Member News- November 25, 2020
WHLM Parade of Lights
PennDOT has approved the permit for the WHLM Parade of Lights so it will be held Friday, November 27th at 6:00 p.m. Registration is not required this year. The 2020 WHLM PARADE OF LIGHTS will illuminate Downtown Bloomsburg with classic cars, floats, boats, fire trucks, thousands of Christmas lights, and usher in the Christmas season when Santa Claus comes to the only Town in Pennsylvania! The parade route forms at 4:30 PM at the Geisinger Bloomsburg parking lot on Lightstreet Road, then moves at 6 PM down Main Street to Market Street, and ending at the Bloomsburg Firehall.
Additional details are at https://www.whlm.com/whlm-parade-of-lights
Post-Election Webinar Series: December 3, 10, and 17
McKonly & Asbury invites you to attend a three-part Post-Election Webinar Series! While we’re disappointed we can’t come together for the annual Collaborate Conference this year, we are excited to close out the year with these webinars that will discuss how the Presidential Election may impact you and your business for 2021.
This webinar series features a variety of timely topics from dynamic speakers with industry-specific knowledge to provide you with information to help you prepare for the coming year. Learn more and register for the sessions below!
DECEMBER 3, 2020 AT 2:00 PM – WHAT INVESTORS CAN EXPECT NEXT
Ed O’Gorman, MBA, CFA® is Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of River Wealth Advisors, a Harrisburg-based wealth management firm serving individuals and small businesses across the country. Ed will be joined by Eric Wiegand, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, wealth advisor, and leader of the firm’s office in the Lehigh Valley.
In this webinar, Ed and Eric will discuss the election results, potential impacts to the economic and regulatory environment, ongoing pandemic stress on “Main Street,” and what investors can expect in the months ahead as we await results of the outstanding political races and prepare for whatever 2021 has in store for us.
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/481548021149226255
DECEMBER 10, 2020 AT 2:00 PM – POLLING INSIGHTS
James Lee is President and Founder of Susquehanna Polling and Research, Inc. and The Bartlett Group, a Pennsylvania-based survey research and polling firm with a national reputation for expert polling for corporate, consumer, and political clients. Most recently, James and his team conducted frequent 2020 Presidential Election polls accurately calling the results in numerous states, most specifically Florida.
In this webinar, James will discuss the polling process, data gathered from the polling process, and exit polling. He will go on to provide conversation on how this information might provide insight into policies for the new presidential administration and incoming Congress.
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2673934624516047887
DECEMBER 17, 2020 AT 2:00 PM – OUTLOOK FROM THE HILL
Dean Zerbe, National Managing Director at alliantgroup and former Senior Counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, along with Rick Lazio, alliantgroup Senior Vice President and former U.S. Congressman, join us to close out our webinar series. If you attended our previous Collaborate Conferences, you know this energetic duo offers an insider’s perspective on the IRS, Capitol Hill, and how developing legislation and tax policy will impact you and your clients in the coming year.
During this webinar, they will dive into what the political landscape looks like after election day, what the impact will be within the House and Senate, how the election results will affect the economy, and how businesses should prepare themselves going into 2021.
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3336291424204629007
Swift Kennedy Offers Compliance Guidance
No matter what the future holds, business owners know that group health insurance regulations may change again sometime next year. But in the meantime, employers can rely on insurance brokerage firms like Swift Kennedy & Associates to help guide them through the maze of federal and state regulations imposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and other laws.
“Our job is to ease the burden of business owners so that instead of worrying about compliance with health insurance rules, they can focus on their organizations’ success,” said Jerry Calistri, Swift Kennedy’s President and CEO, who is a Certified Healthcare Reform Specialist.
Compliance Analysis and Documents
Swift Kennedy helps companies analyze their benefit plans for compliance with the ACA and ERISA in order to help them avoid time-consuming audits and stiff penalties for violations of these laws.
For example, businesses that are plan administrators are required by federal law to maintain and distribute Wrap Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs), which wrap around the companies’ certificates of insurance and benefit plan booklets. They must also administer their plans in accordance with a written Plan Document, which they are required to send to plan participants and beneficiaries upon request.
To help with compliance, Swift Kennedy generates these documents for clients and provides information on how and when to send them to plan participants.
