Chamber Office Closed Monday for Columbus Day
Business Hall of Fame Dinner Set for Next Monday
Small Business Partners to Hold “Bad Website Workshop”
Chamber Board to Review Subcommittee Reports, Examine Budget
Two “Business Before Hours” Scheduled For This Month
Safety Program to Highlight Return to Work Considerations
Farm-City Dinner Set for November 5th in Martinsburg
“Issues” Program Examines Hotel Growth in Blair County
Chamber Committee to Hold Mayoral Debate
Young Professionals to Hold Networking Event at Greenwood Marzoni’s
Sponsorships Available for “Issues” Program on Higher Education
Chamber Continues 2016 China Trip Registration
Mark Your Calendar: Chamber Traveling to Germany Next September
Is Your Information Still Accurate?
Congratulations . . .
Blue Card Discounts
Chamber Office Closed Monday for Columbus Day
The Blair County Chamber Office will be closed on Monday in recognition of Columbus 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 at www.blairchamber.com.
Business Hall of Fame Dinner Set for Next Monday
The Annual Blair County Business Hall of Fame Dinner will be held next Monday, October 19th beginning with a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception at 5:30 p.m. at the Blair County Convention Center. Dinner begins at 6:45 followed by the awards program. Four businesses – Garvey Manor Nursing Home, Lena’s Café, New Pig Corporation and The Village at Morrisons Cove will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the annual dinner. A former business, Alaskaland, will be inducted in the Heritage category. Recipients of the General Awards of Distinction are: Furniture Unfinished, Mamie’s Café and Bakery, and Peterman’s Flower Shop in the Excellence in Small Business category. HalenHardy, JMG Systems and Serviam Construction were identified as Young Emerging Businesses. Honorees for Technology are Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School, Blair Companies and Value Drug Company. Albemarle Corporation and American Eagle Paper Mills won Sustainability Awards and the Bavarian Aid Society will be recognized for Community Service. The Lower Trail will receive the Committee Choice Award. The cost to attend the Business Hall of Fame Dinner is $65/person. To register, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Small Business Partners to Hold “Bad Website Workshop”
The Chamber's Small Business Partners Committee will be hosting a Bad Website Workshop on Wednesday, October 14 from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. The workshop will be held at the Devorris Center for Business Development, 3900 Industrial Park Drive, Altoona. Presenters for the workshop will be JMG Systems Web Team. Sponsor for the workshop is PSECU. Cost to attend is $10 for Chamber Members and $20 for Non-Members. To make a reservation, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Chamber Board to Review Subcommittee Reports, Examine Budget
When the Blair County Chamber’s Board of Directors meets on Thursday, it will review reports from its subcommittees as one of its primary agenda items. The subcommittees that met last week covered the following topics: Board Nomination, Board Development, Member Recognition and Member Recruitment. The Board will also look at the proposed 2016 Chamber Budget and decide whether or not to approve it. To address the Board, contact Joe Hurd by noon on Tuesday at 943-8151 or email him at jhurd@blairchamber.com.
Two “Business Before Hours” Scheduled For This Month
The Chamber’s popular “Business Before Hours” will have two destinations during October. The first will be at CONTACT Altoona (2729 Eighth Avenue) on October 16th; the second at Honey Baked Ham (Pleasant Valley Shopping Center) on October 30th. Both events begin at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 9:00 a.m. There is no cost to attend but registration is necessary. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or to register for the event at Contact Altoona, click here. To register for the one at Honey Baked Ham, click here.
Safety Program to Highlight Return to Work Considerations
The Safety Committee of the Blair County Chamber and the Human Resource Management Association will partner on a workshop to be held on October 21st from 7:45 to 10:00 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The workshop is entitled, “Return to Work Considerations With Active Workers Compensation Claims.” The event will feature Judge Robert Vonada, Attorney Vince Quantrini, Attorney Mike Routch and Attorney Mike Wagner. The cost is $20 for Chamber members and $30 for non-members. For reservations, call The Chamber at (814) 943-8151 or register online.
Farm-City Dinner Set for November 5th in Martinsburg
The Chamber’s Farm-City Dinner will take place this year on November 5th at The Park at Morrisons Cove beginning with a milk-punch reception at 6:30 and dinner at 7:00. Since the Park no longer has a catering staff, this year’s dinner will be catered by Stony Point Catering which will not only offer a family style turkey dinner but will include roast beef as well. The cost for the dinner remains at $20/person. Guest speaker for the Farm-City Dinner will be Chris Hoffman, Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. Hoffman owns and operates Lazy Hog Farms in Juniata County and Lazy Chick Farms which raises 250,000 chickens annually. He has been the Farms Bureau’s VP since 2014. As always, the highlight of the Farm-City Dinner is the presentation of the Agricultural Community Excellence (ACE) Award. This year’s ACE recipient is Burket Falls Farm near Claysburg. For tickets, contact The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
“Issues” Program Examines Hotel Growth in Blair County
The Blair County Chamber’s current “Issues” program is entitled, “Blair County’s Hotel Dilemma: Too Many or Too Few?” The program is a 45 minute panel discussion moderated by WTAJ’s Carolyn Donaldson. Panelists are: Mark Ickes of Explore Altoona, Rachael Lenhart of Altoona Grand Hotel, Katie Millward of Courtyard by Marriott and Sue St. Martin of Holiday Inn Express. Sponsors of the “Issues” program are: Altoona-Blair County Airport, Altoona Mirror, Hampton Inn Altoona, Keller Engineers, Railroaders Memorial Museum and Horseshoe Curve, Super 8 Motel, and Yellow Cab & Transfer Company. The program will air on Monday’s at 9:00 p.m. and Tuesday’s at 11:00 a.m. beginning on October 12th and running through the end of October on Public Access Channel 14.
