McLanahan to receive Business Excellence Award
Business After Hours set for Colonial Courtyard at Tyrone
Safety Program on illness, injury slated for Friday
Heard about The Chamber's energy program yet?
Healthcare Series to begin with focus on hospitals
Chamber trip to Ireland may be first of many excursions
Chamber posting photos from events
Businesses invited to provide guidance to community park
Curve FanFest scheduled for April 7
Leadership Blair County to hold informational open house
Pirates president to speak at next Chamber Breakfast Club
April Lunch 'n' Learn will be held in Martinsburg
Next GRYP Networking Event at The Altoona Hotel
LBC selling chances on "Immaculate Reception" photo
Reserve your spot for WE-LEaD Workshop
Golf Classic accepting registrations; some sponsorships available
Congratulations . . .

McLanahan to receive Business Excellence Award 
Michael McLanahan, Chairman of the Board and CEO of McLanahan Corporation, will be the ninth recipient of The Chamber's Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Excellence. The award will be presented at the Business Excellence Dinner on June 7 at The Casino at Lakemont Park. Seventeen other business leaders received at least one nomination for the award. "We've got a significant number of people within our county who demonstrate business excellence every day," remarked Chamber Board Chairman Bob Bilger of M&T Bank.  "None of them are more deserving than Mike McLanahan. The Chamber is proud to be able to honor him." Previous award recipients are: Ernie Wissinger (2002), Bill Ward (2003), Steve Sheetz (2004), Donald Devorris (2005), Bill Campbell (2006), John Wolf (2007), Lee Hite (2008) and Don Detwiler (2009).

Business After Hours set for Colonial Courtyard at Tyrone  
This Thursday's "Business After Hours" will be held at Colonial Courtyard at Tyrone from 5 to 7 p.m. Colonial Courtyard is located at 5545 E. Pleasant Valley Blvd. in Tyrone. "We held a Business After Hours at Colonial Courtyard a couple years ago and it was a great venue," remembered Stacy Hoover, Vice-President of Events & Technology at The Chamber. "We're hoping to duplicate that on Thursday." To register for Business After Hours, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Safety program on illness, injury slated for Friday 
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 this Friday, March 26 from 7:45 to 9:30 a.m. at the Comfort Inn in Duncansville. The cost to attend is just $15 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members and includes a continental breakfast. For reservations, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.  

Heard about The Chamber's energy program yet? 
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.  

Healthcare series to begin with focus on hospitals
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 be: 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.  

Chamber trip to Ireland may be first of many excursions 
With interest running high for The Chamber's first-ever trip to Ireland , Chamber President Joe Hurd is already thinking about future opportunities to assist members interested in travel. "It's clear that business people love to travel and we're hoping to be able to consistently provide tours that will catch their attention," Hurd pointed out. "We welcome suggestions from our members as to potential destinations." In the meantime, the primary focus of The Chamber and partnering agency Classic Travel is promoting what promises to be a great trip to the Emerald Isle. Anyone who would like more information on the Ireland trip should contact Donna Wilt at 696-3558.

Chamber posting photos from events 
In an effort to give our Members more face time on the Web and to take advantage of the capabilities The Chamber's Web site, The Chamber staff has begun to publish photos from Chamber events.  Photos from Business After Hours, WE-LEaD networking, GRYP networking and Breakfast Club events have already been posted and there will be a lot more to come. "We are putting a handful of photos from events on the Web site and then providing a link to the Chamber Facebook Page to view entire galleries," said Chamber staff member Mike McMullen. "Using the Chamber Web site in conjunction with the Facebook Page will allow us to draw traffic to each site and store the galleries in the Facebook platform." To see some of the event photos, Members should visit the Programs and Events portion of the Chamber Web site and click on Signature Programs in the Quicklink box and look for the program you would like to view. Links for updated content can also be found on The Chamber homepage.   

Businesses invited to provide guidance to community park
The Park at Morrisons Cove, 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.

Curve FanFest scheduled for April 7
The annual Altoona Curve Booster Club FanFest will be held on Wednesday, April 7 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The event will include a buffet and the opportunity to meet and get autographs and photos from Curve team personnel. Tickets are on sale at the Curve Office at Blair County Ballpark. For more information, contact John Prosperi or John Austin.

