Individuals vying for State Representative for the 109th District will have the opportunity to share their views with the public during an upcoming candidate forum. All five registered candidates for the 109th District seat will be participating. The candidates are Edward Giannattasio, Janine Penman, Joseph Martin, Aaron Kline, and Robert Leadbeter. The event, being hosted by The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, will be held tomorrow, May 4th from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Central Columbia Area School District’s High School auditorium.
The format will be a modified debate. Each candidate will be presented with the same questions in rotating order with two minutes for each response. Questions screened from the in-person audience will also be presented. Candidates will also be given time for closing remarks. Fred Gaffney, president of The Chamber of Commerce, will be the moderator.
The 109th House District is currently represented by David Millard, who is not seeking another term. At least four candidates have announced they will be running on the Republican ticket and one Democratic candidate has registered. As a result of redistricting, the 109th District will consist of all of Columbia County beginning in 2023.
The event is open to the public and will also be recorded and streamed live on The Chamber’s YouTube channel, which can be found here.
Section 132(a) of the IRS code allows employees to pay for their qualified commuting costs (up to specified limits) with pre-tax dollars. The program was created to encourage commuting in a way that reduces road congestion and improves air quality so qualified expenses include transit passes, vanpooling, bicycling expenses and work-related commuter parking, but excludes the cost of fuel to drive a personal car to work.
As a pre-tax benefit, the program provides employees with a savings on their federal payroll tax since the designated benefit amount is deducted from their gross income. If any employees reside in a state that recognizes pre-tax benefits, the savings will increase. Employers who provide this benefit save on payroll taxes since the employer does not include the designated benefit amount in the employee’s gross income.
Qualifications and restrictions of this program include:
- Transit benefits are for any public or privately-operated transit service. Transit passes, farecards, tokens, vouchers or passes are included.
- Vanpooling is a valid expense provided that 80% of the mileage is for the transport of employees to and from work, the van must have seating capacity for at least 6 workers plus the driver and at least half the seats must be used.
- Commuter parking is valid if parking is at or near the worksite and the employee commutes to work via transit, vanpool or carpool. Parking for residential purposes is excluded.
Please feel free to speak to an MBA Advisor for more information and instructions for setting up a Section 132(a) plan.
The Columbia-Montour Chamber of Commerce offers its members access to My Benefit Advisor as a solution for employee benefits, including voluntary offerings. For more information about My Benefit Advisor, visit our website at cmcc.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Brian McLaughlin at (800) 377-3539.
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry will sponsor a Nexstar Media, Inc. hosted prime-time debate for the Republican Candidates for Pennsylvania Governor on Wednesday, April 27 at 8:00pm.
The candidates who have agreed to attend so far: Lou Barletta, Doug Mastriano, Bill McSwain and Dave White, had to meet eligibility requirements in order to be invited to participate. WHTM abc27 News anchor and Capitol Bureau Reporter Dennis Owens and WPXI Anchor Lisa Sylvester will co-host the debate, engaging the candidates on issues like, the economy, foreign policy, infrastructure, and others.
The debate is slated to reach over 9 million viewers and will be aired on WBRE-TV (NBC) and WYOU-TV (CBS).
The Hand in Hand Family Resource Center Has a Handful of Free Upcoming Events
Adaptive Swimming: is starting Saturday, April 16th at the Berwick YMCA. Hand in Hand Family Resource Center is providing this program to kids 4 and up who have a disability and would benefit from extra attention in the water. This is a free program open to anyone in Columbia, Montour and Lower Luzerne Counties.
Let’s Get a Job: Our career exploration program is underway and the next meeting will be May 14th at 10:00am at the N4Cs in Benton. We are learning about Culinary Arts and Turkey Hill Brewing will be with us to work on ‘front of the house’ skills.
All Inclusive Sports Day: Event for kids and adults with disabilities and their families and peers to experience different sports such as: Football, Softball/Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Lacrosse, Golf, Swimming and Field Hockey. Hand in Hand is excited to be collaborating with the BU Athletic Department and students from the BU Teams.
