Tina Welch has been a corporate Human Resources leader for more than 20 years. In that time, she was able to position HR policies and practices in a strategic manner that enabled her organizations to achieve their corporate goals while creating an outstanding work environment for employees. She was able to help organizations grow from 50 to over 400 employees, locally and internationally, and has lived in the shoes of a growing business. Tina left the corporate world with a mission to help many other organizations across Central PA accomplish the same thing. Welch Performance Consulting was founded on the principals that motivated and engaged employees drive motivated and engaged customers who in turn love to buy from the company, creating success and happiness for all.

Welch Performance Consulting offers a full range of HR support for organizations that not only create great workplaces but also improve HR metrics creating a return to client’s bottom line. Services fall into 3 categories:

• Corporate Strategy Development which includes development of organization’s vision, mission and values, corporate governance structure, and facilitating strategic planning.

• HR Process Assessments of HR functions from recruitment and selection, through  on-boarding and orientation, performance management and employee development programs, compensation and benefit assessments, and reward and recognition programs.

• HR Legal Compliance which includes HR audits, handbook development, policy review, employment law compliance, coaching and guidance regarding difficult employee issues.

Growing organizations frequently do not have dedicated HR professionals on staff and benefit from WPC’s guidance and coaching of the company’s leaders and staff assigned this important role. HR departments in need of outsourcing projects to keep on task also find value in WPC’s assistance.

WPC approaches HR from a strategic perspective and a customized approach. Any work done for an organization must be tailored to align with the goals of the organization. This comes from listening to the company to understand what they want to achieve and then delivering the work in a manner that helps them achieve their goals.

WPC’s work has helped our clients achieve numerous awards such as Best Places to Work in PA, the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Workplace award, awards recognizing healthy workplaces and outstanding workplaces for women to name a few.

Tina and her family are new to Bloomsburg and have a legacy of supporting their community. They have every intention of contributing significantly to the local area as well. In their previous community the Welch’s were active with the YMCA, United Way, Boy Scouts and youth sports leagues, the local school board, volunteer fire department, the Chamber of Commerce, and Leadership Centre County. This year both Tina and her husband, Steve, are continuing that tradition by participating in the 2015-2016 class of Leadership Central Penn; and WPC has already become active in the Chamber’s events and local professional groups.

WPC serves businesses in the entire central PA area and in any industry. They are passionate about helping organizations and teaching them how they can be great places to work.

To learn more about Welch Performance Consulting visit welchperformanceconsulting.com

Barletta Breakfast: Congressman Lou Barletta spoke to members of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce and Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau at a breakfast meeting held Thursday, August 27, 2015 at the Greenly Center in Downtown Bloomsburg. Barletta discussed the Iran Nuclear Deal, transportation funding, a proposed increase to the minimum wage, and Pennsylvania’s budget impasse.

Click here for audio.

The Chamber will be welcoming Xtreme Row to 131 W Front Street in Berwick on Saturday, August 29^th. The celebration begins at 9 a.m. with a Training For Warriors Hurricane. The Chamber will be on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:15 a.m. and Xtreme Row will be holding four more training sessions throughout the day.

For a tentative Grand Opening training schedule click here. Space is limited for each class, so please register to reserve your spot!

All sessions will be $10 per person with 100% of those fees donated to the Berwick Food Program!

The Berwick Food Program, provided by For The Cause NEPA (FTC) collaborates with local organizations to distribute food items to students, families, and individuals-in-need. Partnerships with local schools, soup kitchens, and charities have helped FTC serve more than 25,000 supplemental meals since the start of the 2014-2015 school year.

Additionally, Xtreme Row will be holding a basket raffle featuring great prizes from many local businesses! If you would like to donate a gift for this raffle, please email info@xtremerow.com.

Xtreme Row will be making a matching donation of up to $500 raised on this day!

Bason Coffee Roasting will host a formal ribbon cutting ceremony on August 28 at 8:30 a.m. The Columbia Montour Chamber, Danville Business Alliance and Central PA Chamber will be on hand to welcome the business to 14 Rear East Mahoning Street in Danville. Enjoy fresh roasted coffee, light refreshments and a free sample of ground coffee with any purchase.

