Chamber's Golf Classic tees-off today at Iron Masters
Executive Roundtable to share ideas with elected officials
Chamber's Board of Directors to meet Thursday
Friday's Safety Program to focus on OSHA compliance
Leadership class to present mini-projects
Deadline to apply for Leadership Blair County is June 30
Business Excellence Dinner reservations available online
"Issues" program on long-term care continues this week
Next Lunch 'n' Learn to deal with data breaches
Chamber's trip to Ireland continuing to attract interest
"Immaculate Reception" photo helping scholarship program
LBC Class raising funds for park project
Only Altoona site still accepting energy sign-ups
Nominated anyone for the Hall of Fame yet?
Congratulations . . .

Chamber's Golf Classic tees-off today at Iron Masters 
The Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Chamber Golf Classic will begin today with registration and lunch beginning at 11 a.m. and a shotgun start at noon. “We’re anticipating a great day,” reports Stacy Hoover of The Chamber who has been working with the Golf Committee to plan the event. Once again this year, lunch will consist of a pig roast provided by Holland Brothers. “It’s been a popular way to get everyone off on the right foot,” Hoover admitted. “Those who don’t play well will at least eat well.” The golf classic will be held at Iron Masters Country Club in Ore Hill.

Executive Roundtable to share ideas with elected officials
At its monthly meeting on Wednesday, The Chamber’s Executive Roundtable will share legislative ideas and concerns with four elected officials from state government. State Sen. John H. Eichelberger, Jr. and state representatives Rick Geist, Jerry Stern and Mike Fleck will attend the Roundtable meeting, set for The Blairmont Club beginning at 7:30 a.m. “Businesses in Pennsylvania face considerable challenges and our elected officials are vitally important in helping to take leadership roles in making those challenges less daunting,” acknowledged Chamber President Joe Hurd. “We’re anxious to have some meaningful dialogue on a variety of key issues.”

Chamber's Board of Directors to meet Thursday 
The Chamber’s Board of Directors will meet this Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at the Devorris Center. It will be the last full board meeting until August. Among the agenda items will be a presentation on the Leadership Blair County program. The Chamber Board also will have an opportunity to meet Mark Ickes, the new Executive Director of the Allegheny Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau.  

Friday's safety Program to focus on OSHA compliance 
Andrew Blattenberger of Urban & Blattenberger, P.C. will present, “Will OSHA Knock on Your Door?” at the next Chamber safety program, set for this Friday, May 21 from 7:45 to 9 a.m. at The Hampton Inn. The program will include an overview of key OSHA regulations, the focus of the Obama Administration on workplace safety and what employers need to watch for in the coming months. The cost to attend the program is $15 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.  

Leadership class to present mini-projects 

The Leadership Blair County Adult class will have its monthly session on Friday at Joshua House in Tyrone. The session will be “Servant Leadership in Action & Strategic Planning.” It will focus on mini-projects that the class undertook to further promote the concept of servant leadership. The class will graduate on June 10.   

Deadline to apply for Leadership Blair County is June 30 
The 17th class of The Chamber’s Leadership Blair County Adult program will begin its yearlong journey into servant leadership in September. Applying to be part of that class is taking place now with the application process ending June 30. “We always have a high amount of interest at this time of the year and we still restrict our classes to twenty-four people,” explained Judy Juda, The Chamber’s Vice-President of Programming & Membership Education.  “It’s important that interested people apply as soon as possible so that we can set up interviews.” People may apply online or can secure an application by calling The Chamber at 943-8151.

Business Excellence Dinner reservations available online
Even though June 14 is still several weeks away, it’s not too early to make your reservations for The Chamber’s Annual Business Excellence Dinner to be held at The Casino at Lakemont Park. This year the event pays tribute to a longtime leader in the business community -- Mike McLanahan of McLanahan Corporation. Keynote speaker for the dinner is Michael McGrann, Executive Director of the S. Dale High Center for Family Business at Elizabethtown College. Testimonial comments will be provided by Dick Scholton of S&T Bank, Tim Sissler of Reliance Bank and Dr. C. Scott McLanahan, a pediatric neurosurgeon from North Carolina who is the brother of the honoree. The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:45 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling The Chamber at 943-8151 or online. Bronze sponsorships can still be secured by calling Mike McMullen at The Chamber.

