Economic Outlook to Take Center Stage at Breakfast Club
How did the Blair County economy weather the challenges of 2011 and what opportunities were created out of adversity for 2012? Those two questions will be at the forefront of the 2011 Blair County Economic Outlook to be held as part of this Thursday's Chamber Breakfast Club. The Economic Outlook is a joint initiative of the Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation, the Allegheny Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau and The Chamber. Once again, research specialists Rose Baker and David Passmore of Penn State will be guest speakers and will enlighten the local business community with statistics and projections that will be quite informative. The Chamber Breakfast Club begins at 7:30 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The cost to attend is $16. To register, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Green Home Goods to Host November's "Green Drinks"
Green Home Goods, located at 5901B Sixth Avenue in Altoona, will host the next “Green Drinks” program Tuesday, November 15th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Interested people are invited to come out and enjoy food samplings by Kit’s Kitchen as well as “green drinks.” The cost is just $5.00-per-person. To register, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Chamber Board of Directors to Meet
The Board of Directors of the Blair County Chamber will meet on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at the Devorris Center.  Among the agenda items will be the approval of a slate of Board officers for 2012.  The Board will also look at ongoing membership recruitment efforts.  Any Chamber Member wishing to address the Board should contact Joe Hurd by noon on Tuesday at 943-8151.

Lunch 'n' Learn to Address Advantages of Recycling
Despite the fact that sustainability is far from a new concept, a lot of businesses – large and small – can’t seem to come to terms with its requirements or its enormous upside. To offer assistance, The Chamber’s Coalition on Sustainability will hold a Lunch ‘n’ Learn program this Thursday, November 17th at Park Hills Country Club from noon until 1:30 p.m. Entitled, “The Importance of Recycling to Blair County Business,” the program will feature three speakers and a panel of business leaders who will provide insight and guidance. John Frederick, Executive Director of the Inter-Municipal Relations Committee, will provide an overview of what recycling obligations a business has and how that business can implement or improve its recycling program. Michael Breslin, Territory Manager for Waste Management, will look at the issue of recycling from a collection perspective. Jeff Furmanchin, President of Concord Plastics of PA, will talk about how recycling can increase revenues, reduce waste disposal costs, improve customer service and enhance a business’s reputation with customers, government and competitors. The panel will focus on best practices – what’s worked and what hasn’t within the recycling realm. Panelists will be: Mike Straw, Environmental Manager of American Eagle Paper Mill; Thomas Jones, Director of Environment of Care at Altoona Regional Health System; and David Angello, Green Team Leader & Service Manager of Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden). Corporate sponsor of the Lunch 'n' Learn is Green Home Goods. The cost to attend is $22 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. Lunch and materials are included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

"Business After Hours" to be Held at Blairmont Club
The Chamber’s next “Business After Hours” program will be held on Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at The Blairmont Club in Hollidaysburg.  The cost to attend is $5.00 for Chamber Members in advance and $6.00 at the door.  Non-members may attend for $10.00 in advance and $12.00 at the door.  To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

LBC Adult Class to Debate Local Government Issues
The November 18th Leadership Blair County Adult session will be an extremely interactive one as class members will have the opportunity to debate three controversial issues affecting local government. The issues are: Taxing Marcellus Shale, Taxing Municipalities that Use the PA State Police and Should Blair County Have a Casino? The session will also provide the first opportunity for the class to discuss a Class Project, a requirement of all LBC classes. For more information on Leadership Blair County, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or visit The Chamber Website.

Chamber to Partner with HRMA on Workers' Comp Program
The Chamber’s Safety Committee and the Human Resource Management Association of Blair County will partner on a program that will focus on ways to drive-down the cost of Workers' Compensation through awareness and better claims management.  The program will be held on Wednesday, November 16th from 7:45 until 10:00 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The speakers will be Darlene Villa from East Coast Risk Management, Paul Seitz and Alisha Jones of Phoenix Rehabilitation and Ellen Patterson from HealthForce. The cost to attend is $25-per-person and includes breakfast and materials. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online. (This program will be held in either The Casino’s Soho Room or the Third Edition since The Chamber Breakfast Club will be in the Grand Pavilion).

Home & Garden Show Booths Available
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce and the Blair Bedford Builders Association have announced that booths are available for the 42nd Annual Blair County Home & Garden Show to be held March 2, 3, & 4, 2012 at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona. Booths and more information can be secured by calling Stacy Hoover at The Chamber, 814-943-8151.

3rd Annual Canstruction® Competition Set- Call for Entries
It starts with one can to feed the hungry. To lift the spirit. To change the world.  Canstruction®, a charity committed to ending hunger, is using ‘one can’ as a catalyst for change. 

The Blair County Home & Garden Show is pleased to be hosting its third Canstruction® competition to help fight hunger in Blair and
surrounding counties, one can at a time, during the 42nd Annual Home & Garden Show to be held March 2-4 at the Jaffa Shrine. 

Think you have what it takes to design and build a structure made nothing more than canned food, ingenuity, and luck?  Enter today.  Get creative, help stop hunger. For more infromation, please contact Stacy Hoover at The Chamber, 814-943-8151.

A Celebration for a Lifetime Public Servant
You are invited to attend a celebration for a Lifetime Public Servant, Donna D. Gority, as she retires from the Blair County Board of Commissioners after 28 years of service. The event will be held at the Blair County Convention Center on December 17, 2011.  A reception will begin at 4:30 p.m. with the dinner and program to follow.  The cost to attend is $45 a person. A scrapbook will be made for Donna and you can email your congratulatory message to gorityretirement@gmail.com. For more information on attending the event and or available sponsorships, please contact JoEllen Steinbrunner at 814-932-0859 or jemstein@atlanticbb.net.
 
Registrations Continue for Next Two Chamber Trips
The popularity of The Chamber’s trip to China has led to numerous requests from Chamber Members for the organization to do future trips. Beginning in March, those requests will be honored. The Chamber will work with two of its travel agency members – Heritage Travel and Classic Travel – to provide fun and relaxation at prime destinations. From March 18-25, travelers can cruise from Baltimore to the Bahamas on Carnival Cruise Lines, visiting Port Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport. For details contact Heritage Travel at (814) 946-1600. From October 7-14, it’s “Italy’s Great Cities” with Classic Travel. The trip includes visits to Rome, Pisa, Florence, Verona, Venice and Ferrara. Call Classic Travel at 696-3558. Informational meetings about both trips will be held in either mid-December or early January.