Kate Shaffer to Receive Athena Award
County Commissioners to Address Thursday’s “Breakfast Club”
Dongell Chiropractic to Host “Business Before Hours”
Diversity, Media Topics of Next LBC Youth Session
GRYP Teaming-Up With Red Cross on Blood Drive
Safety Presentation to Address OSHA Compliance Standards
GRYP to Hold “Game Night” at Buccinese Club
Television Program Recognizing Role of Young Professionals
Annual Meeting to Focus on Importance of Committees
Annual Meeting Sponsorships Available
Prime Booth Space Still Available for the 44th Annual Blair County Home & Garden Show
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts

Kate Shaffer to Receive Athena Award
Kate Shaffer, who has served for the past two decades as Executive Director of the Blair County Arts Foundation, will be the 27th recipient of the Blair County Chamber’s Athena Award. She will receive the award at the February 13th Chamber Breakfast Club which begins at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The award is sponsored by First Commonwealth Bank. The ATHENA Leadership Award® was inspired by the goddess of Greek mythology known for her strength, courage, wisdom and enlightenment—qualities embodied in the ATHENA Leadership Model®. The Award is unique in both scope---local, national and international---and the ATHENA mission upon which it is based. The ATHENA Leadership Award® is presented to a woman ---or man--- who is honored for professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills. An Altoona native, Shaffer attended Mount Aloysius College and Penn State Altoona and resides in the city with her husband Doug and children Maggie and Sam.

County Commissioners to Address Thursday’s “Breakfast Club”
Blair County Commissioners Terry Tomassetti, Diane Meling and Ted Beam will be the featured speakers at the Blair County Chamber’s January “Breakfast Club.” The Breakfast club will be held this Thursday beginning at 7:45 at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The format will be Q&A with questions being provided by Chamber members. Legislative Action Committee Chair Richard Fiore, Jr. will facilitate the Q&A session. The cost to attend Breakfast Club is $16 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register call The Chamber, 943-8151 or register online. Sponsor for January's Breakfast Club is Jackson Hewitt.

Dongell Chiropractic to Host “Business Before Hours”
The next Blair County Chamber “Business Before Hours” will be held at Dongell Chiropractic this Wednesday, January 8th from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Dongell Chiropractic is located at 721 Pleasant Valley Blvd. in Altoona. Dr. Brett Dongell has been in practice for two years and specializes with the nervous system and abides by the understanding that the body is a self-healing, self-regulating organism, capable of healing itself from the inside out. Dr. Dongell will be on-hand at the Business Before Hours to answer any questions that people have concerning chiropractic. A light breakfast will be available to attendees. There is no cost to attend Business Before Hours but registration is requested. Call The Chamber at 943-8151 to register or register online.

Diversity, Media Topics of Next LBC Youth Session
The Chamber’s Leadership Blair County Youth class will hear about the importance of appreciating diversity and will also gain valuable exposure to local media at its next session set for this Wednesday.  The class will tour Forever Broadcasting and the Penn State Altoona Communications Lab before returning to its home-base at the Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center to navigate the “Diversity Obstacle Course.”  For more information on Leadership Blair County Youth, contact Judy Juda at 943-8151 or visit the Chamber Website.
 
GRYP Teaming-Up With Red Cross on Blood Drive
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce GRYP (Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals) program is teaming-up with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive on Wed., Jan. 15, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development, located at 3900 Industrial Park Drive, Altoona.  All presenting donors will receive a promotional give-away.  Donors can walk-in or reserve a time by calling Rachel Litzinger at the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 943-8151.

Safety Presentation to Address OSHA Compliance Standards
Like it or not, all businesses are expected to comply with a laundry list of OSHA safety standards. Often those standards change and the consequences for failing to understand and follow them can be catastrophic. For that reason, the Blair County Chamber’s Safety Committee periodically sponsors educational programming to help reduce the potential for bad outcomes when OSHA knocks at the door. On January 17th, that next educational program will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. Dane Sprankle from the PA/OSHA Consultation Program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania will present, “OSHA Hot Topics – Don’t Get Burned!” Sprankle’s presentation will focus on frequently cited OSHA standards, OSHA Injury/Illness recording requirements, current regulatory issues and a look at the free assistance opportunities available through the PA/OSHA Consultation Program. The cost to attend the Safety Program is just $20 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. The cost includes a buffet breakfast beginning at 7:30 a.m. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
 
GRYP to Hold “Game Night” at Buccinese Club
Back by popular demand, the Blair County Chamber of Commerce GRYP (Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals) program will hold its annual Game Night at the Buccinese Club located at 614 8th Ave., Altoona, on January 16, from 6-8 p.m. Game Night is a fun-filled networking event where young professionals can network while engaging in board game competitions. A light meal will be provided and a cash bar will be available. The event is free for current GRYP members and $5 for non-members. For more information or reservations contact Rachel Litzinger at the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 943-8151, or register online.

Television Program Recognizing Role of Young Professionals
The Chamber’s “Issues” program is being aired on the Altoona Public Access Channel. It focuses attention on The Chamber’s Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) program. That program, created by The Chamber, is currently in its 10th year. “The Essential Role of Blair County’s Young Professionals” is the title of this 35-minute panel discussion show that is moderated by Carolyn Donaldson of WTAJ Your News Leader. Panelists are: Amanda Drumm of Saint Francis University, Pam Jones of Net Health Solutions, Mandy Lauber of Preferred Healthcare System, Ban Mazur of Intelmarx and Andrew Snare of S&T Bank. Sponsors for this “Issues” are: Juniata College, Keystone Environmental, Health & Safety Services, Lee Industries, Reliance Bank, S&T Bank and UPMC Altoona. The Issues program will air every Monday at 9:00 p.m. and every Saturday at 9:00 a.m. throughout January.

Annual Meeting to Focus on Importance of Committees
The Blair County Chamber’s Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation will not only recognize a number of individuals that have made significant impacts in the Blair County community, it will also pay tribute to the many Chamber committees that make similar impacts as well. “Our committees play a huge role in our success,” explained Doug Mingle of Roaring Spring Department Store who chairs the Chamber Board of Directors. This year’s Annual Meeting is set for January 31st at 7:30 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The awards that will be presented at the Annual Meeting are: The Small Business Person of the Year, the Donna D. Gority Servant Leader Award, the Joseph P. Rosenhamer “Chamber Spirit Award” and the GRYP Impact Award. The cost to attend the event is $20 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Annual Meeting Sponsorships Available
The Blair County Chamber relies on its members to help sustain the financial obligations of the organization. Smart businesses see the opportunity to assist The Chamber while also gaining a marketing advantage through event sponsorship. Sponsorship opportunities for the Annual Meeting & Award Presentations are still available. Gold sponsorships are just $1,500; silver are $1,000 and bronze are $500. Let everyone know that your business supports the organization that is the “voice of business” in Blair County. Call Rachel Litzinger today at 943-8151 or email her at rlitzinger@blairchamber.com.

Prime Booth Space Still Available for the 44th Annual Blair County Home & Garden Show
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce and the Blair Bedford Builders Association have announced that booths are available for the 44th Annual Blair County Home & Garden Show to be held February 28, March 1, & 2, 2014 at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona. Exhibitor booth space is now open for businesses interested in showcasing their home or garden business. 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. To reserve booths, or for more information, call Stacy Hoover at The Chamber, 814-943-8151. 

Congratulations . . .
. . . to Concurrent Technologies Corporation which has been honored for developing a software program that has become the first to earn authorization by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.

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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