NEPIRC Launches Regional Manufacturer Job Board; Connects Job Seekers to Exciting Careers

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) recently launched the region’s first manufacturer job board to connect job seekers throughout northeastern, central and the northern tier of Pennsylvania with manufacturing firms that are growing and adding to their teams. To date, the job board (www.NEPIRC.com/ManufacturingJobs) represents over 60 manufacturers that are collectively offering more than 1,000 career opportunities.

NEPIRC created the job board in response to manufacturer roundtable suggestions and to simplify the way in which unemployed and underemployed individuals find, evaluate and apply for good-paying advanced manufacturing careers.

“With over 60 companies across seven counties already participating in this effort, and more joining in every day, there’s a manufacturing career opportunity for everyone and every skill level – from first-job applications to experienced professionals with industry certifications,” said Eric Joseph Esoda, NEPIRC’s President & CEO. “NEPIRC’s regional manufacturer job board is free to our area’s industrial firms, convenient for job seekers, and consistent with our mission of maximizing the growth, resiliency and strength of our area’s most significant economic driver – manufacturing,” he added.

According to the organization, NEPIRC’s job board is unique to the region in its design and industry focus and will be continuously updated as new manufacturers and career opportunities are added while other positions are filled with qualified new hires. NEPIRC will also support the job board on an ongoing basis through traditional media, social media platforms and engaging videos that accurately depict the advanced, high-tech nature of today’s manufacturers and industrial careers.

Manufacturers are encouraged to participate in the effort by contacting Chelsey Coslett, NEPIRC’s Manager of Marketing & Stakeholder Engagement at Chelsey@NEPIRC.com.

AGAPE Unveils New Facility in Bloomsburg

Dozens turned out on Saturday, July 31st to celebrate the expansion of a nonprofit, faith based program which helps people in Northeast PA in times of crisis.

It was dream that has certainly come true for AGAPE in Bloomsburg after twelve years of assisting the community.

“Oh its awesome, it was not in our wildest dreams,” said Executive Director, Eileen Chapman.

The 100 thousand square foot building will now help expand services to people in Columbia and Montour Counties.

But the new space wouldn’t have happened without some financial help.

“Clarks Associates Foundation bought the building for us at 1.5 and we had to raise another 1.1 million to match and we did that in a few months in efforts of Kirby Smith Consulting and its just been awesome, I didn’t know we could raise that money in three months and we did, its awesome,” said Chapman.

Pennsylvania Senator John Gordner also participated as an honored speaker. He presented a $200,000 grant on behalf of the Commonwealth to help with updates and meet building code requirements.

“Well they really came to a prominence during the flood back in 2011 they really were the go to community organization to get different things out, and then again when 2020 and the pandemic came around once again they were the go to organization to help so many individuals,” said Gordner.

The non profit says they are excited to fill the empty warehouse with food, clothing, furniture and much more to help serve the community.

“This side of the warehouse is for food and we have fresh express they come every Thursday and pick up food about 40-50 pounds. We do some intellectual classes and how to become self sufficient, we have a financial program other than the food the biggest program we have helping with rent utilities medic prescriptions and other things, but its hard again with the rental problem and we’re going to see more of it because today is the end of the no eviction statute,” explained Chapman.

At the end of the day, AGAPE is always looking for more volunteers.

“We have lots of volunteers that came here because they needed some help and they wanted to give back and they came and did some community service and they find that they enjoy helping people. That’s a big part of AGAPE and showing God’s love to one another,” said Chapman.

The nonprofit hopes to fully move into the building sometime during the late fall.

Celebrate Parks and Trails with a Walk with a Doc

PA Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), in conjunction with the national non-profit Walk with a Doc, the Pennsylvania Medical Society, Montour Area Recreations Commission, Danville Area Community Center, and Geisinger are coming together on Tuesday, August 24th at Hess Field to kick-off a state-wide celebration of our parks and trails in September.

As part of that celebration, physicians across the state are being encouraged to work with the Walk with a Doc organization to establish walking chapters with community members. Hess Field and recreation center is the kick-off location for the state.

Bring your co-worker, your children, your sports team, or your scout troop. Organizers want to ensure a great showing for Danville and the surrounding area. There is no long-term commitment. Please register in case of weather and to estimate the number of t-shirts. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/57py5jup.

