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Here at the Chamber, we hope you're enjoying the last of your summer and staying nice and cool during some of these warmer weeks!
We've been busy working away at some exciting events for the remainder of our summer, and some great Fall gatherings you can't miss (and no, we can't believe it's almost Fall either!).
July's Commerce Cup was a fantastic tournament with another year of great weather and friendly competition! Special thanks to the staff of Fountain Head Country Club - we'll see you next year!
We're also just a few weeks away from launching our brand new website! Be sure to check out hagerstown.org in the coming weeks for an exciting NEW look, full of great features to better serve you, our valued member!
We hope you've had a great month!
Paul, Donna, Kathyrn, Tim & Fatima
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Welcome Our New Members |
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Support These Brand New Chamber Members!
18405 Garland Groh Blvd.
Hagerstown, MD
240-329-2021
Ehrlich Pest Control Company
1075 B. Sherman Ave.
Hagerstown, MD
301-791-6950
Furniture and Mattress Now
1308 Dual Highway
Hagerstown, MD
301-739-0000
20140 Scholar Dr.
Hagerstown, MD
1890 N. Market St., Suite 101
Frederick, MD
301-280-0170
chamber support from:
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Members Making News
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Find Out What's New with Some of Our Members!
Robert W. Johnson Community Center Raffling 2016 Chevrolet Malibu LT in Efforts to Raise Necessary Funds
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The Robert W. Johnson Community Center, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit is proud to be a recipient of $50,000 from the State of Maryland and another $25,000 from the Alice Virginia and David W. Fletcher Foundation. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Fletcher Foundation and the exhaustive efforts of Delegate Brett Wilson and Senator Andrew Serafini, who co-sponsored Bond Bill #0893, RWJCC is planning to address long overdue capital improvement needs.
To access these funds, the Robert W. Johnson Community Center Board of Directors must raise $25,000 in matching funds. Therefore, it is based on the Capital Needs Assessment that was prepared by
Bushey Feight Morin Architects, Inc. of Hagerstown, MD and RHL Engineering Company of Frederick, MD. RWJCC is grateful to Brechbill and Helman Construction Company of Chambersburg, PA for advising the Board of Directors on and supporting the Capital Needs Assessment.
The structure at 109 W. North Ave., Hagerstown, which has a long and storied history, is a centerpiece of African-American history in Washington County. It has undergone several transitions over the past 125 years. In 1888, the building first housed the North Street School and later in 1947 became a YMCA, serving the African American community. Twenty-one years later, in 1968, the building took on the name Memorial Recreation Center, Inc. In 2013, the building was renamed to reflect the many activities that take place and to recognize former Tuskegee Airman, educator, administrator, and community member of Hagerstown, MD,"Coach Bobby" Robert W. Johnson.
The Building for the Future Campaign will enable the Board of Directors to address renovations, upgrades and repairs for this historic Center. The Campaign, comprised of two major fundraising activities, is counting on the support of and participation from the community.
Courtesy of Hoffman Chevrolet of Hagerstown, MD, RWJCC is raffling a
2016 Chevrolet Malibu LT with the convenience package. RWJCC has printed 3,000 raffle tickets to be sold at a cost of
$20 for one ticket or $100 for 6 tickets. The winning ticket will be drawn on Monday, September 5, 2016 - Labor Day at 3pm at RWJCC. The winner will have the choice of a $15,000 cash prize or the vehicle (taxes, tags and registration not included).
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Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC Named as
Leading CPA Firm
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Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC was named as a national leader in
INSIDE Public Accounting
's 26
th
annual ranking of the largest accounting firms in the nation, the IPA 200.
IPA
is an award-winning newsletter for the accounting profession. The IPA 200 is one of the most comprehensive lists of its kind and is the most current snapshot of the financial and operational health of accounting firms. More than 500 firms participate in the annual ranking process and SEK&Co ranks as the 181st largest public accounting firm in the nation.
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TriBridge Partners 'Stuff the Bus' for Community Youth
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TriBridge Partners
team members from the Hagerstown, Baltimore, Bethesda and Frederick Offices all came together to purchase and donate items for
Stuff the Bus
, to help support our communities and families in need as the new school year quickly approaches.
