Meet the bakers behind Columbia County Bread & Granola and welcome them to their new retail outlet on Wednesday, November 5. The Chamber will hold a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. for Bakers Guild Cafe at 225 Center Street in Bloomsburg.

The Cafe will feature CCB&G’s entire product line of sprouted, naturally-leavened, flour-less bread, pocket pita, flat breads and our unique flax-based granolas. In addition, Bakers Guild Cafe will have a limited morning and lunch menu built around CCB&G’s sprouted breads and an array of fermented, nutrient dense foods that are hand-picked and locally sourced by our cafe chef. They will also feature locally roasted coffees and hand crafted sodas made on the premises. The official Grand Opening will feature an open house for the public and an opportunity to meet CCB&G bakers, local dignitaries and a representative from Team Terdiman.

The 2nd Annual Community Expo, presented by the Chamber, is designed to specifically promote businesses and nonprofits to those who matter most, our community. This year’s Expo is October 23rd from 4 to 7 p.m. inside the Industrial Arts Building at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds. Door prizes will be given away hourly to registered participants. The grand prize drawing, a 30 minute helicopter ride courtesy of the Press Enterprise, will be raffled off at 6:30 p.m. You must be present to win.

The following members are graciously sponsoring this year’s event:

Community Leader Sponsor Art of Floating
Philadelphia Federal Credit Union

Community Builder Sponsor
Columbia County Industrial Development Authority

Elite Business Networking Sponsor
GordnerCoombs Insurance Inc.
Menco Mechanical LLC

Community Friend Sponsor
Geisinger Health Plan
Zimmer Insurance Agency
Guardian Scapes

For more information call Donna Sharrow at 570-784-2522 or email dsharrow@CMPartnership.org.

Representatives of businesses, non-profit organizations, and local government shared their thoughts about how to strengthen area employers at a roundtable discussion last Thursday. Topics of discussion included assisting with the utilization of social media, peer to peer information sharing, and strengthening connections with local education. The program was held at the Chamber’s Berwick office in the Eagles Building and was sponsored by the Chamber, Berwick Area United Way, and its Berwick Marketing Committee.

The participants were asked to identify traits of a strong business and as well as challenges for businesses. While the focus was intended to be on the greater Berwick area, the challenges are relatable to many small and medium sized businesses in the region: finding quality staff, including fostering talent from local youth, keeping up with marketing trends such as social media and online retailing, increasing engagement between local businesses, intergovernmental cooperation, and promoting a positive image for the community.

The Chamber’s Berwick Task Force will debrief and develop action steps to be taken by the Chamber and/or partner organizations. One program is already scheduled for October 21st to help businesses develop an online presence. Click here for a flyer with more details.

The Fall edition of Bloomsburg, The University Magazine, features an article that highlights the many ways Bloomsburg University benefits the area. A number of representatives of Chamber members were interviewed including Autoneum, Fog & Flame Craft Coffee and Espresso Bar, Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, First Columbia Bank and Trust, the Columbia County Commissioners, and the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau. Chamber President Fred Gaffney and Downtown Bloomsburg Manager Adrienne Mael also offered comments. The publication is available online at http://magazine.bloomu.edu.

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

As House and Senate lawmakers return to Harrisburg this week, the PA Chamber is working to help move several key pro-business bills to the governor’s desk before the November 4 General Election. Key issues that include workers’ compensation reform and preventing union intimidation in the workplace are well positioned to move in the coming weeks.

The Senate is being pressed to pass a number of bills that cleared the House earlier this session. House Bill 2354 would give the public a stronger voice regarding the state’s plans for adhering to new rules by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding its greenhouse gas emissions. This bill is incredibly important to the state’s energy industry, especially the segments connected to coal.

Fighting back on local mandates, House Bill 1796 (similar to H.B. 1807) would prevent individual municipalities from enacting local mandatory employee leave ordinances on employers. This issue has been raised in cities like Philadelphia and is becoming a national concern. The PA Chamber is committed to address the matter before it begins to further impact businesses. Read more about this proposal in this edition of Sentinel.

The PA Chamber is also promoting House Bill 1846, workers’ compensation reform legislation. In a state with increasing workers’ compensation costs, this measure would help curtail unnecessary expense growth by limiting the price markup and the amount of medication doctors can dispense from their office – a move that prevents out-of-state drug repacking companies from driving up prescription drug costs through a loophole in the current law.
In addition to each of these proposals, the PA Chamber continues its focus this fall on helping lawmakers address comprehensive reforms in both the state’s public pension system as well as its system for selling alcohol.

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

Pennsylvania taxpayers are projected to see more than $4 billion in savings over the next eight years thanks to the federal government’s recent approval of the Corbett Administration’s new Healthy PA initiative. By reforming the state’s Medicaid program and brining it more closely in line with plans in the private sector, Healthy PA meets the goals of providing uninsured residents with access to affordable care while gaining better controls on one of the state’s largest cost-drivers.

