Pennsylvania’s craft breweries would have to pay six percent sales tax on every beer served at a tasting room or brew pub starting July 1 following a 2018 ruling by the PA Department of Revenue. This change comes after a 2012 interpretation that on-site beer sales were tax exempt. After hearing concerns from area craft breweries, the Chamber is calling for legislators to provide fairness with other bars and restaurants regarding the assessment of the tax (see the letter sent to local state legislators).

Most beer is currently taxed at the wholesale level. For example, if a craft brewery sells a keg or case to a local restaurant, the sales tax is assessed on the keg or case. However, under the 2018 Dept. of Revenue ruling, the brewery would have to collect the sales tax on every pint or bottle sold to a customer at its own tasting room or brew pub, resulting in significantly more tax being collected. This would put the brewer at a significant disadvantage in which a pint, bottle or growler of beer would potentially cost more at the place it was brewed than at a bar, restaurant or retail establishment down the street.

Therefore, the Chamber is supporting proposals that would also assess the sales tax for craft breweries at the wholesale level rather than the serving level.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors recently voted to oppose a plan by Governor Tom Wolf that would more than double the state’s minimum wage by 2025. As part of his 2019-2020 budget proposal, Wolf is calling for an increase in the minimum wage to $12 an hour in 2019, with annual increases of $.50 per hour to get to $15. The tipped wage would also be eliminated. Board members expressed concerns about the impact on non-profit organizations and service businesses, as well as the potential ripple effect to consumers.

A report by the Independent Fiscal Office estimates that a mandated increase to $12 would lead to minimum wage employees seeing a reduction in hours and the loss of 33,000 jobs throughout the Commonwealth.  The report also concludes that this proposal will result in a ‘more difficult entry into the labor market for inexperienced workers, especially part-time high school and college students.’  The PA Chamber of Business and Industry has long advocated for policies to help low-income families without risking jobs.

The letter sent to Senator Gordner and Representatives Kurt Masser and David Millard notes that, with low unemployment rates, there are many unfilled job openings in our area with starting wages well above the minimum wage. Also, such a dramatic increase could put Pennsylvania at a disadvantage in retaining and attracting employers.

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.  

When Anisa Sadat received her master’s degree from Penn State in 2018, it marked the conclusion of an odds-defying, educational journey that began decades ago in Afghanistan.

Sadat had finished the degree online, through Penn State World Campus, while working full-time. She traveled with her husband and two children to attend Penn State’s commencement last May, and her family watched as the wife and mother crossed the stage wearing her graduation robe.

None of it would have been possible in her home country of Afghanistan, where women do not have the same opportunities as men.

“It’s a great sense of honor to be able to inspire so many other girls and women in the country where I was born,” said Sadat, 34, the first woman in her family to go to college. “Besides the professional and career advancements this degree has helped me achieve, as a woman, I feel empowered, independent and limitless.

“Now every girl and every woman in my family wants to go to college, work and be independent in a country where culturally the existence and survival of a woman is directly linked to a man.”

Growing up in Afghanistan, Sadat’s educational opportunities were limited: Under the Taliban, girls’ schools were closed, women were no longer able to work, and her future looked bleak. But in order to allow Sadat to go to school, her father defied social stigma and moved the family to Pakistan.

“I felt like I was always very lucky to have a dad who always wanted me to go to school and continue my education,” Sadat said. “He used to say that in any male-dominated society, a man will always survive, but a woman with no education and no independence will never survive.”

The move cemented a lifelong love for learning in Sadat. After later moving to the United States and getting her undergraduate degree, Sadat still found herself wanting more.

“I was looking for a program that would help me as a woman,” Sadat said. “Women are not equally treated as men in the workplace, and as a woman, you have to study something that not only helps you but also helps other women.”

Sadat decided the organizational development and change master’s degree would be the best fit for her. With her husband in Afghanistan while she was in New Jersey with the kids and working, Sadat didn’t have the time to add driving to and from a campus for classes.

