Membership Morning: Interactions and Information
Across the Chamber industry, two adages take hold: first, that "Chambers of Commerce do what most people think just happens", and second, that "Businesses don't join Chambers to connect with the staff, but to do business with other members." With this in mind, the Columbia Montour Chamber has reinvented its traditional "New Member Orientation", into something we believe will be even more accessible and helpful to our members. On June 29th, members had the opportunity to connect with the event's reimagined name and format. Now called "Membership Morning", the event was about far more than new members (although new members really seemed to enjoy it). In addition to the opportunity for new members to learn about their member benefits for the first time, Membership Morning is designed in part as a "speed networking" event and a reconnection point for all members. Thanks to our gracious hosts at LCBC, who have hosted orientations for several years, thirty Chamber members enjoyed dedicated networking time in the LCBC Studio space after moseying through the incredible "Finding Nemo" decorations set up for LCBC's summer programming.
Chamber partners World Kinect Energy and My Benefit Advisors each took time to meet with new members at informational booths, while Taryn Crayton, Director of Member Engagement chatted with attendees about events, publications, and more. Following the timed networking sessions, Chamber President Chris Berleth gave a brief big-picture overview of what the Chamber does, how to get involved in committees and initiatives, and how to take advantage of Chamber resources.
Membership Mornings will be a quarterly initiative for the chamber with the next one happening in early November.
Events like these are made possible by the investment of the Chamber's Visionary and Advocate members. Thank you for your sponsorship of our Member Mornings!
Hoping to connect before November? We hope you'll check out all chamber happenings by making sure you are getting the E-Biz Weekly newsletter, and connecting with us via social media. Reach out to Taryn at tcrayton@columbiamontourchamber.com to get on the newsletter list, or to share your member news.
New Member Highlight – Cardinal Estate Planning
We are pleased to highlight Genesis House who joined the Chamber in May of 2023.
Founded in 2022 by Nick Lutz of Berwick, Cardinal Estate Planning exclusively focuses on elder law, asset protection, estate planning and other closely related practice areas.
Over the course of Nick's career he has helped hundreds of families in northeast and central PA protect their assets from nursing home cost and guided families through their short and long-term planning goals.
Learn more about Cardinal Estate Planning.
Leadership Central Penn Graduates 24th Class
Leadership Central Penn (LCP), a program run by the Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber, celebrated the graduation of the class of
2023 on May 18th at the Venue at Liberty Valley. This year’s class marked the 24th cohort. The program included a Keynote address from Megan Brosious, Chief Administrative Officer Geisinger, and class speaker Ernesto Perez, Great Dane.
Before the certificates were awarded, members of the class presented their community impact projects. LCP class members split into four groups to maximize their community impact and partnered with four nonprofits serving our communities. One project helped clean out and waterproof a storage area at the Good Sarmatian Mission in Danville. A second group worked with the Teen Center of Berwick to develop a 9-month teen entrepreneurship academy for high school students that will launch in the fall. The Danville Child Development Center was in need of repainting work in their cafeteria and adjacent areas, so a team took on this task. The last group worked with Beyond Violence of Berwick to paint an entryway and organize donations for the women to use while they are staying at the center. All of the projects were demanding, but fulfilling to the LCP members, nonprofit partners, and community members impacted by these organizations.
The event concluded with honoring the LCP Graduating Class of 2023:
Alexandra Baney – Service 1st FCU
Karla Chapman - Agape
Brent Eckart – First Keystone Community Bank
Chris Farr - PPL
Melanie Fisher – First Keystone Community Bank
Kristie Garancosky - Geisigner
Stacy Gordner – First Keystone Community Bank
Karri Harter – Community Giving Foundation
Kasey Hashagen- Kawneer
Jason Huff - Autoneum
Wade Jones – Hope Enterprise
Sadie Jordan – The Women’s Center
Shelby Kellner – The Bloomsburg Children’s Museum
Shannon Lewczyk – Danville Child Development Center
Sarah Meyer – Columbia Child Development Program
Benjamin Morano - Geisinger
Danielle Pearson – N4Cs
Ernesto Perez – Sponsored by Sekisui Kydex
Jason Ploppert - Girton
Faith Rierson – Columbia Child Development Program
Betsy Rubio – Columbia County Housing and Red. Authority
Melissa Stout – Community Strategies Group
Lindsay Sykes – Bloomsburg Carpet
Leadership Central Penn (LCP) is now accepting nominations for the class of 202-2024. LCP is a nine-month program designed to educate, involve, and motivate a select group of area resident for positions of leadership. The goals are to seek a diverse group or individuals with an interest in assuming effective leadership roles in their organizations and our communities. Participants in the program are chosen based on their commitment to the community and their demonstrated leadership potential. To learn more and apply here.