The new healthcare program will provide 600,000 Pennsylvanians with access to affordable healthcare coverage – a laudable goal given that is will be accomplished without expanding Medicaid under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The PA Chamber has been a major proponent of the governor’s Healthy PA program since he first introduced the plan last fall. Given the rising costs of Medicaid over the last decade – a program that now accounts for nearly 30 percent of the state budget – the reform components of the plan are vital in controlling state spending and fighting new taxes on employers.

In a press release issued following the announcement of the program’s approval, PA Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs Sam Denisco said, “The approval of Healthy PA represents a significant step toward controlling the rising costs of Medicaid and providing working families with new and affordable healthcare options. Reforming Medicaid responsibly, while also increasing access to private insurance coverage, is a win-win for everyone.”

One of the ways members receive increased exposure through membership is the printed Membership Directory. The Chamber’s 2014-15 Directory has arrived from the printer and is being distributed to dozens of high-traffic locations throughout Columbia and Montour counties. The full-color publication was produced again this year by member Victor Koons Graphic Design.

With the help of volunteer Ambassadors, four-thousand copies of the Directory are distributed to real estate agencies to give to people moving to the area, mailed to people requesting relocation packets, and distributed at prime locations throughout the area such as hotels, professional offices, Bloomsburg University and the Visitors Bureau.

A copy of the 2014-15 Directory is being mailed to each member this week. If you would like additional copies for your place of business, or would like to become a distribution location, please contact the office at 570-784-2522.

Fred Gaffney, Chamber President, accepted ISS Solutions’ Ice Bucket Challenge. Adrienne Mael, Downtown Bloomsburg Inc.’s Manager, and Becc Ostron, Manager of Fog & Flame, also participated and passed the challenge on to InnoTek Computer Consultants, Steph’s Subs and the rest of the Fog & Flame staff. To date, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised $94.3 million towards fighting ALS. Click here to view the video.

Following overwhelmingly positive response from the memberships from both organizations, the Chamber and Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau will be consolidating operations in order to increase the value of membership and improve service to the communities in the two counties. Scheduled to take effect October 1, the two organizations will operate under the umbrella of a new non-profit organization, called the Columbia-Montour Partnership for Community Development.

The new structure is not a merger of the two organizations. The Chamber and Visitors Bureau will continue to exist, with separate boards to maintain focus on strategic priorities. While the Visitors Bureau’s focus will remain on promoting the two county region and tourism-related economic development, the Chamber will continue to serve as an advocate for all employers and provide programs and services to encourage job growth. Members of either organization will automatically become members of both with access to all benefits. Combined, the Chamber and Visitors Bureau represent almost 600 area employers.

Staffs and operational resources will be combined under the Partnership to eliminate duplication of effort and improve efficiency in delivering programs and services. Office locations will remain in Berwick, Bloomsburg and Danville, though the main offices of the Chamber and Visitors Bureau will be consolidated. No defined timeline has been established, as possible facilities are currently being evaluated.

The boards of the Chamber and Visitors Bureau will provide strategic input to the Board of the Partnership. The chief paid executives of the two organizations will serve in parallel roles within the Partnership. Chamber President Fred Gaffney will serve as Chief Executive Officer, overseeing Chamber initiatives and representing the Partnership in regional initiatives. David “Otto” Kurecian, Executive Director of the Visitors Bureau, will serve as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for day to day operations as well as management of tourism enhancement efforts.

With the same general goal of strengthening the regional economy, the Chamber and Visitors Bureau hope the Partnership will be attractive to other organizations with similar goals. The Partnership is offering operational support, including office space, to other non-profit groups. The Chamber’s subsidiaries, Downtown Bloomsburg Inc., and the Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber, also become part of the Partnership structure upon its creation.

“The Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1941 when smart businesspeople realized that they could be more effective at strengthening the community if they worked together,” according to Richard Kwei, Chamber Board Chair. “This partnership is a continuation of that realization and we hope that we can be even more effective in strengthening Columbia and Montour counties by working with other groups.”

A task force has been working with staff and sub-committees since January to formalize the operational details of the Partnership. Final ballots were sent to all members in late July with a deadline of August 11th. Members of the Chamber were also invited to vote in person at a special meeting held yesterday morning. The results of both votes were overwhelmingly in support of the partnership.

The process was facilitated by Heather Feldhaus, Ph.D., with Bloomsburg University’s Center for Community Research and Consulting, and Chuck Laudermilch, a retired Bloomsburg University professor. “The CMVB Board of Directors is grateful to the staff of both the CMVB and the Chamber for their diligence and focus on the needs of our members as both organizations strive to deliver the best possible services to Montour and Columbia Counties,” said Bob Stoudt, Visitors Bureau Board President. “I am very optimistic that the Partnership will be a great asset for our community.”