Chamber Office Closed in Observance of Labor Day
Blair Business Mirror to Be Published Tuesday
Chamber to Co-Host Pinecroft Medical Center Celebration
PA Chamber President to Speak at Thursday’s “Breakfast Club”
Home Nursing’s Healing Patch to Host “Business Before Hours”
Leadership Blair County Youth to Learn About County’s Heritage
Young Professionals to Hold Kickoff Event at the Heidelberg Club
Sponsorships Available for “Issues” Program on Hotels
Small Business Partners Set Next Speed Networking Date
Local Contractor to Speak at WE-LEaD Lunch’N’Learn
Chamber Opens Registration for 2016 China Trip
Young Professionals Invited to Join Contact List
Instructions Provided for Posting Events on Community Calendar
Chamber’s “Five Rivers” Cruise Taking Final Reservations
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts
Chamber Office Closed in Observance of Labor Day
The Blair County Chamber Office will be closed on Monday in recognition of Labor Day. The office will re-open on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. To access Chamber information or to register for a program or event, visit the Chamber Website.
Blair Business Mirror to Be Published Tuesday
The September issue of the Blair Business Mirror will be published this Tuesday as a supplement to the Altoona Mirror. The main feature of this issue will be on Asurion, a local company with 450 employees that is hoping to grow during the next three months. Inside features include a close-up look at the 2015 Agricultural Community Excellence (ACE) Award recipients and an informational piece on the BASICS Next Generation Workforce initiative. If you somehow miss the Altoona Mirror on Tuesday, you’ll be receiving a copy of the Blair Business Mirror in the mail within a few days.
Chamber to Co-Host Pinecroft Medical Center Celebration
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce and the Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to a grand opening celebration this Wednesday, September 9th for the Tyrone Regional Health Network Pinecroft Medical Center, 417 Sabbath Rest Rd., Altoona. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m. followed by the celebration from 5 – 7 p.m. The joint celebration will feature great food, networking and door prizes. Cost to attend is $6 per Chamber Member and $12 per non-member, pre-registered; or $7 Chamber Member and $15 non-member, at the door. For more information or to make reservations visit the Blair County Chamber of Commerce online or call 943-8151.
PA Chamber President to Speak at Thursday’s “Breakfast Club”
Gene Barr, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, will be the keynote speaker at the next Blair County Chamber Breakfast Club, scheduled for this Thursday, September 10, at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. Barr has been at the forefront of the effort on the part of the business community to bring chaos to order in Pennsylvania. His presentation will focus on the role that chambers of commerce can play in helping to keep the business agenda prominent when legislators debate issues like pensions, prevailing wage and right-to-work. The corporate sponsor of the September Breakfast Club is Nason Hospital. The cost to attend Breakfast Club is $18 per person for Chamber Members and $30 per person for non-members. A full breakfast buffet is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Home Nursing’s Healing Patch to Host “Business Before Hours”
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce will hold its next “Business Before Hours” at the Home Nursing Agency Healing Patch this Friday, Sept. 11th from 7:30 – 9 a.m. at 5416 6th Avenue, Altoona, (Eldorado Plaza). The Healing Patch, A Program for Loss and Hope for Grieving Children and Their Families is a free peer support, for children of all ages (preschool through 18 years) and their families who have suffered the death of a loved one. To register to attend the Business Before Hours, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online. There is no cost to attend for Chamber members. Non-members may attend for a $10 fee.
Leadership Blair County Youth to Learn About County’s Heritage
The 2016 Class of The Chamber’s Leadership Blair County Youth program will have its first session on Wednesday. The session is on “History/Heritage/Arts and will include visits to Baker Mansion, Mishler Theatre, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and Gospel Hill. The class consists of 23 high school sophomores from Blair County schools. For more information on LBC Youth, contact Judy Juda at 943-8151 or email her at jjuda@blairchamber.com.
Young Professionals to Hold Kickoff Event at the Heidelberg Club
Following several months of organizing, preparing and prioritizing, the Young Professionals of Blair County are ready to launch a kickoff event. That event will take place on September 23rd from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Heidelberg Country Club in Altoona. The kickoff event will include a picnic/tailgate style buffet, a cash bar and an opportunity to play a variety of games on the Heidelberg’s outside patio. The cost to attend is $15/person for Chamber members and $20 for non-members. Sponsors for the Kickoff event are: Fiore Brother, Inc.; Home Instead Senior Care; P. Joseph Lehman, Inc.; Mountain Research; and Ward Transport and Logistics. For more information on the YP Kickoff event or to register to attend, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Sponsorships Available for “Issues” Program on Hotels
On September 30th, the Blair County Chamber will tape an “Issues” program at the Altoona Public Access Studio entitled, “Blair County’s Hotel Dilemma: Too Many or Too Few?” The program will be a 45 minute panel discussion moderated by WTAJ’s Carolyn Donaldson. There will be five panelists from the hotel industry. Sponsorship of the program is just $150. Those sponsorships include several marketing opportunities. For more information, contact Jessie Covert at (814) 943-8151 or email her at jcovert@blairchamber.com.
