Help “Buy Here. Live Here.” to Plan for Its Future
Chamber Debate, Early Childhood Summit to Air on Public Access
Green Home Goods to Host “Green Drinks”
“Chamber Chat” An Opportunity for New Member Recruitment
Hampton Inn Hosting Wednesday’s “Business After Hours”
Farm-City Dinner Set for Next Tuesday in Martinsburg
Registration Deadline for Business & Industry Expo is October 26
GRYP to Feature Conference on Personal Branding
Best Practices Forum Will Focus on Fundraising
Chamber Board Positions Filled for 2013
Foundation Board Names Members, Selects Officers
Four New Chamber Members Approved
Rosser, Gority to Provide Leadership to Coalition
Devorris, Wolf Tabbed for Inaugural “Role Models” Program
Inexpensive Opportunities Available to Sponsor Television Programs
Reservations Being Accepted for Home Treasures Room
Business Participation Needed for Career Shadowing Week
Next Informational Meeting on China Trip is November 7th
Chamber Co-Sponsoring Seminar on Small Games of Chance
U.S. Chamber Launches VoteForJobs2012.com Website
Blue Card Discounts
Help “Buy Here. Live Here.” to Plan for Its Future
The Chamber’s Buy Here. Live Here. program has made great strides since its kickoff in March. What the program is able to accomplish in the future will be the focus of a strategic planning effort to be undertaken within the next month. Facilitated by David Duncan of Blair Medical Associates, the process requires feedback from interested Chamber members. If you are a member of The Chamber and are willing to share your thoughts on local purchasing, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151.
Chamber Debate, Early Childhood Summit to Air on Public Access
The dates and times have been established for the airing of The Chamber’s Legislative Debate between Democrat Richard Flarend and Republican John McGinnis for the 79th District seat in the PA House of Representatives as well as the airing of The Chamber’s Summit on Early Childhood Education, held September 28th at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The debate will run on Altoona Public Access Channel 14 on October 26th at 9:00 p.m.; October 27th at 7:00 p.m.; October 31st at 9:00 p.m. and November 1st at 7:00 p.m. The Early Childhood event will run on November 1st at 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and on November 3rd at 8:00 a.m., also on Channel 14.
Green Home Goods to Host “Green Drinks”
The Chamber’s Coalition on Sustainability will hold its next “Green Drinks” program on October 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at Green Home Goods on Rte. 764 and 58th Street in Altoona. Green Home Goods is a boutique for those who are “green at heart.” The business is hosting the event with samples of local and organic wines. There will be a $5.00 charge for food and attendees are asked to bring their own beverages. Guest speaker for this Green Drinks will be Dr. Brett Dongell whose message will be about “Health Naturally.” For further information, contact Katrina Pope at 943-7472.
“Chamber Chat” An Opportunity for New Member Recruitment
Often, businesses and organizations that are not members of The Chamber have a difficult time deciding whether to join because they know so little about what The Chamber does. To help clear-up any confusion, The Chamber has created “Chamber Chat,” an opportunity for non-members to learn about the organization in a fact-filled one hour session. The next Chamber Chat will be held this Wednesday, October 24th at 1:30 p.m. The session will be held at the Devorris Center for Business Development and will last no longer than one hour. There is no cost to attend Chamber Chat but pre-registration is encouraged. Call 943-8151 to register. There is no obligation to join The Chamber if you attend. Please help The Chamber to promote these sessions to any non-member businesses that you might be aware of. If the business joins, we will award you a $25 gift card to the Chamber-member business of your choice.
Hampton Inn Hosting Wednesday’s “Business After Hours”
The Hampton Inn Altoona will hold the next Chamber “Business After Hours” this Wednesday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. As in past years, the After Hours will have a Halloween theme and will feature a variety of foods and beverages. The cost to attend is $6.00 for Chamber Members in advance or $7.00 at the door. Non-members can attend for $12.00 in advance and $13.00 at the door. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Farm-City Dinner Set for Next Tuesday in Martinsburg
The Blair County Chamber’s Farm-City Dinner will be held on Tuesday, October 30th beginning with a Milk-Punch Reception at 6:30 p.m. and a family-style turkey dinner at 7:00. Highlighting the evening will be a keynote by Chris Brand of Giant Food Store, LLC followed by the presentation of the 2012 Agricultural Community Excellence (ACE) Award to Kelly Ritchey. Tickets to the dinner are available at $20 each. To purchase tickets, contact Stacy Hoover at 943-8151.