I Am Safe: Safety program where they are currently learning about themselves and their boundaries, to make the very best decisions about our lives. We are learning safety in the home/community, Internet/Social Media, and within ourselves. They meet the first and third Tuesdays of the month at Trinity House in Bloomsburg.
Hosted by My Benefits Advisor, the webinar, Benefits & Insurance Compliance, is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26. MBA experts will provide an in-depth review of the insurance market to its clients, including compliance regulations and strategies for long-term cost containment. The webinar will discuss the latest trends in the world of health care compliance and legislation.
Click here to register for this free webinar.
Businesses in an 11-county region have the opportunity to complete a COVID-19 impact survey whose results will help SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) further respond to the needs of businesses during this time. This survey checks in approximately one year after our first survey that assessed how businesses in our area were coping in the midst of the pandemic.
This survey has been developed to gauge the impact of the pandemic on overall business operations, as well as if and how businesses have successfully adjusted.
The survey questions include, but are not limited to, if the business and their staff have adequate internet access; adaptations they’ve made; types of services and assistance they need; and if they are interested in collaborating with other business owners.
It takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and businesses are asked to complete the survey by May 7.
Businesses should be located within the following counties: Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, and Union.
SEDA-COG is a Lewisburg-based agency that builds strong economies and communities by partnering with, investing in, and revitalizing local companies and communities.
Betsy Lockwood, SEDA-COG Director, Project Development/Grants, said this is a tool to provide further assistance to businesses.
“While we have helped hundreds of businesses since the start of COVID-19, we created this 2nd phase survey realizing that businesses may still be struggling, perhaps with different issues. It is essential to capture the type of help and level of assistance businesses in our region need to continue fostering our local economy. The results also will identify ongoing and future responses needed during these unprecedented times,” Lockwood said. “The pandemic has created large gaps of need, and one of SEDA-COG’s primary roles is to bridge those gaps and help businesses and communities to meet their needs and empower them to reach their goals.”
The survey can be taken at https://seda-cog.org/covid-19-business-impact-survey/
For more information about the survey, contact Betsy Lockwood at elockwood@seda-cog.org.
In partnership with Turkey Hill Brewing Company and T-Mobile, The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce presented a $400 donation to The Women’s Center, Inc. of Columbia and Montour County on Friday, April 8. As T-Mobile has expanded coverage and services in the area, the company sought locations to promote those services. In exchange for providing T-Mobile space in their parking lot, Turkey Hill Brewing Company suggested the donation to The Women’s Center. The Chamber of Commerce facilitated the collaboration.
The Women’s Center, Inc. in Bloomsburg is a non-profit organization that provides free support services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and incest. The Women’s Center serves the residents of Columbia and Montour counties.
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce’s newest member, Encina, utilizes a proprietary process to convert post-consumer scrap plastic to valuable circular chemical products. The process, called PFCC, converts mixed hard-to-recycle plastics into petrochemical feedstock such as light olefins and BTX aromatics.
Based in Texas, the company announced last week plans to invest $1.1 billion in a new facility in Northumberland County along Route 11 in Point Township. The facility will be named Point Township Circular Manufacturing Facility. The plant will take post-consumer plastic and recycle it into chemicals to make new plastic items. The facility will be the first in the region to use advanced technologies to convert post-consumer materials into feedstock that can be used to manufacture thousands of new products.
Annually, the Point Township Circular Manufacturing Facility will process 450,000 tons of post-consumer materials, diverting the vast majority from landfills and away from incinerators. They would reduce the need to produce new plastic from oil and gas resources, providing circular solutions to customers committed to reducing their impact on the environment to build a circular economy.
The state-of-the-art facility will create hundreds of well-paid jobs and it is expected to be fully operational by the fall of 2024. Encina is hosting a community open house on Wednesday, May 11, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the American Legion Post #44 in Point Township.
Encina joins over 423 members of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce to receive benefits and support the Chamber’s efforts to enhance the region.
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is a private, 501(c)(6) non-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors. The members of the board were elected at the organization’s annual meeting held February 9th. A goal in selecting Board members is to have diverse representation based on geography, organizational type and size, and other factors across the Chamber of Commerce’s membership. The following individuals began serving terms April 1.