Berwick Area United Way holding Celebrate Berwick this Saturday

Celebrate Berwick returns to Market Street this Saturday, August 7th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event includes kid-friendly activities, craft vendors, plenty of food, craft beer from Berwick Brewing, a dunk tank, and live entertainment. Additional details are available on Facebook. 

The event is sponsored by BIDA, First Keystone Community Bank, and the Community Giving Foundation. 

Bloomsburg Town Park holding annual Cake & Ice Cream festival this Thursday

The 64th Annual Ice Cream & Cake Festival with the Catawissa Military Band will take place this Thursday, August 5th from 5:00 p.m.- dusk. Come to the Bloomsburg Town Park and enjoy this traditional community event with food, games, music, entertainment and fun for all.

From McKonly & Asbury

Just when we all thought that the changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) were long past us, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced significant changes to how loan forgiveness for loans of $150,000 or less will be handled. On Wednesday, July 28, 2021, the SBA announced three new changes that will impact those with loans of $150,000 or less. In summary, those changes are:

• Launch of a direct borrower forgiveness process
• Introduction of a COVID-19 revenue reduction score
• Deferment extension of loan forgiveness appeals

These new changes in the loan forgiveness process is in response to the numerous concerns raised by PPP lenders concerned with meeting the statutory 60-day requirement for lenders to issue a forgiveness decision to the SBA from receipt of the borrower’s loan forgiveness. It has been reported that many smaller lenders are limiting when they will accept forgiveness applications from borrowers due to the overwhelming amount of documentation, lack of staffing to timely review applications and lack of technology to assist borrowers in submission of documentation and for lenders staff to review. This has left many borrowers uncertain if they will have to start making payments on their PPP loans while they are waiting for their lenders to process their forgiveness applications.

In addition, the SBA said it has heard concerns from PPP lenders that the requirement for borrowers to submit and lenders to review revenue reduction documentation at the time of forgiveness is delaying the forgiveness process for second-draw PPP loans of $150,000 or less.

Over 90% of all PPP loans are $150,000 or less. Of the nearly $800 billion in issued loans, approximately 50% of those funds have been forgiven to date.

Launch of a Direct Borrower Forgiveness Process
The most significant change, as outlined in the Interim Final Rule (IFR) released by the SBA, is the launch of the SBA Direct Borrower Forgiveness Portal. Currently the new portal is still in a pilot phase but is projected to be launched on Wednesday August 4th. The portal has been designed to reflect the exact information, in an electronic format, that would be presented and completed from the forgiveness form 3508S. 3508S is the form used for loan forgiveness for loans $150,000 or less. Upon receipt of notice that a borrower has applied for forgiveness through the platform, lenders will review the loan forgiveness application and issue a forgiveness decision to the SBA inside the platform.

PPP lenders that want to participate in this program must opt in to the direct forgiveness program with the SBA. Currently, over 600 lenders have opted into the program. To see a list of lenders currently who have opted into the program and whether your lender is one, click here.

Borrowers should continue to submit loan forgiveness documentation and applications as previous outlined under the following circumstances:

• The PPP lender does not opt in to use the direct borrower forgiveness process;
• The borrower’s PPP loan amount is greater than $150,000;
• The borrower does not agree with the data as provided by the SBA system of record, or cannot validate their identity in the platform (for example, if there is an unreported change of ownership); or
• For any other reason where the platform rejects the borrower’s submission.

Introduction of a COVID-19 Revenue Reduction Score
The SBA has hired a third party consultant to design a Revenue Reduction Score based on a variety of inputs from industry, geography, business size and current economic data regarding economic recovery and return to business and operations status. Each second-draw PPP loan of $150,000 or less will be assigned this Revenue Reduction Score and will be used in place of information where the borrower did not submit documentation of revenue reduction at the time of the loan application. The score will be maintained in the SBA’s loan forgiveness portal and will be visible to lenders to use as an alternative to document revenue reduction. Additionally, the score will be visible to those borrowers that submit their loan forgiveness applications through the platform using the direct borrower forgiveness process described above.

When the score meets or exceeds the value required for validation of the borrower’s revenue reduction, use of the score will satisfy the requirement for the borrower to document revenue reduction. When the score does not meet the value required for validation of the borrower’s revenue reduction, and if the borrower has not already provided documentation to the lender that validates the borrower’s revenue reduction, the borrower must provide documentation either directly to the lender (for those lenders that do not opt in to the direct borrower forgiveness process) or provide documentation to the lender by uploading it to the portal.

