No Dues Increase in 2012 Chamber Budget
Farm-City Dinner is Tuesday in Martinsburg
Hampton Inn to Host "Business After Hours"
Flood Insurance is Topic of Thursday's Lunch 'n' Learn
Farm-City "Visit to Industry" Set for Gardner's Candies
Chamber Board Approves New Members
Presidential Appointments Gain Three Year Terms
Make Sure Your Legislators Know How You Feel About PW
New Chamber Energy Rates Set for Residential Re-Enrollment
Chamber to Offer Cruise to Bahamas, Trip to Italy in 2012
Economic Outlook to be Part of November Breakfast Club
"Issues" Program on Higher Education Concludes this Week
Holiday Inn Express Announces Prize Winners
Congratulations...
Blue Card Discounts 

No Dues Increase in 2012 Chamber Budget
The Chamber’s Board of Directors approved the 2012 Annual Budget at last Thursday’s meeting. The budget calls for revenues of $652,821.00 and expenditures of $647,702.50. With $5,000.00 allocated for depreciation, The Chamber is projected to have an excess of revenue-over-expenses of $118.50. The budget did not contain a dues increase. “We’re pleased to be able to hold the line on spending and increase some of our program revenues to essentially break even without having to increase the investment of our members,” related Ron Muffie of The Hite Company who chairs The Chamber Board. The Chamber has only raised dues twice in the past fifteen years.

Farm-City Dinner is Tuesday in Martinsburg
The Chamber will hold its annual Farm-City Dinner this Tuesday, October 25th, beginning with a milk-punch reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by a family-style turkey dinner at 7:00. The event will be held at The Park at Morrisons Cove. Guest speaker will be Matt Meals, Deputy Secretary for Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Meals, from Cumberland County, is responsible for the Bureau of Animal Health, Horse and Harness Racing Commission, Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology Research Lab, Livestock Evaluation Center, state-owned farms and other agricultural initiatives. The highlight of the Farm-City Dinner is the presentation of the Agricultural Community Excellence (ACE) Award which this year will be presented to James Crawford of Sinking Valley. Crawford has been a staunch advocate for Blair County agriculture for many years and currently serves as chairman of the Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation’s Agriculture Committee. The cost to attend the Farm-City Dinner is $20-per-person and tickets can be purchased at The Chamber Office or from any Farm-City Committee member. Call Stacy Hoover at The Chamber at 943-8151.

Hampton Inn to Host "Business After Hours"
The Hampton Inn Altoona will host this month’s Chamber “Business After Hours” on Wednesday from 5:00 to 7:00. The cost to attend is $5.00 for Chamber Members who pre-register and $6.00 at the door and $10 for non-members who pre-register and $12.00 at the door. To register, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Flood Insurance is Topic of Thursday's Lunch 'n' Learn
Recent hurricanes and other types of weather-related disasters make it more important than ever that businesses and homeowners understand the financial and property repercussions of flooding. For that reason, The Chamber is holding a Lunch ‘n’ Learn program this Thursday, October 27th from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Park Hills Country Club entitled, “Flood Insurance and Mortgages: Keeping Your Head Above Water.” Presenters will be: Theodora (Teddie) Kreitz of Keller Engineers, State Farm agent Lisa Mancinelli, Donna Myers of Reliance Bank, Cassandra Schmick of Logan Township and A. Jane Beveridge of the City of Altoona. The topic to be discussed will be the National Flood Insurance Program and its impact on local communities and residential and commercial property owners. The cost to attend is $22 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Farm-City "Visit to Industry" Set for Gardner's Candies
The final Chamber program recognizing Farm-City Month during 2011 will be the traditional “Visit to Industry” which provides an opportunity for people from the county’s agricultural sectors to learn more about a local industry. This year’s Visit to Industry host is Gardner’s Candies in Tyrone. The event is held from 10:00 a.m. to noon and includes tours of the facility and lunch. A few spots remain for anyone who would like to attend. There is no charge. Contact Stacy Hoover at 943-8151.

Chamber Board Approves New Members
At last week’s Chamber Board of Directors, the following new members were approved by the Board: Glow Salon & Spa; Haberstroh, Sullivan, Keating & George, LLP; Home Depot; NHS Human Services; PS Solutions; Prudential; Rabid Eagle Enterprises, LLC and Willetts.

