Business Hall of Fame Dinner is Tonight at Convention Center
Meetings Set for Tomorrow to Discuss New Healthcare Insurance Option
ACE Award Presentation to Highlight Annual Farm-City Dinner
Customer Service is Topic of Wednesday’s GRYP Conference
Michanowicz Endodontics to Host “Business After Hours”
LBC Session to Examine County’s History, Culture and Heritage
2014 Chamber Budget Gains Board Approval With No Dues Increase
Five New Members Added to the Chamber Rolls
“Issues” Program on Agriculture Continues Today
Small Businesses Invited to Join the State Chamber at No Cost
Great Sponsorship Opportunities Available for Two “Issues” Shows
Small Business Partners to Hold “Speed Networking” Session
Place the “Buy Here. Live Here.” Logo on Your Ad Copy
Unsecured Booths Now Available for 2014 Home & Garden Show
Chamber’s China Trip is Opportunity of a Lifetime
Chamber, Altoona Mirror Partnering to Encourage Local Buying
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts
Business Hall of Fame Dinner is Tonight at Convention Center
The Chamber’s Annual Business Hall of Fame Dinner will be held tonight, October 21st at the Blair County Convention Center. The event begins with a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception at 5:30 p.m. Dinner begins at 6:45. Three businesses will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Those businesses are: Bellwood-Antis School District, Stuckey Ford and Subaru in Hollidaysburg, and Tom and Joe’s Diner in Altoona. Altoona Mattress Company will be inducted in the Heritage category. In the category of Excellence in Small Business, the honorees are: Altoona Lung Specialists, Kooman & Associates and Stoney Point Events. The Altoona Curve is the Community Service honoree. Three businesses will be honored in the category of Sustainability. They are: Hollidaysburg Area High School, Sheetz, Inc., and Word Processing Services, Inc. EcoIslands, LLC and Gwin, Dobson & Foreman, Inc. are the Technology honorees and the Committee Choice Award recipient is The Nehemiah Project. It is too late to make reservations for this event.
Meetings Set for Tomorrow to Discuss New Healthcare Insurance Option
If you are a small business that has never been able to offer affordable healthcare insurance to your employees, your ship may have come in. The Blair County Chamber is partnering with Empower3 Center for Health on a program designed solely for the uninsured. If you’d like to learn more, an informational session will be held tomorrow, October 22nd from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. There is no cost or obligation to attend but pre-registration is encouraged. There will also be a meeting tomorrow for any brokers interested in selling the healthcare insurance. That meeting will be held from noon until 1:30 p.m. Call The Chamber at 943-8151 to register.
ACE Award Presentation to Highlight Annual Farm-City Dinner
Randy & Twila Bigelow & Family are the 2013 recipient of the Blair County Chamber’s Agricultural Community Excellence (ACE) Award. The Bigelow family serves as outstanding ambassadors for agriculture. The ACE Award will be presented to the Bigelow Family at the Annual Farm-City Dinner, set for October 29th at The Park at Morrisons Cove. A milk/punch reception begins at 6:30 p.m. and the dinner (family style turkey dinner and program begins at 7:00 p.m. Guest speaker is Hannah Smith-Brubaker of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union. Cost to attend the Farm-City Dinner is only $20.00. To secure tickets, contact The Chamber at 814-943-8151 or register online.
Customer Service is Topic of Wednesday’s GRYP Conference
The Chamber’s Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) is holding a “Next” Conference this Wednesday, October 23rd from 8:00 until noon at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The conference will focus on the importance of customer service to the success of a business. Speakers will share their philosophies on how to create customer satisfaction in a variety of ways and will engage attendees on current methods of customer retention. Among the speakers will be: Randall Hutchison of Geisinger Health Systems, Jason Wasovich from Asurion and Rebecca Crilly from Reliance Bank. The cost to attend the conference is $25 for Chamber members and $35 for non-members. Members with three or more people who attend can do so for $20/person. Breakfast is included in the cost of the conference. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Michanowicz Endodontics to Host “Business After Hours”
Michanowicz Endodontics, located at 920 Penn Street in Hollidaysburg, will host this Thursday’s “Business After Hours.” The event will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. “Dr. Michanowicz and his staff hosted a Business After Hours a few years ago and it was a first-class event all the way,” recalled Chamber President Joe Hurd. “I have no doubt that this one will be equally as impressive.” The cost to attend is $6.00 for Chamber members in advance and $7.00 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 click here.
LBC Session to Examine County’s History, Culture and Heritage
The Chamber’s Leadership Blair County Adult Class will have the opportunity to learn about the county’s history, culture and heritage at its session on Friday, which originates at Trolley Works in Altoona. Six members of the LBC Class will explore key attractions in Downtown Altoona, six travel to the Cove for informative visits to Kulp Family Farm, Ritchey’s Dairy and Clover Creek Cheese Cellar and Dairy, six visit Northern Blair County and six go to Hollidaysburg and then continue-on to the Horseshoe Curve. All groups will return to Trolley Works to put together presentations on what they witnessed and how it impacts Blair County. For more information on Leadership Blair County, contact Judy Juda at 943-8151 or visit the Chamber Website.
