Executive Committee approves Not-For-Profit roundtable
Biz Brief launches today on Chamber, WRTA sites
Chair, vice-chair named for Retail Roundtable
New Comfort Suites to host Thursday's Business After Hours
Sustainability survey seeks to uncover member issues
Marcellus shale to be topic of August Breakfast Club
ACE Award nominations now being accepted
Chamber offering fall internship
Chamber makes publications available to members
"Issues" trilogy on healthcare runs throughout July
Impressions holding open house 

Executive Committee approves Not-For-Profit Roundtable 

The Executive Committee of the Chamber Board of Directors has approved the creation of a Not-For-Profit Roundtable that will explore issues of common concerns and help not-for-profits to take advantage of opportunities that may be generated through collaborative efforts. “We have many not-for-profit businesses and organizations and, for the most part, they are struggling,” explained Chamber Board Chairman Bob Bilger of M&T Bank. “The roundtable concept, which has been successful in several of our industry sectors, is a logical place to bring people together for discussion and ultimately for action.” Chamber President Joe Hurd will oversee the Not-For-Profit Roundtable. Invitations to Chamber Member not-for-profits for inclusion on the roundtable will be sent out in August.

Biz Brief launches today on Chamber, WRTA sites  
The partnership between The Chamber and radio station WRTA 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 officially kicks-off today. The “Chamber Biz Brief” is 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. “It’s for the business person who wants to stay informed but who’d sooner not take the time to read a newsletter to access that information,” explained Chamber President Joe Hurd. The Biz Brief can be found at WRTA website.

Chair, vice chair named for Retail Roundtable 
Since its creation more than a year ago, The Chamber’s Retail Roundtable has been without a leadership component. That’s no longer the case. On July 15, the Executive Committee of the Chamber Board appointed Joy Weidel of the Logan Valley Mall to chair the Roundtable and retired retailer JoAnn Nardelli to serve as its vice-chair. The Retail Roundtable meets bi-monthly and works to address the needs of local retailers. For more information, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151.  

New Comfort Suites to host Thursday's Business After Hours 
The newly-constructed Comfort Suites hotel, located off the Pinecroft Exit (#39) of I-99, will host The Chamber’s next “Business After Hours” this Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. The Comfort Suites is the first all-suites hotel in the area and offers oversized rooms with separate areas for work, sleep and relaxing. The cost to attend Business After Hours is $5 for Chamber Members in advance and $6 at the door. Non-members may attend at $10 in advance and $12 at the door. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.   

Sustainability survey seeks to uncover member 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 already are 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 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.” To access the survey, click here.  

Marcellus shale topic of August Breakfast Club 
Pennsylvania ’s most significant economic opportunity, perhaps in its history, already is making inroads throughout the Commonwealth. But what will Marcellus Shale mean to Blair County and what can businesses here be doing to participate in the process? Those answers and more will be part of a presentation by Jason Fink, Executive Vice-President of the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, at the Aug. 12 Chamber Breakfast Club. Fink will present, “Impacts of Marcellus Shale and Opportunities for Blair County .” He’ll focus on what services already are being accessed in the county related to the mammoth project and where additional services will be needed. The cost to attend the Breakfast Club, which is held at The Casino at Lakemont Park beginning at 7:45 a.m., is $16 for Chamber Members and $25 for non-members. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.    

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 were also faxed to Chamber Members last week. You also can access a form on the Chamber’s website. 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 for details.

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. 

Impressions holding open house 
Impressions, a Chamber member located at 2330 Commercial Blvd. , Suite 600 in State College , is holding an Open House on July 22 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. To RSVP, call 234-1378. All Chamber Members are welcome! 

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