Deferment Extension of Loan Forgiveness Appeals
The SBA also issued revisions to the process of appeals of loan review decisions. Currently, when a borrower has an unforgiven balance of a loan and they appeal this final SBA loan review decisions, the borrower must begin making payments of principal and interest on the remaining balance of its PPP loan. An appeal by a PPP borrower of any final SBA loan review decision does not extend the deferment period of the PPP loan. The IFR guidance issued on Wednesday amends the appeals rule to provide that a borrower’s timely appeal of a final SBA loan review decision will extend the deferment period for the PPP loan until the SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) issues a final decision on the appeal. The revised OHA rule will provide that the borrower should notify the lender of the appeal so that the lender can extend the deferment period. Under the revised OHA rule, an appeal petition must be filed with OHA within 30 calendar days after the appellant’s receipt of the final SBA loan review decision.

For additional help, visit McKonly & Asbury’s PPP Loan Forgiveness webpage and submit a request for help or support. They have assisted many businesses nationwide and aided in loan forgiveness of over $10 million dollars to date. 

The post SBA Issues New PPP Loan Forgiveness Guidance Designed To Help Expedite Forgiveness of Loans of $150,000 or Less appeared first on McKonly & Asbury.

From MyBenefitAdvisor

Until recently, self-funding has only been a realistic option for larger groups. Now, however, with the advent of “level funded” programs, small groups can obtain the advantages of traditional self-funding with the benefit of stable monthly costs.

Level funding is worth considering for employers with 25 or more employees if the insured population is generally healthy.

With level funding, the employer pays a fixed monthly cost to cover the amounts necessary for administration of the plan, stop loss coverage and claims funding. A third-party administrator pays the claims. Generally speaking, if at the end of the year, claim costs come in lower than expected, the administrator refunds the difference. If at the end of the year, claims come in higher than expected, the employer will reimburse the administrator for the difference.

Protection for the employer comes in the form of stop-loss insurance. Specific stop-loss limits the employer’s financial exposure when health claims for a particular covered individual exceed a specified dollar level, such as $25,000 or $50,000. Aggregate stop-loss insurance limits the employer’s financial liability when the total claims incurred by their group exceed a specified level, such as 120% or 125% of expected claims.

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 Tanya Ruiz at (800) 377-3539.

Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jennifer Berrier announced that the department’s partnership with virtual identity verification vendor ID.me has been extended to provide identity verification for all new Unemployment Compensation (UC) claims.

L&I first announced a partnership with ID.me in September after a surge of fraudulent claims were detected in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which is a special program created by the federal government to provide unemployment benefits to individuals who lost their job due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are not typically eligible for UC. The fraudulent claims are not caused by a data leak or breach at L&I – they are being filed by fraudsters using identities stolen from data leaks that occurred outside of state government. ID.me adds a layer of security to L&I’s already robust antifraud measures by requiring individuals filing a new claim to verify their identity.

While fraudsters initially targeted the PUA program, recently L&I has noticed an uptick in fraudulent UC claims. The majority of fraudulent UC claims are stopped before payment occurs through other antifraud tactics. ID.me will catch many fraudulent claims when they are first submitted, allowing L&I staff to direct attention to other issues and preventing the individuals whose identities were stolen and their employers from needing to take any action. The use of ID.me also deters fraudsters from attempting to file fraudulent claims, as demonstrated by a reduction in fraud attempts shortly after ID.me was put in place for the PUA program.

The Department is interested in getting feedback from employers on their experiences since ID.me was added to the application process. Feedback can be sent to Fred Gaffney at the Chamber at fgaffney@columbiamontourchamber.com. 

The identity verification step through ID.me has been integrated into the process to file an initial application and takes just a few minutes. As individuals log into benefits.uc.pa.gov for the first time, they will be walked through the steps of verifying their identity through ID.me.

L&I encourages individuals to remain vigilant about guarding their personal and confidential information and to monitor for signs that their information is being used fraudulently. Signs of fraud include:

• Individuals receiving unrequested unemployment paperwork from L&I’s Office of Unemployment Compensation.
• Individuals receiving unemployment benefit payments they did not apply for from the Pennsylvania Treasury.
• Employers receiving notice that a claim has been opened for a current employee who is actively working, or an unknown person.

