Juniata College Business After Hours

Please join us if you are able tonight at Juniata College for their Business After Hours from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. 

The evening will begin with an open bar in the new lobby of the Brumbaugh Academic Center. Next will be hors d'oeuvres in Alumni Hall with a welcome and remarks from President Troha. To conclude the evening, there will be an invitation to walk to Kepple Hall for dessert and coffee and a tour of the new integrated media and studio arts building. 

Sodexo is catering this event. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be served. They will have free tickets to Juniata presents program and a gift card to Headwaters at Juniata College as door prizes. Parking is going to be availabe on the street and in the back and library parking lots. 

We hope to see you there! 

Anatomy of a Great Blog Post

Want a sure-fire way to get more traction on your business blog posts? Make sure each post contains these important pieces. 

Many small businesses are starting to realize the importance of good content. But what makes content good? Better yet, what makes for great content? While it starts with something that answers your customers' questions, entertains them, or inspires them, there are basic pieces you need to include to help the post move the dial on your business and get more shares. This article explains the basic anatomy of great blog posts.  

1. A TITLE THAT SAYS "READ ME"

Nearly all readers base their decision to click open your blog post on the title alone. Most professional copywriters will tell you they spend half of their time on the title and half on the internal content. Your post can be the best article ever written but if it has a ho-hum title it will be relegated to the land of no-clicks. 

To get some suggestions for writing headlines that inspire action and continue reading this article, please click here. 

Get Your Business Ready for

Small Business Saturday

As an organization that serves local business owners and customers, Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce is proud to support Small Business Saturday this November 25. 

Small Business Saturday was founded by American Express in 2010 to help strengthen local economies. Today, it's a holiday shopping tradition celebrating a greater nationwide movement dedicated to uniting communities and supporting all kinds of small businesses, from the corner store to your favorite diner - because it's unique small businesses like yours that help local communities stay vibrant. 

Participating in Small Business Saturday is a great way to reach new customers and promote your business. Here are some ideas for getting involved on November 25:

Join us this November 25 to celebrate Small Business Saturday! 

Click here to print the pdf. 

FREE Dale Carnegie Skills 

For Success Course

Dale Carnegie is preparing to start a new Skills For Success course on January 25, 2018! The classes will be held in Altoona at Comfort Inn Duncansville. This course has transformed the careers of over seven million graduates and now they want to help you join the ranks of the world's most successful people!

The Chamber has partnered with Dale Carnegie to be able to award one Chamber member a FULL SCHOLARSHIP to attend the class! The class costs $1,995. The time commitment is one three and a half hours session for eight weeks. 

If you'd like to be registered for the opportunity to attend the course for free, please let MacKenzie Locke know before noon on January 11, 2018. You may call her at (814) 643-1110 or email mlocke@huntingdonchamber.com. 

Fourth Annual Life O'Riley Rasies $3,000 for Home Nursing Agency Healing Patch

The Life O'Riley Memorial Ride Planning Committee and supporters recently presented a $3,000 check for the proceeds of the fourth annual event to benefit the Home Nursing Agency Healing Patch: A Program for Loss and Hope for Grieving Children and Their Families. The Life O'Riley Memorial Ride has raised more than $15,500 over the past four years to support children who are mourning the death of a loved one. 

Held in July, the Fourth Annual Life O'Riley Memorial Ride event once again honored the memory of Michael Patrick Riley, who passed away unexpectedly in April 2013, leaving behind three young daughters. 

To continue reading this press release, please click here. 

Pulmonologist Joins J.C. Blair 

Medical Staff

J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Huntingdon is pleased to announce the appointment of pulmonologist Robert Gillio, M.D. to its medical staff. Dr. Gillio will serve as the medical director for the health system's new Pulmonary Care Center in which he will oversee a new program of lung disease education, prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment. Fellowship trained at the Mayo Clinic, he brings years of clinical experience, having practiced in Pittsburgh, Lancaster, and Penn State Hershey. He complements pulmonologist Jeff Ratner, M.D. and Steve Smith, PA-C, who also practice at J.C. Blair Hospital in Huntingdon. 

To continue reading this press release, please click here. 

Coffee Connection: Department of Corrections Executive Deputy Secretary

Host A Business After Hours in 2018

Register now to participate in the 

2018 Winter Blues

Scottsdale to Las Vegas

October 9-16, 2018

Penn National Dividend Program

Special Announcement! Facebook Virtual Tour for Business

On The Job Training Program

• Cuts the cost of wages for employers by a minimum of 50% during the training time.
• Reduces the employer's costs for advertising and recruitment.
• Allows employers to make all hiring and firing decisions.
• Guarantees a quick referral process.
• Requires minimal paperwork.
• May involve a single placement, a number of people for one type of job, or a variety of jobs. 

• Post the job on the CareerLink system.
• A search is then conducted of the eligible applicant pool for people who match the characteristics set by the employer. The employer is then provided the information about potential candidates in the manner in which they have requested. 
• The employer decides whom they want to hire and a possible start date. The Business Services staff is notified about the circumstances of the hire. 
• The employer and the Business Services Representative negotiate a contract, which includes a training plan, length of training and costs to be reimbursed to the employer for providing the training. It is important to note that this contract MUST be in place BEFORE an eligible client begins working or the opportunity to secure funding will be lost. 

The Chamber is now offering use of our Bulk Mail Permit for FREE to our members. Bulk Mail Permits cost $250.00 per year. If you are interested in using the Bulk Mailing Stamp, we will walk you through the process to make it easy for you. You will still have to pay postage. 

If you are interested in saving money on your electric bill, please contact ymartin@huntingdonchamber.com or 814-643-1110 to get connected with the program endorsed by 120 chambers of commerce in PA and 80 Harrisburg based associations. OnDemand Energy manages 6 billion kWh in PA. There is no cost or obligation involved with seeing how much money your business or organization can save. In many cases it has been quite a significant savings. OnDemand Energy can also review your gas savings options with you. 

You are now able to be the exclusive sponsor of our weekly e-newsletter. The cost is $200 a quarter and includes your name in the email heading as the sponsor and an ad (2 in. wide and 3 in. tall) at the top of the left column of the newsletter. 

If you only want to have an ad (2 in. wide and 2 1/2 in. tall) in the left column, the cost is $100 per quarter or $300 per year. Please continue to share your events and special news and we will include that information for free. Contact mlocke@huntingdonchamber.com if you would like to include your ad in our e-newsletter or be the exclusive sponsor. 

Many of you have been asking about more opportunities to send email blasts to our database of nearly 1,000. Currently individual blasts are $50 for for-profit businesses and $25 for non-profits. You can now purchase one blast a week for a quarter for $200 or one blast a week for a year for $500. Non-profits pay $100 for the quarter or $250 for the year. Contact mlocke@huntingdonchamber.com if you are interested in taking advantage of this special opportunity. 

This group is being brought to you at the request of HCCC members during the most recent survey. The HCCC Member to Member group is a closed group for Chamber members only to post questions and important information that other members will find valuable. Please invite other Chamber members to join our group and share in discussions. 

If you have any business news and updates, achievements, awards or recognitions that you would like to be included, it can be done for FREE! If you have an event that is free or all the proceeds are being donated to a non-profit as a fundraiser, we'll include it for FREE! If you'd like to include a promotion or a money making event or non-profit fundraiser where proceeds will benefit the organization's operations, we charge a small fee. (Profit - $25 and Non-Profit - $10) Contact MacKenzie Locke at 814-643-1110 or mlocke@huntingdonchamber.com if you're interested in including an article.