From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

For the second year in a row, the Commonwealth is starting the new fiscal year with a budget in place. Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget address in February set a bipartisan tone with a focus of working together to find common ground. With the exception of a few minor speed bumps in the final days of June, this year’s budget negotiation process was relatively smooth. Thanks in large part to strong revenue collections throughout the year, the governor and legislative leaders remained confident that an agreement could be reached prior to the June 30 Constitutional deadline.

The nearly $34 billion budget agreement includes increased spending for K-12 education, as well as more money for career and technical education, community colleges, PASSHE universities and the state’s non-preferred universities. It also includes a $25 million increase for the popular Education Improvement Tax Credit program – which the PA Chamber supports because it allows the state’s business community to support Pennsylvania students by giving them access to alternative educational opportunities. There are also funding increases for mental health services as well as agricultural programs.

A number of items that the PA Chamber had previously expressed concerns with were taken off the negotiating table early in the negotiation process – including a proposed minimum wage increase, as well as another attempt to put an additional tax on the natural gas industry. We have repeatedly warned lawmakers that government mandated wage increases have a negative impact on jobs. A recent Independent Fiscal Office report found that the administration’s proposal to increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour would lead to the loss of 34,000 jobs across the Commonwealth. Likewise, we continue to push back against efforts to enact a punitive severance tax because it will negatively impact the state’s business climate and send jobs and opportunities to other states in the shale play.

Following the passage of the budget, the PA Chamber issued a statement applauding lawmakers and the governor for getting the budget done on-time without any broad based tax increases. Additionally, we commended the administration and General Assembly for working across party lines to finalize a spending plan that responsibly puts additional surplus revenues in the Rainy Day Fund to help the state better withstand future economic downturns and makes smart investments in key education and workforce development priorities including the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program and Career and Technical Education.

At the same time, we are urging the Wolf administration and the General Assembly to build on the positive economic momentum the state is currently enjoying by enacting pro-growth policies. Tax reform on the federal level helped to jump-start the nation’s and Pennsylvania’s economies. Comprehensively addressing and streamlining Pennsylvania’s outdated Tax Code will help to further this economic growth. Likewise, we look forward to continued constructive dialogue on ways to address the jobs skills gap and the state’s workforce issues. Moving forward on these two initiatives – as well as reforming Pennsylvania’s burdensome regulatory environment – will send a strong message to job creators that Pennsylvania is open for business and a prime location for future investment.

We look forward to working with elected officials on these and other important policy issues that will help to foster economic growth in the Fiscal Ye

• Focus Central Pennsylvania is pleased to announce it has received an $8,500 dollar grant from the PPL Foundation. These funds will support the Smart Capacity initiative to invest in a comprehensive business attraction partnership to provide significant increased capacity that will leverage existing resources and efforts to effectively promote new corporate investment, career creating location decisions in Central Pennsylvania. This grant will provide a year of Site Location Partnership (SLP) business attraction services with specific deliverable metrics that include targeted industry prospect development, site selector appointment setting, trade show representation and online exposure. Site Location Partnership (SLP) is a dynamic, full-service consulting firm specializing in corporate site selection and business attraction for economic development. SLP executives have completed site location projects valued at over $840 million which have accounted for the creation of more than 7,200 careers.

• The Central Susquehanna Community Foundation announces the creation of a new scholarship fund for local students. Established in memory of Dr. Ronald L. Lehnowsky by his family, the fund will benefit a graduating senior from Berwick Area High School who is pursuing a career in the medical field. Dr. Lehnowsky, D.D.S., J.D., grew up in Berwick and graduated from its high school. He attended Georgetown University School of Dentistry and Ohio State University, where he received his D.D.S. and M.S. in Oral Surgery. He also received a J.D. from Cleveland State University – John Marshall College of Law. Despite living much of his life in Ohio, Dr. Lehnowsky never forgot his beginnings in the Berwick community. It was important to his family to continue his legacy and honor his dedication to education by establishing this fund where he was born and raised. Dr. Lehnowsky passed away at the age of 76 after an extended illness. Through the family’s desire to honor his memory and a town formative to his early life, the Lehnowsky Scholarship Fund will offer increased educational opportunities for Berwick students in perpetuity. Contributions can be made to this fund online (click donate and search “Lehnowsky”), or mail to the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, Attn: Lehnowsky Scholarship Fund, 725 West Front Street, Berwick, PA 18603.