Report Fraud

Online:

• Individuals can report suspected unemployment fraud by visiting the UC Benefits Website and clicking “Report Fraud” at the bottom of the page to complete and submit the Identity Theft Form. Do not log in.
• Employers should indicate the claim is fraudulent in their response to the Notice of Claim Filed.
• To report identity theft fraud related to the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, please click here.

Phone:

Call the PA Fraud Hotline at 1-800-692-7469.

Police:

File a police report with the municipality you resided in at the time the unemployment benefits in question were paid. A copy of the police report must be provided to the Office of Unemployment Compensation.

Other:

The U.S. Department of Labor recommends that victims of ID theft should also report their information to the National Center for Disaster Fraud.
Victims should also consider starting a recovery plan with the Federal Trade Commission.

The Columbia County Commissioners are providing $100,000 to reimburse private businesses for purchases of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to address safety issues due to Covid-19. Eligible businesses must be private, for-profit businesses and must be physically located within Columbia County.

Private businesses may apply for reimbursement by submitting the following information to the county:

On a single sheet, list the following:

• Name of the business
• Address if the business (include street, city, zip)
• Address to where a check may be mailed
• Business EIN
• A one-paragraph narrative describing the PPE and its purpose
• Amount requested

Additionally, the business must attach copies of receipts to confirm the purchases. Purchases are to have occurred between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

The grant window will be open from August 1-August 14. All grants will be considered. If the eligible requests exceed the available grant amount, businesses will receive a pro rata share of the available $100,000 fund.

Applications and attached receipts are to be emailed to: grants@columbiapa.org.

Trivium Packaging Expanding Columbia County Operations

Trivium Packaging, a metal packaging manufacturer, is expanding its manufacturing operations with upgrades to an existing production line, the installation of an interior sunken dock pit, and a building expansion for receiving steel coil shipments to accommodate new business, investing over $7 million into the upgrades, retaining 76 jobs at its South Centre Township, Columbia County site and creating 48 new, full-time jobs.

Trivium Packaging offers a variety of sustainable metal packaging with innovative shaping, decoration, embossing, debossing, and opening solutions to more than 1,300 customers. The company also has a location in Pittsburgh and has been at its facility in Columbia County since 2000.

“We are extremely excited to see the upcoming developments and upgrades that this new project will bring to our Bloomsburg plant and overall operations,” said Trivium President of the Americas Jens Irion. “The investments also illustrate the importance that manufacturing still plays for our society, so being able to retain 76 jobs and add an additional 48 makes us extremely proud, as these jobs will provide good living wages and benefits to individuals and their communities. We thank the Governor’s Office for providing us with this opportunity.”

The company received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a $144,000 Pennsylvania First grant, a $400,000 Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) loan and was encouraged to apply for the department’s Manufacturing Tax Credit (MTC) program. The company has committed to investing $7.17 million into the project and creating at least 48 new jobs over the next three years.

The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania.

National Night Out Activities Planned in Bloomsburg and Danville

National Night Out is an annual event for the public to meet local law enforcement, fire department, and emergency services personnel in an informal gathering and learn about essential services such as substance abuse programs. The date of this year’s National Night Out is Tuesday, August 3rd. Activities will be held in Bloomsburg from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds and Liberty Hall near the Free Stage. In Danville, activities will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Washie’s Playground. Both events are free to attend and there will be free hot dogs.

Exchange Seeking Memories of 2011 Flood for Exhibit

“Watermark: A Community Album of the 2011 Flood” solicits artwork in any medium, as well as newspaper clippings, artifacts, and other memorabilia from anyone and everyone who lived through the event, anywhere in the Bloomsburg area. Everything will be displayed in the Exchange Gallery in downtown Bloomsburg as a tribute to the resilience of our community and the people in it.

You may bring your piece(s) to the Gallery during the week of July 26th to 31st — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“Watermark” will run at the Exchange Gallery from August 2nd through September 10th, 2021 — ten years and a day after the crest.

A reception will be held in the Gallery on Friday September 10th — the tenth anniversary (plus one day) of the crest of the flood.

Children’s Museum Announces August Programs

The Bloomsburg Children’s Museum, 2 W. 7th Street, Bloomsburg, is pleased to announce its August programs which includes some free opportunities.

Dog Days of Summer
August 4: Under the Sea, 11:00 am-1:00 pm
Beat the heat and come to the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum. Enjoy a special summer-themed craft every other Wednesday with free adult admission.