But World Campus allowed her to study at home and use what she learned in her coursework in her day-to-day life.

“What I learned not only helped me in my professional life, but it really helped me even in my personal life,” Sadat said. “How to manage my relationship, how to use my emotional intelligence talking to my husband and talking to my kids. You are becoming a better person and you learn something every day.”

Today, Sadat works for the U.S. Department of Defense in a role that encourages veterans to utilize the GI Bill.

“I think everyone’s job should be to motivate and empower people to seek knowledge, seek education, and go back to school, because education is the only way out of a lot of trouble,” she said. “The key to solving every problem is education. It helps you get to a better place.”

Visit the Penn State World Campus website for more information about learning online.

The 2019 Classroom on Main Street program visited Danville for this year’s program day.  This event is designed to provide high school students with an overview of entrepreneurial skills that will assist them in their future careers.  Students also learn at local small businesses, from the owners, about what it takes to succeed. 

The program was organized by The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce (The Foundation) as part of its annual Classroom in the Workplace series.  This year, The Foundation and the Danville Business Alliance collaborated to recruit businesses on Mill Street in Danville to educate students on what entrepreneurship means, and how that translates into running a small business.

Thanks to sponsorship from PPL Electric Utilities, 31 students and eight educators from six area high schools including Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech, Danville and Southern Columbia participated in the program.  Students had the opportunity to learn through educational presentations from local businesses: Bason Coffee Roasting, Reflex Jiu Jitsu, D’s Clothier and Old Forge Brewing Company.  The high school students also heard from college students in the Bloomsburg University’s Zeigler Institute for Professional Development and the University’s Business Learning Community. 

According to the students the program “was a good way to get some exposure to what it’s like to be an entrepreneur” and “you learn some interesting information.”  According to one teacher, “The students heard from several professionals and it was a beneficial to them.  It was a great day for the students!”

The Foundation would like to thank the DBA for their partnership to make this event a success.  Also thanks to the participating Chamber and DBA member businesses and to PPL Electric Utilities for their sponsorship of the program.

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

As noted in last month’s column, one aspect of Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal that is concerning to the PA Chamber is an aggressive plan to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $12 in July – which represents 65 percent increase over the current rate – and incrementally increase it to $15 by 2025. Additionally, the plan calls for elimination of the tipped wage – which means many of the Commonwealth’s restaurants would have only a few months to determine how to account for an immediate increase in entry level wages by 235 percent and by over 500 percent in just a few years.

In the weeks since the governor’s budget address, we’ve heard from small business owners across the Commonwealth that this aggressive proposal would have a negative impact on their companies. Responses have ranged from being forced to reduce employee hours to not being able to hire additional workers to, in some cases, having to close as a result of the steep increase in operating costs. This feedback mirrors the findings of countless independent studies.

A recent analysis by the state’s Independent Fiscal Office, which was released in late March, found that a $12 hourly rate would result in the loss of 34,000 jobs throughout the Commonwealth. The report also found that some employees would see a reduction in hours; consumers would see some price increases on the costs of goods and that businesses would have less money to reinvest into operations.

A Congressional Budget Office report also found that mandated wage hikes would lead to job loss. That study concluded that an increase to $10.10 an hour would result in the loss of 500,000 to 1 million jobs nationwide. Studies from other states have also found that mandated wage hikes have negative impacts on employment. In Seattle – where the minimum wage was increased to $13 an hour, a report from the University of Washington found that there has been a reduction in average take-home pay for low wage workers.

Another factor to consider is the impact that higher labor costs would have on youth employment. Following the 2007 federal minimum wage increase, a Philadelphia Inquirer article stated “with the minimum wage increase making it difficult for businesses to hire, an estimated 1,100 young people would not be able to find summer jobs.” This point was noted in the IFO report, which found that the increase would create “more difficult entry into the labor markets for inexperienced workers, especially part-time high school and college students.” The lack of job openings for high-school and college age students presents another workforce problem. These entry-level positions often serve as the building blocks for students entering the working world. First-time jobs help to reinforce and teach necessary “soft” skills – such as work ethic, punctuality and responsibility – that are essential to maintaining employment.

