Chamber Office Closed Monday for King Holiday
Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation Set for January 26th
Chamber Board to “Gear-Up” for Busy 2018
Booths Still Available for Home & Garden Show
Traveling in 2018? Consider the Chamber’s Greece, Ireland Trips
Chamber Safety Program to Focus on Opioid Crisis
Leadership Adult Class to Look at Diversity Issues
Presbyterian Village to Host Next “Business After Hours”
Have You Posted Positions on the Chamber Job Board Yet? It’s Free!
“Buy Here Bucks” a Win-Win for Buyers, Sellers
Congratulations . . .
Chamber Office Closed Monday for King Holiday
The Blair County Chamber Office will be closed on Monday in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday. 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.
Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation Set for January 26th
The Blair County Chamber’s Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation will be held on January 26th beginning at 7:30 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The event pays tribute to the people and the businesses that helped make 2017 a special year. It also provides the Chamber with the opportunity to officially install its Board of Directors and the Board of the Blair County Chamber Foundation. Adding to this year’s event will be a special recognition for the five businesses that marked 100 years of continuous Chamber membership during 2017. The five are: First National Bank; the law firm of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith; M&T Bank, Penstan Supply and Wolf Furniture Company. The awards that will be presented that morning are the Athena Award, the Small Business Person of the Year, the George Award, the Donna D. Gority Servant Leadership Award, the Joseph P. Rosenhamer Chamber Spirit Award and the Young Professional of the Year. None of the award recipients will be identified in advance, another longstanding tradition. The cost to attend the Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation is $24/person. To register, call the Chamber at (814) 943-8151 or register online.
Chamber Board to “Gear-Up” for Busy 2018
When the Chamber’s Board of Directors meets on Thursday for its inaugural meeting of 2018, it will do so with six new board members and an aggressive agenda. “We have a lot to accomplish this year,” reminded Board Chair Matt Stuckey. “The organization has set goals that speak to systematic changes but which also streamline operations. Both the board and the Chamber staff seem to have a high level of enthusiasm to get things done.” The meeting on Thursday will acclimate new board members to the processes associated with moving forward. Those board members are: Rebecca Crilly, Leonard Fiore, III, Cory Gehret, Jamie Miller, Alex Seltzer and Clark Stapelfeld. Anyone wishing to address the Chamber Board should contact Joe Hurd by noon Tuesday at (814) 943-8151.
Booths Still Available for Home & Garden Show
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce and the Blair Bedford Builders Association are accepting vendor booth reservations for the 48th annual Blair County Home & Garden Show to be held March 2, 3, & 4, 2018 at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona. Exhibitor booth space is open for home and garden-related businesses interested in showcasing their products or services. The show is also accepting vendor applications for the Home Treasures room. Home Treasures offers a boutique-style setting that features home interior items, candles, spices, hand-crafted items, and much more. To reserve a booth or for more information, call Stacy Hoover at the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 814-943-8151.
Traveling in 2018? Consider the Chamber’s Greece, Ireland Trips
The Blair County Chamber is offering trips to both Greece and Ireland during 2018. The first trip, “Greece and the Sunny Mediterranean,” departs on July 11th and returns on July 20th. It features a 4-night Greek Isle cruise and four night, first class hotel in Athens. The Mediterranean ports visited are Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus, Rhodes, Crete and Patmos. The Athens portion of the trip includes tours of the Parthenon & Acropolis, the Olympic Stadium, the Royal Palace and a full-day tour of Mycenae. The Greece Trip, offered through Chamber Discoveries, is $3,699/per person including round trip airfare, hotels and seventeen meals. The second trip – “Celtic Adventure” - departs on October 4th and returns on October 13th. It features Belfast, Galway, Killarney and Dublin with many attractions including Titanic Museum, Giant’s Causeway (with Shuttle Bus), Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, Cliffs of Moher, Connemara Marble and Galway Crystal. There are city tours of both Belfast and Dublin. The Ireland Trip, offered through Classic Travel, is $2,939/per person including airfare, hotels, full Irish breakfast daily and five hotel dinners. For information on either trip, contact the Chamber at (814) 943-8151.
