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We're looking forward to our
98th Annual Meeting
this
Thursday, September 28th at Fountain Head Country Club.
We can't wait to present our "State of the Chamber" video and talk about our big changes as we inch a year closer to our 100th year serving Washington County! Plus, we'll be passing the gavel from our Immediate Past Chair Gary Hayes to our current Board Chair Heather Guessford.
We've also set the date for our grand opening celebration of our new office at 1 South Potomac Street! Be sure to mark your calendars for November 15th and join the fun right in the heart of downtown's public square! Stay tuned as we continue to grow for you, our member!
We hope to see you soon,
Paul, Donna, Tim, Rod & Tyana
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Welcome Our New Members |
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Give a Warm Welcome to Some New Faces in Our Membership!
14130 Pennsylvania Ave.
Hagerstown, MD
301-739-0667
18338 Thornhill Ct.
Hagerstown, MD
301-473-3007
11927 Sycamore Dr.
Hagerstown, MD
540-400-5998
90 Einstein Way
Martinsburg, WV
304-886-4579
20 W. Washington St., 2nd Floor
Hagerstown, MD
301-960-4881
2795 Letterkenny Rd.
Chambersburg, PA
717-830-3395
18304 Peak Circle
Hagerstown, MD
240-382-6056
22 N. Mulberry Street
Hagerstown, MD
240-347-4833
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Members Making News
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Find Out What's New with Some of Our Members!
Doing Better Business, Inc. Acquires Word Processing Services, Inc. (WPS)
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Doing Better Business (
www.doingbetterbusiness.com
), a leading regional provider of office technology, document management, imaging, corporate communications and hosted IT services based in Altoona, Pennsylvania announced it has completed the strategic acquisition of Word Processing Services, Inc. (WPS)based in Hagerstown, Maryland.
This acquisition is the completion of the succession plan from Vincent and Marcella Ann Dellaposta to their three children, Debra, Beth & Joseph Dellaposta.
According to Debra Dellaposta, CEO of Doing Better Business (DBB), "Through hard work, dedication and special talents in service and finance, our parents were blessed to have built one of the most well respected organizations in our industry. We are excited to continue their legacy of success."
"It has been an incredible year for us. We began with the acquisition of Total Service in Latrobe, became Certified as Women-Owned in January, acquired 2,000 customers and 11 employees from Ricoh Corporation on May 1, moved our Latrobe, PA office to Greensburg, PA in July, launched our new website in August, sold our TSI Office Products Division to W.B. Mason on August 23, and opened a new office in State College, PA on the same day we completed the acquisition of Word Processing Services (WPS), " added Dellaposta. "The best part was ending the WPS fiscal year with the highest revenue growth ever and maintaining an industry-leading Customer Satisfaction Rating of 94%. We could not have accomplished any of this without the tremendous effort and support of all of our team members."
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Mercersburg Academy Inviting Families and Potential New Students to Campus
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Mercersburg Academy is inviting Chamber members and the community alike to join fellow members of the Mercersburg community. Lean more about day student life and the admission and financial aid process.
This Wednesday, September 27th, in the Edwards Room, dress casually and learn about this innovative approach to the Mercersburg Academy student experience from 6:30-8pm.
Please respond by emailing admission@mercersburg.edu or by calling the Admission Office at 717-328-6150.
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HCC's Technical Innovation Center Offering "Finding Your Funding: Identifying & Applying for Grants" Event
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Grant seeking is essential to the growth and survival of any entrepreneurial pursuit, and yet it is often pursued with great trepidation and no small amount of anxiety. The good news is that composing a high-quality grant application is a skill that can be learned and mastered using tools found in every entrepreneur's tool box.
This course from
Hagerstown Community College's Technical Innovation Center is designed for individuals and organizations seeking to grow and sustain their business through grants and will provide them with the knowledge and resources to find grant opportunities. The course will also lead them through an interactive exercise in gathering and preparing the standard components of most grant applications.
To register for this event on October 10th from 8:30AM-11:30AM, visit
HERE.
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ManTech and Kaplan University Partner to Drive Cybersecurity Learning Program
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ManTech International Corporation a
nd regionally accredited
Kaplan University
have partnered to provide tailored cyber degree programs that prepare ManTech employees for the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification and may be applied toward bachelor's and master's degrees in cybersecurity.
"ManTech's new education initiative builds on our strategy to attract and develop our nation's finest cyber talent to support our clients' missions," said Kevin M. Phillips, ManTech President and Chief Operating Officer. "The best weapons in the cyber domain are knowledge and hands-on experience. We are putting this principle to work by equipping our cyber experts to be the best in the business."
