Federal Reserve President to speak at Breakfast Club
Reservations close this week for Business Excellence Dinner
Blair Business Mirror to be published tomorrow
Great advertising deal for Chamber Members
Sustainability Coalition to launch "Green Drinks"
Leadership Blair County Adult class to graduate Thursday
Chambers to collaborate on "Business After Hours"
Will procrastination cost you money on electric use?
Chamber offering resources for small business members
Next Leadership Blair County class forming
Final "Issues" trilogy on healthcare tapes this week
Chamber's trip to Ireland: Nine days of fun and history.
Drawing for "Immaculate Reception" photo is Thursday
Chamber's Safety Committee survey available this week
Congratulations . . .

Federal Reserve President to speak at Breakfast Club 
This 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.  Plosser’s visit comes 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 Your Choice 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.

Reservations close this week for Business Excellence Dinner
The Chamber’s Annual Business Excellence Dinner will be held at The Casino at Lakemont Park next 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 online. Deadline to register is Wednesday at noon.

Blair Business Mirror to be published tomorrow
Tomorrow’s issue of the Blair Business Mirror will feature a cover story on Lakemont Park as well as stories on advocacy efforts encouraged by the Executive Roundtable, on the retirement of Sister Mary Ann Dillon, on the graduation of The Chamber’s Leadership Blair County Youth class, on a key transportation issue that will impact Blair County and much, much more.  Get your copy by purchasing the Altoona Mirror.  The Chamber also mails a copy directly to each member-business.  

Great advertising deal for Chamber Members 
If you didn’t have an opportunity to advertise in the June issue of the Blair Business Mirror, don’t despair. You can run a 2 column by 5 inch ad in the July issue and then have the same ad run in the Sunday issue of the Altoona Mirror any Sunday during July for a grand total of just $100 (for both). This price is for Chamber Members only so don’t miss out. Two great ads for one small price! To reserve space, contact Sue Fochler at 946-7545.   

Sustainability Coalition to launch "Green Drinks" 
The Chamber’s Coalition on Environmental Sustainability will initiate a “Green Drinks” networking program beginning this week. Green Drinks is a self-organizing global network with more than 700 locations worldwide. It is an open forum for anyone interested or working in the sustainability industry to network. The first Green Drinks for the Chamber’s group will be this Tuesday, June 8, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at The Knickerbocker in Altoona. Direct any questions to Katrina Pope at 942-7472.   

Leadership Blair County Adult class to graduate Thursday 
The 2009-10 Class of Leadership Blair County will graduate from the program on Thursday at The Casino at Lakemont Park. Sixteen graduates will receive certificates of completion. This is the 16th class of graduates from the LBC Adult Program. For more information on Leadership Blair County, visit The Chamber’s website.

Chambers to collaborate on "Business After Hours" 
Mainline National Bank in Ebensburg will be the destination of The Chamber’s next Business After Hours, set for this Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. The Business After Hours is being held jointly by the Blair County Chamber and the Greater Johnstown / Cambria County Chamber. The cost to attend is $5 for members in advance, $6 at the door. Non-members can attend for $10 in advance or $12 at the door. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Will proscratination cost you money on electric use?

The Blair County Chamber has been fortunate to partner with ChamberChoice and OnDemand Energy to offer an electric program that will absolutely save money for our members. Many members have already taken steps to secure a spot in the program. Sadly, many have not. If you’ve put off looking for alternatives to your current electric situation, you are taking a huge gamble. Check out the Chamber program today. You will have no regrets! For more information, call ChamberChoice at 1-866-699-9968 or call The Chamber at 943-8151.

Chamber offering resources for small business members 
The Chamber recognizes that many small businesses have a difficult time in things like hiring, regulatory compliance and recordkeeping.  For that reason, the organization has purchased several publications that it is willing to lend to interested Chamber Members. The publications are: Principles of Payroll Administration, Pennsylvania Human Resources Manual, Model Policies and Forms for Pennsylvania Employers, An Employer’s Guide to Employee Benefits, Guide to FMLA and ADA, Employment Verification and Employer’s Guide to Wage and Hour. To borrow a publication, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151.

Next Leadership Blair County class forming 
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. 

Final "Issues" trilogy on healthcare tapes this week 
The final of three “Issues” programs on Healthcare Reform, to be broadcast on the Altoona Public Access Channel, will tape this Thursday, June 10. The program will focus on healthcare providers and will feature a panel that includes consisting Christine Cox of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Maureen Frucella of Preferred Healthcare System, Dr. Zane Gates and Dr. J. Grant Hormell.  Sponsorships for the program, at just $200 each, can be secured by contacting Mike McMullen at 943-8151. Deadline for sponsors is Tuesday at noon.

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.

Drawing for "Immaculate Reception" photo is Thursday 

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 Thursday’s LBC Adult Graduation. Contact Judy Juda at The Chamber to purchase a chance.  

Chamber's Safety Committee survey available this week 
In an effort to provide programming to meet the needs of the membership, the Blair County Chamber of Commerce's Safety Committee this week is sending, by email, a survey to all Chamber Member businesses. The committee sends the survey every June to find out what issues are on the minds of members. This year the committee decided to break away from the formal multiple choice ranking survey and instead has sent each Chamber Member a three open-ended question survey. The survey will only take a few mintues to complete and answers can be as detailed or brief as the member needs. Members' responses will help the committee plan future programming. The Safety Committee works to provide programs targeted to safety directors and human resource directors from throughout the membership. The committee plans monthly programs, from September to May, that focus on regulatory compliance, disaster prevention and issues that involve health and safety of employees. For more information about the Chamber's Safety Committee or programming, contact Mike McMullen at 943-8151.

Congratulations . . . 
. . . to Stan Sheetz, President/CEO of Sheetz, Inc. who was named among the Top 10 “Most Innovative People” in the quick-serve restaurant industry in a recent issue of QSR magazine. 

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