• The Danville Child Development Center’s June newsletter is now available.

• Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES), which is operated by Talen Energy, was recently recognized by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) for an innovation that helped improve the reliability and efficiency of the plant, so it can keep generating clean energy 24/7. 
  

  Russel Karshick, Senior Technology Specialist at Susquehanna Steam Electric Station accepts the Stations’ TIP Award from NEI’s Susan Perkins

  Representatives from SSES were presented with a Top Innovative Practice (TIP) Award at NEI’s annual Nuclear Energy Assembly (NEA) event held earlier this month in Washington, D.C. The NEI presents TIP Awards to recognize the most remarkable efforts aimed at making the current fleet more efficient, reliable and cost-competitive.  The awards highlight new solutions that teams at nuclear energy companies are using to drive the industry forward.”  SSES was one of 10 winners out of 85 total submissions. SSES’ use of 3D printing technology to create solutions for obsolete parts in-house earned it a TIP Award. Learn more about this achievement by viewing the NEI Website or by checking out Susquehanna’s informational video.

• The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) has named PPL Electric Utilities as the 2019 SEPA Power Players Investor-Owned Utility of the Year. Now in their eleventh year, the SEPA Power Players Awards honor utilities, their industry partners and individual thought leaders, providing the vision, models and momentum for the electric power industry’s smart transition to a clean, modern energy future. Chosen by an independent panel of judges with diverse experience in the electric power industry, PPL Electric Utilities and winners in six other categories will be celebrated at an awards gala on Monday, July 29, co-located with SEPA’s Grid Evolution Summit in Washington, D.C. PPL’s award was a recognition of the company’s comprehensive plan and strategy to prepare for the future by creating the next generation of advanced distribution management system functionalities through its Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS). This system dynamically manages distributed energy resources (DER) connected to PPL’s grid to optimize power quality, while encouraging the adoption of DER like solar. The DERMS enables PPL to host more interconnected DER because it leverages these resources to counteract some of the negative impacts that DER can have in high penetrations. Those impacts can include high line voltage or over-operation of capacitor banks.

• The Ronald McDonald House of Danville invites all to join them in celebration of 38 years of service with a “Luau Party” on its patio on Monday, June 24, from 4-7 p.m. There will be a special guest appearance from Boomer, the Williamsport Crosscutters’ mascot, from 5-6 p.m. The Pine Barn Inn will be among the organizations on site with prizes and food samples for guests. Guests are also welcome to donate any gift cards for RMHD guests. Donations can be brought to this event, or dropped off prior in a special donation container at the Chamber office. For information, visit the Facebook event page. To register for this event, contact Ginnetta Reed by email or at 570-271-7937.

• The Children’s Museum will host Families with Special Needs Night on Friday, June 28, from 6-8 p.m. at the museum located at 2 West 7th St., Bloomsburg. This evening is specially for families with special needs individuals and features a reduced number of visitors, space and freedom to explore at your own pace, adapted exhibits, a quiet area, fun craft and sensory activities and an opportunity to network with other families. This quarterly event is free to all families with special needs members. 

• Elmcroft Senior Living will hold an Open House on Saturday, June 29 from 1-3 p.m. at its location at 2050 West Front St., Berwick. Attendees can meet Elmcroft’s welcoming staff, tour its model apartments and learn more about this senior living community. There is no cost to attend. RSVP by calling 570-759-3155, and see the event invitation for more information. 

• The Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit will host a Business & Education Summit on Wednesday, July 10, from 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at Milton Area High School, 700 Mahoning St., Milton. This event will feature a presentation with Mark C. Perna on groundbreaking strategies that are changing the education and workforce development paradigm nationwide and more. There is no cost to attend. For more information, see the flyer, and register online. 

• The Bucknell University Small Business Development Center will hold its annual Celebration of Small Business breakfast on Friday, July 26 at 8 a.m. This annual event celebrates entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial leaders and also features awards. There is no cost to attend. Register online or call 570-577-1249. 

• The Regional Impact Fund of the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation recently announced its second competitive grantround of $50K for projects that address current areas of unmet needs throughout the CSCF’s service area, which includes Columbia and Montour Counties. This year’s grantround will consist of an exciting new application process and opportunity for the public to get involved. Interested nonprofits will first submit a Letter of Inquiry introducing their organization, needs, service area, and budgetary request. Those proposals selected by the CSCF Grants Committee will then be invited to submit a full application and participate in The Nonprofit Narrative on Monday, July 29, at 8:30 a.m. at the Danville Area High School auditorium. The Nonprofit Narrative is a platform for these groups to share their grant requests and stories of regional impact—the joys, challenges, dreams and requests each face as they serve our neighbors, communities, and region at large. For more information on the Regional Impact Fund, competitive grantround or The Nonprofit Narrative, visit csgiving.org/rif. 

• The Bucknell University Small Business Development Center invites interested business in need of website development to connect with Bucknell students in the “Markets, Innovation, and Design 300” class in the Freeman College of Management. Each semester, these students make websites free of charge for local small businesses. These projects provide a hands-on learning experience for the students while bringing new ideas to these organizations. In early September, the students will be introduced to this assignment and divided into teams. Then the teams will have the liberty to choose with which businesses and organizations they would like to work. By early October, each student team will meet with their client to learn about the specific needs and goals of the organization and the purpose that the site should serve. Over the course of the semester, the students will then design and build the website with an online website software program, incorporating text and photographs provided by the organization. If your business or organization is in need of a website, or if it would benefit from a redesigned site, then please fill out this online form by Aug. 15 to ensure your organization is considered. Additional information is available on this form. 

The Chamber was on hand on June 13 as Tri-County Lumber broke ground on its new design center, which will be called Forest & Field. It will be located in the Columbia County Business Park on Alliance Park Dr. in Lightstreet and directly next to the Fairfield Inn & Suites.

This design center will be a 10,000-square foot showroom with interactive kitchen and bathroom displays, and spots for customers to meet with builders, architects and designers. There will also be a lounge area and conference rooms. Construction is scheduled to get underway in the next month, and the project is scheduled to take about a year to complete.