Chamber members learned about the services offered by WorkPlace Health last Wednesday evening at April’s Business After Hours. WorkPlace Health, a division of Phoenix Rehabilitation and Health Services, offers a full range of services for area employers including drug and alcohol screening, OSHA testing, physical and health exams, and rehabilitation for workplace injuries. For more information about their services, visit wphealth.org or call the staff at the Bloomsburg location at 570-317-2794.
Business After Hours provide regular opportunities to build business relationships while learning about the services offered by other Chamber members. Join us for the next Business After Hours on Wednesday, May 17 at Columbia County Christian School.The Chamber’s annual Golf Outing, sponsored by Williams, is rapidly approaching. Scheduled for Thursday, May 25, at Knoebels Three Ponds Golf Club in Elysburg, this event features a full day of fun, food, drinks and golf. Cost is $85 per person or $340 per foursome and includes lunch, green fees, cart, a plated dinner, beverages on the course, prizes and a voucher for a free round of golf later in 2017. Registration for the four-person scramble begins at 9:30, lunch at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start at 11 a.m. To sign up, contact Eleanor at 570-784-2522 or fill out and return the registration form.
Several sponsorships are currently available. If interested in one of these opportunities, please contact Matt Beltz at 570-784-2522 or email. Thanks to the following members that have already committed to supporting this year’s event: Williams (event sponsor), MetroCast Communications (lunch sponsor), Generations Construction (beverage sponsor), First Columbia Bank & Trust (snack sponsor) and the Berwick Health & Wellness Fund (snack sponsor).
The Chamber is also seeking a few volunteers to staff various holes on the golf course. If you’re not interested in playing but wouldn’t mind spending a day out on the golf course with friends, food and drinks, please contact Matt Beltz.
Member News
Wesley United Methodist Church Hosts Free Handbell Concert
The Hershey Handbell Ensemble will perform a concert at Wesley United Methodist Church, located at Market and West 3rd Streets in Bloomsburg, on Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m. The concert is free, although the Ensemble gratefully accepts donations. This 16-member group plays seasonally in April and December and has been around since 2004. Based in south-central Pennsylvania, the ensemble performs on seven octaves of Malmark Handbells, Handchimes and assorted other instruments.
Planet Fitness Hosts Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening
Planet Fitness, the newest Columbia Montour Chamber member, will have a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a grand opening event beginning at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3 at their new location in the Columbia Mall in Bloomsburg. The grand opening will run from 4-7 p.m. and is open to the community. There will be giveaways and raffle prizes. Danni Allen, 2013 winner of NBC’s The Biggest Loser, will also be on site to share her fitness journey, tips and lead group workouts.
The fitness center, which opened for business in mid-April, is open 24/7 and offers numerous cardio and strength equipment, high-end tanning, massage chairs, a 30-minute circuit program and much more.
All Are Invited to the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation’s Annual Meeting
The Central Susquehanna Community Foundation will hold its Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 4 from 12–1:30 p.m. at the Pine Barn Inn, Danville. If interested in attending, RSVP to Karri Harter by April 28 at 570-752-3930, ext. 6, or through email, and please indicate if you have a vegetarian preference for lunch.
Geisinger Hosts Women’s Wellness Event
Geisinger Health System will host “Caring for Every Woman,” a women’s wellness event on Thursday, May 4, from 5–8 p.m. at the Pine Barn Inn, Danville. This free event will feature women’s wellness education and professional networking as well as live music, appetizers, health screenings and a physician panel discussion. Learn about the health issues facing women of all ages from physicians in neuroscience, urology, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopaedics and breast health. Seating is limited, so register at geisinger.org/events.
First Columbia Hosts Chris Herren
First Columbia Bank will host speaker Chris Herren at Bloomsburg University on Wednesday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at Gross Auditorium in Carver Hall. Doors open at 6 p.m. and this event is open to the public. The founder of the Herren Project, Herren is a former college basketball and NBA player who struggled with substance abuse for much of his basketball career and overdosed on heroin in June of 2008. With the help of friends and family, he has been clean since August 1, 2008 and has traveled the country telling his story to increase education and public awareness on the dangers of substance abuse and to ultimately help others one person at a time. He was also the subject of a 2011 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary titled Unguarded.
This event is open to the public. However, seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information on this event, visit First Columbia’s website or Facebook page.
Geisinger Seeks Community Members for Hot Air Balloon Festival Planning Committee
Geisinger Health System will host the inaugural Dream Big Hot Air Balloon Festival, October 6-7 at Spyglass Ridge Winery in Sunbury. In order to encourage participation and feedback from the community and gain more ideas, Geisinger is currently seeking additional community members to serve on a planning committee for this event. If interested in participating, please contact Linda Vaji at 570-214-2581 or email.
Business Insurance
Most, if not all Chamber members carry some or multiple types of business insurance such as general liability, workers compensation, property, and others. The types, amount of coverage and costs vary greatly depending on numerous factors. For some, the costs can be significant. Why not get some of that paid back to you in cash?
As a Chamber member, you exclusively have access to dividend-paying business insurance from Penn National Insurance through the ChamberChoice portfolio of products. Dividends are based on the claims ratio each year, so the more policyholders and the fewer claims, the higher the dividend. Over 20 Columbia Montour Chamber members have received a total of over $135,000 in dividends paid back to their businesses in the first four years of the program. In total, all ChamberChoice members have earned over $3.3 million in dividends since the program’s inception.
This product is sold directly to interested members by licensed Penn National agents. If interested in a no-obligation quote, contact Chamber members Associated Insurance Management at 570-275-0100 or Hutchison Insurance Agency at 570-784-5550.