Registration Deadline for Business & Industry Expo is October 26
If you have not registered to be an exhibitor at this year’s Central PA Regional Business and Industry Expo yet, you will need to by Friday,October 26. The Expo will be held Thursday, November 8th from 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College. For a registration form, Click here or contact Stacy Hoover at The Chamber, 943-8151, for more information.
GRYP to Feature Conference on Personal Branding
The Chamber’s Growth and relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) will hold a Young Professionals Leadership Conference this Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The topic of the conference is “Personal Branding: Making Your Mark.” Speakers will be Sam Buckley of PNC Bank, Jim Kilmartin of Keystone Business Support and Justine Kobeski and Jigar Patel of Juniata College. The cost to attend is $25 for Chamber members and $35 for non-members. Chamber-member businesses with three or more attendees pay just $20 each. A full breakfast buffet is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Best Practices Forum Will Focus on Fundraising
John Moore of Moore Power Sales in Altoona has a long reputation for helping people learn how to successfully raise funds. Moore will impart a lot of that knowledge on Friday when he speaks and facilitates the next Best Practices Forum being held by The Chamber’s Community Benefit Coalition of Non-Profits. Moore’s presentation is entitled: “Fundraising: How to Make the Ask” and will be followed by an interactive discussion in which non-profit organizations share their own experiences, both good and bad. The Best Practices Forum is limited to non-profit members of The Chamber. To register, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or email him.
Chamber Board Positions Filled for 2013
The Chamber’s Board of Directors approved term extensions for four current board members and will welcome two new members to the Board in 2013. Board members Jack Collins of Link Computer Corporation in Bellwood and Mike Sweitzer of Chicago Rivet & Machine Company in Tyrone were approved for second 3-year terms, while Lee Anne Ehredt of Green Home Goods in Altoona and Vic Gioiosa of ARC Federal Credit Union in Altoona will begin initial 3-year terms. Three-year terms were also extended to Phil Sipes of GAI Consultants of Altoona and Thad Will of M&T Bank. Three additional one-year “Presidential Appointments” will be made by the new Board Chair in December, rounding out the 2013 Board.
Foundation Board Names Members, Selects Officers
The Blair County Chamber Foundation will have four new board members, beginning in 2013. Approved to the Foundation Board were Maureen Calandra of Altoona Area School District, Paul Kirby of Keller Engineers, Pat Kirby of First Commonwealth Bank and retired educator Rodney Green of Roaring Spring. In other Foundation news, Susan Barber of Reliance Bank was elected Board President and Tim Nagle of First National Bank was elected Vice-President.
Four New Chamber Members Approved
At its October 18th meeting, The Chamber’s Board of Directors approved the following new members to the organization: James Medical, LLC of Altoona, JEMS of Hollidaysburg, Overflow Church of Altoona and United Datacom Networks of Altoona.
Rosser, Gority to Provide Leadership to Coalition
Judy Rosser of Blair County Drug and Alcohol Program and retired Blair County Commissioner Donna Gority were approved by the Chamber Board of Directors to assume leadership roles on The Chamber’s Community Benefit Coalition of Non-Profits. Rosser will serve as chair for 2013; Gority as vice-chair.
Devorris, Wolf Tabbed for Inaugural “Role Models” Program
The Chamber’s newest educational program – “Role Models” – will debut on November 15th from noon to 1:30 p.m. at The Blairmont Club by featuring two of Blair County’s most esteemed business leaders. Donald Devorris of Blair Companies and John Wolf of Wolf Furniture Company will answer questions from attendees related to their business careers and will provide insight into what has worked (and not worked) during their many years in building and maintaining a business. The cost to attend is just $25 for Chamber members and $35 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online at www.blairchamber.com.
Inexpensive Opportunities Available to Sponsor Television Programs
The Chamber is featuring a number of informative programs during the next three months that will also give members an opportunity to get the name of their business or organization in front of the viewing public in an inexpensive way. On October 30th, two half-hour “Blair County: It’s Our Business” programs will tape for airing on the Altoona Public Access Channel in November. One program will be on local manufacturing; the other on local insurance. The panel discussion format will be moderated by WTAJ’s Carolyn Donaldson. On November 26th, two more BCIOB programs – one on local retail and the other on local restaurants will tape for airing in December. And on December 10th, a one-hour “Issues” program on Blair County’s small businesses will tape for airing in January. The cost for a business to sponsor a “Blair County: It’s Our Business” program is just $100. To sponsor an “Issues” program is $150. A business or organization can sponsor all four BCIOB programs for just $300. To sponsor, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or email him.