2014 Chamber Budget Gains Board Approval With No Dues Increase
At its monthly meeting last Thursday, The Chamber’s Board of Directors approved the organization’s 2014 budget without including an increase in member dues. The budget calls for revenues of $713,771.00 and expenses of $713,425.36. “The Chamber staff did an outstanding job in making sure that our members could continue to invest at the levels that they are used-to,” explained Board Chair Doug Mingle. “This is the sixth consecutive year that the dues have not been raised. That’s really unheard of in the chamber profession, particularly as costs have increased on products and services.”
Five New Members Added to the Chamber Rolls
The Chamber’s Board of Directors last Thursday approved the following businesses for membership: Alternative Business Equipment of Duncansville, Cook’s Painting & Renovation of Altoona, Fanelli Willett Law Offices of Duncansville, Mountain Lion BackPack Program of Altoona, and Rhino,PC of Altoona.
“Issues” Program on Agriculture Continues Today
October is Farm-City Month and The Chamber is drawing additional attention to the importance of agriculture as Blair County’s number one industry by producing an “Issues” program entitled, “The Opportunities and Challenges of Blair County Agriculture.” The program will be shown today at 9:00 p.m. on Public Access Channel 14 and will run each Monday at that time and each Saturday at 9:00 a.m. throughout the month of October. Panelists are: Sarrah Biddle of Mill Hill Farm Supply, Dan Brogdon of AgChoice Farm Credit, Sinking Valley Retired Farmer Jim Crawford, Joe Diamond of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and Andrew Ritchey of Ritchey’s Dairy. Carolyn Donaldson of WTAJ Your News Leader moderates the program. Sponsors for this Issues program are: Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation, Altoona Mirror, Blair County Farm Bureau, Juniata College and Ritchey’s Dairy.
Small Businesses Invited to Join the State Chamber at No Cost
The Chamber Board of Directors has approved the organization’s participation in a new program being offered by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry. That program would make it possible for any member of the Blair County Chamber with ten employees or fewer to become members of PCBI as no cost. “This program will provide valuable information to our smaller businesses as they deal with issues of great importance,” explained Chamber Board Chair Doug Mingle. “From what we see, there is no ulterior motive by the State Chamber other than being able to reach out to a segment of the business population that has been difficult from them to reach in the past.” The Chamber Board approved a similar program at its August meeting that made it possible for members in certain categories to gain free membership in the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. Any Chamber member-business with ten or fewer employees that would not wish to participate in the PCBI program should contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151.
Great Sponsorship Opportunities Available for Two “Issues” Shows
The Chamber’s “Issues” programs have been featured on the Altoona Public Access Channel for many years. The programs look at those aspects of the business community and the Blair County community in general that impact how we live and work. The Chamber will be doing two more programs this Fall. The first highlights Leadership Blair County; and the second, young professionals in our county. Not only will these one hour programs, moderated by Carolyn Donaldson, be interesting to watch, they also provide great sponsorship opportunities for businesses that are looking for ways to get their names out while also supporting The Chamber’s effort to better educate and inform the public on key topics. The cost to sponsor an “Issues” program is just $100 a show. It’s an inexpensive way to get a whole lot of exposure. Interested? Call Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or email him.
Small Business Partners to Hold “Speed Networking” Session
Small Business Partners to Hold “Speed Networking” Session
More businesses join The Chamber each year for the opportunity to network with others in the business community. To help accelerate that opportunity, the Small Business Partners committee has planned a “Speed Networking” event for October 29th from 7:45 to 9:00 a.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. Limited to the first 40 attendees, the format will allow you to get your message (done in about 30 seconds) to a variety of potential clients/customers. So prepare your message and call The Chamber (943-8151) or register online so that you don’t miss-out. The cost to participate is just $10 for Members and $15 for non-members. A continental breakfast is included.
Place the “Buy Here. Live Here.” Logo on Your Ad Copy
If your business or organization runs advertising in either the Altoona Mirror or the Morrisons Cove Herald, would you consider including the “Buy Here. Live Here.” logo on your ad copy? It reminds people about the importance of supporting local businesses when they purchase products or services. Simply mention to your advertising rep that you’d like the logo on your ad and they’ll be happy to accommodate your request. Remember, the logo is also available for you to use on your letterhead. Contact Linda Stotler at The Chamber (943-8151) to secure an official copy.
Unsecured Booths Now Available for 2014 Home & Garden Show
Although the Blair County Home & Garden Show will not take place until February 28, March 1 and 2 of next year, the committee overseeing that event has already started the booth selection process. Beginning October 7th, unsecured booths were made available to new exhibitors. To renew a booth or be put on the list to receive information, contact Stacy Hoover at 943-8151. 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.
