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Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) tax credits for 273 early-stage companies totaling $15 million were announced by Governor Tom Wolf on Dec. 28, 2017. Included are 11 companies located within the Greater Susquehanna Keystone Innovation Zone, which includes portions of Bloomsburg, Danville, Lewisburg, Sunbury, and Selinsgrove.
The Keystone Innovation Zone Program is designed to support and encourage entrepreneurship in and around Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities by providing young Pennsylvania companies with vital working capital to meet critical needs, including covering capital expenditures, workforce expansion, operational expenses, and making companies more attractive to venture investment.
Run out of the PA Department of Community & Economic Development, the program provides tax credits for companies that have been in operation for less than eight years, whose gross revenues have increased over the previous year, are located in a Keystone Innovation Zone, and are operating within a targeted industry sector such as information technology or advanced manufacturing/diversified materials.
“By providing these tax credits, we’re helping to reduce the burden placed on companies as they go through the early stages of growth, thereby helping new ideas take root while pushing both our economy and the thriving tech sector forward,” said Governor Wolf.
For more information about the KIZ program, contact the Rural Business Innovation office in Bloomsburg at 570-245-0096.
In conjunction with the 2019 fiscal year Community Health Needs Assessment, Geisinger and its partners, Allied Services and Evangelical Community Hospital, invite you to join with other regional community partners for conversation about our research findings from the CHNA, the impact and challenges of health needs in our community and how we can increase collaboration to address community health needs.
Partner Forums will be held on six dates across the region. Please register for the session nearest to your community using the links below.
- Register: Tues., Jan. 9, 8:30-11am in Camp Hill (Cumberland County)
- Register: Wed., Jan. 10, 8:30-11am in Kulpmont (Northumberland County)
- Register: Fri., Jan. 12, 8:30-11am in Lewistown (Mifflin County)
- Register: Tues., Jan. 16, 8:30-11am in Lewisburg (Union County)
- Register: Thurs., Jan. 25, 2-4:30pm in Dickson City (Lackawanna County)
- Register: Wed., Jan. 31, 2-4:30pm in Wilkes-Barre (Luzerne County)
Agenda:
- Welcome and refreshments
- Presentation of research findings from the FY2019 CHNA, in progress
- Large and small group facilitated dialogue to discuss asset mapping, high need populations, community health priorities and collaboration
- Closing discussion: Making collective impact
Your participation and input will help guide regional community health improvement planning and identify opportunities for local collaboration.
We encourage you to share this invitation with your colleagues and others who may be interested in attending. There is no fee to attend, but registration is required.
We look forward to continued collaboration with our community partners in this essential work! For more information about the CHNA, please visit https://www.geisinger.org/about-geisinger/in-our-community/chna or contact Allison Clark, Geisinger Community Benefit Coordinator, at aclark1@geisinger.edu.
From PA Chamber of Business & Industry
With 2017 drawing to a close and the legislature recessed until after the New Year, now is a great time for the PA Chamber to assess our accomplishments on behalf of our membership this year and look toward our ongoing goals for 2018.
We were happy to see a lot get accomplished in 2017 that will help to bolster business investment and job growth and move our economy forward – including a budget that didn’t impose the up to $1 billion in new tax hikes that were proposed during a months-long impasse. One of the PA Chamber’s top priorities also got addressed this year, with a public pension reform law that is a great first step to putting the state and public school employees’ retirement plans back on the track to sustainability. And we’ve seen success on the education front, too – first, with a new law that replaces an antiquated, seniority-based system for teacher furloughs with a performance-based model in order to keep the highest quality educators in the classroom; and second, with a $10 million boost to the popular and effective Educational Improvement Tax Credit program that allows businesses to contribute toward scholarships to help students in low-performing school districts attend schools that better suit their academic needs.
As much as we have to celebrate, a lot of work still lies ahead. One of our major goals in 2018 will be implementing a workers’ compensation drug formulary, in which doctors writing prescriptions that are not FDA-approved or otherwise demonstrated to be effective must at least explain why the prescription is needed for the patient. This legislative action is especially necessary as the state finds itself in the middle of an opioid abuse crisis. In fact, in a recent 25-state study, Pennsylvania ranked third compared to other states for opioid use among injured workers between the years 2012-2014, measuring 78 percent higher than the median study state. Formularies are a proven way to combat this problem. For example, in the three years after Ohio implemented its formulary in 2011, the number of opioid prescriptions declined by 38 percent and the number of workers’ compensation patients considered opioid dependent was reduced by half. The bottom line is this – Pennsylvania needs a drug formulary to help combat opioid abuse among injured workers and get them healthy and back to work as soon as we can (Note: The Columbia Montour Chamber formally supports this proposed legislation).