• Bloomsburg University’s IT Outreach Webinar Series will conduct its next webinar on Thursday, July 18, at 1:30 p.m. This edition’s topic is “Two Key Ingredients for Successful Criminal Investigations: IT and Interviews,” and will be  given by Michael Huben, an instructor in the Zeigler College of Business. This event is free and open to the public. Register online and see the flyer for additional information. 

• The United Way of Columbia and Montour County’s United in Recovery coalition will hold a free assessment and treatment information on drug & alcohol on Tuesday, July 23, from 3-7 p.m. at the Reliance Fire Company, 501 West 3rd St., Berwick. 

• 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 YES! Math and Literacy Center recently launched and the Chamber helped mark the beginning of this new business with a ribbon cutting on Monday, July 8 prior to an open house held at the Berwick Teen Center, which is operated by fellow Chamber member and 2019 Small Business of the Year honoree, For The Cause.

YES! is a locally-owned tutoring service that provides assessment and individualized instruction to high school students to help them enhance their test-taking skills for standardized tests, ultimately preparing them to take exams such as the SAT and ACT. YES! plans to ultimately offer preparation classes for prices much cheaper than the industry leaders, most of which involved online instruction. To start, YES! is offering its first-ever course for a cost of just $50 beginning on Friday, July 19 for those students planning to take the SAT on Aug. 24. For more information, visit the YES! website, email or call 508-808-9497.

More than 400 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and our region. Increased membership allows us to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives in our communities. The Chamber welcomes its newest member, the Berwick Area YMCA, to help us fulfill our mission.

Founded in 1883, the Berwick Area YMCA is dedicated to youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, and this is reflected in its programs and events for youth, adults and families, all of which are aimed at strengthening the community one life at a time. During the summer, the Berwick Y is open Monday-Thursday, 5 a.m. – 9:30 p.m., Friday 5 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., and Sunday 12-6 p.m. Hours are slightly different during the rest of the year. For more information, visit its website or Facebook page, or call 570-752-5981.

Bloomsburg Town Council is considering an ordinance that would require a key lock box on commercial and multi-family apartment buildings in the Town. The boxes would allow the Fire Department quick access to buildings during an alarm without the need to force entry and potentially damage property. Following concerns expressed by the Chamber at the June 24 Council meeting, the issue was referred back to the Public Safety Committee for additional discussion and input.

The full ordinance is available here, with the details and information on the specific lock boxes is at knoxbox.com. The Fire Department is recommending the Knox Box model 3200, which starts at $323 for a surface-mount box. A 1-2 key residential box with a price of $183 is an option for smaller properties. Installation can be done by the property owner.

The Public Safety Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, July 16, at 3:15 at Town Hall. The Chamber is interested in getting input from Bloomsburg business and property owners on whether or not they are in favor of the Town requiring these boxes via a brief poll by this Friday, July 12. The aggregate results will be provided to the Committee.

From rabbittransit

Planning a group trip to a farmers market, dinner theater, or concert? Let rabbittransit take you. Group trips are available seven days a week, including evenings. Qualified agencies like senior centers can schedule a trip at least three days in advance by emailing with the list of riders, date and pickup and drop-off times. Requests can be made many months in advance, which may be necessary if purchasing tickets to a show. There are two vehicle sizes available, both able to accommodate mobility devices such as wheelchairs or scooters. All riders must be registered in one of the shared ride programs. For more information or to download a reservation form, visit rabbittransit.org. To speak to a customer service representative, call 1-800-632-9063.

From Penn State World Campus

Note: Employees of all Columbia Montour Chamber members, their spouses and dependents are eligible for a 5% discount on tuition through the PSU World Campus. 

A new graduate business certificate offers students and professionals in any field the opportunity to earn a Penn State credential in core business management skills.

The graduate certificate in business management foundations is being offered online through Penn State World Campus and led by the internationally ranked Penn State Smeal College of Business. Applications for the new certificate program are being accepted now.

