WE-LEaD Networking event set for tonight at Marzoni's
County Commissioners to address Executive Roundtable
Canstruction® Competition donates 8,500 pounds of canned goods
Foundation Board to continue fundraising discussion
GRYP to hold networking event at Outback Steakhouse
Information available on Chamber energy program 
Chamber Board of Directors to meet Thursday  
Perceptions on substance abuse topic for LBC Youth
Healthcare will be focus of Issues trilogy 
Informational meeting on Ireland trip draws good turnout 
Safety program to focus on ergonomics, infection control 
Chamber to assist park in determining community relevance
Leadership Blair County to hold informational open house
LBC selling chances for "Immaculate Reception" photo
Reserve your spot for WE-LEaD Workshop
Golf Classic accepting registrations; some sponsorships available
Congratulations . . .

WE-LEaD networking event set for tonight at Marzoni's 
The Chamber's WE-LEaD (Women Encouraging Leadership, Education and Development) program will hold a networking reception today, March 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Marzoni's in Duncansville. Reservations for the event will be taken until noon. The cost to attend the reception is $12 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151.  

County Commissioners to address Executive Roundtable 

The Blair County Commissioners will address The Chamber's Executive Roundtable at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at The Blairmont Club. The commissioners will provide an overview of the county's opportunities and challenges for 2010 and will field questions from roundtable members. For more information on the Executive Roundtable, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151. 

Canstruction® Competition donates 8,500 pounds of canned goods 
The Canstruction® competition, that was an integral part of the recent Blair County Home & Garden Show, yielded 8,500 pounds of canned goods that were then donated to four local food banks. "We greatly appreciate all of the groups that took part in the competition and we thank them for their willingness to help people in our area who face issues related to hunger," remarked Stacy Hoover, The Chamber's Vice President of Events & Technology. Taking the awards in the Canstruction Competition were: Canned Architects, who won for Best Use of Labels, Best Meal, Structural Ingenuity and Juror’s Favorite and Saleme Insurance and Veeder Root who each won honorable mention.   

Foundation Board to continue fundraising discussion  Determining more effective ways to raise money to support programs benefitting area youth will once again dominate the agenda as the Blair County Chamber Foundation holds its monthly board of directors meeting at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Devorris Center. The Foundation's greatest monetary concern centers around the ongoing funding of the Leadership Blair County Youth program, in its seventh year of developing servant leaders from among the county's high school sophomores. To learn more about the Blair County Chamber Foundation, contact Cindy Cessna at 943-8151 or visit the Chamber Web site. 

GRYP to hold networking event at Outback Steakhouse 
Young professionals from within the Chamber membership are invited to spend Saint Patrick's Day "down under" as the Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) holds its next networking event this Wednesday at Outback Steakhouse from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will feature great food, cash-bar beverages and an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas in a fun, relaxed environment. GRYP Members can attend at no cost; non-members for just $5. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online. 

Information available on Chamber energy program

If you're a member of the Blair County Chamber and a current Penelec customer, you're eligible to be part of a new Chamber program that is guaranteed to save you money beginning in January when the rate caps come off on electricity. The program is part of ChamberChoice and is brokered by OnDemand Energy. It is already functioning in several areas of the Commonwealth where the rate caps have already been removed and the savings have been considerable. The Chamber has already held three informational sessions on how the program works and what members need to do to participate. If you have been unable to attend those meetings, you can still secure an informational packet that includes a registration form by visiting the Chamber Office, located in the Devorris Center for Business Development.

Chamber Board of Directors to meet Thursday
The Chamber's Board of Directors will meet Thursday beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Devorris Center . Highlighting the agenda will be the announcement of the 2010 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Excellence that will be presented at the Annual Business Excellence Dinner, to be held June 7. To bring an issue for the Board's consideration, contact Joe Hurd by noon today at 943-8151. 