No one disputes that some individuals benefit from mandated wage increases; but the fact is, others end up being hurt – including some of the very people advocates claim they want to help. It’s reasonable to assume that moving to $15 an hour – which the administration’s proposal aims to have in place by 2025 – would only serve to exacerbate these negative consequences. As the budget process continues, we are urging lawmakers to look at alternative proposals that focus on helping individuals obtain the necessary skills-training to advance through the Commonwealth’s evolving workforce. Instead of relying on “feel good,” ineffective policies to address this problem, we need to take a more direct, targeted approach. Strengthening workforce development programs will help give workers the tools they need to fill job vacancies and close and existing jobs skills gap. Additionally, some states have implemented an Earned Income Tax Credit – which better directs assistance to low-wage workers, especially those raising families. These more thoughtful efforts will better help low-wage earners support their families and move upward through the workforce, offering long-term career opportunities at family-sustaining wages.

• Commonwealth Health – Berwick Hospital Center‘s free six-week educational series titled “Six Weeks to Better Health” continues this afternoon and wraps up next Wednesday April 17. Today’s presentation is from 12-1 p.m. at the Hospital’s Conference Room 1 and 2, located at 701 East 16th St., Berwick and the final session next Wednesday is from 5-6 p.m. Titles of the remaining sessions are: Dealing with the Symptoms of Menopause; and Advanced Directives and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST). For more information, see the flyer, and to RSVP, call 570-759-5337.

• Boston’s Lorelei Ensemble will join forces with members of the Bucknell University Choirs to present James Kallembach’s new oratorio Antigone: the Writings of Sophie Scholl this Thursday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts. The performance is free and tickets are not required. In the first half of the performance, Lorelei Ensemble will present choral works by John Luther Adams, Maggie Payne, David Lang and Pavel Chesnokov. After intermission, the vocal ensemble will perform James Kallembach’s new oratorio for treble choir and cello quartet Antigone: the Writings of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Movement. 

• There will be a free showing of the 2018 documentary about the life and legacy of Fred Rogers, titled Won’t you be my Neighbor, on Tuesday, April 23, from 7-9 p.m., at the Berwick Theatre and Center for Community Arts, located at 110 Front St., Berwick. This event is being presented by the United Way of Columbia and Montour County. For more information, see the Facebook event page. 

• PA CareerLink Columbia/Montour Counties will host its annual job fair on Thursday, May 2, from 1-5 p.m. at Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School, located at 5050 Swpeenheiser Dr., Bloomsburg. The entire event is open to both the general public and students. Employers interested in attending as an exhibitor/vendor should register online. For more information, see the flyer. 

• The Columbia County Volunteers in Medicine (CCVIM) Clinic recently established agency endowment and non-endowment funds at the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation.
  

  From L to R: Scott Preisel, Clinic administrative assistant; Kara G. Seesholtz, CSCF chief advancement
  officer; M. Holly Morrison, D.Ed., CSCF president and CEO; Dr. Bipin Chopra, MD, MBA, Clinic executive
  director; Sally Piazza, RN; Jhoana Cruz, Clinic receptionist

  The funds were created through generous donations for the sustainability of the Clinic’s future. A proud member of the Volunteers in Medicine Alliance, the Clinic provides many services free of charge, including primary and preventative care, screenings, and community education. Through a long-time Berwick Health and Wellness Fund (BHWF) matching grant program for agency endowments serving the BHWF area, the Clinic’s endowment fund immediately doubled. 

Parking lots in downtown Bloomsburg will be open under normal enforcement this weekend after Town Council voted unanimously to table a plan devised to deter visitors for this weekend’s Block Party. The Town had announced that metered parking spaces in the lots would be closed from midnight to 6 p.m. on Saturday. A number business people and the Chamber of Commerce expressed concerns about the potential negative impacts on downtown businesses in getting Council to reconsider.

