the gym at The Park at Morrisons Cove to better accommodate the crowd. What hasn’t changed is that the dinner itself will once again be turkey and all the fixings served family-style. And
for only $15 a person. To register, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Home
& Garden Show will again feature canstruction®
Back by popular demand at the 2011 Blair County Home & Garden Show will be “canstruction®,” an opportunity for local businesses to build structures and displays made entirely of canned goods that will then be donated to local food banks. The
canstruction® displays will be featured at the March 4-6 show presented for the 41st year by The Chamber and the Blair/Bedford Builders Association. “The canstruction® displays attracted a great deal of attention at last year’s show,” explained Stacy Hoover of The Chamber. “They were very creative and benefited a great cause. The
Home & Garden Show Committee was unanimous in wanting to feature the program again.” The Call for Entries is now taking place and businesses and organizations interested in taking part in canstruction® should contact Stacy Hoover at 943-8151 to secure an entry form.
Chamber Members asked to help with Plank Road Survey
The Plank Road Pedestrian Access Study is being undertaken by PennDOT District 9 to evaluate the need for improved pedestrian access along the
Plank Road
/ Pleasant Valley Boulevard Corridor. The request for a study was initiated by The Chamber’s Transportation Committee. PennDOT is requesting that Chamber Members complete a survey as part of the data collection phase to provide business input. To access the survey, click here.
Seminar to focus on responsibilities of 401-K providers
Many employers wrongly assume that their 401-K provider is performing all the tasks expected by the Department of Labor. Last year, the DOL collected fines and penalties totaling
$2.3 billion. Several businesses in
Blair
County
have been among those fined. To help businesses better understand their 401-K responsibilities, the Blair County Chamber, Penn State Altoona and Forney Financial Solutions are co-sponsoring a Department of Labor seminar on Nov. 10 from 8 to 11:30 a.m. at the
Devorris
Downtown
Center
in
Altoona
. Among the speakers are Christina O’Brien, Investigative Supervisor for DOL; Blain Aikin, CEO of FI 360; and Rocco DiBruno, Managing Director for Thornburg Retirement. There is no cost to attend, but space is limited. To register, call 944-8474 or register online.
"Backbone Bash" returns to help small businesses network
Small businesses will get a much-needed “night out” on Friday, Nov. 12 as The Chamber holds its next Backbone Bash. The event, named because small business is the backbone
of the business community, will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Buccinese Club in
Altoona
. It is for owners and employees of small businesses who want the opportunity to network in a laid-back environment while enjoying great food, cold beverages, door prizes, karaoke, bocce and shuffle board. Sponsorships are available by calling The Chamber at 943-8151. Register for the Backbone Bash online.
Injury prevention topic of next safety presentation
The Chamber Safety Committee’s next monthly program will focus on ways that businesses of all sizes can prevent workplace injuries. “Injury Prevention: What You Need to Know” will be presented on Nov. 18 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Marzoni’s, Duncansville. Presenters will be Dr. Eddie Luke of Health First of Blair County and Alisha Jones of Phoenix Rehabilitation and Health Services,
Inc. Cost to attend is $22 for Chamber Members, $30 for non-members and $17 each for member businesses with three or more attendees. Lunch is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Chamber, PEL to examine impact of midterm elections
The Chamber and the Pennsylvania Economy League’s Central Penn Committee will present an Issues Forum on Friday, Nov. 19 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Jaffa Shrine in
Altoona
. James Lee, President of Susquehanna Polling and Research, will present, “The Election of 2010: What Changes Can We Expect?” Susquehanna Polling and Research has been quoted in numerous publications and media programs including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and the New York Times. The cost to attend is $22-per-person and includes
a buffet lunch. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
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October 25, 2010
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Upcoming Events
Register online |
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WE-LEaD Networking
Oct. 25, 5 to 7 p.m..
at Marzoni's
Hosted by:
Register here
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Farm-City Dinner
Oct. 26, 6:30 Milk-Punch Reception, 7 p.m. Dinner
The Park at Morrisons Cove
Featuring Keynote Speaker
Mike Pechart,
Pennsylvania Deputy
Secretary of Agriculture
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Register here
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Follow The Chamber
on Facebook
Click here
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Business After Hours
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 6:30 5 to 7 p.m.
Hosted by:
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Register here |
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Upcoming Committee Meetings
Week of 10/25/10
Business Opportunities Committee
Tuesday, Oct. 26, 8:30 a.m.
The Chamber
Retail Roundtable
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 8:15a.m.
Devorris Center
Safety Committee
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m.
The Chamber
Coalition on Environmental Sustainability
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.
Devorris Center
Transportation Committee
Thursday, Oct. 28, 8:15 a.m.
Devorris Center
BASICS Regional Caolition
Friday, Oct. 29, 9:30 a.m.
Devorris Center |
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Don't be left out! If you haven't already submitted your information for "Buy The Alleghenies" Click Here!
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