Prominent Baseball Executive to Speak at Thursday’s “Breakfast Club”
Ann Benzel to Receive Chamber’s Business Excellence Award
Young Professionals to Hold Lunch’n’Learn on First Time Home Buying
Small Business Partners to Feature Workshop on Branding
Chamber Recognizes “All-Stars” for March
Blair Business Mirror to Be Published Tuesday
Seltzer Financial Strategies to host April Business After Hours
“Get Rooted” Activity Fair Set for May 2nd
Check-Out the Chamber Job Board!
“Buy Here Bucks” a Win-Win for Buyers, Sellers
Congratulations . . .
Prominent Baseball Executive to Speak at Thursday’s “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 this Thursday, 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 they 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.
Ann Benzel to Receive Chamber’s Business Excellence Award
The seventeenth recipient of the Blair County Chamber’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Excellence will also be the first woman to receive it. Ann Benzel, President of Benzel’s Bretzel Bakery will be the honoree at the Chamber’s Business Excellence Dinner on June 11th at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The Lifetime Achievement Award was created by the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee in 2001 “to recognize the businessmen and businesswomen who are synonymous with putting the best interests of the Blair County community first and whose own businesses are regarded as the very best around, in large part due to the acumen and high ethical standards of the person in charge.” Previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award are: Ernie Wissinger (2002), G. William Ward (2003), Stephen Sheetz (2004), Donald Devorris (2005), Willard Campbell (2006), John Wolf (2007), Lee Hite (2008), Donald Detwiler (2009), Michael McLanahan (2010), Barry Smith (2011), Fred Imler (2012), Ben Stapelfeld (2013), William Thompson, Jr. (2014), Timothy Sissler (2015), Martin Marasco (2016) and Harry Sickler. Reservations are being accepted for the Business Excellence Dinner. Call The Chamber at 943-8151 to make those reservations or register online. Dinner sponsorships can also be secured by calling Jessie Covert at the Chamber Office or by emailing her at jcovert@blairchamber.com.
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 this 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 this Wednesday, 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.
Chamber Recognizes “All-Stars” for March
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 March are: Altoona Community Theatre, Blair Companies, Deer Meadow, Holiday Pools and Spas, Home Depot, Lakeview Sheds and Vinyl Products, Leonard S. Fiore, PennCrest Bank and Window World.
Blair Business Mirror to Be Published Tuesday
The April issue of the Blair Business Mirror will be published tomorrow as a supplement to the Altoona Mirror. This month’s issue features a cover story on the Human Resource Management Association of Blair County, a local organization that is partnering with the Chamber to assist small businesses in meeting HR needs. The Business Mirror will also feature a Q&A column with Amtran’s Eric Wolf and a look at an online financial resource being made available by a local credit union. All Chamber member businesses will receive a mailed copy of the Blair Business Mirror but why wait? Get your Altoona Mirror at any local convenience store and start reading!
Seltzer Financial Strategies to host April Business After Hours
The next Blair County Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours will be held on Thursday, April 19, from 5 -7 p.m., at Seltzer Financial Strategies, located at 3370 Lynnwood Dr., Altoona. Door prizes, food and beverages will be provided. A grand prize drawing will be held for a 55” flatscreen TV. Must be present to win. 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 by registering 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 Allan Hancock of the Allan Hancock Agency, who achieved the status of Million Dollar Round Table for 46 consecutive years. Membership in the Million Dollar Round Table places him among the top 6% of all financial service agents worldwide.
Power Card Offers: They’re Changing Every Day
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April 9, 2018
Upcoming Events
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 4/9/18
BASICS Steering Committee
Monday, Aprl 9, 8:00 a.m.
GACTC
BASICS/Rotary Career Fair
Monday, April 9, 1:30 p.m.
Devorris Center
Committee of non-Profits
Tuesday, April 10, 9:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
Attractions/Hotel Roundtable
Wednesday, April 11, 8:15 a.m.
Railroaders Memorial Museum
LBC Adult Committee
Wednesday, April 11, 9:00 a.m.
Devorris Center
Safety Committee
Thursday, April 12, 9:00 a.m.
The Chamber
Safety Fair Subcommittee
Thursday, April 12, 10:00 a.m.
The Chamber
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