Blair Business Mirror to Pay Tribute to Leadership Blair County
Chamber’s Board of Directors, Staff to Take Part in Retreat
LBC Youth Session Focuses on Planning For the Future
NPC to Host Chamber Safety Tour
Justice is Topic of Next LBC Adult Session
WE-LEaD Workshop Message: Get What You Want Every Time
McKillop, Miller Are Next “Role Models”
Speed Networking Event Set for April 15th
GRYP Collecting Donations for BCRDS
Bill Sell’s Bold to Host Next GRYP Networking Event
Check-Out The Chamber’s Low-Cost Healthcare Option
Sign-Ups Continue for Chamber Trip to Tuscany
Highmark/Chamber Golf Classic Filling-Up Quickly
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts

Blair Business Mirror to Pay Tribute to Leadership Blair County
The cover story of the next Blair Business Mirror will feature the Blair County Chamber’s Leadership Blair County program which marks its 20th year during 2014. That publication hits the streets tomorrow as a supplement to the Altoona Mirror. If you don’t get the Mirror (or even if you do), we mail a copy of the Business Mirror to all of our member-businesses.

Chamber’s Board of Directors, Staff to Take Part in Retreat
Since even a successful organization needs to take a hard look at itself periodically, the Board and staff of the Blair County Chamber will participate in a facilitated retreat on Thursday at the Village Green in Martinsburg.  “The retreat will provide an opportunity to assess where we are as an organization and where we’re headed,” explained Board Chair Doug Mingle. “It’s a useful exercise, even when things are going well.”
 
LBC Youth Session Focuses on Planning For the Future
Planning for the Future will be the focus of the next Leadership Blair County Youth session, set for Wednesday at the Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center. Students will get an overview of career opportunities from a panel of speakers and will then hear about the importance of Community Responsibility from LBC graduate and Joshua House owner Jim Kilmartin. The class will also discuss ways to oversee the grant process that will allocate monies to at least one non-profit organization. For more information on Leadership Blair County Youth, contact Judy Juda at 943-8151 or visit the Chamber Website.

NPC to Host Chamber Safety Tour
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to offer you the opportunity to see first-hand how one of Blair County’s leading businesses continues to be recognized as a leader in workplace safety. The Safety Tour will be held on April 11 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at NPC, Inc., 13710 Dunnings Highway in Claysburg. Immediately following the tour, NPC will host a lunch for all attendees. Lunch will be held at NPC’s Barneywood, 327 Tee Box Road, Duncansville. This event is available only to Chamber Members. Cost is $15 and space is limited to the first 30 reservations. Don’t wait to sign-up, space is filling up fast!

Justice is Topic of Next LBC Adult Session
One of the most popular sessions of the Leadership Blair County adult experience will be held on Friday at Hoss’s Corporate Office in Duncansville. The session looks at issues of justice and features a tour of the Blair County Prison, a presentation by Judge Jolene Kopriva on Blair County’s Drug Court as well as presentations on criminal justice, drugs and DUI testing. For more information on the Leadership Blair County program, contact Judy Juda at 943-8151 or visit the Chamber Website.

WE-LEaD Workshop Message: Get What You Want Every Time
The announcement that Marsha Petrie Sue would be returning as keynote speaker to the next WE-LEaD Annual Workshop wasn’t the only piece of good news regarding that event. It was also announced that the workshop would once again feature an impressive array of exhibitors representing local businesses. This year’s WE-LEaD Workshop takes place on April 24th at the Penn State Altoona Devorris Downtown Conference Center. The format for the Workshop is similar to what it has been in the past. Registration and continental breakfast are from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at which time attendees can visit the many vendors who have signed-up to exhibit at the event. Petrie Sue’s keynote, entitled “Communicating Results: How to Get What You Want Every Time,” begins at 8:30 and runs until noon. Lunch begins at 12:15 in the Heritage Discovery Center. The cost to attend the WE-LEaD Workshop is $70/person. To register, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online. Once again this year, the corporate sponsor for the Workshop is Blair Medical Associates.

