Chamber Office Closed Thursday and Friday
Board of Directors Elects Officers for 2014
Chamber Playing Promotional Role in Small Business Saturday
Five New Members Approved by Chamber Board
GRYP Invites Participation in “Treasures for Children”
“Issues” Program on LBC Concludes Saturday
CLI Transport to Host Next “Business After Hours”
Place the “Buy Here. Live Here.” Logo on Your Ad Copy
Chamber’s China Trip Registration Deadline is Tuesday
Chamber, Altoona Mirror Partnering to Encourage Local Buying
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts

Chamber Office Closed Thursday and Friday
The Blair County Chamber Office will be closed on Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The office will re-open Monday at 8:30 a.m. For information on The Chamber or to register for programs or events, visit the Chamber Website.
 
Board of Directors Elects Officers for 2014
At last Thursday’s meeting of the Chamber Board of Directors, the Board elected the following officers for 2014: Board Chair – Doug Mingle, Chair-Elect – Jessica Lattanza, Treasurer – Thad Will, and Vice-Presidents Carol Gensimore, Dan Slep and Kate Shaffer.

Chamber Playing Promotional Role in Small Business Saturday
This Saturday is Small Business Saturday across the nation and The Chamber has partnered with American Express to promote local retailers by providing signage, balloons, bags, gift cards and much more. If you are a small retailer (50 employees or fewer) and would like to be part of the Small Business Saturday promotion, call The Chamber at 943-8151.

Five New Members Approved by Chamber Board
The following new members were approved by the Chamber Board at last Thursday’s Board of Directors meeting: Joseph Hudson Insurance (Farmers) of Altoona; Harper’s in State College; Krater Services, LLC of Altoona; Lang Real Estate and Tax Service of Cresson; and Motel 6 of Altoona.

GRYP Invites Participation in “Treasures for Children”
The Chamber’s Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) is once again stepping up to help our community have a happy and bright holiday season. For several years, GRYP, along with many other local businesses, has participated in the Salvation Army’s “Treasures for Children” program. The Salvation Army distributes tags for children of less fortunate families to make sure each child has something for the holidays. Treasures for Children helps families with children 13-and-under who might not get anything otherwise this holiday season. The Salvation Army distributes Treasure Tags with each child’s information and wish list so that presents are personalized for each child and are distributed properly. The presents are distributed to each family along with food bags helping over 400 children and families in need. GRYP is now distributing the Treasure Tags and will collect toys at its upcoming holiday party on December 12th, from 6-9 p.m. at the Ramada Inn, Altoona. Gift value is suggested to be worth between $15-$25 and all gifts should be unwrapped. If you would like to help GRYP by participating in the Treasures for Children program, please contact The Chamber office at 814-943-8151 to obtain a Treasure Tag.

“Issues” Program on LBC Concludes Saturday
The Chamber’s “Issues” program, which has been airing on the Altoona Public Access Channel throughout November, will focus attention on the Leadership Blair County program tonight at 9:00 p.m. and Saturday at 9:00 a.m.  Saturday’s program will be the final one.  The LBC program, created by The Chamber, is currently in its 20th year.  “Servant Leadership and Blair County’s Future” is the title of this 45-minute panel discussion show that is moderated by Carolyn Donaldson of WTAJ Your News Leader.  Panelists are Denny Doll of Reliance Bank, an LBC grad who has chaired the LBC Alumni Committee; former County Commissioner Donna Gority who has been an LBC Steering Committee since the program began; Dr. Chuck Kormanski, who facilitated LBC for many years; Jessica Lattanza of Blair Medical Associates, an LBC grad who has served on a variety of committees; and Tami Smith of Hoss’s Steak & Sea House, an LBC grad who facilitates the Leadership Blair County Youth program.  Sponsors for this “Issues” are: AMTRAN, The Hite Company, Home Nursing Agency, Hoss’s Steak & Sea House, JJAN Financial, Juniata College, Leadership Blair County Alumni Committee, Leonard S. Fiore, Inc., M&T Bank, Reliance Bank and S&T Bank.

CLI Transport to Host Next “Business After Hours”
The next Blair County Chamber “Business After Hours” will be held on December 5th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at CLI Transport, located at 269 Theater Drive in Duncansville. CLI is the dedicated petroleum transporter for all 460-plus Sheetz stores. Cost to attend Business After Hours is $6.00 for Chamber members in advance and $7.00 at the door. Non-members may attend for $12 in advance and $15 at the door. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

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.

Chamber’s China Trip Registration Deadline is Tuesday
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 yet registered to be part of that trip, you’ll need to do so by tomorrow (November 26th).  Don’t miss out on an unforgettable experience!  Call The Chamber at 943-8151 for details.

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 Scott Weyer and Matthew Evey, agents with EXIT Realty John Hill in Altoona, who recently received the Bronze Award from EXIT Realty Corporation International.  The award is given in recognition of achieving 25 or more closed transaction from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.
. . . to the Saint Francis University Small Business Development Center, which received the “Happy Client” Award from the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center Network at its recent annual conference in Williamsport.
. . . to Tyrone Hospital, which is the 2013 recipient of the Louis A. Ditzel, Jr. Award for Quality Improvement in Rural Health.  The award is granted annually to an individual or organization whose contributions and visionary leadership significantly improve the health of rural Pennsylvanians and strengthen the quality of healthcare systems that serve them.

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 The Chamber at 943-8151.     

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