“Wake Up to Wellness” to Debut Exciting New Program
Breakfast Club to Focus on a Proposed Constitutional Convention
Chamber Recognizes “All-Stars” for January
Booths Still Available for Home & Garden Show
Atlas Therapy to Host “Business Before Hours”
Traveling in 2018? Consider the Chamber’s Greece, Ireland Trips
Have You Posted Positions on the Chamber Job Board Yet? It’s Free!
“Buy Here Bucks” a Win-Win for Buyers, Sellers
Is Your Business’s Contact Information Up-to-Date?
Congratulations . . .
“Wake Up to Wellness” to Debut Exciting New Program
The next Chamber “Wake Up to Wellness” program will be held on February 7th at Hoss’s Steak & Sea House in Duncansville. Registration and a buffet breakfast (both healthy and unhealthy foods!) begins at 8:00 a.m. The program begins at 8:30 and concludes by 10:00. This event will debut an exciting new program being offered through the Chamber’s Workplace Wellness Committee. The program is known as the SPARK Blair County Steps Challenge, a partnership with SPARK Pittsburgh in which businesses will have an opportunity to promote a healthy walking program for employees, in competition with one another for prizes and bragging rights. The program is slated to begin in September. The cost to attend Wake Up to Wellness is just $10 and the breakfast is included. To register, contact the Chamber at (814) 943-8151 or register online. Corporate sponsor of the Wake Up to Wellness program is Healthy Blair County Coalition.
Breakfast Club to Focus on a Proposed Constitutional Convention
It’s been 50-years since the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania last held a Constitutional Convention. With so many issues impeding the ability of the state to reform things like the budgeting process, is it time to hold a Constitutional Convention that would allow citizens to be part of the solution? State Representative Frank Ryan (R-Lebanon) thinks so and he’ll be the keynote speaker at the next Chamber Breakfast Club set for Thursday, February 8th, beginning at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. His presentation – “Why Pennsylvania Needs a Constitutional Convention” – will explain the rationale behind a convention and what local citizens can do to make it happen. To register to attend the Breakfast Club, call the Chamber at (814) 943-8151 or register online. The cost to attend is $20 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. Corporate sponsor of the Breakfast Club is CONTACT Altoona.
Chamber Recognizes “All-Stars” for January
The Blair County Chamber’s ability to offer quality programming, events, recognition and advocacy efforts depends largely on the willingness of sponsors to step up to help underwrite the costs associated those efforts. So at the end of each month, we publish a list of businesses or individuals who sponsored anything Chamber-related during the month. They have helped us to make a difference in the business community. All-Stars for January are: Altoona Grand Hotel, Altoona Mirror, American Eagle Paper Mills, Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8, BB&T, Blair Companies, Cove Forge Behavioral Health System, DelGrosso Family of Companies, Fanelli Willett Law Offices, FirstEnergy, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Keller Engineers Inc., Leonard S. Fiore, Inc., Lung Disease Center of Central PA, MacInnis Group LLC/dba PennStress, M&T Bank, New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., Inc., Okonak, Ciocca & Lechner, P.C., Penn State Altoona, Phoenix Rehabilitation and Health Services, Presbyterian Home, Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc., S&T Bank, Sheetz, Inc., Southern Airways, Stiffler McGraw, Stuckey Ford & Stuckey Subaru, UPMC Altoona, Value Drug Company & Value Specialty Pharmacy and Young, Oakes, Brown & Company P.C.
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.
Atlas Therapy to Host “Business Before Hours”
Atlas Therapy, located at 613 Valley View Blvd. in Altoona, will host the next Chamber “Business Before Hours” on Friday, February 23rd from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. The event will include an opportunity for attendees to learn about what the company does and how they might take advantage of Atlas’s many services. Atlas will feature a Breakfast Burrito Bar as an extra incentive for people to attend. Atlas Therapy has a specialized approach that combines manual, massage and neuromuscular therapies with the principles of traditional physical therapy. The Altoona Office opened nearly four years ago. There is no cost for members of the Blair County Chamber to attend Business Before Hours but pre-registration is important to provide the host with a food count. Non-members may attend for $10. To register, contact the Chamber at (814) 943-8151 or register online.
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.
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.
Is Your Business’s Contact Information Up-to-Date?
The Blair County Chamber’s 2018 Membership Directory deadline is February 2nd. Is the information on your business, including the primary contact person, up-to-date? If not, please contact Cindy Cessna at (814) 943-8151 or email her at ccessna@blairchamber.com.
Congratulations . . .
. . . to the individuals and businesses honored at last Friday’s Chamber Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation. Those honored were: Athena Award – Carol Gensimore, George Award – Peggy Fields, Donna D. Gority Servant Leadership Award – Jim Kilmartin, Joseph P. Rosenhamer Chamber Spirit Award – John and Evelyn Shields, Small Business Person of the Year – Dr. George Zlupko, and Young Professional of the Year – Sherri Ayers. Five businesses were honored with the first-ever "Century Awards” for being members of the Chamber for the past 100 years. Those businesses are: The Law Firm of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith, M&T Bank, Penstan Supply, Wolf Furniture and First National Bank.
. . . to John Forney of Forney Financial Solutions, who was recently named a member of the 2018 Leaders Council by Raymond James Financial Services. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Forney has qualified for this important recognition.
. . . to Mark Harr, who has been named recipient of the Chairman’s Award in honor of the memory of Fred Pechter, the former chairman, president and CEO of Altoona Pipe and Steel. The award recognizes exemplary performance and significant contributions by an employee beyond the regular expectations of his or her responsibilities.
. . . to Doug Hershey of Thought iQ, LLC, who recently achieved Executive Coaching certification from Gazelles International.
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January 29, 2018
Upcoming Events
Wake Up to Wellness
Wednesday, February 7
8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Hoss's Duncansville
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
Business Before Hours
Friday, February 23
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Atlas Therapy
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 1/29/18
YEA! Steering Committee
Monday, January 29, 8:30 a.m.
Devorris Center
BASICS STEM Subcommittee
Monday, January 29, 9:30 a.m.
Devorris Center
BASICS Early Childhood Planning Task Force
Tuesday, January 30, 10:00 a.m.
The Chamber
Public Policy Committee
Thursday, February 1, 8:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
BASICS Early Childhood Education Thursday, February 1, 10:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
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