Chamber Committee to Hold Mayoral Debate
The Legislative Action Committee of the Blair County Chamber will hold a debate on October 20th beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Penn State Altoona Devorris Downtown Center. The debate will pit current Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico against challenger Jason Imler for the opportunity of serving as mayor under the City’s new Home Rule Charter. Ashley Doerzbacher of WTAJ Your News Leader will serve as the debate’s moderator. Questions for the candidates will come from the Legislative Action Committee. Sponsors of the Mayoral debate are: Leonard S. Fiore, Inc.; National Property Inspections; Reliance Bank; S&T Bank; and WPS Office Solutions. There is no cost to attend the debate. The debate will be videotaped and aired prior to the election on the Altoona Public Access Station.
Young Professionals to Hold Networking Event at Greenwood Marzoni’s
The Young Professionals of Blair County will be holding a networking event on October 21st from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Marzoni’s in Greenwood. You won’t want to miss this great evening of networking with other young professionals from the area; and have a little fun doing it! Bring your business cards if you have them. Cost to attend is $15 for Chamber Members and $20 for Non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Sponsorships Available for “Issues” Program on Higher Education
On November 4th, the Blair County Chamber will tape its next “Issues” program that will be shown on Altoona Public Access Channel. The program is entitled, “The Role of Higher Education in Regional Development.” The one hour program will be moderated by Carolyn Donaldson of WTAJ-TV. The panel will consist of Dr. Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry, Chancellor of Penn State Altoona, Dr. Thomas Foley, President of Mount Aloysius College, Father Malachi Van Tassell, T.O.R., President of Saint Francis University, Dr. James Troha, President of Juniata College and Dr. Walter Asonevich, President of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. The cost to sponsor the Issues program is just $150. For more information, contact Jessie Covert at (814) 943-8151.
Chamber Continues 2016 China Trip Registration
Registration continues for the 2016 Chamber Trip to China. 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 is included as part of the trip. For more information, call The Chamber at (814) 943-8151.
Mark Your Calendar: Chamber Traveling to Germany Next September
If an April trip to China doesn’t satisfy your travel needs, have we got a deal for you! From September 18-29, the Blair County Chamber and Classic Travel will offer a 12-day, fully escorted trip to Germany. The trip covers Germany’s most famous cities, includes a day cruise on the Rhine River and also takes place during Oktoberfest. Care to learn more? An informational meeting will be held on November 4th at 6:00 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. No cost or obligation to attend but we do ask that you call The Chamber at 943-8151 to let us know you’re coming!
Is Your Information Still Accurate?
As The Chamber begins the process of compiling information for the 2016 Membership Directory, it’s important that members visit the Member Information section of the Chamber Website to make sure that all of their information is accurate. The Chamber Website is at www.blairchamber.com.
Congratulations . . .
. . . to William Thompson III, who was named Small Business Person of the Year, by the Small Business Development Center at Saint Francis University.
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.
|
|
October 12, 2015
|
Upcoming Events
Register online
SBP Bad Website Workshop
Wednesday, October 14
1:00 - 2:30 P.M.
Devorris Center
Register Here
Business BEFORE Hours
Friday, October 16
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Contact Altoona
Register Here
Business Hall of Fame
Monday, October 19
5:30 - Reception
6:45 - Dinner/Program
Blair County Convention Center
Register Here
Business After Hours
Thursday, October 22
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Hampton Inn Altoona
Register Here
WE-LEaD Networking
Monday, October 26
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Marzoni's
Register Here
Business BEFORE Hours
Friday, October 30
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Honey Baked Ham
Register Here
Farm-City Dinner
Thursday, November 5
6:30 - Reception
7:00 - Dinner/program
The Park at Morrisons Cove
Register Here
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Week of 10/12/2015
BASICS Steering Committee
Monday, October 12, 8:00 a.m.
GACTC
Presidents' Forum Steering Committee
Monday, October 12, 1:30 p.m.
The Chamber
Chamber Ambassadors
Tuesday, October 13, 8:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
Home & Garden Show Committee
Tuesday, October 13, 8:30 a.m.
The Chamber
Non-Profit Steering/Marketing Committee
Tuesday, October 13, 9:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
BASICS Career Development Committee
Tuesday, October 13, 1:30 p.m.
Devorris Center
Chamber Finance Committee
Tuesday, October 13, 3:00 p.m.
The Chamber
LBC Alumni Committee
Wednesday, October 14, 7:30 a.m.
Reliance Bank - Lakemont
Attractions Roundtable
Wednesday, October 14, 8:15 a.m.
Baker Mansion
Follow The Chamber
on Facebook
Click here
|
|