John H. Sykes founded Sykes Enterprises, Inc. in 1977 as a small technical engineering firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s initial purpose was to provide design and engineering services to Fortune 500 companies. Business was strong and the firm grew rapidly. The company expanded into New York in 1983 and Colorado in 1985. By 1990, Sykes Enterprises had branched out into Texas and established an Information Services Division in Tampa, Florida, which was later to become the company headquarters. In 1991, many companies were having a hard time weathering the recession. Leaner business years, however, worked in Sykes Enterprises’ favor. Many companies were looking to outsource support services, and employment at Sykes actually rose during the early 1990s. In 1991, the company had 1,150 employees at 23 offices in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

In 1994, Sykes opened a customer support call center in Sterling, Colorado, providing technically skilled job seekers with an alternative to low-paying jobs with little future. The call center marked the beginning of what was to become the most profitable division of Sykes Enterprises. Software and hardware manufacturers were realizing that customer service was a vital part of retaining brand loyalty among buyers of their products, but found it difficult to maintain efficient and reliable call centers of their own. Sykes decided to target those companies with a cost-effective option for outsourcing customer support. When a customer had a question about a recently purchased product, a call to the manufacturer would be seamlessly directed to a Sykes call center. Sykes provides customer contact management solutions and services in the business process outsourcing (BPO) arena.

Sykes has taken leaps and bounds in getting involved with the community and helping in any way they can. For the past two summers they have done a donation drive for the Women’s shelter on supplies/personal hygiene needs. They participated in Berwick’s Week of Caring and had about 15 staff members spend 2 hours cleaning up the Berwick Theater. In March, they had a large drive for games/books/craft supplies for the Big Brother/Big Sister after school programs as well as had a team bowl at their annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake. Staff members also did a spring cleaning and they had a donation of clothes and toys that were donated to the Save Berwick Pool fund. They have become a part of the community watch awareness walks in Berwick. Currently they are gathering School supplies to help the local area “Stuff the Bus”.

Sykes has received commendations from the Mayor of Berwick, Outstanding Community Business Award and Letter of Recognition from the Women’s Center in Bloomsburg, a thank you Letter from the Big Brother’s Big Sisters of the Bridge, a thank you letter of Participation in the 2014 Heartbeat of Sykes (annual fundraiser for the American Heart Association). Within the next 90 days they anticipate adding an additional 90 employees with a new business coming to the site.
For more information visit www.sykes.com.

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

Learn more about current legislation that could affect your business at a Legislative Breakfast with Congressman Lou Barletta on Thursday, August 27 at 8 a.m. at the Greenly Center 50 E. Main Street, Bloomsburg. During this Chamber and Visitors Bureau sponsored event you will meet the person representing your business in Washington.

The cost for Chamber members is $20 per person, $30 for non-members, and includes a full buffet-style breakfast. Registration is required before August 21. For more information download the registration form, call Eleanor at 784-2522 or email estokley@cmpartnership.org

Over the last three years, Chamber members have received $131,397 in dividends on their business insurance through Penn National Insurance. This year, nearly two dozen participating members received over $36,000 in combined dividend checks. Dividends earned are based on the total group premium and claims experience of eligible lines. As the program grows, so does dividend potential. Often times the dividend pays for their Chamber membership, and more.

Penn National Insurance offers all types of business insurance. Enhanced coverage on auto, businessowners, property, workers compensation and general liability give you added protection at no additional cost. Equipment breakdown coverage is automatically included with businessowners and property policies. Through Penn National Insurance’s independent network, agents are able find the right coverage for your business with local service.

For more information, visit www.ChamberChoice.com.

From PA Representative David Millard

Clarifications to the state’s new law regarding background clearances for employees and volunteers who have direct and routine contact with children are now law. House Bill 1276 was recently signed into law, bringing more clarity to Act 153 of 2014, which requires additional and periodic background checks for both employees and volunteers who are directly involved with children. The changes take effect immediately.

Under the new law, volunteers must obtain the clearances if they have direct volunteer contact, meaning that they have care, supervision, guidance or control and routine interaction with children. Also, all employees and adult volunteers subject to the background check clearances will be required to recertify all of those clearances every five years, instead of every three years. The measure also makes a number of clarifications with respect to the cost, portability and recertification of the two main clearances – the Department of Human Services child abuse clearance and the state police criminal background check. The two $10 fees are waived for volunteers and are reduced to $8 each for employees.

More information about Act 153 and the other new laws resulting from the child protection package are available at http://KeepKidsSafe.pa.gov

Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc. (DBI), is a non-profit subsidiary of the Chamber dedicated to making Bloomsburg a regional hotspot to shop, dine, live, and visit. Bloomsburg was recently ranked 4^th among the best communities to live in Pennsylvania by the website Niche.com.  To be successful, the organization needs the help of local businesses and residents. The three phase Revitalization Project is already underway, working with a highly experienced architecture design and developer firm to map out all the buildings in Downtown Bloomsburg and compile area demographics.  The next step is raising funds for a full development plan.  The plan will give the community actionable goals and ideas to ensure that Bloomsburg’s Downtown is bustling and vibrant well into the future.

One way that DBI is hoping to raise both funds and awareness is through a new GoFundMe campaign. The Campaign has had a great first week, raising nearly $3,000 dollars. To join the movement to revitalize Bloomsburg, visit www.VisitBloomsburg.com or donate via GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/bloomsburg.