The Chamber and Visitors Bureau’s Board of Directors are recommending the following slates of candidates for election to their respective boards:

Nominated to serve on the Chamber Board:
3-year term
Mark Gardner, M&T Bank
Marc Nespoli, Fuel Fitness
Jeff Watson, Carriage Manor Builders
Karen Wood, Service 1st Federal Credit Union

1-year term
Diane Ljungquist, Berwick Hospital Center
Jim Micklow, Press Enterprise
Tim Wagner, Wagner’s Trophies

Nominated to serve an unexpired, 3-year term
Denise Stone, Geisinger Health System

To be appointed by the Chair for a 1-year term:
Travis Petty, Borough of Berwick
Jeff Whitenight, First Columbia Bank & Trust Co.
Sharon Wilkin, CSS Industries

Nominated to serve a 3-year term on the Visitors Bureau Board:
Matt Hickey, Holiday Inn Express, Bloomsburg
Chris Hill, Pine Barn Inn
Al Luschas, Derr, Pursel, Luschas & Naparsteck, LLP
Lauren Martz, Town of Bloomsburg
Adrienne Mael, United Way of Columbia County
Stacy Ososkie, Knoebels Amusement Resort
Joe Scopelliti, BIDA

Members will vote to elect new board members at the combined Annual Meeting, scheduled for February 11th at Rolling Pines Golf Course & Banquet Facility. An alternate ticket or tickets may be nominated by at least fifteen members by posting a ticket at the Chamber’s main office at 238 Market Street, Bloomsburg, at least five days prior to the Annual Meeting. New board members will begin their terms on April 1, 2016.

The Chamber attended Bloomsburg Town Council’s meeting on December 14th to request that any changes to parking enforcement in the downtown be part of a comprehensive strategy for managing parking. A plan being discussed would increase fees for parking meters and change enforcement times. The Chamber and others expressed concerns over the potential impact on customer patterns and businesses.

The Chamber learned of the plan to change the fee for parking at a metered space from 25 cents per hour to 25 cents per 30 minutes, and enforcement would change from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, to 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays and 10 until 2 on Saturday. The fee increase is to help cover the cost of the new meters, according to Council. The reasoning for changing the enforcement times is to deter college students living in the downtown from taking up public parking that could otherwise be used for customers. The changes would be implemented first on Main Street with the replacement of meters, followed by other areas in the downtown. At the Council meeting, the Town’s solicitor clarified that any such changes would have to be through an ordinance and/or resolution, which have not yet been developed.

The Joint Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber and Visitors Bureau discussed these proposed changes, and has a number of questions about how they were developed, including any data that was used to support this plan. Also, there are concerns about how these changes could impact consumer patterns, which could harm existing businesses as well as future business development. Several other downtown businesses attended the meeting to express similar concerns.

In March, a parking study was presented at the Greenly Center as a student research project by students and faculty in the Department of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences (EGGS) and the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Additional support for the study was provided by the Columbia County GIS Office, the Town of Bloomsburg Police Department, Downtown Bloomsburg Inc., and the Bloomsburg University Center for Community Research and Consulting. Downtown Bloomsburg Inc. and the Chamber had asked at that time that the study be carefully reviewed before any changes to parking management be made.

“Parking concerns in Downtown Bloomsburg have been discussed for many years,” said Fred Gaffney, Chamber President. “We believe that finding long-term solutions to these issues requires a comprehensive approach with substantive data including metered and permit parking, in lots and on streets.”

The matter will now be referred to a Town committee for further discussion and the Chamber will be participating in those meetings.

The Chamber will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony for Edith’s Kitchen in Downtown Danville this Friday at 4 p.m. Edith’s Kitchen will be serving light refreshments after the celebration. Their special for the day will be all you can eat fish and homemade crab cakes served from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

The holiday shopping season has already begun! Take some of the stress out of what to get the people on your list while helping support local businesses.

Chamber Gift Certificates offer the gift of choice for family, friends, and employees. The Certificates can be accepted at any member business and are processed just like a check at full face value. Recipients can use them for a night out, spa treatment, or home essentials.

