From PA Chamber of Business & Industry
In early January, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that Pennsylvania business owners will see a reduction this year in their Unemployment Compensation taxes, which will save them an estimated $552 million in 2020.
The elimination of the 1.1 percent UC tax rate interest that took effect on Jan. 1 makes the current tax rate the lowest since 1979. It follows the repayment of the state’s UC bond debt, which was made possible through Act 60 of 2012 (a UC reform law that the PA Chamber championed) and included provisions to refinance the state’s federal UC loans through bond sales. The 1.1 percent interest factor was put in place from 2013 through 2019 to help repay the bonds. This refinancing of UC debt saved employers approximately $57 million in interest costs. In addition, the fund’s solvency percentage as of July 2019 was 181 percent – the highest level since 2001. The fund is considered solvent when its level reaches two and a half times (or 250 percent) the average annual benefit payout over the last three years.
In a press release issued by the governor’s office, PA Chamber President Gene Barr celebrated the lower rate as a way to help employers pay down some of the highest UC rates in the country and ensure that the UC fund can remain intact as a financial safety net for individuals who lose their job through no fault of their own and are actively searching for work. “The Great Recession put the state’s UC Fund in financial crisis, threatening this important program and forcing us to borrow billions from the federal government,” Barr said. “We were proud to work with a bipartisan coalition of legislators and the Corbett administration to shore up this critical safety net and refinance the federal loan, which employers were still responsible for paying off but under more favorable terms. We are pleased employers can start off the New Year with a lower UC tax rate and thank Governor Wolf for recognizing the need to drive down business costs in PA.”
As part of its member-driven 2020 legislative agenda, the PA Chamber continues to pursue reforms to the state’s UC system that will promote fairness in the law for employers, control costs and further ensure the solvency of the UC Trust Fund.
The Chamber of Commerce will recognize outstanding individuals at its Annual Meeting, sponsored by PPL Electric Utilities, on Tuesday, February 18th. Awards will be presented in five categories. Nominees for the awards are as follows:
Small Business of the Year – Sponsored by First Columbia Bank & Trust
Altera Life
LIVIC Civil
Marr Development
Wild for Salmon
Large Business of the Year – Sponsored by DRIVE
Atlantic Broadband
AUTONEUM
Bloomsburg University
Service 1st Federal Credit Union
Community Progress – Sponsored by Atlantic Broadband
Bloomsburg Area School District
DRIVE
First Columbia Bank & Trust Co.
Frosty Valley Resort
Pretty Petals & Gifts by Susan
Service 1st Federal Credit Union
Nonprofit of the Year – Sponsored by PNC Bank
AGAPE Love from Above
Danville Child Development Center
United Way of Columbia & Montour Counties
Outstanding Citizen – Sponsored by the Berwick Industrial Development Association
Ronn Cort, SEKISUI SPI
Lisa Makara, Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital
Barbara Warunek, Columbia County
Help us to celebrate all of the nominees by attending the Annual Meeting at The Barn at Frosty Valley. Register online or by sending in the invitation with payment by February 10.
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As of Tuesday, January 14, 2020, Microsoft ended support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008R2. While the common term is called “end of life”, computers running these operating systems will continue to work. However, Microsoft will no longer be sending important security updates for these operating systems. Businesses are strongly encouraged to update their computers.
If you are still running Windows 7, keep in mind the following:
1. Assuming that the software you run is still compatible with Windows 7, you should remain functional until you can upgrade.
2. A computer running Windows 7 may be able to run Windows 10.
3. It is important to NOT rush this upgrade. There should be an evaluation of systems and software before upgrading operating systems.
3. The need to be vigilant about what is accessed and allowed to run on your systems is greater than ever. Because the operating system is end of life, you are at a greater security risk and will be more vulnerable until you upgrade.
Businesses are strongly encouraged to contact their IT providers as soon as possible to discuss updating/upgrading workstations and laptops running Windows 7, or servers running Server 2008R2.
- Bloomsburg University Athletics recently announced “National Girls & Women in Sports Day,” which will take place on Saturday, January 25, beginning at 10 a.m. at Nelson Field House. The free event is open to all girls and boys K-8. The day begins with a basketball clinic at 10 a.m. followed by a speed and agilities clinic at 10:30 a.m. Then, an activities fair will take place at 11:15 a.m. with a pizza lunch to follow at 12 noon. Students will then attend the Women’s Basketball game vs. West Chester University beginning at 1 p.m. with an optional post-game autograph session. Learn more here. Register by calling 570-389-3907 or email emccabe@bloomu.edu.
- Shared Ride Offers Transportation Option for Seniors
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rabbittransit offers seniors aged 65 and older safe, reliable transportation known as “shared ride” or paratransit. Shared ride is door-to-door bus service that groups together trips between multiple customers. Shared ride can be used for all kinds of trips, such as medical appointments, grocery shopping, hair appointments, banking, recreation, physical therapy, visits, adult day care and more! There may be a co-pay for each ride. The cost depends on many different factors. There is a mandatory application and reservation process to ride.