Perceptions on substance abuse topic for LBC Youth
Thursday's session of The Chamber's Leadership Blair County Youth program will be entitled, "Perceptions: Drugs, Alcohol and Mental Health Issues." The class will hear presentations from Agent Tom Moore of the Bureau of Narcotics, Mark Frederick of Altoona Regional Health System and Serena Heller of SWOOP. There also will be a drug dog demonstration. This session has been rescheduled from February when a major snowstorm forced its cancellation. For more information on Leadership Blair County Youth, visit the Chamber Web site.

Healthcare will be focus of Issues trilogy

Healthcare is Blair County' s second-leading industry so it's not surprising that the federal government's emphasis on altering the healthcare climate would have a huge impact on the local business community. What would that impact likely be? To gain some valuable insight, The Chamber will conduct a three-part series of programs on the Altoona Public Access Channel entitled: "Healthcare and Blair County's Future." The first program, which will be taped March 30, will look at the challenges to the county's five hospitals and how acute care facilities are preparing to respond to those challenges. The panel discussion format will be monitored by Carolyn Donaldson of WTAJ.  Panelists will include: Jerry Murray of Altoona Regional Health System, Garrett Hoover of Nason Hospital, Stephen Gildea of Tyrone Hospital, Scott Filler of HealthSouth and Tony Bennett of James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center. The second show of the trilogy will deal with long-term care and the third show with healthcare related topics such as health insurance and healthcare practitioners. Sponsorships are available to interested businesses to offset the cost of producing the series. Those sponsorships, which include several marketing and promotional opportunities, are just $200 per show or $500 for the entire series. Contact Mike McMullen at 943-8151.   

Informational meeting on Ireland trip draws good turnout

The Chamber's first-ever excursion to Ireland in October continues to attract a lot of interest. Nearly two dozen people either attended last Thursday's informational meeting or have indicated a willingness to further explore the possibility of traveling with the group. "It's really a neat trip at a very reasonable price," admitted Chamber President Joe Hurd. "I'll be surprised if those who saw Thursday's presentation don't register within the next few days." Anyone who would like more information on the Ireland trip should contact Donna Wilt at 696-3558. 

Safety program to focus on ergonomics, infection control 

The next Chamber Safety program will give attendees two presentations for the price of one. Created under the category, "You can't afford to be sick or injured," the first presentation is entitled: "Ergonomics: Preventing Injury at Work," and will be presented by Lonnie Styles, Director of Physical Therapy at Blair Orthopedics.  Following that, Michael Mihok, Physician Advisor for IMC, will present: "Infection Control in the Workplace." Both presentations will take place on March 26 from 7:45 to 9:30 a.m. at Comfort Inn in Duncansville. The cost to attend is just $15 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members and includes a continental breakfast. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.   

Chamber to assist park in determining community relevance

For many years, The Park at Morrisons Cove has been the focal point of many events and numerous social and recreational opportunities in the Cove. In recent years, however, The Park has experienced a downturn in usage and had even considered closing at one point.  Although some creative planning has helped to revitalize the venue, more needs to be done. So The Park, with the marketing assistance of The Chamber, has scheduled a Business Breakfast Meeting on March 31 from 8 to 10 a.m. to brainstorm how the facility can better serve the needs of the county. The theme of the breakfast is "The Power of Community Networking" and Dr. Chuck Kormanski of Kormanski Consulting will facilitate an information gathering session.  All Blair and Bedford county businesses are invited to attend. There is no cost and breakfast will be provided, courtesy of Doug Mingle of Roaring Spring Department Store and John Bolger of Bolger Funeral Home. To register, call The Park at 793-2176. 

Leadership Blair County to hold informational open house

LBC selling chances for "Immaculate Reception" photo

Reserve your spot for WE-LEaD Workshop

Golf Classic accepting registrations; some sponsorships available

Congratulations . . .
. . . to the following Chamber Members who were recently honored by Town & Gown magazine as "Women in the Community." They are: Cheryl Johnson of PICCC, Cynthia Hayes Karcher of Merrill Lynch, Susan Leath of Centre Daily Times, Patricia Savage of Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries and Michele Steinbugl of AmeriServ Bank.

For more information, visit www.blairchamber.com

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