“In today’s world, some business is required in almost every job,” said Brian Cameron, associate dean for professional graduate programs at Smeal. “This is a core of business courses that are commonly needed by people from many disciplines. You can craft it into whatever is relevant for your goals.”

Students in the 12-credit program choose four of six core courses that are most relevant to their needs, Cameron said. Courses are asynchronous, allowing students to work on their own schedules, and the program can be completed in as little as eight months.

The courses are:

• Strategic Leading and Identity
• Global Strategic Management
• Financial Accounting
• Managing and Leading People in Organizations
• Financial Management
• Marketing in a Global Environment

These courses are applicable to many nonbusiness fields, said Cameron, who is the founding director of the Center for Enterprise Architecture in the College of Information Sciences and Technology.

“Almost every discipline needs a little bit of business today,” he said.

The credits from the certificate may be applied toward one of several master’s degrees offered online through World Campus and Smeal if students apply and are accepted into one of those programs: the Online MBA, the master’s in corporate innovation and entrepreneurship or the master’s in strategic management and executive leadership.

Visit the Penn State World Campus website for more information about the new certificate.

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

Last week  Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law a nearly  $34 billion budget bill for the 2019-20 Fiscal Year; along with a bevy of other bills related to the spending plan.

This year’s budget spends $33.9 billion, a 1.8 percent increase in spending from the 2018-19 Fiscal Year.  Notably, it does not include new taxes or fees on business and individual taxpayers and does not include an increase in the state’s minimum wage, which the governor proposed in his February budget but has been consistently opposed by the PA Chamber and other coalition members.  The final budget agreement also does not include another punitive tax on the state’s natural gas industry, which had been proposed this year to help pay for the Wolf Administration’s “Restore PA” plan, to which the PA Chamber is also opposed.  This latest iteration of a natural gas severance tax was packaged with $4.5 billion in borrowing to pay for a multitude of projects that are already being funded in large part by the existing impact fee paid by the natural gas industry.

The budget bill includes millions of dollars more in funding for K-12 and higher education, including $10 million more for career and technical education to help to prepare students for skilled trade jobs.  There is also more money dedicated toward expansion of the state’s popular Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. The budget plan adds $250 million to the state’s Rainy Day Fund to help the Commonwealth withstand any future economic downturns. 

When the bill reached the governor’s desk, PA Chamber President Gene Barr issued a statement commending those at the budget negotiation table for reaching an on-time deal with no new taxes, which also makes smart investments in the EITC and Career and Technical Education programs. “We urge the legislature and the Wolf administration to build on this momentum and work together to enact pro-growth policies that will put the Commonwealth on a continued prosperous path,” Barr said, listing workforce development, regulatory and tax reform among the priorities that the PA Chamber will work with lawmakers to enact when they reconvene in the fall. 

• North Shore Railroad’s second quarter newsletter is now available. 

• The Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit will host a Business & Education Summit next 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. 

• Bloomsburg University’s IT Outreach Webinar Series will conduct its next webinar on Wednesday, July 18, at 1:30 p.m. This edition’s topic is “Two Key Ingredients for Successful Criminal Investigations: IT and Interviews,” and will be  given by Michael Huben, an instructor in the Zeigler College of Business. This event is free and open to the public. Register online and see the flyer for additional information. 

• The United Way of Columbia and Montour County’s United in Recovery coalition will hold a free assessment and treatment information on drug & alcohol on Tuesday, July 23, from 3-7 p.m. at the Reliance Fire Company, 501 West 3rd St., Berwick. 

• 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. 

Download the entire informational packet for the Fall 2019 cohort of the Management and Leadership Certificate Program from Bloomsburg University, in partnership with the Chamber. A program application with submission information is included on the last page.

Background: Members of the Chamber identified a need to train employees in team leadership and entry-level management roles. The Chamber and Bloomsburg University developed this five-session course, which is delivered at employers’ locations. Topics include supervisor effectiveness, navigating a multi-generational workforce, effective communication for managers, conflict management, being a great mentor or coach and more. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate from Bloomsburg University. The inaugural program offering was held in the spring of 2019, and 63 individuals participated, being broken down into three separate groups.