July 30, 2021

Join us in welcoming our newest member!

stores.burkesoutlet.com Welcome to PA!

ATHENA Award Nominations are being accepted until August 31. Click here for the form.  A special thanks to our sponsors: TEAM Chevrolet, Buick, GMC Bumgardner & Flasher Oil, Inc. Grier School Lincoln Caverns, Inc. and Whisper Rocks MJEM’s Photos World Marketing of America, Inc. BottomLine Pros LLC Hickes Associates, Inc. Stern Insurance Agency

Changes to the Chamber Board Two new members joined the Chamber Board of Directors on July 1. We welcome Kristy Knouse (ReKlaimed Vines Winery and Vineyard) and Marissa Davis (Pennsylvania Highlands Community College) and look forward to working with you over the next three years. We thank the two people that just left the Board for their service. Mary Jane Smith (MJEM’s Photos) and John Thompson (Gage Mansion Bed & Breakfast, and Three Twelve Kitchen and Cocktails.) Click here to see the entire Board of Directors.

M&M Committee Members Sought: Starting Website Design We are looking for a few good people to join our Membership & Marketing (M&M) Committee. This committee concentrates on promoting members and developing member benefits. M&M is also in charge of Chamber marketing material. The committee meets once a month on a Thursday and currently meets at 1:00 p.m. via Zoom.  We are currently in the process of working on the new website and would appreciate your ideas.

Penn National Insurance Dividends Penn National Insurance offers dividends to Chamber members. Contact Brown & Walters Insurance Agency, Inc at 814-447-5568 or Jack H Port Agency at 814-643-6310 or 814-542-2514. Your Chamber Membership must be up to date to receive your dividend check.

Huntingdon County Night at the Curve 

Join us for Huntingdon County Night at the Curve on Saturday, July 31 at 6:00 p.m. A portion of ticket sales will benefit Huntingdon House. Beneficiaries are drawn from Chamber member non-profits each year. Sponsorship packages are also available and benefit Huntingdon House. See flyer later in this enews.

Hold the Dates! Annual Membership Luncheon - August 19 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. New Event! Disc Golf - September 1 Sporting Clay Tournament - September 15 at 3:00 p.m. Date Change! Budget & Legislation Luncheon - October 1 from 11:45 to 1:00 p.m. Annual Awards Gala - October 7 Additional events and event details can be found later in this e-news.

Partners In Excellence   Platinum Fulton County Medical Center Shafer Equipment Co. Gold Stern Insurance Agency   Silver Community State Bank Mutual Benefit Group   Bronze Bumgardner & Flasher Oil, Inc. Orbisonia Hardware, Inc.    Royal BottomLine Pros LLC Culbertson Commercial Cleaning Service FirstEnergy Corporation Helpmates, Inc. Jeff Tate Paving, Inc. Juniata College Keller Engineers Lincoln Caverns, Inc. and Whisper Rocks McDonald's MDB Drafting & Design Stiffler, McGraw and Associates, Inc.  Interested in learning about becoming a Partner in Excellence? Contact Yvonne at  [email protected]  or 814.643.1110 Packages range from $125 to $1,000.

Small Groups Should Consider Minimum Premium Arrangements   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 Huntingdon County 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 hccc.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Craig Pritts at (800) 377-3539.

Time is running out to register for the Class of 2022!  Contact MacKenzie for more information. [email protected] or 814-643-1110.

Visit the Leadership Huntingdon County Facebook page for the new series 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐧𝐢 - 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒘?

If you are hiring, please send position information to [email protected] or login to the member section of our website to post your jobs. We've begun promoting this on Facebook.

Ben Franklin’s $50,000 BIG IDEA Contest is Accepting Applications Now! Ben Franklin Technology Partners, an award-winning, tech-based economic development program, is offering emerging entrepreneurs and small manufacturers the opportunity to participate in our fun, risk-free $50,000 BIG IDEA contest. In the past few years – maybe because of the popularity of the TV show, Shark Tank - there has been a growing interest in pitch competitions by the private sector, economic development professionals, and just regular folks who have an idea for an innovation that could turn into a business opportunity. So, why do most people enter Ben Franklin’s BIG IDEA Contest?  Because they want to win! Since the contest’s inception, nearly $2 million in cash prizes have been awarded throughout the program’s 32-county footprint in central and northern Pennsylvania. Winning up to $50,000 will go a long way in helping infuse a startup with much-needed cash. But, the pitch experience gained, the training offered, and the contacts made are worth every bit as much as the prize money.  For this $50,000 BIG IDEA Contest, we are looking for tech innovators located anywhere in our 32-county footprint in Pennsylvania (Northwest, Central, Southern Alleghenies, and South Central) who are developing new products, processes, or software applications.  APPLY: https://bigidea.benfranklin.org If you have not received Ben Franklin funding, won a prize from either a previous contest or a TechCelerator Startup Boot Camp, and you currently do not have more than $500,000 in sales, you are eligible to apply! But don’t wait! The deadline to apply is August 23, 2021 at 5 p.m. For more Information, contact: Annie Hughes by phone at 717-948-4301 or by email at [email protected] Liz Wilson by phone at 814-898-6541 or by email at [email protected]