We also continue to monitor ongoing calls from some legislators to enforce an additional tax on the natural gas industry. This issue, which we continue to lead a coalition against because another severance tax would hurt Pennsylvania’s business climate and drive jobs and economic opportunities to other states in the shale play, was a major point of contention in the House in the waning days of 2017. It’s an issue we expect to be hotly debated as 2018 – a gubernatorial election year – approaches. Voters will see a marked difference between Gov. Wolf’s stance on this issue (he’s been calling for a severance tax since he first campaigned in 2014) and the four Republican gubernatorial candidates, one of whom he’ll ultimately face off against in the fall. There’s no doubt that the governor will call for a severance tax yet again when he gives his budget address in February, and rest assured that we’ll stay vigilant in our efforts to fight against it.
We will also be continuing our workforce efforts to address the growing jobs skills gap in the Commonwealth. In 2018, we are pleased to feature several workforce related events – including three new webinars that will take a deeper look at programs offered by the state; as well as innovative solutions created by various private sector companies to ensure there is a pipeline of qualified candidates ready for the in-demand jobs across the Commonwealth (Note: The Columbia Montour Chamber is also planning to roll out several workforce development initiatives in 2018).
These are just a few of the many issues we will be closely monitoring over the next year. For more information on our legislative agenda and our workforce efforts, visit our website at www.PAChamber.org.
From ChamberChoice and Small Business Pittsburgh
There are numerous employee benefits laws requiring compliance. Staying on top of compliance can be daunting, and it’s easy for something to fall through the cracks.
As you gear up for the New Year, take some time to review the pitfalls of employee benefits plan administration.
Smart Business spoke with Frances Horn, employee benefits compliance officer at JRG Advisors, about what to watch for with employee benefits compliance.
What’s the first step to compliance?
As employers gear up for 2018, they need to set some time aside to review their employee benefits plan administration. An employer may not be subject to every law, due to size or type of benefit offered, but no employer is not subject to any of the laws.
The major laws are the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 125, Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, with many having several compliance provisions.
How is failing to properly communicate with the plan participants a pitfall?
Under ERISA, plan administrators have disclosure and reporting requirements. Every plan may not be subject to these requirements, due to size or type of plan funding, but every plan subject to ERISA has disclosure or communicating requirements, such as distribution of a Summary Plan Description, Summary of Benefits and Coverage and numerous other notices.
Under COBRA, many administrators don’t recognize that there are several more notices required than just an election notice. These include, but are not limited to, an initial notice, notice of early termination and notice of unavailability of COBRA coverage.
Other communications that remain the plan administrator’s responsibility are the Medicare Part D notice, HIPAA Special Enrollment Rights, Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act notice and the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 notice.
Where else do employers go wrong with plan administration?
Understanding who is actually the plan administrator can be another pitfall. With most laws governing employee benefits plans, the responsibility for compliance rests with the plan administrator, which is the person usually designated in the plan documents. If no such designation exists, the administrator role defaults to the plan sponsor, i.e. the employer.
While the plan administrator is responsible for disclosures to participants, plan document preparation and penalties for any noncompliance, many employers incorrectly feel these requirements fall with either the insurer or the insurance broker. Even for a self-insured plan, the third party administrator rarely agrees to be the plan administrator, but may assist with an employer’s documentation responsibility.
The pre-taxing of an employee’s premium contribution share is another pitfall. Many employers require that employees pay a portion of the premiums, particularly medical, dental and vision insurance coverage. To assist employees with these contributions, an employer will take the premium out of an employee’s compensation before applying taxes, thus the term pretax. An employee’s taxable wages for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, federal withholding and state withholding are then reduced. This practice is often referred to as being a tax-favored treatment for employees.
The capability to pre-tax benefits comes under Section 125 of the IRC. The code requires that an employer establish its pretax plan, often referred to as a cafeteria plan, Section 125 plan or a premium-only-plan, in writing. Not meeting this requirement means a Section 125 plan doesn’t exist and that the employer is more than likely improperly taxing its employees’ benefits.
Numerous laws govern employee benefit plans. Ultimately the employer is responsible for complying with these laws and can be subject to costly penalties for noncompliance. As the year draws to a close, employers should review the governance of their benefits plans and determine if they need assistance to climb out of any pitfalls.
From PA Chamber of Business & Industry
The week prior to Christmas was an important one – not only in the world of politics, but for employers and workers across the nation. Congress passed a sweeping tax reform measure, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, that makes the first substantial changes to America’s tax code since 1986.