Several businesses in the downtown have special events this weekend. Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble has two daytime performances and its annual Taming of the Brew event in the evening. At least two businesses have promotional events that are set nationally. As the details of the Town’s plan were finalized and businesses notified the first week in April, there was little time or opportunity to adjust.

A Press Enterprise article on April 9 reported that the Chamber offered a compromise of midnight to 8 a.m. for closing the lots. While Chamber president Fred Gaffney did suggest that Council consider a shorter period of time so that metered spaced would be opened up for the start of business on Saturday, a specific timeframe was not presented by Gaffney. The Chamber recognizes that the bars in the downtown are allowed to be open until 2 a.m., and that customers and employees would need additional time to get to their vehicles.

The Chamber renews its pledge to Town Council to work proactively with them on this and other issues that impact businesses. We first learned of the plan to close the lots in late March, and the specific details were not known until last week. Discussing issues at committee meetings and workshops well in advance allows time for careful consideration, and for getting input from stakeholders. We are eager to be a part of this process.

Below is information from the Town of Bloomsburg and Bloomsburg University on other Block Party weekend restrictions:

Bloomsburg University and the Town of Bloomsburg will implement the below initiatives to increase safety and security related to the annual spring event known as “Block Party.”

 SpringFest – Bloomsburg University’s annual SpringFest, an on-campus, non-alcoholic event, will be moved from Upper Campus to the Academic Quad on Lower Campus this year in an effort to increase participation, visibility, and ease of access to University students.

 Residence Hall Visitation Restrictions – Bloomsburg University will temporarily restrict overnight guests in the residence halls to one visitor per student for the evenings of Friday, April 12, Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14, 2019. A professional security company firm will assist in managing guest registrations and enhance front door security. Parking for these guests will be provided in the Blue Lot & the Orange Parking Lots.

 Parking Restrictions – Bloomsburg University will prohibit all parking at the Lightstreet Road Parking Lot and the ATM Parking Lot. Parking on campus will be restricted to persons attending events on campus. Additionally, temporary parking restrictions will be in affect at the First Street (Green) Parking Lot to permit-holders only from 12:00 p.m. Friday, April 12, 2019, through 12:00 p.m. Sunday, April 14, 2019.

The Town of Bloomsburg and Bloomsburg University also ask all participants to keep in mind:

 Neither the Town of Bloomsburg nor Bloomsburg University endorse the Block Party event, and a large police contingency of both uniformed and plainclothes officers will be present.

 Town and University Police both have a “zero tolerance” policy for all violations during Block Party weekend. Parents and Bloomsburg University will be notified of all arrests, and university students will be subject to discipline for violations under BU’s Code of Conduct.

 The Town of Bloomsburg requires permits for social gatherings of 150 or more individuals. Students are reminded that they can be held responsible for ordinance and crimes code violations that occur on property they lease or control.

 The Town of Bloomsburg prohibits open containers of alcohol in public rights-of-way.

 Hosts are responsible for what takes place on the property and risk fines and University sanctions for any violations.

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, PinPoint Local, to help us fulfill our mission.

PinPoint Local is national digital marketing company that offers search engine optimization services (SEO), website design and hosting. It has numerous franchisees around the country, including one of its newest in Bloomsburg. Ioulia Lee, a longtime Bloomsburg resident and veteran IT and website design professional, is the local franchise owner. She can be reached at 570-784-1321 or by email.

From ChamberChoice

Mold growth blooms inside and outside after spring rains. When flowers, trees, weeds and grasses begin to blossom, allergies will follow. Spring-cleaning activities can stir up dust mites, so be sure to:

• Wash your bedding every week in hot water to help keep pollen under control.
• Wash your hair before going to bed, since pollen can accumulate in your hair.
• Wear a mask and gloves when cleaning or painting to limit dust and chemical inhalation and skin exposure.
• Vacuum twice a week.
• Limit the number of throw rugs in your home to reduce dust and mold.
• Make sure the rugs you do have are washable.
• Change air filters often.