Donations Included: 30 boxes of tissues, 15 book bags, 10 pencil pouches, 100 folders, 4 lunch boxes, 40 sticks of glue, 20 boxes of crayons, 20 blocks of erasers, 100 pens, 160 pencils, 12 rulers, several boxes of color pencils, several scissors, and several packs of note cards!
This year marked TriBridge's 7th year participating in the event and their third year participating as an official drop off site for the campaign. 100% of the collected supplies go to students and classrooms in Frederick County.
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Crisci Celebrates Fourth Year with Habitat for Humanity ReStore
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Habitat for Humanity of Washington County ReStore
is an integral part of this Hagerstown non-profit's operation. Without question, the many strides the store has made within the past four years wouldn't have been possible without store Manager Carole Crisci.
Citing an enthusiasm for Habitat's mission and leadership of ReStore's significant role in moving the mission forward has improved many lives within our community.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore is proudly owned and operated by the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate. Proceeds from the ReStore are used to build homes, community, and hope right here in Washington County.
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Warner Named President/CEO of Patriot Federal Credit Union
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Brad R. Warner has been named President/CEO at
Patriot Federal Credit Union, a $545 million credit union serving Franklin and Fulton Counties and the borough of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania and Washington County, Maryland.
With more than 35 years in the financial services industry, Warner stepped in as interim CEO at the beginning of 2016 upon the retirement of former President/CEO Peggy Bosma-LaMascus.
Warner most recently served as Patriot's Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, having rejoined the credit union in 2014 following a previous stint as Chief Financial Officer in 2010/2011.
Warner is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College with bachelor's degrees in both Business Administration and Religion - Executive Leadership. He has served on numerous credit union boards and committees, is a former member of the Rotary Club of York, York Helping Hands for the Homeless and has been active as a volunteer youth wrestling coach. While living in their hometown of York, PA, Brad and his wife Karen of 37 years, raised two sons, Byron who graduated from Cornell University and Brady who graduated from New York University Stern Business School. Both sons work in banking in New York City.
Established in 1965, Patriot Federal Credit Union was Franklin County's first community credit union. The 15th largest credit union in Pennsylvania, with $545 million in assets, Patriot ranks in the top 10% of credit unions nationwide. Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration, Patriot serves more than 53,000 worldwide members with mobile and online banking, nine branch office locations and 19 ATMs.
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Irvin-Craig Appointed as Children's Village Fund Dev. Director
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The Board of Directors of
Children's Village of Washington County
is pleased to announce the appointment of
Linda Irvin-Craig as Fund Development Director for the organization. Irvin-Craig comes with full understanding of the mission of the organization as one of the founding members of this educational facility and has years of experience in fund raising for a number of local and regional non-profits.
"As all non-profits struggle to keep funds flowing," Nicholas Hill, Sr., president of the board, welcomed Irvin-Craig by saying, "We believe that we have
chosen well by bringing Linda home to a mission she helped to frame and clearly understands."
Irvin-Craig joins Program Director Brenda Conrad, who has been with the organization for 21 years, as they form a team to generate the program and resources to augment continuing support from the county school system for this comprehensive safety education facility.
Children's Village of Washington County is a unique safety education program for our community's youth, operated through a partnership with Washington County Public Schools. The miniature world of CVWC is designed to avert needless tragedies and was envisioned to provide an essential program to assist our youth to meet the challenges of our modern society. CVWC is open to all second grade students throughout the county, both public and private. Visit the website at
www.csvhagerstown.org
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Humane Society of Wash. Co. Debuts New Website
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The Humane Society of Washington County (HSWC) unveiled a new cutting-edge website design this week.
The new design, created by High Rock of Hagerstown, has a visually appealing home page with simple tiles for users to click, depending on which option they would like to explore. The content has been condensed so that the most relevant information is easily accessible. As always, the news, events, and list of adoptable animals are updated regularly. The new design creates a more user-friendly experience with inviting graphics and simplified navigation.