This is great news for our country in terms of our future prospects for economic growth. The soon-to-be-new law – which awaits the president’s signature – aims to simplify the Tax Code, making it easier to understand and comply with (which means less time that business owners have to take out of their day filing company taxes). Also included are provisions to lower the federal corporate tax rate to a far more competitive 21 percent and move to a territorial tax system so that businesses are only taxed on income earned within the U.S.’s borders, among other pro-growth changes.
These changes have been a long time coming. It’s hard to believe that 31 years had passed since any meaningful reforms had been made to what business leaders around the world had long called, onerous and uncompetitive tax code; and nearly unfathomable to conceive of the billions of dollars our economy must have lost out on over the decades to countries with better business climates.
With these tax reforms in place, it’s not only large businesses who will see economic opportunities skyrocket, but small ones too – all of which means more jobs, lower taxes and bigger paychecks for American families. This includes relief for small businesses who would benefit from a new, lower tax rate up to a certain level of their net business income and lower taxes on small business investment.
Right out of the gate, the U.S. Chamber championed the legislation due to the far-reaching positive implications it promised for our economy and America’s future competitiveness; and led a broad-based coalition of business advocates (including the PA Chamber) in supporting its passage in Congress. During the course of negotiations, our organization signed letters to federal lawmakers, and had this opinion editorial published in several news outlets statewide to make the case for long overdue federal tax reform. It’s been more than three decades since 1986 – and it was long past time for this great country to adopt the types of reforms that will now lead to the strong economy our hard-working population deserves.
You can learn more about how federal tax reform will impact Pennsylvania at www.TaxReformforAmerica.com.
More than 400 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and our region. In many areas of life and business, there is strength in numbers, and that is certainly true when it comes to Chambers of Commerce as well. Increased membership in the Columbia Montour Chamber 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.
We thank the following businesses and organizations for joining the Columbia Montour Chamber during 2017. This year, we were proud to welcome 29 new members and we’d like to once more recognize them as the year comes to an end. We’re glad to have these members on board and we look forward to working with them and all of our members to help them grow their organizations and strengthen our community in 2018 and beyond.
January
Nickle Plate Bar & Grill at Knoebels Three Ponds Golf Course
Invicta Tattoo
March
Manpower
April
Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit
Cerridwen’s Garden
Planet Fitness
May
Thrivent Financial – Richard Keller
Thrivent Financial – Dave Saul
Thrivent Financial – Kerry Maurer
June
Just a Drop
LIFE Geisinger
Fairfield Inn & Suites
July
Comfort Keepers
August
McTish Kunkel & Associates
September
Econo Lodge
October
Penn College
Mountainside Coffee
Tulpehocken Mountain Spring Water
November
GAF
LCBC Church
McDonald’s Bloomsburg
McDonald’s Berwick
McDonald’s Mifflinville
McDonald’s Elysburg
Law Offices of Lutz & Petty
That Kitchen Witch
December
Community Strategies Group
Hopper’s Carpet Cleaning
Pretty Petals & Gifts by Susan
What do block party in Bloomsburg, the Montour County readdressing, essential oils and 2017 new member Just a Drop, the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline, Leadership Central Penn, and Geisinger’s fresh food pharmacy all have in common?
Stories about these subjects were among some of the top 25 most read stories on the Chamber website during 2017.
Listed below are the 25 stories on the Chamber website that received the most web traffic during 2017 (through Dec. 27). Overall, web traffic to the Chamber’s website increased by more than 25% in 2017 from 2016. We hope you, our members and other readers of our website, enjoy the broad and diverse content we have brought you this year. We are looking forward to 2018 and another year of bringing our members and the public, information of relevance to their businesses, organizations and our community.