Missed an issue of our Enews? Click here

Chamber Events

Huntingdon County Night at the Curve July 31, 2021 6:00 p.m.  Annual Membership Luncheon Huntingdon Country Club August 19, 2021 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Disc Golf Tournament Sunset Golf Club, LLC September 1, 2021 12:00 p.m. Check-in 1:00 p.m. Start 5:00 p.m. Dinner Sporting Clay Tournament Shenecoy Sportsmen Club September 15, 2021 September 22, 2021 Rain Date 2:15 p.m. Registration 3:00 p.m. Shoot Member Benefit Webinar: Save Money on Energy and Health Insurance September 21, 2021 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Business After Hours Arize Federal Credit Union September 21, 2021 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Legislative Luncheon Sunset Golf Club, LLC October 1, 2021 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Annual Awards Gala Huntingdon Country Club October 7, 2021 5:30 p.m. Reception 6:00 p.m. Dinner Hold the Date: Spring Jam April 3, 2022  2022 Administrative Professionals Luncheon is Wednesday, April 27, 2022. "Highway to Rock" Concert featuring Live Wire May 21, 2022

In Case You Missed It

COVID-19 Vaccines at Penn Highlands Healthcare Vaccine sign up now available. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Penn Highlands Healthcare is vaccinating any Pennsylvanian ages 12 and above. Please call the PHH Vaccine Information Line at 814-503-4735 to sign-up or by visiting www.phhealthcare.org/vaccine to schedule a vaccine. If have questions, please call the PHH Vaccine Information Line at 814-503-4735 Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Paid Leave Tax Credit Resources and Guidance Click here to view the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Fact Sheet to learn more about the Paid Leave Tax Credit, how it works, and who is qualified to received it. Click here to view the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s Fact Sheet to learn more about how to claim the tax credit during quarterly filings and additional resources for employers about the program.

Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC): Step by Step instructions with a CPA Click here for the On-Demand Video

Member Restaurant Information We are are providing the following to make it easier to support local restaurants. Click the restaurant name to view their menu. Those in bold are offering curbside pickup. Standing Stone Coffee Company Three Twelve Kitchen and Cocktails Stone Town Gallery and Cafe Cassville Country Store and Restaurant Hoss's Steak & Sea House Burger King McDonalds Pizza Hut/WingStreet

Looking for more ways to promote your business? Tag the Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce in your Facebook posts and we will share them on the Huntingdon, PA - Promotions & Activities page. This page is followed by more than 4,000 people and it is free advertising for you.

U.S. Chamber Pandemic Relief Resources:   Updated Guide to Emergency Loans – They have updated their information guides for the pandemic grant and loan programs. They will continue to update these as more information is provided by the SBA and Dept. of the Treasury.  Click here to view the guide document.  Pandemic Webinar Recordings - You can view the Chamber’s webinars explaining the new pandemic relief bills from late December and early January. They've uploaded the recording from this week here, plus the accompanying slides here, and you can find the recording from our December discussion here.

Resources from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce The U.S. Chamber continues to create, update, and evolve its various guides and resources. 10 Steps to Host a Vaccine Clinic  Public-Private Partnership Best Practices for Vaccine Distribution Generalized Overview of the Requirements to Host a Vaccine Clinic  The Best Ways for Employers to Promote COVID-19 Vaccines  Mask Guides: Recommendations for Wearing and Selecting  How to Select a Mask Graphic COVID Vaccines Digital Resources Center Guide to Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Loans COVID-19 Vaccines FAQ Federal Unemployment Assistance Proposals: State Impact Comparison Guide to PPP Loan Forgiveness Reopening Business Digital Resources Center Reopening Business Digital Resources Center Toolkit Small Business Reopening Playbook Main Street Lending Program Guide State-Specific Guidance Map Backgrounder on Health Coverage Options Backgrounder on Unemployment Insurance Under the CARES Act Independent Contractor's Guide to CARES Act Relief Coronavirus Emergency Loans Small Business Guide and Checklist Temporary Paid Leave and Family Medical Leave Guide Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program Guide Employee Retention Tax Credit Guide Coronavirus Small Business Guide Coronavirus Response Toolkit

Click here for access to timely resources.

Quick Connect Coaching Sessions Weekly, Tuesdays at 8:30 am Looking for a quick answer to a question related to disaster recovery, reopening, stabilizing, or projecting for growth? Then attend a "Quick Connect" session to get your questions answered. Each week a consultant will address answers related to a specific topic. Learn more

Contact Us Yvonne Martin President/ CEO [email protected] MacKenzie Huntsman Program Director [email protected] 500 Allegheny Street Huntingdon, PA 16652 Phone: 814-643-1110 Fax: 814-643-1115

Stay Connected Chamber Website ‌ ‌ ‌ Looking to start an endowment or to support community efforts? Click the logo above to learn more about the Huntingdon County Foundation.