Young Entrepreneurs to Pitch Business Ideas to Investors
Prominent Baseball Executive to Speak at April “Breakfast Club”
ALSM to Host Next “Business Before Hours”
Final Informational Meeting for Chamber’s Greece Trip is Thursday
Young Professionals to Hold Lunch ‘n’ Learn on First Time Home Buying
Small Business Partners to Feature Workshop on Branding
“Get Rooted” Activity Fair Rescheduled for May 2nd
Check-Out the Chamber Job Board!
“Buy Here Bucks” a Win-Win for Buyers, Sellers
Congratulations . . . .
Young Entrepreneurs to Pitch Business Ideas to Investors
This Tuesday, April 3rd, members of the Blair County Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) class will be the guests of honor at the Investor Panel event, set for 6:00 p.m. at the Devorris Downtown Center. In a Shark Tank type format, the students will pitch their business ideas to a group of business investors who will then determine at what level the businesses should be funded. The panel will also select one outstanding business that will move on to Rochester, New York in May to compete for national honors. Members of the Investor Panel are: Tim Balconi of UPMC Altoona, John Brown of Hoss’s Steak & Sea House, Philip Devorris of Blair Companies, Michael Fiore of Leonard S. Fiore, Inc., Joe Hasson of Empower Business Solutions, Lee Hite of The Hite Company, Dan Hoover of Roaring Spring Water, Jim Kuhn of Reliance Bank, Michael McLanahan of McLanahan Corporation, Joe Sheetz of Sheetz, Inc. and Bill T. Ward of Ward Transport and Logistics. Everyone is invited to attend the Investor Panel Event and there is no cost to do so.
Prominent Baseball Executive to Speak at April “Breakfast Club”
Few people in baseball history have had the opportunity to manage either the Boston Red Sox or the Los Angeles Dodgers – two of the storied franchises in the Major Leagues. Grady Little has managed both and is considered to be one of the most knowledgeable people in the game today. Little is now a Special Assistant – Baseball Operations for the Pittsburgh Pirates and he will be the keynote speaker at the next Blair County Chamber Breakfast Club on April 12th, beginning at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. Little will provide a perspective on the current state of baseball and will describe his responsibilities associated with keeping the Pirates on the right track as the compete in the National League’s Central Division. The cost to attend the Breakfast Club is $20 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register, call the Chamber at (814) 943-8151 or register online. Corporate sponsor of the April Breakfast Club is PC Works Plus.
ALSM to Host Next “Business Before Hours”
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce “Business Before Hours”, scheduled for this Thursday, April 5th, from 7:30-9:00 a.m., will be hosted by Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries, located at 998 Logan Blvd., Altoona. There is no cost to attend for Chamber Members. Non-members may attend at $10 per person. Breakfast is included. To make reservations call the Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Final Informational Meeting for Chamber’s Greece Trip is Thursday
Discover and explore Greece and the sunny Mediterranean with the Blair County Chamber of Commerce on July 12-21, 2018. Highlights of the trip include ground transportation from Altoona, 4 night Greek Isle cruise, tours of Parthenon and Acropolis, 17 meals, round-trip airfare, and much more. An informational meeting will be held this Thursday, April 5th at 6 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development, 3900 Industrial Park Drive, Altoona. Travel information will be presented as well as a question and answer session. There is no cost or obligation to attend the informational meeting. Call the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 814-943-8151 for more information.
Young Professionals to Hold Lunch ‘n’ Learn on First Time Home Buying
The Chamber's Young Professionals of Blair County will be hosting a Lunch 'n' Learn Program on Tuesday, April 10th from Noon - 1:00 p.m. at the Altoona Grand Hotel. Kaitlyn Tomlinson of First Commonwealth Bank will discuss everything you need to know to purchase your first home. Cost to attend is $20 and lunch is included. To make a reservation, call the Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
Small Business Partners to Feature Workshop on Branding
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Partners will hold a workshop on April 11th, from 3 – 4:30 p.m. at the Devorris Center for Business Development. The workshop will provide tips for using social media to enhance your business brand and how using creative concepts can increase your visibility online. Featured speaker will be Michael DePiro of Depiro Designs. The workshop is sponsored by Thought iQ, LLC. Cost to attend is $10 for Chamber Members and $20 for non-members. Light refreshments are included. To register, call the Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.
“Get Rooted” Activity Fair Rescheduled for May 2nd
Last week’s inclement weather caused the postponement of the “Get Rooted” Activity Fair, scheduled at the Blair Regional YMCA (formerly the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA). The event has been rescheduled for May 2nd, also at the YMCA. The “Get Rooted” Activity Fair, an event put together by the Young Professionals of Blair County, will feature vendors representing non-profits and for-profits, looking to make connections with people in the community either looking for volunteer opportunities or just seeking information on the many resources located here. The Activity Fair begins at 5:00 p.m. and concludes at 7:00. A number of businesses have already registered to be vendors. The cost to do that is just $20 for Chamber-member non-profits, $25 for Chamber for-profits and $30 for non-Chamber members. There is no cost for people to attend the Fair and all ages are welcome. For more information on the Activity Fair, contact Tori Liebal at (814) 943-8151 or email her at tliebal@blairchamber.com.
Check-Out the Chamber Job Board!
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 Deb Leberfinger, cash management specialist at Reliance Bank, who was recently promoted to Assistant Vice-President. Leberfinger has been with Reliance for the past fourteen years.
. . . to James Gerraughty, government procurement program manager at the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, who was sworn-in as president-elect at the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Center’s 2018 Spring Conference.
. . . to Blair County Conservation District, which last week broke ground for its new NatureWorks Park in Hollidaysburg.
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April 2, 2018
Upcoming Events
YEA! Investor Panel
Tuesday, April 3
5:00 p.m.
Devorris Downtown Center
Business BEFORE Hours
Thursday, April 5
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries
Register Here
Greece Informational Meeting
Thursday, April 5
6:00 p.m.
Devorris Center for Business Development
YP Lunch 'n' Learn
Tuesday, April 10
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Altoona Grand Hotel
Register Here
Small Business Partners Workshop
Wednesday, April 11
3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Devorris Center for Business Development
Register Here
Breakfast Club
Thursday, April 12
7:45 - 9:00 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Business After Hours
Thursday, April 19
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Seltzer Financial Strategies
Register Here
Non-Profit Legislative Breakfast
Friday, April 27
7:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Altoona Grand Hotel
Register Here
YP "Get Rooted" Activity Fair
Wednesday, May 2
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Hollidaysburg Area YMCA
Highmark/Chamber Golf Classic
Monday, May 7
11:00 a.m. - Lunch/Registration
Noon- Start
Iron Masters Country Club
Breakfast Club
Thursday, May 10
7:45 - 9:00 a.m.
The Casino at Lakemont Park
Register Here
Home Run for Safety Event
Wednesday, May 23
7:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
PNG Field
Register Here
Upcoming Committee Meetings Week of 4/2/18
Hall of Fame Committee
Monday, Aprl 2, 8:00 a.m.
The Chamber
YP Committee
Wednesday, April 4, 8:00 a.m.
Perry Wellington
Public Policy Committee
Thursday, April 5, 8:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
BASICS Subcommittee
Thursday, April 5, 10:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
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