"Issues" program on long-term care continues this week
“Healthcare and Blair County’s Future,” The Chamber’s trilogy on the impact of new legislation impacting the local healthcare industry will continue to feature its second show at 11 a.m. this morning and will continue to offer it Monday’s at 11 a.m. and Tuesday’s at 9 p.m. on the Altoona Public Access Channel. The program focuses on long-term care and home health. Panelists for the program are: Chris Dear of Valley View Home, Kathy Johnson of the Lutheran Home at Hollidaysburg, Debbie Larkin of Presbyterian Village of Hollidaysburg, Ward Prostejovsky of The Village at Morrisons Cove and Theresa Zurilla of Home Instead Senior Care. Sponsors are: Affinity Health Services, Altoona Center for Nursing Care, Altoona Regional Health System, Golden Living Center-Hillview, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Homewood Retirement Community, The Winds at Mattern Orchard and Young, Oakes, Brown & Company.

Next Lunch 'n' Learn to deal with data breaches
The May Lunch 'n' Learn program of The Chamber promises to be a most critical one for all businesses that store data. Entitled, “You’ve Had a Data Breach! The Law Requires that You Respond.  Are You Ready?” The program will be held on Thursday, May 27 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Park Hills Country Club. The agenda will address what constitutes a data breach, the frequency and costs associated with data breaches, the regulatory landscape, organizational exposure, how to close the gaps and much, much more. The presenters are Tom Kristofco, President of Business Continuity Concepts in Hollidaysburg and Larissa Crum, Executive Vice-President of Immersion, Ltd. in State College. The cost to attend the Lunch 'n' Learn is $22 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Chamber's trip to Ireland continuing to attract interest
Ever have the opportunity to spend a night in a medieval castle?  That’s just one of the many great amenities to The Chamber’s first-ever tour of Ireland. The Chamber, in cooperation with Classic Travel and Collette Vacations, has put together a nine-day excursion to the Emerald Isle that will be unsurpassed in fun and excitement. And each day, more and more people are getting the traveling bug. If you’ve always wanted to visit Ireland but didn’t think you could afford it, contact Donna Wilt at 696-3558.

"Immaculate Reception" photo helping scholarship program
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 on June 10. Contact Judy Juda at The Chamber to purchase a chance.

LBC Class raising funds for park project
The LBC 2010 class project is the fundraising and construction of Phase II of the Booker T. Washington Park. The overall goal of the park project is to create a focal point within the community that all members of the family can enjoy. Phase I was the construction of the basketball court on 19th Street and 13th Avenue in Altoona.  The class project phase will be opposite the basketball court and concentrates on activities for adults and young adults. The “mind and body” park will include outdoor exercise stations, walking paths, gaming tables and a picnic area. The property as it stands now is an abandoned lot, including a blighted building, collapsed retaining wall and dumping area. Future phases of the overall park will add an event gazebo and children’s playgrounds. The park is the site of the annual Booker T. Washington Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament. The fundraiser is “A Night at the Races” which will be held on Saturday, June 5 at the Bavarian Hall. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner is at 6 p.m. and races begin at 7 p.m.  Tickets are $25 and include admittance and the buffet dinner. You also have the opportunity to purchase and name a horse prior to the event. Minimum cost is $10 per horse. There also will be silent auction items and an open bar. Tickets can be purchased at The Chamber or from any class member. Checks should be made payable to Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission.

Only Altoona site still accepting energy sign-ups
Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, in cooperation with The Hite Company, Penelec and Knisely & Sons, is coordinating an Act 29 seminar and members of the Blair County Chamber are invited to attend at no charge. An identical program, scheduled in Johnstown, has been cancelled due to insufficient participant numbers. Act 29 is legislation meant to help Pennsylvania’s electric consumers ease the financial effects of rate deregulation. For more information about the seminars and to register, click here.   

Nominated anyone for the Hall of Fame yet?

The nomination process is under way for the 2010 Blair County Chamber Business Hall of Fame. Do you know of a business in Blair County that absolutely should be in the Hall of Fame or should receive an award for such things as safety, technology or community service.  How about your own business? Visit The Chamber’s website today and download a nomination form. It’s our one chance each year to show what a great business community we have! 

Congratulations . . .
. . . to L.R. Kimball, who has been listed among the nation’s top engineering firms by Engineering News Record. The Top 500 Design Firms survey listed Kimball’s at 155, a 13-spot jump from last year.
. . . to WTAJ Your News Leader who received two awards from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters for an Outstanding  Television Feature on cell phone use while driving and an Outstanding Television Breaking News Report on the April 2009 shooting deaths and robbery at a local Subway restaurant.
. . . to Devin Mullen of Your Jewelry Box and Paul Cooney of Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation who were among six individuals to be honored June 9 by the Saint Francis University Small Business Development Center. Mullen will be honored as Young Entrepreneur of the Year; Cooney as Financial Services Advocate of the Year.  

For more information, visit the website

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