Welcome New Member – The Berwick Theater and Center for Community Arts
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome The Berwick Theater and Center for the Community Arts to the Chamber. The Berwick Theater and Center for Community Arts is a non-profit organization providing affordable entertainment to Berwick and the surrounding areas. They show first and second run movies in our single screen theater where all of our showings are only $6 per ticket for all ages.
The BTCCA hosts various events such as our Big Screen Bingo, the Game On video game competition, Rocky Horror Picture Show with shadow cast, and others. They have a goal of hosting various live shows including bands, plays, comedians, and others.
The actual structure of the Berwick Theater was originally built and maintained by the Patriotic Order Sons of America for the intended use of an opera house.
Learn more about The Berwick Theater and Center for Community Arts here.
Welcome New Member – Country Fresh Market & Hardware
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome Country Fresh Market & Hardware to the Chamber. Joining in March of 2023, they are a local Benton market including meat, bakery, and produce. Recently updated & remodeled to include a full-service hardware store. They are a family owned business, with 3 generations working daily at the store. They are proud to be local to the area and consider ourselves to be community minded.
Chamber Welcomes Director of Member Engagement
The Columbia Montour Chamber is pleased to welcome Taryn Crayton to the staff to fill the role of Director of Member Engagement. In this role, Taryn will provide leadership in delivering a high return on investment to members by serving as the driving force in forging member connections and executing and enhancing the organization’s events, communications, and programs. In addition to her work with the Chamber, Taryn will also spend a portion of her time coordinating programs, events, and communications for the Chamber’s Foundation, including but not limited to Leadership Central Penn, the organization’s 31-year-old community leadership program.
Taryn is no stranger to community organizations, having begun her professional career at the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation. She holds a B.A. in Communications from Eastern University and is a 2022 graduate of Leadership Central Penn, and has also worked for several small businesses. Most recently, Taryn worked for five years as an Advertising and Printing Sales representative with the Press Enterprise. She is also involved in the community and serves with the Bloomsburg Rotary and on the Board of Directors for Bloomsburg Children’s Museum. In 2022, she served as a Chamber Ambassador.
“We’re so excited to have Taryn on our team,” said Chamber President Chris Berleth. “She comes to us with a wealth of community knowledge, she’s widely regarded for her professionalism and leadership, and her love for our region will be a huge asset as we work to meet the Chamber’s mission. She’s going to be a wonderful resource for our members and community stakeholders.”
Taryn is a dance teacher with Danceworks by Amber in Bloomsburg, and translated her passion for dance into studio ownership, as she is the owner/director of Remade by Dance in Barnesville. Taryn and her husband Derek live in Berwick with their dog Millie.
Please join us in welcoming Taryn to the Chamber. She can be reached at tcrayton@columbiamontourchamber.com.
Welcome New Member – Dead Man Walking Distillery
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome its newest member, Dead Man Walking Distillery, a craft distillery that began "with forty years of friendship, zest for life, and a few near-death experiences". Expecting to open its doors in grand style in May, this home-grown distillery is focused on quality. "We want our products and this place we're making to be something people truly enjoy. Natural flavors and a home-town feel are a big part of that," said Co-Owner Derk Reed. The distillery, when open, will feature recipes that are hand-crafted in small batches. Flavors include "Morgue-a-Rita", "Pumagranite", "For the Kraut with Gout Cranberry", "J&D's Root Beer", "Sour Cherry", "Strawberry Tart", "Blue Ribbon Apple Pie", "Peach Cobbler" and there's room to add seasonal recipes. The space will be available for small groups and private events, and additional tastings outside of business hours will be available by appointment.
Welcome to the Chamber, we look forward to celebrating the opening of your doors with you!
Welcome New Member – Fusion Homes, LLC
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome to its membership Fusion Homes, LLC. Located in the Village of Lightstreet, Fusion Homes, LLC builds stick-built and modular homes – both residential and commercial. Each project is unique no matter which direction you choose to build. They offer high quality, great turnaround times, and cutting-edge energy efficiency knowledge that will save each of their customers well into the future. Customer satisfaction is a priority in all of the relationships that they build with each and every customer, and they are committed to seeing your project through from design, land prep, permits, foundation, and inspections to your completed job.