1. Annual Block Party This Weekend in Bloomsburg (From April 21 and featuring Bloomsburg University and the Town of Bloomsburg)
2. Montour County Readdressing to Begin in June (From May 16 and featuring Montour County)
3. Essential Oils 101 (From Aug. 27 and featuring Just a Drop)
4. Construction of Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Gets Underway (From Oct. 13 and featuring Williams)
5. Renaissance Parking Regulations (From April 28 and featuring Town of Bloomsburg)
6. Welcome Just a Drop Essential Oil (From June 19 and featuring Just a Drop)
7. Leadership Central Penn Class Celebrates Graduation (From May 25 and featuring Frosty Valley Country Club, Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, PPL Electric Utilities, The Women’s Center, Camp Victory, Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center, Welch Performance Consulting, Autoneum, Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, Geisinger, First Keystone Community Bank, Bloomsburg University, Girton Manufacturing, Kawneer, First Columbia Bank and Columbia Child Development Program)
8. Geisinger Fresh Food Pharmacy Making a Difference for Diabetes Patients (From Sept. 7 and featuring Geisinger)
9. Bloomsburg University Students Move Into Soltz Hall (From Aug. 24 and featuring Bloomsburg University)
10. Pipeline Project Expected to Boost Local Economy (From May 23 and featuring Williams)
11. Expanded Maternity Center Opens at Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital (From June 23 and featuring Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital)
12. Summer Town Gown Report Contains Assessment of 2017 Block Party (From Aug. 14 and featuring Bloomsburg University and Town of Bloomsburg, and the 2017 summer report from the Bloomsburg Town/Gown Relations Committee)
13. Chamber Renews Call to Bloomsburg Council for More Information (From Oct. 15 and featuring Town of Bloomsburg)
14. Bloomsburg Nationals Will Result in Main Street Closure Aug. 10 (From Aug. 1 and featuring Bloomsburg Nationals and Quaker Steak & Lube)
15. Member News – April 26, 2017 (From April 26 and featuring Wesley United Methodist Church, Planet Fitness, Columbia Mall, Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, Pine Barn Inn, Geisinger, First Columbia Bank and Bloomsburg University)
16. Bashar Hanna Named Bloomsburg University’s 19th President (From May 22 and featuring Bloomsburg University)
17. PA Senate Passes $600 Million Tax Increase Package (From Aug. 1 and the PA Chamber of Business & Industry)
18. EITC & OSTC Approval Letters Being Released by PA Department of Community and Economic Development (From Oct. 16)
19. Welcome LCBC Church (From Nov. 16 and featuring LCBC Church)
20. Downtown Incubator Seeking Office Equipment (From May 30 and featuring Downtown Bloomsburg Inc.)
21. Renaissance Jamboree This Saturday (From April 25 and featuring Bloomsburg University, Downtown Bloomsburg Inc. and Town of Bloomsburg)
22. Do Not Reboot Your Computer – Broken Windows Update (From Oct. 16 and featuring MePush)
23. New Addresses in Montour County Expected to Roll Out in Early July (From July 1 and featuring Montour County, Danville Borough and Riverside Borough)
24. ChamberChoice Offers Free Three-Part Webinar on Health Insurance Cost Reduction Strategies (From June 10 and featuring ChamberChoice)
25. Central Columbia School District to Host Open House For Career Pathway Program (From Aug. 6 and featuring Central Columbia School District)
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, Hopper’s Carpet Cleaning, to help us fulfill our mission.
Hopper’s Carpet Cleaning is a new business owned by the Hopper family – Larry, Ronette and Nicholas – that provides carpet cleaning services in the greater Columbia/Montour county area. Hopper’s uses all green seal certified chemicals that are asthma, allergy and pet safe, as well as the latest equipment so that carpets will look, feel and stay cleaner longer. Hopper’s can be reached by phone at 570-441-2132 or by email, and also check out their Facebook page.
This is the last of a series of posts recognizing and thanking all of the valuable contributors that helped make the 2017 Chamber Holiday Open House a successful event once again. It is the continued support of these businesses, organizations and individuals that helps the Chamber fulfill its mission of offering programs, benefits and events to its members, giving them a stronger voice and advocacy and being involved in more activities and initiatives in our communities.
This final thank you goes out to all of those individuals that attended the Holiday Open House. The success of this annual event depends on the continued attendance of all of our members and guests and because they enjoy the Holiday Open House year after year, our members keep coming back, so we give one last thank you to them and we can’t wait to see you at next year’s event.
A special thank you also goes out to the staff at the Pine Barn Inn, which has hosted this event for about the last decade or so. The sales, kitchen and hospitality staff at the Pine Barn Inn routinely goes above and beyond with their service and without their help (not to mention great-tasting food), this event wouldn’t be nearly as successful. Also, special thanks to them for once again donating a menu selection as an Angel Sponsor.
Finally, thanks to two special volunteers – Mary Ann Rizzo from the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, who helped at the registration table with the more than 350 name tags to give out, and Tim Wagner of Wagner’s Trophies & Engraveables, who once again served as one of the bartenders at the event. Their valuable time spent helping this event go smoothly is greatly appreciated. Also, thanks to the Chamber and Chamber Foundation staff — Matt Beltz, Phyllis Jones, Deb Sokol and Jeff Emanuel — for their efforts on the day of the event in making sure that it went off without any major issues.