Jeff Cerminaro, Walker’s Jewelers
Dan Good, Marr Development
Renee Gerringer, Ronald McDonald House of Danville
John Grabusky, Geisinger
Megan Kiliti, Berwick Brewing
Adrienne Mael, United Way of Columbia and Montour Counties
Holly Morrison, Community Giving Foundation
Josh Nespoli, Community Strategies Group
Travis Petty, Law Offices of Grieco & Petty LLC
Bruce Schlichter, Kawneer
Tim Wagner, Wagner Trophies & Engraveables
Jeff Whitenight, First Columbia Bank & Trust
Sharon Wilkin , Design Group
Karen Wood, Service 1st Federal Credit Union
Elaine Woodland, First Keystone Community Bank
The Board also elected the following as officers for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Chair – Chris Stamatedes, PPL Electric Utilities
Vice-Chair – Bob Stoudt, Montour Area Recreation Commission
Treasurer – Denise Stone, EXP Realty
President – Fred Gaffney
Immediate Past Chair – Dan Knorr, Bloomsburg University
Dan Knorr, outgoing Board Chair, recognized outgoing Board members Christian Force with PB&J Bar and Tom Kapelewski with SEKISUI KYDEX at the annual meeting for their service. Force has been engaged in a number of community organizations since starting his businesses in the past several years. Kapelewski has been engaged with the Chamber of Commerce as a Board member and previous Board Chair and also involved with the Chamber’s Foundation for decades.
Community Giving Foundation Announces New President/CEO
The Community Giving Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce Kara G. Seesholtz as the Foundation’s third President and CEO, effective October 1, 2022. Current President and CEO, Holly Morrison, announced her retirement in February but will stay on through December to facilitate a smooth transition.
Seesholtz has a long and fruitful relationship with the Foundation. She started in 2004, and has held various positions in grantmaking, communication, and development over her 18 years here. She has served in her current role of Chief Advancement Officer since 2018, where she has proven herself as a passionate visionary and respected community leader. Dedicated to the Foundation’s mission and the trusted relationships she has built with each of the stakeholders she serves on a daily basis, Seesholtz brings a renewed energy of unity and innovation to the partnerships that continue to grow across the region.
“As we began the process of finding our next President and CEO, the Governance Committee knew it would be critical to find a leader who would be able to carry on the mission of this wonderful organization. Our search process led us to Kara, who has dedicated the majority of her career to building relationships and growing the Foundation. Kara has a demonstrated track record of living the values of the Foundation. Through her work, Kara has established a high level of trust in the community and has a strong desire to continue the legacy of those that came before her. Her personality, work ethic, and experience made her the Board’s unanimous choice,” said John Kurelja, Community Giving Foundation Board Vice-Chair and Head of the Search Committee.
Seesholtz is a native to the area, reflected in her commitment to the advancement of the community and well-being of those who call it home. She is a proud alumna of Bloomsburg University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. She resides in Mifflinville with her husband, Kirk, where they raised their two sons, Ky and Koy.
Prior to her many roles at the Foundation, Seesholtz worked in communication roles with Geisinger Health Plan and the Berwick Area Chamber of Commerce. She has partnered with many community organizations and boards during her time at the Foundation. Seesholtz is currently a member of the Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce Board, Leadership Susquehanna Valley Board, Central Columbia Educational Foundation Board, SUSQ-Cyber Charter School Improvement Plan Steering Committee, Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way Regional Equity Committee, and Columbia-Montour Council Boy Scouts of America Nomination Committee.
“Through my years at the Foundation, I have enjoyed building and stewarding positive relationships with donors, grantees, agency leaders, staff, boards, committees, and community members across the region. These relationships and our staff’s investment in our mission have been crucial to cultivating the values that set us apart. I look forward to using my belief in personalized philanthropy and community giving to guide the Foundation’s growth and success in our region,” said Seesholtz.
Over the next six months, Seesholtz and Morrison will work closely together to ensure the transition be transparent and seamless for the entire Foundation family. In partnership with the Board of Directors and Foundation staff, they look forward to opportunities for conversation and relationship-building at one of the many Foundation events planned for this year. For the complete event calendar, visit csgiving.org/events.
