WE-LEaD Spring Workshop set for Wednesday

The WE-LEaD Spring Workshop featuring Angela Megasko, President and Owner of Market Viewpoint, LLC will be held this Wednesday, April 6 at the Devorris Downtown Conference Center in Altoona. Her presentation is titled: “If Your Heart Had a Voice, What Would It Say? – Bringing Authenticity to Everything In Your Life!”  The workshop begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Heritage Discovery Center with registration, a light breakfast and the opportunity to visit a number of booths geared to women’s interests. The workshop's purpose is to teach attendees how to gain a deeper understanding of who they are and what they believe; how to communicate with those who matter to them through the languages of the heart; and how to develop a plan for regularly listening to what their hearts have to say.  Megasko’s presentation is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. followed by a buffet lunch and more time with booth exhibitors. Once again this year, the WE-LEaD Workshop is sponsored by Blair Medical Associates. A business owner, entrepreneur, author, performance coach and professional speaker with more than 30 years experience in the business world, Megasko has a client list that includes the Panasonic Corporation, The Goddard Schools, Petco, Burlington Coat Factory and Longwood Gardens, just to name a few. Her newest book, "Generational Marketing," was written to help business professionals understand the implications of working in a multi-generational environment. The cost to attend the workshop is $60 for Chamber Members and $70 for non-members. Call the Chamber at 943-8151 to register or register online.   

Lakemont Park discontinues partnership on Holiday Lights

Officials from Lakemont Park have notified The Chamber that they will no longer partner with The Chamber on the Holiday Lights on the Lake program.  “The Park has decided to do the Lights program using its own staff,” explained Chamber President Joe Hurd. “It’s disappointing because our partnership had yielded valuable benefits to both organizations during the eight years that we worked together. It also allowed us to provide our members with a discount on light displays, a considerable savings for the businesses that purchased the larger displays.” Hurd is hopeful that Holiday Lights continues to be successful. “Our interest from the beginning was to participate in an attraction that would bring additional visitors to our area as means of helping our retail and hospitality businesses to realize more business,” he pointed out. “It’s important that we don’t lose the momentum that the partnership has been able to generate.” Any business interested in purchasing a light display should call Lakemont Park at 949-7275.

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April Lunch'n'Learn to focus on disaster preparedness

The Blair County Chamber’s next Lunch'n'Learn program, to be held on April 21 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Park Hills Country Club, will help businesses of all sizes to assess their ability to respond to a disaster or a major business disruption. Tom Kristofco of Business Continuity Concepts will present, “What is Your Tsunami?” Kristofco will stress the importance of businesses having a business continuity plan in place, the responsibilities of a response effort and how to close the gaps when something unforeseen occurs. The cost to attend the Lunch'n'Learn is $22 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members.  To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Still time to register for residential electric program

Even though The Chamber's Energy Program for commercial businesses ended enrollment for its Guaranteed Savings program, the Residential Electric Program is still accepting new customers. "The 6.99 cents/kwh rate is locked-in until the end of December for employees of Chamber-Member businesses,” reminded Chamber President Joe Hurd. "It makes perfect sense for employers to pass this savings on to their people as a benefit of working for a Chamber Member." The current Penelec rate for residential customers is 7.68.  To access the link to register for the residential program, contact Mike McMullen at 943-8151.  Details of a new commercial program will be outlined in next week’s Business Bulletin.   

Great offers being added to Blue Card list

As more Chamber Members receive their Blue Cards, the number of businesses posting discounted offers also increases. Have you and your employees taken advantage of those offers? If you haven’t had an opportunity to look at the list, simply visit The Chamber website. If you haven’t picked-up your Blue Card, stop by The Chamber Office at the Devorris Center for Business Development. Why pay more for the products and services that you purchase every day?   

Price of China t rip called “Too low”

“How can The Chamber possibly offer a nine-day trip to China for under $2,000 when a flight to China almost costs that much?” That was the question that a visitor to The Chamber Office asked last week. Thanks to a special program initiated through Citslinc, a nationwide provider of trips to China specifically for chambers of commerce, our Chamber is able to offer an all-expense paid trip that features four and five-star hotels and the very best in amenities.  "People from other chambers who have taken the trip can attest to its quality,” admitted Blair County Chamber President Joe Hurd. “If we weren’t absolutely certain that it was a great trip, we wouldn’t be putting our reputation on the line.” For more information on the China Trip, call The Chamber at 943-8151.   

“Issues” program on transportation debuts today

With transportation such a major issue in Pennsylvania's future, how does Blair County stack-up in terms of infrastructure, public transit, air travel and other modes of moving people around? That question is the focus of the next Chamber “Issues” program that begins airing today on the Altoona Public Access Channel. The program will run every Monday at 11 a.m. and every Tuesday at 9 p.m. throughout April and for the first three weeks of May. Panelists for the program, entitled, "Moving People Around: Blair County’s Transportation Challenges," are: Patrick Miller of Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation, Chuck Pillar of Altoona-Blair County Airport, Tom Prestash of PennDOT District 9, Jamie Van Buren of New Enterprise Stone & Lime Company and Eric Wolf of AMTRAN. Carolyn Donaldson of WTAJ-TV moderates the show. Sponsors for the program are: Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation, AMTRAN, Keller Engineers, P. Joseph Lehman, Inc., Skills of Central PA, The EADS Group, GAI Consultants and Ward Transport & Logistics. 

Registrations continue for Highmark/Chamber Golf Classic

April has arrived and that means the long-anticipated Highmark/ Chamber Golf Classic is only six weeks away. Where will you be on May 16? Hopefully it won’t be sitting in your office lamenting the fact that you waited too long to register for one of the first (and unquestionably the best!) golf outings of the season. Sign-ups are currently taking place and it’s expected that the event will be completely sold-out by the beginning of May. Don’t delay. Call The Chamber Office at 943-8151 and get your name or your foursome’s names on the list. A limited number of tee-and-green opportunities also are available.