Chamber electric program guarantees savings to members
Hotel Roundtable to explore better communications
BASICS partnering with SACEP on workshop
Federal Reserve President to speak at Breakfast Club
Made your Business Excellence Dinner reservations yet?
Chamber Members invited to "Chamber Day on Capitol Hill"
Deadline to apply for Leadership Blair County is June 30
"Issues" program on long-term care continues this week
Sponsorships available for last program in "Issues" trilogy
Chamber's trip to Ireland: Nine days of fun and history
"Immaculate Reception" photo helping scholarship program
LBC fund raiser for park project set for Saturday
"Showcase for Commerce" begins Wednesday in Johnstown 
OJT helps businesses defray training costs 
Congratulations . . . 

Chamber electric program guarantees savings to members  
In an age of financial uncertainty, wouldn't it be nice to have a guarantee that the decisions you make today will save you money tomorrow? And have those savings on something as tangible as electricity? The Blair County Chamber can make such a guarantee, thanks to its affiliation with ChamberChoice and OnDemand Energy.  The Chamber program is able to give Chamber Members a variable discount off the price that they pay for electricity. You will always pay less than what the utility would charge. You really can't lose! But you must act quickly. For more information on the Electric Program, call ChamberChoice at 1-866-699-9968 or call The Chamber at 943-8151.

Hotel Roundtable to explore better communications  
A persistent problem to local lodging properties, retailers and restaurants is the inability to access information as to when a large group or event is taking place in Blair County. To address that issue as well as looking at ways to be more effectively move visitors to and from attractions and other destinations, The Chamber’s Hotel/Motel/Lodging Property Roundtable will meet on Wednesday at 8:15 a.m. at the Devorris Center. Among the attendees will be representatives from the local cab companies, the Blair County Airport, the AMCVB as well as representatives from hotels, restaurants and retail stores. For more information on this meeting, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151.

BASICS partnering with SACEP on workshop 
The Chamber’s BASICS program and the Southern Alleghenies Career Education Partnership (SACEP) will convene a meeting of counselors, school personnel and industry partners this Friday, June 4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the U.S. Hotel in Hollidaysburg. The purpose of the meeting is to connect educators with people in the business community, review the PA Career Education and Work Standards, provide current regional labor market information and resources and highlight local best practices which prepare youth for careers. For further information, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151.  

Federal Reserve president to speak at Breakfast Club  On Friday, June 11, Chamber Members will have a special opportunity to get the nation’s true financial picture from someone who knows the situation from close-up. The guest speaker at the Breakfast Club on that day will be Charles Plosser, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. “We’re delighted to have Mr. Plosser with us. It’s rare to have access to a person with a unique perspective on what’s happening in the financial arena and who’s willing to share his insight.” remarked Bob Bilger of M&T Bank, chair of The Chamber’s Board of Directors. “We’re anticipating a great turnout.” Plosser’s visit came as the result of a fortunate scheduling circumstance that had him in the region during the second week of June. Traditionally, Rick Lang of the Federal Reserve speaks to the Chamber’s Executive Roundtable during June and initially Plosser was slated to speak to that group instead. Plosser became the 10th President/CEO of the Philadelphia Fed on Aug. 1, 2006. Before coming to Philadelphia , he was the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics and Public Policy and Director of the Bradley Policy Research Center at the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester. Corporate host for the Breakfast Club is YourChoice Federal Credit Union. The Chamber’s Breakfast Club begins at 7:45 a.m. The cost to attend is $16 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.   

Made your Business Excellence Dinner reservations yet? 
The Chamber’s Annual Business Excellence Dinner will be held at The Casino at Lakemont Park on Monday, June 14. Will you be there?   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 reserving online.  

Chamber Members invited to "Chamber Day on Capitol Hill" 
If you’re a member of the Blair County Chamber who likes to keep abreast of issues affecting the business community at the state level, The Chamber has an opportunity that might attract your interest.  “Chamber Day on Capitol Hill,” sponsored each year by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry and the Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals, will be held in Harrisburg on June 15. The event will include opportunities to meet with legislators, a roundtable discussion on key issues, a news conference and a private legislative reception. Interested members should contact The Chamber. The Chamber will underwrite the cost of the event for any members who would like to attend. Contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151.

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 24 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.

"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. today 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 LivingCenter-Hillview, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Homewood Retirement Community, The Winds at Mattern Orchard and Young, Oakes, Brown & Company.

Sponsorships available for last program in "Issues" trilogy
The final of three “Issues” programs on Healthcare Reform, to be broadcast on the Altoona Public Access Channel, will tape on June 10. The program will focus on healthcare providers and will include a panel consisting of Christine Cox of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Maureen Frucella of Preferred Healthcare System, Dr. Zane Gates, Dr. J. Grant Hormell and a representative from UPMC. Sponsorships for the program, at just $200 each, can be secured for the program by contacting Mike McMullen at 943-8151. 

Chamber's trip to Ireland: Nine days of fun and history
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 fund raiser for park project set for Saturday
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. A fundraiser known as "A Night at the Races" which will be held this 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.

"Showcase for Commerce" begins Wednesday in Johnstown
The Annual “Showcase for Commerce,” sponsored by the Johnstown-Cambria County Chamber of Commerce and Johnstown Area Regional Industries (JARI), will begin Wednesday with the Government Procurement Expo, held from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center. Attendee packages for the ticketed events are available for $300. The package includes tickets to the Executive Reception, Opening Reception, Exhibitors Luncheon and Closing Reception. Tickets for the breakfast, which features a keynote address from Congressman Norm Dicks, Chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Committee, are just $25. Reservations can be made by contacting the Johnstown Chamber at 536-5107.

OJT helps businesses defray training costs 
On-the-Job Training (OJT), funded under the Southern Alleghenies Workforce Investment Board, provides incentives for business to help defray the cost of training eligible, new employees. And Career Link handles the bulk of the paperwork. Want to learn more? Contact Deane Mann at 940-6235.   

Congratulations . . . 

. . . to Altoona Regional Health System which has received the 2010 American Heart Association/American Stroke Associations “Get With the Guidelines” Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award.  The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients.

. . . to Brian Shrift of Precision Business Solutions who was recently recognized by the Small Business Administration as SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Western Pennsylvania.  His business has eleven employees and specializes in hardware solutions for local small businesses.

. . . to Mill Hill Farm Supply which is marking its 30th year in business with a special Open House this Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at its Clover Creek location, 161 Mill Hill Road in Williamsburg. There will be food, fun, learning, contests and good deals. 
. . . to McLanahan Corporation for being recognized by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve with the Patriot Award for supporting employees who serve in the military.  

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