The new website gives a fresh and inspiring new look and feel and creates a better overall website browsing experience for the public. Please visit
www.hswcmd.org
to see all that the new site has to offer.
The Humane Society of Washington County exists to promote the welfare of companion and domestic animals through educational programs and initiatives that reduce pet overpopulation, endorse fostering, enrich adoptions, and encourage responsible pet guardianship.
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Lampton Named President of High Rock Studios
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High Rock Holdings, LLC is pleased to announce Ryan Lampton has been named President of High Rock Studios, a full service marketing firm headquartered in
Hagerstown, Maryland. A graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Lampton spent eight years in commercial banking before joining High Rock Studios as Partner and Chief Operating Officer in August 2012.
"I've known Ryan since we played soccer together at Smithsburg High School," said
Rich Daughtridge, Founder of High Rock Studios and President & CEO of High Rock Holdings. "He's been a great asset to the company for the last four years and his leadership skills have helped move High Rock forward."
In his new position, Lampton will continue to oversee day to day operations of High Rock Studios. "My focus is to continue building on the legacy of High Rock. The team we've assembled and the direction we're headed as a company makes coming to work every day a blast. Our short term plans are to increase our presence in both the tri-state area and the Baltimore market and to continue growing our team, which has already increased by nearly 40 percent in the last 12 months. As a company, we're always looking for creative ways to improve our offerings and I'm glad to be part of this innovation."
High Rock Studios celebrated their 10-year anniversary in 2015. Since the company's creation, the partners have also founded High Rock Holdings, LLC, a privately held holding company established in January 2014. "Born out of a marketing agency, High Rock Holdings has a unique perspective for growing existing brands and launching new ones," said Daughtridge. "I will continue to oversee the performance of all companies under our umbrella, and will remain actively involved in the strategic direction of High Rock Studios."
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Fleming Named New Chief Mission Officer for Horizon Goodwill
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Horizon Goodwill Industries is pleased to announce that Catharine Fleming has been promoted to Chief Mission Officer for Horizon Goodwill Industries. Fleming is based in the Corporate Office in Hagerstown, MD.
Working within the Goodwill family for 10 years, Catharine has held executive and leadership positions responsible for mission, business, donated goods/retail and compliance. She is a 2010 graduate of the 2-year Goodwill Industries International Executive Development Program. Catharine came to Horizon Goodwill Industries in October 2011 in the role of Director of Mission Services. Catharine is also a member of the 2015 graduating class of Leadership Washington County.
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Catharine graduated from University of California at San Diego with a degree in Behavioral Psychology, focusing on Research Science and Behavior Modification.
"I believe that Goodwill is change what capability looks like. Through our programs and with the collaboration of our community partners, we are advancing our mission of removing barriers and creating opportunities." says Fleming.
Creatively adapting Goodwill's dynamic business model to meet the needs of both regional economies and local communities is Catharine's greatest passion. Through her role with Goodwill, she continually works to make the organization an economic engine customizable at the local level as well as scalable across the 17 counties. Catharine believes that Goodwill should have an impact as a business, an employer, a service provider and a community member.
Away from work, Catharine enjoys spending time with her husband, Brandon and their 5 year old son, Benjamin.
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Grace Academy Implements One-to-One Technology Program
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Grace Academy will give students in grades six through 12 their own HP laptops in August for in-class and at-home use through its new one-to-one technology program. Faculty and administration are looking forward to how the new program will benefit each student's learning experience and success.
"I'm excited for how the one-to-one will impact how our students learn and our teachers teach," Ledney said. "With so many different learning techniques in one classroom of students, we are now able to meet the individual needs of our students differently, as some learn better with a laptop in front of them and others feel most comfortable using pencil and paper."
Principal Alex Lehman added, "One-to-one is great because it allows us to better prepare students for the future. We realize technology is already a part of their everyday lives, and as they seek careers, students need to know how to utilize technology professionally. They compete for jobs not only on a local but global scale."