Chamber’s China Trip is Opportunity of a Lifetime
The Chamber’s next China Trip (April 4-12, 2014) is an opportunity for people to broaden their perspectives on what is happening in the world. It is also a whole lot of fun. If you haven’t secured information on what the trip entails and haven’t marveled at its ridiculously low price, simply stop-by the Chamber Office, located in the Devorris Center for Business Development. This will be the third trip to China in the past four years and the cost is just $2,399 pp/dou.occ., which includes all flights, meals and 5-star hotels. It’s the trip of a lifetime!
Chamber, Altoona Mirror Partnering to Encourage Local Buying
For the second consecutive year, the messages “Buy Here. Live Here.” and “I Shop Locally” will resonate in perfect harmony as the Blair County Chamber and the Altoona Mirror will renew their partnership to encourage local buying throughout the holiday season. Once again that message has a special emphasis on supporting the thousands of small businesses located here. “We have such a great partnership with The Chamber on so many other levels, that it’s just natural to work together to support such a vital mutual interest – the long-term health and success of our small business community here in Blair County,” acknowledged Altoona Mirror General Manager Ray Eckenrode. “I Shop Locally and Buy Here. Live Here. both recognize that small businesses are so important to our economic welfare, not just because of what they contribute but because of all the spin-off opportunities they create.” While the Buy Here. Live Here. is more of a community awareness effort, I Shop Locally is a seasonal program of relatively short duration that offers incentives to shoppers who purchase products from local businesses. Those shoppers get a Rewards Card stamped following each of those purchases and then drawings are held for cash prizes. The more purchases that are made, the greater the chance of winning. On November 29th – the day before “Small Business Saturday” – the Altoona Mirror will publish a tabloid featuring the message, “Shop Your Hometown: BUY LOCAL.” The Chamber will actively participate in that tabloid as well.
Congratulations . . .
. . . to Robert Donlan, Chief Operating Officer of the Hancock Group, who was recognized by Advisor Today magazine for excellence in his profession by or before the age of 40.
. . . to the following Chamber-member businesses that were recently honored as “Best Places to Work in PA” for 2013: Home Nursing Agency; NPC, Inc., Sheetz, Inc. and Reliance Bank. The designations, created in 2000, are from a partnership between Team PA Foundation, DCED, the PA State Council of the Society of Human Resource Management and the Central Penn Business Journal.
. . . to Penn State Altoona’s Health and Wellness Center, which was recently awarded the JedCampus seal for exhibiting comprehensive mental health promotion and suicide prevention programming. The Jed Foundation is the nation’s leading organization in the work of protecting the emotional health of America’s 20 million college students.
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 Christine Perkins at The Chamber at 943-8151.
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Advanced Chiropractic
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Present your Blue Card for first day services including a consultation, examination and x-rays (if necessary) for a $10 donation to the American Cancer Society!
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ALSM - Growing Years Early Learning Center
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Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive 10% off rate for first month at Growing Years Early Learning Center. Offer is limited to new enrollees.
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Altoona Beauty School
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Present your Chamber Blue Card and get 10% off any retail item. Altoona Beauty School carries Dermalogica, Wella, Nioxin, Sebastian, OPI and Kryolan Professional Makeup.
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ARC Federal Credit Union
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Present your Blue Card and your first book of checks are FREE when you open a new checking account at ARC Federal Credit Union.
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B2B CFO Partners, LLC - Steve Koval, Partner
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Present your Chamber Blue Card to receive a complimentary Discovery Analysis and Strategy Process, which includes: Confidential meeting with business owner and accounting staff, assessment of financial info & computer systems, benchmark financial info against Industry averages, confidential report of findings and present strategy game plan to address company needs.
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For more information, visit the website
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October 21, 2013
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Upcoming Events
Register online
Business Hall of Fame Dinner
Monday, October 21, 2013
5:30 - Reception
6:45 - Dinner & Progam
Blair County Convention Center
Register Here
GRYP next Conference
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
8:00 - Noon
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Busines After Hours
Thursday, October 24, 2013
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Michanowicz Endodontics
Register Here
Speed Networking Blair County
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
7:45 - 9:00 a.m.
Devorris Center for Business Development
Register Here
WE-LEaD Networking
Monday, October 28, 2013
5:00 -7:00 p.m.
Marzoni's
Register Here
Farm-City Dinner
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
6:30 p.m.- Reception
7:00 p.m. - Dinner/Program
The Park at Morrisons Cove
Register Here
Upcoming
Committee Meetings
Week of 10/21/2013
BASICS Steering Committee
Monday, October 21, 8:00 a.m.
GACTC
Community Benefit Coalition of Non-Profits
Thursday, October 24, 8:15 a.m.
Devorris Center
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