The agency also generates government-mandated Benefit Notices and Distribution Guidelines for clients.
What happens when regulations change? “We inform clients about changes and give them guidance on how to comply with the new rules,” said Calistri.
Other Services
Other services provided by Swift Kennedy include enrollments, terminations, billing support, claims assistance, COBRA administration, payroll services, and virtual open enrollment meetings. The firm also offers clients a virtual benefits administration system and a comprehensive online HR/benefits library that provides forms and information about recruitment, hiring, absence management, performance reviews, state employment laws, and healthcare reform.
Swift Kennedy helps businesses find affordable employee benefit plans, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and alternative funding options. This full-service agency, which also offers individual and senior insurance products, has offices in Scranton, Williamsport, DuBois, State College, and Virginia Beach.
NEPIRC’s Ray Kryeski and Brian Matyjevich Attain AS 9100:2016 Certification
Ray Kryeski, Mechanical Engineer
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) is pleased to announce that two of its staff members, Ray Kryeski, Mechanical Engineer, and Brian Matyjevich, Lean Enterprise Consultant, recently attained their AS 9100:2016 certifications. As a result, the pair will host NEPIRC’s AS 9100:2016 Revision D Internal Auditor Training in spring 2021. The AS 9100:2016 focuses specifically on the aerospace industry and is part of the comprehensive standards produced by the Americas Aerospace Quality Group (AAQG) and the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG).
Brian Matyjevich, Lean Enterprise Consultant
Ray and Brian also instruct NEPIRC’s ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor training course, which covers the general ISO certification standard that applies to all industries.
NEPIRC will offer AS 9100:2016 training to small and mid-sized manufacturers in response to client demand to achieve aerospace-specific standards beyond the general ISO 9001 umbrella. NEPIRC also offers individual company consultations in achieving ISO, AS 9100 and other pertinent Quality Management System certifications and registrations. Interested companies can schedule a private consultation with NEPIRC by contacting Dale Parmenteri, NEPIRC’s Vice President of Consulting Operations, at Dale@NEPIRC.com.
Tyler Bloom Received Leo Feser Award
It was just announced that Tyler Bloom has won a national award for a publication written this year from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. More information about the Leo Feser Award can be found here.
Recently, he has also struck a partnership agreement with the PGA of America to assist in Career Services focused on workforce development initiatives – executive search, apprenticeships, diversity, and inclusion.
Lastly, Tyler Bloom has started a working relationship with the University of Tennessee to create an industry-recognized apprenticeship program for the turf/landscape industries.
Scholarship Fund Honors Memory of Former Warrior Run SD Business Manager 
Established in memory of a life dedicated to serving the community and bringing joy to all who knew her, the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation announces the creation of the Linda McNeal Scholarship Fund under the Warrior Run Education Foundation. Mrs. McNeal was retired from the Warrior Run School District, where she served as the business manager. Known as a vibrant and joyful woman, she enjoyed supporting her community and the people around her in any way possible.
Family and friends knew that creating a scholarship fund was the perfect way to honor Mrs. McNeal’s memory and passion after her passing earlier this month. The Linda McNeal Scholarship Fund will provide an annual scholarship to a Warrior Run graduating senior who is pursuing a certification or degree at a trade school. Special consideration will be given to students who have gained confidence and motivation to pursue a fulfilling career path through the encouragement of a teacher or mentor.
“Our hearts grieve at the passing of Linda. Her work at Warrior Run, beginning in the high school library and culminating in all areas of the business office, endeared her to students, staff, administrators, and community residents,” writes Sarah Kowalski, Warrior Run Education Foundation. “Linda was caring and dedicated to meeting the needs of all the people that she encountered in her job. The establishment of this scholarship fund in her memory will continue her legacy of service to Warrior Run through future generations of students.”
Contributions can be made to the Linda McNeal Scholarship Fund online at csgiving.org (click Donate and search “McNeal”), or mail to the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, Attn: Linda McNeal Scholarship Fund, 725 West Front Street, Berwick, PA 18603.
Warrior Run Education Foundation partners with the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization which manages nearly 300 charitable funds and makes grant investments throughout the region to improve the quality of life in the Central Susquehanna area. For more information, visit csgiving.org or call the Foundation at 1-866-454-6692