Student laptops will be equipped with Windows 10, Microsoft Office 365 and remote content filtering for students' safe web browsing and will be leased to own for a nominal fee of $15 per month or $150 per year. All laptops will have come with three-year replacement warranty and on-site assistance from HP and Grace Academy IT. Students will also be given a rugged, protective case for transporting the device to and from school.
Teachers in the middle and high school will also receive new HP laptops. This will allow teachers to more easily assist students during in-class tasks because all applications, programs and interfaces will be similar.
After a successful pilot run of the one-to-one technology program with 21 Grace Academy students and seven staff members in the spring, Ledney and administration look forward to a successful technology integration into each classroom this fall.
"We've done a lot of research and preparation for Grace's one-to-one. All of our hard work has resulted in being a true one-to-one, that every individual student will have their own laptop to use all day," Ledney said. "We've also established a strong infrastructure and have already invested a lot of time into staff training to allow for successful implementation in August, so we're ready!"
Grace Academy celebrates its 40th anniversary this fall and has been committed to quality Christian education since its inception. Located on a 33-acre campus just one mile from I-81 and one hour from Washington, D.C., Grace Academy is a non-denominational, independent school that serves students in the tri-state area age three through grade 12. Grace Academy is accredited by the State of Maryland and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).
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Something exciting and/or notable happening within your company? Has someone done something remarkable and you think it should be shared with our extensive list of newsletter recipients? Simply excited about an upcoming event?
We're here to help you get the word out!
Chamber Newsletter!
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Chamber Connects News |
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Chamber Connects is a free professional networking group within the Chamber for our Members to create opportunities for each other!
Stay up-to-date, and recruit more members with Facebook!
Connect with us during these following meet-ups:
Tuesday, August 23rd
Thursday, August 25th
Friday, August 26th
Thursday, September 8th
Friday, September 9th
To find out which industries are represented in each group, & much more:
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GenNext: A Young Professionals Network |
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Networking, Professional Development & Advocacy
UPCOMING EVENT:
Operation Warm Fundraiser
Thursday, September 1st 6:00-9:00PM
LJ's and the Kat Lounge
1130 Conrad Court Hagerstown, MD
Can you think of a time when you were cold? The teeth-chattering, knee-knocking, Able-to-see-your-breath, type of cold?
In this instance, you may have been wearing a coat, but imagine if you weren't... imagine if you didn't own a coat and that was out of your control. For 16.1 million children in the US, this is a harsh reality. Many of these children are forced to walk to and from school or wait for the bus in sub-freezing temperatures.
Hagerstown Professional Firefighters, Local 1605, has decided to take action. And together with our young professionals group, we're committed to providing new, American-made, winter coats to children living in these unfortunate circumstances. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
Register for this happy hour for just $10 for Chamber m
embers (and $15 for Non-Members) - and enjoy extended happy hour drink specials, and complimentary appetizers from the generous staff of LJ's! $5 of each registration goes towards Operation Warm
with plenty more fundraising opportunities throughout the evening!
Are you a young professional and want to be a part of GenNext mailings & events? Email
Tim Luipersbeck at
[email protected] to connect!
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Upcoming Chamber Events |
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Mixers, Learning Sessions, Signature Events & More!
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Business After Hours at US Cellular
Thursday, August 18th 5:00pm-7:00pm
CHAMBER PRIZE DRAWING - $1,250!
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Eggs and Issues at First Data
Wednesday, September 7th 7:30am-9:00am
FREE TO CHAMBER MEMBERS!
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Learning Lunch Hour
Hager Hall Conference & Event Center
Tuesday, September 13th 11:30am-1:00pm
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Morning Mixer at Family Recreation Park
Wednesday, September 28th 7:30am - 9:00am
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DETAILS & REGISTRATION COMING SOON!
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About Us |
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Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce members include more than 560 organizations, representing over 40,000 local jobs in a wide variety of industries: Retail, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Skilled Trades, Service and Hospitality, Technology, Government, Nonprofit, and Education.
We can't wait for our next opportunity to work with you, and
for you!
Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce
28 W. Washington St., Ste. 200
Hagerstown, Maryland 21740
Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce
(301) 739-2015
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