Reservations Being Accepted for Home Treasures Room
Although the Blair County Home & Garden Show will not take place until March 1, 2 and 3 of next year, the committee overseeing that event has already started the booth selection process. Unsecured booths have been made available to new exhibitors. To reserve a booth, contact Stacy Hoover at 943-8151 or email her. The show is also accepting applications from vendors for the Home Treasures room. Home Treasures offers a boutique-type setting that will feature home interior items, candles, spices, hand-crafted items and much more. Booth payments can be made with cash, check, Discover Card, Master Card or VISA. The Blair County Home & Garden Show is a partnership of the Blair County Chamber and the Blair-Bedford Builders Association.
Business Participation Needed for Career Shadowing Week
Nearly 300 high school juniors from Blair County schools will be seeking career shadowing opportunities as part of The Chamber’s Career Shadowing Week (November 5-9). The weeklong event is part of the organization’s BASICS program. Any businesses that would be willing to host a student or students for a half-day during that week, please contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or email him.
Next Informational Meeting on China Trip is November 7th
The Chamber’s next trip to China is set for April 12-20 and the deadline for registration and payment in full is December 14th. While many people have already paid the $200 deposit to secure a spot on the trip, many have made inquiries and still others are looking for more information. That information, in the form of a Q&A meeting, will next take place on Wednesday, November 7th at 6:00 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. Joe Hurd and Jessica Meck from The Chamber and David Kimmel from Penn State Altoona – all of whom traveled on last November’s Trip to China – will be on-hand to answer any questions about the trip and to distribute materials including the trip’s itinerary. There is no cost to attend the meeting and no obligation to make a commitment for the April trip. For more information, contact The Chamber at 943-8151. Pre-registration for the meeting is recommended but not required.
Chamber Co-Sponsoring Seminar on Small Games of Chance
The Blair County Chamber is partnering with State Senator John Eichelberger on a seminar which will focus on the rules and regulations surrounding Small Games of Chance in Pennsylvania. The seminar will be held on Monday, November 19th at 6:30 p.m. in the Saint Rose of Lima School Hall, 5519 Sixth Avenue in Altoona. Guest presenter will be Sgt. James Jones of the PA State Police’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. “So many of our Chamber Members, particularly our many non-profit organizations, rely on small games of chance to stay alive financially,” disclosed Chamber President Joe Hurd. “It’s important that they know and understand how to remain in compliance with state regulations.” There is no cost to attend the seminar but registration is encouraged. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151.
U.S. Chamber Launches VoteForJobs2012.com Website
The United States Chamber of Commerce has launched VoteForJobs2012.com, a new digital platform to help educate and mobilize voters. The website provides a comprehensive source of political information including a breakdown of key House and Senate races and comparisons of the candidates’ records on issues critical to growing the economy and creating jobs. The site also features voter resources including registration forms, absentee ballots and polling place locators to insure that the business community is active at the polls this November.
Blue Card Discounts
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.
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Labor Ready
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Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive $50 off your first labor order.
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Peaceful Acres Horse Farm, LLC
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Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive 15% off all riding lessons, riding gift certificates and $25 lessons for children 10 and under.
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Sam's Club
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Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive a $25 gift card when you join or renew as an Advantage Plus or Business Plus Member. Receive a $10 gift card when you join or renew as an Advantage or Busniess Member.
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ServiceMaster Prof. Cleaning
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Present your Blue Card to receive 10% all commercial and residential cleaning services.
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Smith Furniture
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Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive a 5% discount on your entire purchase. (Offer excludes sales tax or services.)
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For more information, visit the website
To subscribe or unsubscribe please email us.
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October 22, 2012
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Upcoming Events
Register online
Business After Hours
WEDNESDAY, October 24, 2012
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Hampton Inn Altoona
Register Here
GRYP next: A Leadership Workshop
Friday, October 26, 2012
8:00 - 11:45 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Farm-City Dinner
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
6:30 p.m. - Milk/Punch Reception
7:00 p.m. - Dinner - Program
The Park at Morrisons Cove
Register Here
WE-LEaD Networking
Monday, November 5, 2012
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Marzoni's
Register Here
Breakfast Club
WEDNESDAY, November 7, 2012
7:45 - 9:00 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Upcoming
Committee Meetings
Week of 10/22/12
Leadership Blair County Alumni
Thursday, October 25, 7:30 a.m.
Reliance Bank
Transportation Committee
Thursday, October 25, 8:15 a.m.
Devorris Center
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