McKillop, Miller Are Next “Role Models”
Bobbie Miller of Advantage Resource Group and Bill McKillop of Giant Eagle will be the Blair County Chamber’s next “Role Models” at a program to be held May 22nd from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Blair County Convention Center. The Role Models program was initiated two years ago to provide a forum for business leaders to share their experiences and insights with those still climbing the corporate ladder. The format is strictly Q&A with a moderator asking initial questions to generate discussion and attendees carrying the ball from there. The cost to attend Role Models is $25 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members and includes lunch. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Speed Networking Event Set for April 15th
When The Chamber’s Small Business Partners decided to pilot a Speed Networking event in January, a modest-but-enthusiastic group of small business people showed-up. In late February, twice as many came for the second showing despite inclement weather. The next Speed Networking event is April 15th at 8:00 a.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. An even bigger turnout is predicted. The cost is just $10 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
  
GRYP Collecting Donations for BCRDS
GRYP will be participating in the Blair County Respiratory Disease Society’s 26th Annual Wallyball tournament. BCRDS is dedicated to the prevention and aid to individuals and families affected by respiratory diseases. GRYP will be collecting monetary donations, until the start of the tournament on April 24, to help support their programs. If you are interested in donating contact Rachel Litzinger at 943-8151 or email her.
 
Bill Sell’s Bold to Host Next GRYP Networking Event
The Chamber’s Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) will hold its next networking event on April 17th at Bill Sell’s Bold, 1413 11th Avenue in Downtown Altoona. The evening will feature appetizers, a cash bar, and many opportunities to get to know other young professionals. The event is free for GRYP Members and $5.00 for non-members. For more information or to make reservations, contact the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 943-8151 or register online.

Check-Out The Chamber’s Low-Cost Healthcare Option 
The Blair County Chamber has partnered with Empower3 Center for Health to offer Chamber-Member employers an affordable community-based health plan for their employees. The plan features level group rates, no deductibles, no pre-existing condition exclusions, substantial prescription drug coverage with co-pays of $10 or less and the opportunity to add dental and vision coverage. Call Maureen Frucella for details.  Her number is (814) 317-5063.

Sign-Ups Continue for Chamber Trip to Tuscany
The Blair County Chamber, in cooperation with Classic Travel and Chamber Discoveries, has scheduled a trip to Tuscany from October 20 to 28. An informational meeting took place on February 18th. A large number of people attended and we expect to have a large contingent of travelers. If you’d like to be one of them, call The Chamber at 943-8151 for a brochure. The deadline to qualify for the $100 discount has been extended to April 1st. We’re hoping to have another informational meeting next month so keep in touch. This is a great trip at a terrific price!

Highmark/Chamber Golf Classic Filling-Up Quickly
The Annual Chamber Golf Classic will be held on Monday, May 12th at Iron Masters Country Club in Ore Hill.  Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield will once again be the main sponsor for this popular event which routinely sells-out several weeks prior. This year’s Classic will again include the helicopter ball-drop, courtesy of Pine Bottom Aviation Services. Registration for sponsors and golfers is underway as are the sales of tee-and-green sponsorships. For more information or to register, contact Stacy Hoover at 943-8151 or email her.

Congratulations . . .
. . . to Chris Kirwin, a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors who has been promoted to Senior Personal Banking Manager at Reliance Bank.
. . . to Harriett Gaston, coordinator of Minority Programs at Penn State Altoona, who was selected for a University-wide  Commission for Women’s Achieving Women Award.
. . . to the staff of the Spherion Staffing Services, headquartered in Altoona, which has received a Performance Forum Award for exceptional sales performance.  The Ruggery Family opened the Altoona office in 1992 and since then has expanded to nine offices.
. . . to Drill Baby Drill Staffing which was honored as the 2013 Recruitment Agency of the Year at the Northeast Oil & Gas Awards in Pittsburgh.  This is the second consecutive year that the company has earned this award from industry professionals.

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.    

 For more information, visit the website
To subscribe or unsubscribe please email us.