Leadership Blair County to hold Informational open house
Interested in being considered for a spot in the next Leadership Blair County Adult Class? Then you may want to attend an informational open house set for April 13 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. "It's a great way to have the opportunity to talk to people who have been through the program," disclosed Judy Juda who staffs the LBC program for The Chamber. "There's no obligation to commit to anything."  To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online. 

Pirates president to speak at next Chamber Breakfast Club
What are the prospects for the 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates? That will be one of the burning questions that Frank Coonelly, President of the Pirates, will address on April 8 as guest speaker at The Chamber's Breakfast Club. Coonelly and General Manager Neal Huntingdon have worked diligently to transition the Pirates into winners on and off the field and his insights into how to build a ballclub are critical components for building a successful business as well. Due to a tight schedule, Coonelly's presentation will take place at the beginning of Breakfast Club rather than at the end. To register for Breakfast Club, which begins at 7:45 a.m., call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.  The cost to attend is $16 for Chamber Members and $25 for non-members.  Corporate host for the April's Breakfast Club is Saint Francis University.

April Lunch 'n' Learn will be held in Martinsburg
As part of The Chamber's effort to reach out to all parts of Blair County, the organization has announced that it will hold its April 15 Lunch 'n' Learn program at The Park at Morrisons Cove in Martinsburg.  That program, entitled, "How to Create a Service Culture Within Your Organization," will be presented by Tami Smith, District 5 Manager of Hoss's Steak & Sea House. It will provide attendees with ways to take their company's customer service to a higher level. The cost to attend is $22 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Next GRYP networking event at The Altoona Hotel
The next networking event of The Chamber's Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals (GRYP) will be held on Thursday, April 15 from 6-8 p.m. at The Altoona Hotel. The last GRYP event, held March 17^th at Outback Steakhouse, attracted nearly sixty young professionals. If you missed that one, make sure to put this one on your calendar!  There's no cost to attend if you're a GRYP member and only $5 if you're not. Great food, beverages and a whole lot of valuable networking. Register by calling The Chamber at 943-8151 or online. 

LBC selling chances on "Immaculate Reception" photo
In order to raise funds to support its adult scholarship program, Leadership Blair County is raffling-off an autographed Franco Harris "Immaculate Reception" photo. The beautifully framed photo is 16x20 and includes a certificate of authenticity. Chances are being sold at $5 each or three for $10 and the drawing will take place at the LBC Adult Graduation in June. Contact Judy Juda at The Chamber to purchase a chance.

Reserve your spot for WE-LEaD Workshop
The highly-successful WE-LEaD Spring Workshop, which has attracted a number of nationally recognized speakers during its four years in existence, has hit another homerun in 2010. On April 20, Harry Paul, the funny, dynamic author of FISH! will address what is expected to be a large crowd at the Penn State Devorris Downtown Center . The event begins with registration from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and concludes with lunch at 12:30 p.m. During the 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. time slot, breakfast will be available as well as the opportunity to visit display booths that feature a variety of products and services. Paul's presentation begins promptly at 8:30 and continues until lunchtime.  The cost to attend the WE-LEaD Workshop is $60 for Chamber Members and $70 for non-members. Exhibit space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Judy Juda for exhibitor information at 943-8151 or to reserve your space at the workshop.  For the third consecutive year, Blair Medical Associates is corporate sponsor of the Workshop. 

Golf Classic accepting registrations; some sponsorships available
The annual Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Chamber Golf Classic is still a couple months away yet that hasn't deterred golfers from signing-up early. "Maybe it's because the weather has been bad but there already seems to be a lot of interest," reported Stacy Hoover of The Chamber. "We'd like to sell out this event by the end of April. The Classic will be held Monday, May 17 at Iron Masters Country Club.  Event sponsorships and tee-and-green signs are available by contacting Stacy Hoover at 943-8151.   

Congratulations . . .
. . . to Saint Joseph Institute in Port Matilda which has just hired Jeff Doig as President. With more than 20 years of experience in the addiction and behavioral healthcare field, Doig will be responsible for guiding Saint Joseph's in its new focus as an adult residential treatment facility for people suffering from addictions.      

For more information, visit www.blairchamber.com

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