With completely customizable floor plans and an in-house designer who can modify any floor plan you choose, the team at Fusion Homes will sit down with you to determine the floor plan that fits your needs perfectly. No project is too small, and they also enjoy taking on remodels and additions.
Visit their showroom today to meet the interior designer who can show you the wide variety of products and finishes we have to offer for your dream home!
At Fusion Homes, their goal is to get to know your story, not just your timeline and your budget. Check out more!
Welcome to the Chamber!
Welcome New Member: Aloysius, Butler, & Clark
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome one of its newest members, Aloysius, Butler & Clark, one of the largest full-service, independent ad agencies in the mid-Atlantic and one of Adweek's 50 "Top Shops" in America. Some agencies are purely PR shops. Other firms are paid search experts. In 45 years, Aloysius, Butler, & Clark has yet to find a client who only needs one thing to help their business grow. With industry experts spanning all disciplines, they work to bring the best practices to all of their clients, across all industries and verticals. Healthcare campaigns get a strong retail call to action. Retail clients get B2B warming drawer strategies. Recruitment clients get a deeper understanding of human psychology, thanks to their behavior change experience. Their integrated approach has produced remarkable results.
Their average client tenure is 10+ years, they have an average of 8.8 years tenure per employee, and they've won hundreds of awards.
Aloysius, Butler & Clark has three locations, including Wilmington, DE, Philadelphia, PA, and Bloomsburg, PA. Some of their expertise includes brand building & identity, market research & planning, interactive design & development, media planning & buying, public relations & crisis management, social media & social monitoring, motion graphics & animation, diversity & inclusion, and inbound marketing.
Welcome to the Chamber!
For more about Aloysius, Butler & Clark, visit www.abccreative.com.
Berleth Selected as Chamber President
On Friday, the Chamber’s Board of Directors selected Chris Berleth, the organization’s Vice President, to succeed Fred Gaffney in the role of President. Gaffney will be leaving the organization to pursue other opportunities. The two will be working together through a transition period to be completed by March, 31st. The process to fill the Vice President position will begin immediately.
“On behalf of the entire board, I extend our sincere thanks and best wishes to Fred Gaffney who has provided inspiring and tireless leadership for the Chamber, its members, and the community at large,” said Chris Stamatedes, Chairperson of the Chamber Board. “While we are sad to see Fred move on, we do consider ourselves fortunate that we have a depth of talent in our staff, allowing us to quickly fill this position with our current Vice President, Chris Berleth.”
Berleth joined The Columbia Montour Chamber in August of 2022. Previously, Chris was with the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber in Shamokin Dam for six years as Executive Director of Membership and Leadership. In his role with the Columbia Montour Chamber, Berleth has provided leadership in delivering a high return on investment to members through the development and coordination of communications, programs, and events of the Chamber and its Foundation. He is an Eagle Scout and a 2015 graduate of Leadership Susquehanna Valley, and holds a B.A. in Political Science and French from Gettysburg College. Chris, his wife Kali, and their two children, Remington, and Rutledge, reside in Pine Township, Columbia County.
“I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead the Chamber in the counties I call home,” said Berleth. “For more than twenty years, Fred Gaffney has served the business community and the chamber industry, positively impacted countless organizations and individuals, and served as a mentor to many in the profession. I will work hard to continue his good work, learn from his example, and match his energy so that we may continue to prosper together.
I look forward to working with the Chamber’s board, members, volunteers, and staff to grow the organization, promote an increasingly vibrant community, and ensure the vitality of organizations in the region.”
Gaffney was first hired by the Chamber in March of 2002 as Director of Marketing and Communications. He was later promoted to Vice President and left the Chamber in November 2006 to become the Executive Director of the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce in Seneca Falls, NY. Gaffney was rehired by The Columbia Montour Chamber in May of 2010 as president upon the retirement of his predecessor and mentor, Ed Edwards.
“It has been my privilege to serve the Chamber and its members over a nearly 21-year timespan in my various capacities,” said Gaffney. “With a dedicated board and staff in place and Chris’ leadership, I am excited for the future of The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce and offer my assistance whenever appropriate.”