The Community Giving Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that develops, manages, and distributes funds for charitable purposes in communities across the Central Susquehanna region. Serving as the region’s philanthropic hub for charitable giving, the Foundation currently houses more than 320 funds and serves five geographic affiliate foundations in Berwick, Bloomsburg, Danville, Selinsgrove, and Sunbury. Its regional footprint includes all towns and cities in the Columbia, Lower-Luzerne, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union Counties.
McKonly & Asbury Announces New Affiliate Company: M&L Compliance Management
McKonly & Asbury is excited to announce that M&L Compliance Management, LLC (MLCM) is becoming part of McKonly & Asbury, LLP (M&A) effective April 1, 2022.
MLCM was founded as a full-service housing compliance and management consulting firm that specializes in the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), Federal HOME, Section 8 and Rural Housing 515 Programs. McKonly & Asbury was founded in 1973 and began serving affordable housing developers in 1977. Affordable housing services remains a cornerstone for our firm, with deep, specialized experience in financial statement audits, tax return preparation, 10% and 50% tests, development cost certifications and other LIHTC-specific issues.
“The service offerings and compliance insights MLCM provides are a natural extension of our firm’s current affordable housing services,” said McKonly & Asbury’s Managing Partner, Michael Hoffner. “The fact that MLCM approached McKonly & Asbury is a testament to our understanding of the LIHTC market and our service model. Our organizations have a shared passion for serving clients in this sector. We are looking forward to the contributions and industry knowledge the MLCM team will bring.”
MLCM past President and CEO, Michael Kearny echoes this sentiment. “We sought out McKonly & Asbury based on the firm’s understanding of the low-income housing tax credit market and their commitment to client service, as well as our belief that MLCM employees would continue to thrive professionally and personally there. After meeting with them and exploring a potential partnership, we came away certain that M&A would meet both of those objectives.”
Spring Edition of the Digital Quarterly Magazine from the Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau has Arrived
Click here to view and read it
Bloomsburg University Earns Guard Friendly Recognition
The PNGAS Guard Friendly School designation is designed to help optimize taxpayer dollars, increase the positive impacts of the EAP/MFEP program for Guard recruitment and retention, promote and champion best practices of the schools that meet and exceed the ten Guard-Friendly standards adopted by PNGAS.
“This recognition demonstrates our university’s commitment to supporting and celebrating our students who proudly defend our nation,” said BU President Bashar Hanna. “As a university community, we strive to serve our military students in exemplary ways because they deserve nothing less than our very best.”
Since its inception, Pennsylvania has distributed almost $300 Million through the Education Assistance Program (“EAP”), the number one recruiting tool for the Pennsylvania National Guard. The EAP provides a tuition benefit equivalent to the yearly tuition rate set by the State System of Higher Education Schools. The Pennsylvania National Guard members can use EAP funds at one of the 488-PHEAA approved schools. With the July 2019 enactment of the Military Family Education Program (MFEP), there is a new non-lapsing Fund providing EAP-like tuition benefits to spouses and children of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard when a Guard member re-enlists for another 6-year term.
This year, EAP and MFEP tuition benefits will exceed $64,000 per Guard member, and state budget funds for these programs will exceed $30 million in tuition benefits.
Developed by the PNGAS Education Advisory Council, the PNGAS Guard-Friendly School standards were designed to recognize colleges, universities, and trade schools that meet or exceed ten (10) baseline criteria that create a supportive learning environment to assist members of the Pennsylvania Guard pursuing post-secondary degrees.
Bloomsburg University is the educational destination for over 300 military students and has been growing steadily in recent years. BU is different from many other colleges and universities in its unique appreciation that military students have different needs and attributes than non-military students.
The centerpiece of those efforts is the Office of Military and Veterans Resources. The Military Office works for current and former military members, spouses and dependents, and ROTC cadets. They have also developed strong relationships with area military recruiters to facilitate conversations for people interested in joining the military.
PNGAS is a non-profit organization not associated with or legally connected to the Pennsylvania National Guard, the state or federal government, the US Military, or the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.