“Did You Know” is dedicated to reviewing a specific benefit of Chamber membership as a means of reminding our members of the ways the Chamber can help you increase revenue or decrease costs in your business or organization.
Downtown Bloomsburg will be full of family activities, live entertainment, craft vendors, and great food this Saturday, April 29. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Free parking with shuttle service from the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds will be available starting at 9:30 a.m. The Jamboree website has the entertainment schedule.
Renaissance Jamboree is co-sponsored by Bloomsburg University and its Program Board, Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc., the Town of Bloomsburg, and The Columbia Montour Chamber.
With information from the PA Chamber of Business & Industry
Last Wednesday, PA Chamber Director of Government Affairs Kevin Sunday spoke before a DEP permit hearing in Lycoming County in support of an air quality permit for an expanded compressor station on Williams’ Transcontinental pipeline system. The expanded station would allow for increased capacity on the system in advance of the build-out of the Atlantic Sunrise project, which received key clearance from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this past winter and is awaiting several water and wetlands permits from DEP and the Army Corps before construction can begin in earnest later this spring. At the hearing, Sunday noted that infrastructure projects, such as Atlantic Sunrise
, represent the potential for thousands of jobs in the state, billions of dollars in new investment, and continued opportunity for the state’s manufacturing base.
The PA Chamber will continue to advocate on this issue, given that infrastructure is critical to supporting and sustaining economic growth. Likewise, The Columbia Montour Chamber is submitting a letter to DEP this week in support of the project. The Chamber continues to support the expansion of Pennsylvania’s natural gas transportation and distribution pipeline infrastructure.
In recognition of the small business community’s significant contributions to Pennsylvania’s economy, the week of April 30-May 6 will be celebrated as Pennsylvania Small Business Week. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has partnered with agencies from across the state to celebrate entrepreneurs and small business owners for their contributions to Pennsylvania’s economy, and draw attention to the resources available to support them.
Pennsylvania is home to one million small businesses, and employs 2.5 million individuals — about half of the state’s private workforce. Small businesses play a vital role in Pennsylvania’s economy, accounting for 99.6 percent of businesses in the state. Their economic impact is evident across a variety of business sectors, ranging from professional services, retail, construction, and health care to manufacturing, education and beyond.
To support the continued success and growth of small businesses, business-owners and entrepreneurs can participate in DCED’s Small Business Web Series. Each free webinar in the series will be presented by experienced business experts.
Monday, May 1 (Noon) – Resources for Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses, presented by Betsy Lockwood, SEDA-COG
Tuesday, May 2 (Noon) – Registering a Business in Pennsylvania, presented by PA Departments of State, Revenue, and Labor & Industry
Wednesday, May 3 (Noon) – Government Procurement & Diverse Business Certification, presented by PA Department of General Services
Thursday, May 4 (Noon) – Raising Capital in Pennsylvania, presented by PA Department of Banking and Securities
Friday, May 5 (Noon) – Entrepreneur Stories of Small Business Success, presented by Jennifer Gill, President of Exact Match Masonry Staining; Vivian Isaak, President of Magnum Group; and Maryann Petta Cook, Founder and President of Bella Lucia
Visit the DCED website to register for these webinars and for a complete list of workshops, trainings and seminars. Pennsylvania Small Business Week is part of a nationwide celebration launched by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Each year, the President announces National Small Business Week to highlight the critical role of entrepreneurs and small business in the U.S. economy.
Recommendations for strengthening Berwick’s downtown were presented to an audience of dozens of interested business people and community members last Tuesday evening. The report, prepared by a consulting team from the Lehigh Valley, provides strategies for supporting small business growth, improving properties and infrastructure, and enhancing the sense of community. A local steering committee, which includes Chamber Board member Jeff Cerminaro and President Fred Gaffney, has provided oversight of the development of the report and will work with local stakeholders on evaluating and implementing the recommendations. Downtown Berwick merchants are invited to a follow-up meeting on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 p.m.
at Berwick Brewing to discuss some of the specifics in the plan.
The full report is available for download on the Columbia County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities’ website.
As Pennsylvania is facing revenue shortfalls in the current fiscal year, the Governor’s 2017-18 budget proposes more modest spending increases. What will the final budget include and when might it be finalized? Get insights from our State delegation and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry at a breakfast program scheduled for May 5.
Jennifer Reis, Manager of Government Affairs with the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry, will provide an overview of the 2017-18 budget proposal, highlighting issues that impact business. Senator John Gordner and Representatives Kurt Masser and David Millard are scheduled to provide updates and insights on the negotiations. Attendees will also be invited to provide questions and comments.
The program will be held Friday, May 5, from 8–9:30 a.m. at The Greenly Center in downtown Bloomsburg. Cost is $18 for members, $25 for non-members, and includes a buffet breakfast. Register by sending in the registration form or by calling the Chamber office at 570-784-2522. The event is being presented by the Joint Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber and Visitors Bureau.
Local employers looking to connect with potential employees and network with other area businesses are invited to participate in the upcoming Montour County Job Fair. The event, co-sponsored by the Chamber, will be held on Tuesday, May 23, from 2:30–6 p.m. at Frosty Valley Country Club, 2201 Bloom Road, Danville. The first thirty minutes of the session are reserved exclusively for veterans. The fair will then be open to the general public from 3–6 p.m.
Employers interested in participating are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Space is limited by industry to ensure variety. The registration form is available here.
For more information, contact the PA CareerLink office for Columbia & Montour counties at 570-387-6288.