Presidential Appointments Gain Three Year Terms
The Chamber’s Board of Directors will lose three key members at the end of 2011. Fortunately their replacements won’t have too much of a learning curve. Bob Bilger of M&T Bank, Linda Russo of the Hollidaysburg Area School District and Patricia Steward of Blair County will all have completed their Board terms on December 31st. The Chamber’s three one-year Presidential Appointments in 2011 have been elected to step into those spots and have been granted three-year terms on the Board. The three are: Dan Slep of the Altoona Mirror, Don Straub of Wal-Mart and Bill T. Ward of Ward Transport & Logistics. “These three have done an outstanding job in representing their businesses as well as their industry sectors,” acknowledged Chamber Board Chair Ron Muffie of The Hite Company. “We’re delighted to retain them.” Four current Chamber Board members also completed three-year terms on the Board and are eligible for an additional term. Approved for that term are: Chris Kerwin of Reliance Bank, Greg Knisely of Knisely & Sons, Jessica Lattanza of Blair Medical Associates and Amy Seltzer of Seltzer Financial Strategies.

Make Sure Your Legislators Know How You Feel About PW
One of the biggest hindrances to business growth in Pennsylvania is the PA Prevailing Wage Act which mandates that workers on public construction projects costing over $25,000 be paid the local “prevailing minimum wage.” The problem is the set wage is typically tied to the local union wage and therefore grossly inflated, burdening local governments and taxpayers with higher costs while providing no real public benefit. The Chamber opposes this law because it forces employers to pay in excess of what workers might voluntarily accept; imposes extensive paperwork and administrative costs; and generally hinders job creation and economic growth. Short of full repeal of the Act, The Chamber is asking its members to support a series of bills that aim to help mitigate the adverse impact of an archaic and increasingly harmful mandate, including those which passed the House Labor and Industry Committee on October 3rd. The bills are:

HB 1271: Exempts certain road maintenance work which until a recent court decision had usually not been subject to the Act. This decision has forced municipalities to curtail regular roadwork.
HB 1685: Directs the PA Department of Labor and Industry to adopt classifications and definitions for jobs subject to the Act. No such guidance currently exists, which creates confusion for contractors who face stiff penalties for even accidental violations.
HB 1329: Raises the threshold for a project to be a subject to the Act to $185,000, up from the current threshold of $25,000 that was established nearly fifty years ago.
HB 1541: Stipulates that the Act will be imposed only on projects in which 51% of the funding is public. Currently the Act is enforced even if projects are minimally financed with public funding.
HB 709: Provides that school districts are not subject to the Act unless they elect to opt in.
HB 1191: Provides that local governments are not subject to the Act unless they elect to opt-in.

Blair County’s three State Representatives are under siege from the labor unions looking to preserve the current Act. There is reason to believe that despite supporting the business community in the past, that unless businesses step-up and strongly encourage our elected officials to support these bills that prevailing wage will continue as is. Please call or email these State Representatives as soon as possible:

Rep. Mike Fleck – (814) 644-2996 – mfleck@pahousegop.com
Rep. Rick Geist – (814) 946-7218 –regeist@pahousegop.com 
Rep. Jerry Stern – (814) 695-2398 – jstern@pahousegop.com

Congratulations...
. . . to Carmen DiCello, Director of Government and Public Affairs for Value Drug Company of Altoona, who received the 2011 John W. Dargavel Medal from the National Community Pharmacists Association Foundation.  The award honors an individual whose contributions on behalf of independent pharmacy embody the spirit of leadership and accomplishment.

Blue Card Discount offers
Here are a few of the discounts you can receive with your Chamber Blue Card. Click here to see the full list of Blue Card Discounts. To have an offer listed contact Stacy Hoover at The Chamber at 943-8151.

Tammy Kehr, Agent - State Farm Insurance	Present your Blue Card to receive a FREE State Farm Insurance and Financial review. The review is your opportunity to look at your overall financial picture and protection needs, clarify your goals and help ensure all your immediate and long-term protection and planning needs are being met.
Teeter Group	Present your Blue Card on your purchase of your business insurance through Penn National Insurance and (depending on total group premium and claims experience) you could earn an annual dividend.
The Building II Athletic Club	Present your Blue Card to receive 10% off our regular membership fee.
The Cashman Financial Group, Inc	Present your Blue Card on your visit and receive a FREE copy of "Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement Planning" OR FREE consultation for your 401(k) or 403(b) plans. A value of $250.
Therapeutic Massage by Holly Reid	Present your Blue Card to receive $10 off a 1-hour massage or $5 off a 1/2-hour massage.

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