Chamber Safety Program to Focus on Opioid Crisis
In response to the growing opioid epidemic, the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Safety Committee will hold an educational workshop on Wednesday, January 24th from7:30 to 9:30 a.m., at Hoss’s Steak and Sea House in Duncansville. The workshop, entitled, “The Opioid Crisis: What Does It Mean to Employers?”, will explore various drug-testing options available to employers, ways to create an effective drug policy for employees, and the overall impact the crisis has on the business community. The workshop will be led by Judy Rosser, Executive Director, Blair County Drug & Alcohol Program, and Brehenna Davenport, Director of Clinic Operations, Workplace Health, a Division of Phoenix Rehabilitation. The cost to attend the event is $20 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. A buffet breakfast is included. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Leadership Adult Class to Look at Diversity Issues
Session #4 of the Leadership Blair County Adult program will be held on Friday at the Arc of Blair County, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The session will focus on diversity in Blair County and will also provide time for the class to discuss its Class Project. For more information on Leadership Blair County, visit the Chamber Website at www.blairchamber.com or call Judy Juda at (814) 943-8151.
Presbyterian Village to Host Next “Business After Hours”
The next Blair County Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours will be held on Thursday, January 25th, from 5 -7 p.m., at Inglenook at Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg, located at 201 Jackson Street. Door prizes, food and beverages will be provided. Cost to attend is $10 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members. Reservations can be made by calling the Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Have You Posted Positions on the Chamber Job Board Yet? It’s Free!
The Blair County Chamber Website at www.blairchamber.com features a Job Board where member businesses can place up to three positions at no cost. The Job Board concept came about as the result of a meeting held at the Chamber in which local retailers and employment agencies discussed the trials and tribulations of finding interested and qualified employees. The decision to limit businesses to posting only three positions at one time was a recommendation by the Chamber’s Board of Directors who was concerned that larger businesses with multiple openings would make the task of overseeing the Job Board rather labor intensive. Tori Liebal, the Chamber’s Vice-President of Website Development and Social Media, is the staff member assigned to maintain the Job Board. Jobs will remain on the Board for one month unless the employer asks that they be removed or extended. At the present time, Job Board postings are limited to Chamber Members only. (For more information on the Job Board, contact Tori Liebal at 814-943-8151 or email her at tliebal@blairchamber.com.)
“Buy Here Bucks” a Win-Win for Buyers, Sellers
The Blair County Chamber’s new gift certificate program, known as “Buy Here Bucks,” is a way for local businesses to gain new customers and an even better way for people to give gift certificates with more than just a few places to redeem them. The larger the list of participating businesses, the greater the value of the certificates. For a business to register to be on that list (it costs Chamber Members nothing), contact Tori Liebal at (814) 943-8151 or email her at tliebal@blairchamber.com. To purchase Buy Here Bucks, visit the Chamber Website at www.blairchamber.com. You can also get them at the Chamber Office, located in the Devorris Center for Business Development.
Congratulations . . .
. . . to Travis Sheetz of Sheetz, Inc., who recently received the 2017 Pennsylvania Society Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement. The Gold Medal is awarded to a prominent person in recognition of leadership, citizenship and contributions to the arts, science, education and industry.
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January 15, 2018
Upcoming Events
Safety Program
Wednesday, January 24
7:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Hoss's - Duncansville
Register Here
Business After Hours
Thursday, January 25
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Ingelnook at Presbyterian Village
Register Here
Annual Meeting
Friday, January 26
7:30 -9:30 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Breakfast Club
Thursday, February 8
7:45 -9:00 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Business After Hours
Thursday, February 15
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Colonial Courtyard Tyrone
Register Here
Speed Networking
Tuesday, February 20
3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Devorris Center
Register Here
Safety Program
Wednesday, February 21
7:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Hoss's - Duncansville
Register Here
Blair County Home & Garden Show
Friday, March 2, 1:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 3, 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 4, Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Jaffa Shrine, Altoona
Upcoming Committee Meetings Week of 1/15/18
Workplace Wellness Committee
Tuesday, January 16, 9:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
Sustainable Blair County
Tuesday, January 16, 1:30 p.m.
The Chamber
Chamber Finance Committee
Tuesday, January 16, 3:00 p.m.
The Chamber
LBC ALumni Committee
Wednesday, January 17, 7:30 a.m.
Reliance Bank - Lakemont
Executive Roundtable
Wednesday, January 17, 7:30 a.m.
Blairmont Club
Chamber Foundation Board
Wednesday, January 17, 8:00 a.m.
The Chamber
LBC Youth Committee
Wednesday, January 17, 3:30 p.m.
Devorris Center
Chamber Board of Directors
Thursday, January 18, 7:30 a.m
Devorris Center
BASICS Task Force
Thursday, January 18, 2:00 p.m
The Chamber
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