Avoid the phone and schedule trips using our online tool at FindMyRidePA.com; there you can also edit or cancel planned trips. The new ticketless fare system makes it simple to just board and go. Pre-pay for trips online at rabbittransit.org or by calling customer service. You may pay toward your own account or on behalf of someone else.
For more information on our shared ride service, visit rabbittransit.org today or call 1-800-632-9063. - The Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) is seeking input from the public in developing a five-year strategic plan. The first draft of the plan is available at https://montourrec.com/strategic-plan. Comments should be submitted by Friday, January 17th.
- Penn State World Campus is hosting an MBA Informational Webinar. The webinar on Tuesday, January 28th at noon is intended for people interested in learning more about the Penn State Online Master of Business Administration program, led by Smeal College of Business faculty.
Program staff and faculty will explain how completion of this MBA can offer valuable career benefits. This webinar can also help people decide if this program might be a good fit. Staff members will answer questions about curriculum, program concentrations, residency requirements, and the application process, including important application deadlines. Click here to register.
Employees of all Chamber members, their spouses and dependents a 5% discount off tuition through the Penn State World Campus. - Providence Engineering Corp. Announces Promotions
Barry Foreman steps into his new role of Executive Vice President of Providence Engineering after serving as Vice President of Engineering for 4 years. With a career spanning more than 4 decades, Barry has led the growth of Providence’s Warehouse & Distribution market, as well as the expansion of our design services across the United States. Barry’s depth of experience, engineering expertise and professional leadership are invaluable assets that will continue to benefit our firm and all the clients that we serve.
Carol-Ann Denning has been promoted to Vice President of Engineering after serving as the Director of Engineering for 2 years. During this time, Carol-Ann led Providence’s team of 50 engineers as they provided design services across all markets. In addition, Carol-Ann strategically improved Providence Engineering’s technical deliverables and quality control processes. In her new role as Vice President of Engineering, Carol-Ann will continue to focus on Providence’s design deliverables to ensure that quality, timely and affordable solutions remain the hallmark of our firm.
More than 420 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and the region. Increased membership allows the Chamber to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives. The Chamber welcomes Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak to help us fulfill our mission.
Founded in 2002, Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak is a law firm with locations in Williamsport and State College, which specializes in elder law and helping its clients plan for the second half of life. Its mission is to provide protection in times of prosperity, security in times of uncertainty, and comfort in times of crisis. Its areas of practice in elder law include estate planning, long-term care planning, nursing home and Medicaid planning, wealth protection and tax planning, business succession planning and much more. It runs monthly seminars on a variety of pertinent topics related to elder law and offers free initial consultations. Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak is available to meet with clients and potential clients from Berwick, Bloomsburg, Danville and surrounding areas, at locations in the Columbia/Montour region.
For more information, visit its website, Facebook page or call 570-322-2077.
More than 420 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and the region. Increased membership allows the Chamber to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives. The Chamber welcomes Appreciative Strategies, to help us fulfill our mission.
Appreciative Strategies, LLC is a for-profit consulting, training, and human performance improvement solutions company. The business is established on the philosophy of human performance improvement through positive interventions. This is in sharp contrast to conventional methods which typically address problems and seek changes that eliminate or solve problematic areas.
Appreciative Strategies, LLC seeks to find the positive forces within people, teams, and entire organizations. Focusing on the positive and life-giving forces that make the people, teams, and organizations what they are today. In its most simplistic terms instead of addressing problems that bring organizations down, this approach highlights and brings to life the dynamics that make it great.
Dennis Gilbert, president of the company, has 12+ years as a business consultant, speaker, and culture development expert, as well as executive management success in the technology sector, having led a business unit to achieve annual sales in excess of $34 million. Dennis has also worked in academia, serving as the managing director of a business unit that provided workforce training and continuing education for both individuals and entire organizations. He also facilitates the Management & Leadership Certificate Program developed in collaboration with Bloomsburg University. Contact Dennis at 1-646-546-5553 or dennis@appreciativestratgies.com to learn more about how he can help your business be more successful.
- The Exchange is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2020 by inviting the people who made the Moose Exchange lively and who made the Stairwell Gallery happen at the very beginning.
The Moose Exchange operated from February 2010 through January 2014; tenants in the building included artists and small businesses, and the Stairwell Gallery presented work by artists of all ages and levels of experience from throughout our region. This show at the Exchange Gallery — successor to the Stairwell — pays tribute to all of the people who brought life to a giant old building.
The reception takes place Saturday, the 11th of January, 6-8 p.m.; the show runs through the 21st of February.
- McKonly & Asbury – a regional accounting and business advisory services firm – is pleased to announce that Kurt M. Trimarchi, current Managing Partner of McKonly & Asbury, was joined by Michael D. Hoffner in the Managing Partner role as of January 1, 2020. Mr. Hoffner has been a valued member of the McKonly & Asbury team for nearly 15 years and this recognition comes from his continued role on the firm’s Executive Committee as well as his many years of dedicated service to the success of the firm.
