Blair Business Mirror to feature Cove Forge
Chamber Executive Committee, Finance Committee to meet
Survey asks Chamber Members to identify sustainability issues
"Green Drinks" tomorrow at the Knickerbocker
Next Monday is launch day for "Biz Briefs"
Jethro's hosting Thursday's GRYP networking event
ACE Award nominations now being accepted
Chamber offering fall internship
Ireland trip provides more flexibility to travelers
Chamber makes publications available to members
"Issues" trilogy on healthcare runs throughout July
Congratulations . . .

Blair Business Mirror to feature Cove Forge   
The Blair Business Mirror hits the newsstands tomorrow as a supplement to the Altoona Mirror. Among the stories to look for are a cover feature on Cove Forge Behavioral Health Systems, an inside feature on ArroActiv, Inc. and plenty of informative pieces on Chamber advocacy, Leadership Blair County Youth, employment opportunities and the Restaurant Roundtable. The Blair Business Mirror is a great place to keep track of the local business community. It’s also an effective and inexpensive place to advertise. Call the Altoona Mirror for great rates!  

Chamber Executive Committee, Finance Committee to meet  
The summer months do not mean vacation time for all Chamber committees. This Thursday, the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors will meet at 7:30 a.m., followed by an 8:30 a.m. meeting of the Finance Committee. Any Chamber Member having issues to bring before either committee are asked to contact Joe Hurd by the end of the day today at 943-8151. 

Survey asks Chamber Members to identify sustainability issues  
With more environmental issues coming to the forefront of business with each passing day, The Chamber’s Coalition on Environmental Sustainability is anxious to help members to better understand how to prioritize those issues and ultimately how to address them. The real challenge for the Coalition, though, is to ascertain which businesses are already aware of how to proceed and which have no clue. Thus, a survey has been compiled by the Coalition which takes only a few minutes to complete but which will help define the scope of future educational efforts. “We’re really interested in doing whatever we can to help businesses to sort out what can become very confusing,” remarked Amie Myers of Your Green Life, who chairs the Coalition. “We just need to know where that help is needed most.” Click here to access the survey.    

"Green Drinks" tomorrow at the Knickerbocker  
The Chamber’s Coalition on Environmental Sustainability will hold its next “Green Drinks” networking event tomorrow, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Tunnel at the Knickerbocker Tavern. There is no cost to attend. “Green Drinks” is a national concept to encourage people to find ways to discuss sustainability issues. For further information, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151.    

Next Monday is launch day for "Biz Brief"  
The Chamber and radio station WRTA have announced a partnership that will allow Chamber Members and people in the community to access broadcast information about upcoming Chamber events and programs on both the Chamber website and the WRTA site. The “Chamber Biz Brief” will be a 90-second spot with information provided through the Business Bulletin, The Chamber’s E-mail newsletter that is published each Monday morning. The Biz Brief will prioritize and encapsulate what’s happening at The Chamber and break it all down into manageable pieces. The debut date for Biz Brief is next Monday, July 19.    

Jethro's hosting Thursday's GRYP networking event  
The Chamber’s Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals will hold a summer networking event from 6 to 8 p.m. this Thursday at Jethro’s in Altoona. The event is free for GRYP members and $5.00 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151.  

ACE award nominations now being accepted 
The Chamber’s Farm-City Committee currently is accepting nominations for the Agricultural Community Excellence (ACE) Award to be presented at the Farm-City Dinner on Oct. 26. Nomination forms will be included in the mailed copies of the Blair Business Mirror and also were faxed to Chamber Members last week. Download a form online. Nominations for the ACE Award will be accepted until Aug. 13. For more information, contact Stacy Hoover at 943-8151.   

Chamber offering fall internship 
The Chamber will offer an internship to a deserving college student for the Fall Semester. The internship can be for credit or non-credit and should be for students in either marketing or some business-related major. Contact Linda Stotler at 943-8151.   

Ireland trip provides more flexibility to travelers 
The Chamber’s trip to Ireland has added additional dates for anyone interested in options to the original Oct. 2 to 11 dates. “The motor coach spots for the original date have been filled so we have added Oct. 9 to 18 and Oct. 12 to 21 as optional dates,” reported Donna Wilt of Classic Travel. “It should be attractive to anyone who had a conflict to begin with. We’re doing our best to be accommodating.”  For further information, contact Donna at 696-3558.   

Chamber makes publications available to members 
The Chamber recognizes that many businesses, particularly 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.  

"Issues" trilogy on healthcare runs throughout July 
The final of three “Issues” programs on Healthcare Reform, being broadcast on the Altoona Public Access Channel, will air every Monday at 11 a.m. and every Tuesday at 9 p.m. throughout the month of July. The focus of this third show is on healthcare providers and includes a panel consisting of Christine Cox of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Maureen Frucella of Preferred Healthcare System, David Duncan of Blair Medical Associates, Dr. Zane Gates, and Dr. J. Grant Hormell. Carolyn Donaldson of WTAJ Your News Leader serves as moderator. Sponsors of the program are: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Preferred Healthcare System and Young, Oakes, Brown & Company.

Congratulations . . . 
. . . to Wessel & Company of Johnstown, which was among five companies in Pennsylvania honored with the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award by the Pennsylvania Psychological Association.

. . . to State Representative Rick Geist who was honored by the Penn State Alumni Association with its fifth annual “Friend of Penn State” legislative award. 

For more information, visit The Chamber website

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