Certificates in $10 and $25 denominations can be purchased during normal business hours at the Chamber office on Market Street in Bloomsburg. Other denominations and large orders are available by calling 570-784-2522 and allowing 2-3 days for processing.

Chamber members now have access to a group-buying option for processing credit and debit cards.

This new member benefit program is with Ignite Payments – Preferred Client Group. Ignite Payments is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Data Corp, one of the largest credit card processors in the U.S. Pennsylvania-based customer service specialists are available to help members understand new EMV “smart chip” and other requirements.

There are no set up fees, hidden charges, or termination fees. Participants do not need to change their financial institutions for deposits or other banking services. Existing equipment can often be reprogrammed.

Before the holiday rush, call Ignite Payments – Preferred Client Group at 877-470-8472 for program details to see if this new program can increase your profitability!

The Chamber is welcoming PetValu to its new location at the Dillon Center, 1009 Scott Town Center in Bloomsburg on Saturday, October 24. The celebration begins at 9 a.m. and will continue throughout the day with sales, free refreshments for pets and their owners, face painting, prizes and more. Pets that arrive in their Halloween costumes from noon – 3 p.m. will be entered to win a Greenies Prize Pack. For more information and coupons click here.

The six candidates who will be on the ballot for Bloomsburg Town Council in the November 3rd general election answered a series of questions related to business and other issues on Wednesday, October 7th. The Candidate Forum, sponsored by the Joint Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber and Visitors Bureau, was held at the Bloomsburg High School Auditorium.

The questions focused on a wide range of topics including the Town’s business climate, parking, the growth of Bloomsburg University, flood protection, and more. Questions were developed by the Governmental Affairs Committee as well as accepted from the audience. Audio from the event is available here. The first question is answered by Joe Martarano, followed by Fred Trump, Chuck Wagner, Eric Bower, Jim Huber, and Diane Levan. The second question was answered first by Mr. Trump, with the same subsequent order, and so on.

Prior to the Spring primary, the Committee submitted a series of questions to the candidates for Commissioner in both Columbia and Montour County. The responses from those candidates who are on the Fall ballot are also available.

Columbia County Commissioner candidate responses here.

Montour County Commissioner candidate responses here.

Candidate Forum: The six  on the ballot for Bloomsburg Town Council in the November 3rd general election answered a series of questions related to business and other issues during a candidate forum on Wednesday, October 7th. The event, sponsored by the Joint Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber and Visitors Bureau, was held at the Bloomsburg High School Auditorium. Fred Gaffney, Chamber President, moderated the forum.

Questions were developed by the Committee as well as accepted from the audience. Topics included: the Town’s business climate, parking, the growth of Bloomsburg University, and flood protection.

Click here for audio.

The Big Heart Pet Brands facility started with the Hunts Company in 1963.  It was purchased by Campbell’s Soup, then Heinz. In the early 2000s it was then purchased by DelMonte. In 2013, DelMonte split the fruit and vegetable business from the pet food business and they became Big Heart Pet Brands.  This year they were purchased by The J.M. Smucker Company.

Big Heart Pet Brands manufactures and distributes wet and dry dog and cat food under labels such as 9Lives, Gravy Train, Kibbles ‘n Bits, Skippy, Gravy Train, Natural Balance and Nature’s Recipe.

Big Heart Pet Brands is active in the community by serving on boards at Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg Enactus, United Water Customer Advisory Council, Agape, and North Shore Railroad.  They have active members in various dog and cat rescues – Fabulous Felines, PA Pets Feral Program, Chesapeake Area Alaskan Malamute, Therapy Dog International, and CART. Other employees are active responders for the various emergency response organizations including the Bloomsburg Fire Department, Berwick Fire Department, Espy Fire Department, Lime Ridge Fire Department, and Bloomsburg Ambulance. Big Heart Pet Brands employees are soccer coaches, scout leaders, etc. They also participate in various fundraisers such as research for Cancer and Alzheimer’s, Toys for Tots, and Veterans Programs.

Big Heart Pet Brands is proud of their facility and the employees who work there. They look forward to continuing to be a prominent employer in a great area like Bloomsburg.

For more information visit www.bigheartpet.com.

The subject of each month’s Member Spotlight is selected from attendees of Chamber events.