Breakfast Club to feature speakers from state chamber

This Thursday’s Chamber Breakfast Club will feature an important update of key legislative issues at the state level. Two of the top legislative staff members of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry will be on hand to talk about the state budget, legal reform and unemployment compensation – issues that will dramatically affect the business community now and in the future. Gene Barr, Vice-President of Government & Public Affairs and Alex Halper, Manager of Government Affairs will tag-team and answer questions from attendees. Breakfast Club begins at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. 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. The corporate sponsor for the Breakfast Club program is Precision Business Solutions.

Chamber seeking new staff member

The Chamber is looking to fill a key staff position. Mike McMullen, Vice-President of Membership Services & Development, has accepted a position with a regional employer and will be leaving The Chamber, effective June 17. "Mike has done a terrific job, particularly in helping to grow our GRYP program, our safety committee and our ability to effectively promote programs and events to our Members," acknowledged Chamber President Joe Hurd. "We’re grateful for his time here and wish him the best." The Chamber is accepting resumes from people with marketing and sales backgrounds. Interested applicants should submit resumes and cover letters to Joe Hurd.  

Blair Business Mirror to be published Tuesday

The next issue of the Blair Business Mirror will hit the streets tomorrow as a supplement to the Altoona Mirror. This month’s cover feature will tell the impressive story of another local newspaper – the Morrisons Cove Herald.  Inside features include Plunger’s Plumbing & Heating, Leadership Blair County Youth Graduation, a Q&A with former Senator Robert Jubelirer and the first of the Business Mirror’s “Non-Profit Focus” series.  If you don’t currently receive the Altoona Mirror, don’t panic: A copy of the Blair Business Mirror is mailed to each Chamber Member business within a week following publication.

Executive Committee to decide on partnership with AMCVB

The Executive Committee of The Chamber’s Board of Directors will meet Thursday morning at the Devorris Center. The committee meets in June and July while the full Board is on a hiatus. One of the key issues to be resolved is a recommendation to change the status of the organization’s Hotel/Motel/Lodging Property Roundtable to reflect an equal partnership with the Allegheny Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Executive Committee also will approve The Chamber financial statement and approve new members. To bring an issue before the Executive Committee, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151 by Tuesday at noon.  

Membership directories being mailed to members

The 2011 edition of the Blair County Community Profile & Membership Directory is in the mail and each Chamber Member business should be receiving the publication within a few days. The directory is the most comprehensive promotional piece on Blair County and The Chamber and is a handy reference for contact information consistent with The Chamber’s effort to keep more business-spending local. If your business would like an additional copy of the directory, visit The Chamber Office, located in the Devorris Center for Business Development.   

Leadership Blair County application deadline approaching

The deadline for people interested in applying for the 2012 Leadership Blair County Adult program is June 30. “We’re extremely fortunate that the success of the LBC program continues to yield a large number of applicants,” reported Judy Juda, The Chamber’s Vice-President of Programming & Membership Education who oversees both the LBC Youth and Adult programs. “We expect that trend to continue, and I would encourage anyone with an interest in LBC to apply as soon as possible.” For more information on Leadership Blair County, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or visit The Chamber website.  

Residential electric program takes heat out of summer months

Chamber Members who still haven’t signed-up for a discounted residential electric program can still get a great deal. If you enroll in The Chamber’s Residential Energy Program through OnDemand Energy and are a Penelec customer, you can lock-in a special introductory summer price of 6.99 cents per kilowatt hour until the September 2011 meter-read date. That rate then adjusts to 7.25 cents until June 2013. With summer’s high temperatures and increased electric use, this is the perfect time to secure your home electric savings. To enroll, go to the website and click “Select Savings Program” under Residential Electric Savings.   

Congratulations . . .

. . . to Coldwell Banker Town & Country Real Estate of Altoona which was ranked ninth in the country for April in total units among Coldwell Banker affiliate offices with 21 to 35 sales associates. There currently are 359 affiliate offices nationally in that category.