Small Business Partners Set Next Speed Networking Date
The Blair County Chamber’s Small Business Partners will hold a Speed Networking program on September 22nd from 8:30 to 10:00 at the Devorris Center for Business Development. Registration and continental breakfast begin at 8:00. The cost to participate is just $10 for Chamber members and $20 for non-members. “The previous programs that we’ve held have generated a great deal of interest and have allowed small business people to make a significant number of connections,” explained Partner’s co-chair Tom Duvall. “People who have attended one time are generally excited to come back. We’re expecting a good turnout.” To register for Speed Networking, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Local Contractor to Speak at WE-LEaD Lunch 'n' Learn
Jayme Orr Rhodes, founder of Serviam Construction, LLC in Duncansville, will be the keynote speaker at the Blair County Chamber’s next WE-LEaD Lunch 'n' Learn, set for September 24th from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Park Hills Golf Club. Rhodes presentation will be entitled, “Building a Leadership Path: One Woman’s Journey.” Rhodes is a military veteran, born and raised in Altoona, who went on to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in Operations Research. She served five years as a Captain in the United States Army as an Engineer Officer and served a 15-month deployment to Afghanistan. She was awarded the Bronze Star. After leaving the service, Rhodes worked for the APi Group, a specialty contractor in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She started Serviam Construction in 2012. She completed her post graduate work in 2014, graduating from Penn State’s Smeal Business School’s Executive Masters of Business Administration program. In her spare time, Rhodes enjoys running and recently completed her seventh marathon. The WE-LEaD Lunch 'n' Learn will be sponsored by the Altoona Mirror. The cost to attend is $25 for Chamber Members and $35 for non-members. To register, contact The Chamber at (814) 943-8151 or register online. WE-LEaD is an acronym for Women Encouraging: Leadership, Education and Development.
Chamber Opens Registration for 2016 China Trip
The August 25th informational session of the 2016 China Trip, sponsored by the Blair County Chamber, drew an overflow crowd at the Devorris Center. Already many of those who attended the meeting have placed deposits. “We’ve had a limited block of tickets available so it’s important that people register quickly to insure that they are able to travel with our group,” explained Chamber President Joe Hurd. “Otherwise, they will be placed with a group that travels either on a different date or from a different airport. The nine-day excursion will take place from April 7-16, 2016 and will once again be conducted through Citslinc. The price remains incredible at $2199 (including flights, meals and all accommodations at 5-star hotels.) The only significant change from the three previous Chamber trips is that the flight originates at Dulles Airport instead of JFK – a real plus to local travelers. Travel to Dulles from Altoona and back are included as part of the trip. For more information, call The Chamber at (814) 943-8151.
Young Professionals Invited to Join Contact List
Now that the Young Professionals of Blair County has put together a Steering Committee to guide its fortunes for the immediate future, it is now hoping to assemble a list of 21-35 year olds to be part of the YP program. A list will be compiled of interested young professionals so that information about upcoming programs and events can be promoted. Anyone interested in joining that list should send contact information to Joe Hurd at jhurd@blairchamber.com. Information can also be accessed on Facebook at Facebook.com/YoungProfessionalsBlairCounty.
Instructions Provided for Posting Events on Community Calendar
The recent partnership between the Blair County Chamber and WTAJ Your News Leader to promote the station’s Community Calendar as a preferred destination for those organizations planning programs and events is now in place and ready for use. “We’re hoping that we can avoid a lot of the scheduling conflicts that create problems for everyone involved,” noted Chamber President Joe Hurd. “We’re happy to be able to post our own events and programs on that calendar and we encourage others to do so as well. It’s convenient and it’s free. That’s a tough combination to beat.” To access the instructions on how to post an event or program, click here.
Chamber’s “Five Rivers” Cruise Taking Final Reservations
The Blair County Chamber is heading to Europe in late Fall for its first-ever river cruise. The cruise is being done in cooperation with Heritage Travel. The special wine-themed “5-River European Cruise” will depart from the Chamber Office in the Devorris Center for Business Development on November 3rd, will fly from Dulles International Airport for an overnight flight to Prague and will return on November 13th from Paris. The trip will include one-night sightseeing stays at 5-star hotels in both Prague and Paris with the river cruise in-between. The Chamber trip will feature excursions on the Vistava, Main, Rhine, Moselle and Seine rivers via Avalon Waterways “Visionary,” considered the finest river vessel in Europe. The Visionary accommodates just 128 guests. Brochures on the 5-River European Cruise are available at the Chamber Office and at Heritage Travel. Call (814) 946-1600 for more information.
Congratulations . . .
. . . to Neil Port of P&J Productions on P&J’s 10th Anniversary of bringing great entertainment to Blair County.
. . . to Operation Our Town, which last week awarded $55,000 to seventeen local organizations to help with drug abuse prevention and treatment. The BASICS Subcommittee on Early Childhood Education (a program of The Chamber) was one of those recipients.
Blue Card Discounts
To see a complete listing of the Blue Card discounts available, please click here. To have an offer listed, contact The Chamber at 943-8151. There is no fee to offer and have a discount listed.
For more information, visit the website
To subscribe or unsubscribe please email us.
|
|
September 7, 2015
|
Upcoming Events
Register online
Joint Celebration Pinecroft Medical Center
Wednesday, September 9
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Pinecroft Medical Center
Register Here
Breakfast Club
Thursday, September 10
7:45 - 9:00 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Business BEFORE Hours
Friday, September 11
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Home Nursing Agency Healing Patch
Register Here
Business After Hours
Thursday, September 17
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Holiday Inn Express
Register Here
Speed Networking
Tuesday, September 22
8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Blair County Chamber of Commerce
Register Here
Young Professionals of Blair County
Kick-off Event
Wednesday, September 23
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Heidelberg Country Club
Register Here
WE-LEaD Lunch 'n' Learn
Thursday, September 24
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Park Hills Golf Club
Register Here
LBC Alumni Breakfast
Friday, September 25
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
The Casion at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Down on the Farm
Thursday, October 1
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Drycreek Farm, Martinsburg
Register Here
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Week of 9/7/2015
Hotel Roundtable Subcommittee
Wednesday, September 9, 11:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
Safety Committee
Thursday, September 10, 9:00 a.m.
The Chamber
Workplace Wellness Committee
Friday, September 11, 1:00 p.m.
The Chamber
Follow The Chamber
on Facebook
Click here
|
|