Touch-A-Truck
Saturday, August 14 @ Rohrbach’s Farm, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
Join us at Rohrbach’s Farm Market for a fun-filled day with trucks of all kinds. Get an up-close, hands-on look at loaders, campers, tractors, fire engines, and more! Free admission.

For a complete listing of all programs, visit the-childrens-museum.org.

Wesley UMC to Host Choral Concert

A new choral/music educational ensemble will be holding its first concert for the community this Saturday, July 31st at 7:00 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church on Market Street in Bloomsburg. The new group will include 3-4 vocal ensembles for children and adults of all backgrounds, skill levels, and musical interests. More information is available at facebook.com/TheBloomsburgSingers.

The inaugural edition of the Pennsylvania: Work Smart, Live Happy magazine is out and now available online. This annual print and digital magazine is a new tool to help economic developers, corporate real estate agents, communities, and employers attract top talent and promote business growth in the Keystone State.

The digital content is easy to share and showcases Pennsylvania’s quality of life as an ideal home for entrepreneurs, remote workers, families, and businesses of all sizes.

The publication features articles on Pennsylvania’s top industries, innovation, career opportunities, quality schools and higher-ed institutions, abundant outdoor attractions, and diverse cultural offerings. The nine-county central PA region which includes Columbia and Montour counties is featured. 

The American Red Cross Ready Rating program is a free, self-guided program designed to help businesses, organizations and schools become better prepared for emergencies. Members complete a ReadyGo or ReadyAdvance assessment and have access to tools, tips and best practices to help improve their level of preparedness.

A free webinar will be held September 13th at noon to review how to improve your small businesses’ level of emergency preparedness.

Topics will include:

• Online and self-paced, free membership program – readyrating.org
• Self-Assessments uniquely quantify an organization’s level of preparedness.
• Customized reports with feedback help members plan improvement.
• Create basic or detailed Emergency Action Plans.
• Resource Center with 60+ tools help members implement their emergency preparedness program

Presenter: Erika Wolfe, Disaster Program Manager, PA Rivers Chapter, American Red Cross

Click here for more information and to register. 

Scott Edwards started his floral business at the age of 17 in the basement of his parents’ rural farmhouse. Since then, he has traveled to Europe, Japan and Hong Kong to study with master designers and teach floral design classes. Today, Edwards, his wife, Judy, and their daughters, Holly Edwards Hoffman and Heather Edwards Marks own and operate Scott’s Floral, Gift & Greenhouse on Rt. 11 in Danville.

Scott is an accredited professional floral commentator, a certified FTD judge and has represented the United States in the World Teleflora Designer of the Year competition in Tokyo. He is also a member of the American Academy of Florists, American Institute of Floral Designers and past president of the PA Florist Association.

Scott was selected as a member of the elite design team that created floral decorations for the Statue of Liberty Centennial Celebration in New York and the presidential inaugurations of George Bush and Bill Clinton.

Scott and his special event design team from Scott’s Floral provided all the floral decorations for the US Senior Golf Open in Allentown. These talented designers provide floral decorations for weddings and special events from Maine to Washington D.C., Philadelphia to Oklahoma, and everywhere in between.

Visit Scott’s Floral, Gift & Greenhouse’s website at scottsfloral.com for more information about their products and services.

Scott’s Floral joins over 400 members of The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce to receive benefits and support the Chamber’s efforts to enhance the region. 

The Columbia County Board of Commissioners is holding a public meeting for all residents, businesses, and municipal officials to learn more about the Fishing Creek Watershed and West End Flood Mitigation studies.

There will be two meetings on July 29, 2021 at the Columbia County Office at the Sawmill Road Complex, 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg, PA 17815 in the large meeting room. Entrance for the large meeting room is in the rear of the building. The County will live stream both sessions for those who cannot make it or have COVID concerns on the Columbia County Resiliency YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/3kFzXiG

The meeting schedule is as follows:

6:00-7:00pm – West End Flood Mitigation Study, presented by Borton-Lawson
7:00-7:30pm – Break/Social Opportunity
7:30-8:30pm – Fishing Creek Flood Mitigation Study – presented by HRG, Inc.

Reservations can be accepted online at https://bit.ly/2Urvt43 or by calling Flood Resiliency Program Analyst Geralee Zeigler, SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) at 570-522-7218. Individuals who are interested in attending may register for the 6:00pm session or the 7:30pm session independently or for both sessions. SEDA-COG is assisting the County in the grant administration of the studies.