This new paradigm in leadership comes off the heels of recent firm growth in 2019, both internally as well as within the firm’s affiliated companies. In January 2019, McKonly & Asbury acquired a third office in Bloomsburg, PA (formerly Brewer & Company), expanding geographic reach and adding to the team of individuals to support future growth. The additional office location also enriched the firm’s expertise in audit, tax compliance, and back-office consulting as well as allowed for additional time and resources to devote to specialty services and industry niches.
- Join United Way of Columbia and Montour Counties at the Salvation Army in Berwick on Wednesday, January 22th at 3 p.m. for the Recovery Resources Community Event.
This educational event offers those who are in recovery or active addiction access to free assessments, child care resources, counseling, and so much more. A judgement free space, the event will bring together the different local organizations and opportunities the area has to support families and individuals struggling with substance use disorder.
- Hand in Hand Family Resource Center is starting off the New Year with some exciting new programs and continuing others that support and educate the caregivers and communities of individuals with health concerns and exceptionalities. Among them is a second mini-series on Individualized Education Plans starting January 18th at 10 a.m. at Danville Child Development Center’s Bloom Road location.
From the PA Chamber of Business & Industry
In the month of December, the National Labor Relations Board overruled three major Obama-era decisions that greatly impact the employer community.
In the first decision, the NLRB overturned a previous ruling which required employers to continue deducting union dues even after the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement. In overturning this ruling, the Board reasoned that a dues checkoff provision properly belongs in the “mandatory subjects of bargaining” category that are enforceable only for the duration of the contract.
The second decision that was recently overruled by the Board related to an employer’s ability to keep an internal investigation confidential. The NLRB abandoned the requirement of a case-by-case evaluation for whether confidentiality is required. It adopted the reasoning from an earlier Boeing case that for open investigations, confidentiality rules are lawful; but confidentiality requirements for closed investigations should be made on a case-by-case basis so that any employer-related concerns can be adequately considered.
Lastly, the NLRB overruled a decision that gave employees the right to use employer-owned equipment for non-work purposes – including soliciting for union-related issues. The Board ultimately determined that decades of precedent establish that employers’ rights are generally not restricted from controlling use of their own equipment. Under this standard, employees generally have no rights to use employer equipment – including IT resources – except under instances in which an employer’s email system becomes the only reasonable means by which employees can communicate with one another. However, the Board also acknowledged the reality that employees frequently use employer IT resources for personal reasons, and recognized that employers should maintain reasonable use restrictions.
From rabbittransit
Want to avoid the phone while scheduling your shared ride trips with rabbittransit? You can with FindMyRidePA.com! Just follow these three steps to start booking today:
- Visit FindMyRidePA.com on your computer, tablet, or smartphone
- Enter your paratransit/shared ride ID number
- Start making your own trip reservations!
When using FindMyRidePA.com, you must schedule a trip by noon one business day before your trip. Once your trip is reserved, you can see and edit panned trips. FindMyRidePA.com will show you the estimated time of your bus arrival. You can cancel a reservation up to one hour before your scheduled departure. For assistance, please call 1-844-PA4-RIDE or email info@rabbittransit.org.
To learn more about rabbittransit’s shared ride service, call 1-800-632-9063 or visit rabbittransit.org today.
The Chamber’s Board of Directors is presenting the following slate of candidates for member consideration for the 2020-21 Board. The election of Directors and Officers will be held at the Annual Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 18th at The Barn at Frosty Valley. Board terms begin April 1, 2020.
Nominated for a 3-year term on the Board:
Renee Gerringer, Ronald McDonald House of Danville
Sam Haulman, Service Electric Cablevision
Travis Petty, Lutz & Petty
Elaine Woodland, First Keystone Community Bank
Nominated for a 1-year term on the Board:
Lissa Bryan-Smith, Geisinger
Jim Micklow, Press Enterprise
Diana Verbeck, Danville Child Development Center
Recommended as 1-year appointments:
Donna Coombs, Gordner Coombs Insurance
Tim Miller, USG
Josh Nespoli, Community Strategies Group
Board members continuing to serve:
Dan Knorr II, Bloomsburg University
Holly Morrison, Central Susquehanna Community Foundation
Mary Radle, eXp Realty
Chris Stamatedes, PPL Electric Utilities
Denise Stone, Key Partners Realty
Jeff Whitenight, First Columbia Bank & Trust Co.
Sharon Wilkin, CSS Industries
Karen Wood, Service 1st Federal Credit Union
Members leaving the Board:
Mark Gardner
In accordance with the Chamber’s By-Laws, an alternative ticket, or tickets, may be submitted by any fifteen members to the office no later than five days prior to the Annual Meeting. All tickets will be provided to the membership in attendance at the Annual Meeting for vote.
The Board is also recommending the following for election as officers for the 2020-21 year, which will be voted on at the Annual Meeting:
Board Chair (2-year term) – Dan Knorr II, Bloomsburg University
Vice Chair – Chris Stamatedes, PPL Electric Utilities
Treasurer – Denise Stone, Key Partners Realty
Immediate Past Chair – Karen Wood, Service 1st Federal Credit Union
President – Fred Gaffney