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Coalition on Sustainability to Hear SIFE Presentation
Retail Roundtable to Explore Marketing Opportunities
Ribbon Cutting to Celebrate NEW AUCP Location
New Members Approved by Chamber Board of Directors
Nominations Being Accepted for Annual Meeting Awards
Recruiting Begins for "Partners in Small Business"
Chamber to Partner with Dale Carnegie on "Skills for Success"
Bahambas, Italy Next Two Chamber Destinations
PA Business Central Seeking Top Organizations, Top People
Home & Garden Show Booths Available
3rd Annual Canstruction® Competition Set- Call for Entries
A Celebration for a Lifetime Public Servant
Blue Card Discounts

Coalition on Sustainability to Hear SIFE Presentation
The Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) program at Penn State Altoona will make a presentation to The Chamber’s Coalition on Sustainability at the Coalition’s next meeting scheduled for this Tuesday, November 29th at 11:00 a.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. The presentation will request that the Coalition assists SIFE in targeting small businesses that may be willing to be part of an energy audit as a way to save energy dollars. Anyone interested in attending is welcome to do so.

Retail Roundtable to Explore Marketing Opportunities
Blair County retail establishments are placing a higher priority on educating potential customers on the products available for purchase here and that objective will mean a greater emphasis on marketing inside and outside the county. When The Chamber’s Retail Roundtable meets on Wednesday, marketing opportunities will be a prominent agenda item. “In a service economy like ours, it’s essential that we do a credible job in promoting the retail businesses that are here,” remarked Chamber President Joe Hurd. “It’s an ongoing challenge with a huge upside.” Any retailer interested in being part of the Retail Roundtable should contact Hurd at 943-8151.

Ribbon Cutting to Celebrate New AUCP Location
The Chamber will conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. to celebrate the grand opening of the new location of Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy, located at 512 Route 764 in Duncansville. An Open House will also be held the same day from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Festivities will include entertainment, food, refreshments and educational stations. All Chamber Members are invited to attend.

New Members Approved by Chamber Board of Directors
The Chamber Board of Directors have approved the following new members to the organization: Altoona Chapter of AMBUCS, Any Lab Test Now, Dennis C. Dobbins, D.M.D., Drill Baby Drill Staffing,
Eco Islands, LLC, Jack & George’s, and Traficante Family Chiropractic.

Nominations Being Accepted for Annual Meeting Awards
On Friday, January 27th, The Chamber will hold its 2012 Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation beginning at 7:30 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The event will include the swearing-in of The Chamber Board of Directors as well as the Board of the Blair County Chamber Foundation. Awards to be presented that morning are the Athena Award, the George Award, the Joseph P. Rosenhamer Chamber Spirit Award, the GRYP Impact Award, the Servant Leader Award and the Small Business Person of the Year Award. The Agricultural Community Excellence (ACE) Award, presented last October, will be re-presented at the Annual Meeting. To nominate someone for one of these awards, simply go to The Chamber website and access the nomination form for that award. The cost to attend the Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation is $20 for Chamber Members and non-members. To make reservations, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Recruiting Begins for "Partners in Small Business"
Small businesses make up 84% of the Chamber’s membership. For that reason alone, it makes sense for The Chamber to have a committee dedicated solely to finding better ways to serve the organization’s small business members. For more than a year, the “Partners in Small Business” Committee has been on a hiatus. Beginning in January, that hiatus is over. The Chamber is now recruiting volunteers to serve on the Partners in Small Business Committee. The committee will meet on a monthly basis. Interested Chamber members should contact Joe Hurd or Jessica Meck at 943-8151.

Chamber to Partner With Dale Carnegie on "Skills For Success"
The Chamber and Dale Carnegie Training will once again partner on a program that will begin on January 26th and run for the following eight weeks. “Skills For Success” will provide attendees an extensive background on things like effective networking, relationship building, stress management and leadership development – just to name a few. Sessions will be held at the Comfort Inn Hotel in Duncansville. For more information or to register, contact Jeff Davis at (814) 931-1963.

Bahamas, Italy Next Two Chamber Destinations
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 Agency 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.

PA Business Central Seeking Top Organizations, Top People
Is your business or organization among the best in the region? Are you one of the region’s top business people or do you know someone who is? Then Pennsylvania Business Central magazine is interested in your opinion and invites you to submit a nomination for either the 2012 Top 100 Organizations or the 2012 Top 100 People. Nomination forms are available by calling The Chamber at 943-8151 or emailing Andy Elder at aelder@pabusinesscentral.com. Deadline for nominations is January 27, 2012.

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
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 with 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.

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.

G. B. Wineland & Son, Inc. Present your Blue Card to receive 5% off Polaris Insulated Doors OR receive 5% off your order of five or more Polaris Windows.

Gardner's Candies, Inc. Present your Blue Card at any Gardners Candies Company Owned Retail Store and receive 10% off your purchase.

Go Time Promotions Present your Blue Card during your visit to receive a FREE business advertising consultation

Go Time Sports Performance Training Center Present your Blue Card and when you purchase two months of training, receive the third month for free.

Gold Shield Investigation Present your Blue Card to receive a $100 credit on your first assignment.

November 28, 2011

Upcoming Events
Register online

GRYP Holiday Party

Thursday, December 1, 2011
Ramada Altoona Conference Center
6:00 -8:00 p.m.

Register Here

Breakfast Club

Thursday, December 8
The Casino at Lakemont Park
7:45 - 8:55 a.m.

Speaker:
Blair County Commissioner, Donna Gority

Sponsored by:

Register Here

Business After Hours

Thursday, December 8, 2011
5:00 -7:00 p.m.

Hosted by:

Register Here

Upcoming Committee Meetings
Week of 11/28/11

Transportation Committee
Tuesday, November 29, 8:15 a.m.
Devorris Center

GRYP Steering Committee
Tuesday, November 29, 8:30 a.m.
Tom & Joe's

Coalition on Sustainability
Tuesday, November 29, 11:00 a.m.
Devorris Center

Retail Roundtable
Wednesday, November 30, 8:15 a.m.
Devorris Center

Legislative Action Committee
Thursday, December 1, 8:00 a.m.
Devorris Center

BASICS Subcommittee on Early Childhood
Thursday, December 1, 9:30 a.m.
The Chamber

Non-Profit Advocacy
Friday, December 2, 8:15 a.m.
The Chamber

Non-Profit Internal Education
Friday, December 2, 9:45 a.m.
The Chamber

Non-Profit External Education
Friday, December 2, 1:30 p.m.
The Chamber

Non-Profit Collaboration
Friday, December 2, 2:45 p.m.
The Chamber

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