"When we introduced our bachelor's and master's degrees in cybersecurity more than two years ago, we recognized a big and growing need for educational support for working adult learners in this field," said Dr. Betty Vandenbosch, President of Kaplan University. Dr. Vandenbosch noted that by some expert accounts, global cybersecurity spending is projected to exceed $1 trillion in the next five years.
"ManTech is making an important investment in their employees and our partnership is centered on helping them realize a great return," Dr. Vandenbosch added.
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Breast Cancer Awareness of Cumberland Valley Plans Ribbon Cutting for new Lyles Building Office
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Kick off Breast Cancer Awareness with us Wednesday, October 4th, as we celebrate the grand opening of
Breast Cancer Awareness - Cumberland Valley
's brand new space in the Lyles Building at 12916 Conamar Drive (Suite 201)! The Washington County Chamber of Commerce, along with local elected officials and more will come together for a 12:15 ribbon cutting, followed by complimentary lunch and open house hours until 4pm.
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Family Classic Cinderella Opens for Theatre for Young Audiences
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The Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater and Children's Theater presents the magical, musical story of Cinderella this Saturday, September 16th through November 4th live on stage for children ages 3 and older along with their families.
The production begins Saturday mornings at 11:30am with lunch, followed by the musical. This signed, spoken, and sung production is created for audiences of all hearing abilities.
Tickets cost $20 and must be purchased in advance at
WashingtonCountyPlayhouse.com or by calling 301-739-7469. Tickets include lunch and the performance. Beverages and gratuity are not included in the ticket price. Every audience member must have a ticket.
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Shepherd's Spring Announces New Program for Adults: National Park Adventures on Land & Water
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Shepherd's Spring Outdoor Ministry and Retreat Center is pleased to announce a new
camp designed for active adults ages 18-plus to be offered October 1 through 5, 2017. This all-inclusive, exciting new program will include a variety of activities, delicious and healthful meals, along with plenty of time to relax and renew:
· Hike the Appalachian Trail (7 mi) · Bike the C&O Canal (15.9 mi) · Paddle the Potomac River (7.8 mi) · Enjoy traditional camp activities in nature
"We at Shepherd's Spring are delighted to expand our traditional camp offerings with the addition of this program for adults. Here, adults can be refreshed by enjoying numerous activities that they may not have had time to appreciate since childhood, such as hiking, biking, canoeing, campfire cooking, and caving-and autumn is the perfect season to be outdoors. In today's busy world, adults rarely have time to enjoy the peacefulness of nature, relish good food, and enjoy time with other like-minded adults," says
Mr. Ben Skroban, Camp Coordinator. "I invite you to join us October 1 - 5."
The all-inclusive cost of National Park Adventures on Land & Water is only $650. For more information or to register, call 301.223.8193 or visit.
www.ShepherdsSpring.org.
Shepherd's Spring is a non-profit outdoor ministry, education, conference and retreat center, providing opportunities for renewal and growth, stewardship of creation, and the experience of community for all ages. To learn more, please visit
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HCC Recognizes Citi for Grant Support
Pictured from L to R: Guy Altieri, HCC President; Anne Shepard, HCC Director of Grants Development; Cassandra Latimer, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for Citi.
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The board of trustees at Hagerstown Community College recently recognized Citi for its significant contributions to support low-income students at HCC. Over the past several years, Citi has given more than $70,000 in grants to support the needs of this special population of students.
"We are extremely grateful to Citi for helping foster student success and economic development in Washington County," said HCC President Guy Altieri. "HCC's Citi scholars have graduated with a variety of credentials in nursing, commercial vehicle transportation, medical assisting, psychology, business, and paralegal studies, so the effects of Citi's generosity have been far-reaching."
In 2011, the first grant was used to assist HCC's Job Training Student Resources program, to provide case management, child care, and transportation assistence to students in career training programs.
Starting in 2012, Citi provided grants to help students who completed secondary school credentials via General Education Development (GED) testing rather than traditional high school. Since then, 50 low-income students have been assisted via $46,000 in grant funding. Each student received a Citi stipend to help with college and cost of living costs. Ninety percent of those students successfully completed a majority of their classes and nearly 90 percent graduated within two years of the term in which they were assisted with grant funds.
In 2016, Citi awarded an additional $15,000 to assist low-income students with costs related to achieving their educational goals. That grant is currently underway, with 13 students having received stipends to date.
"At Citi, our mission is to enable growth and economic progress. And what better way to do that than through education. We're proud to support students at Hagerstown Community College. By helping to eliminate barriers to their college success, we hope to make it possible for students to achieve their educational goals and become lifelong learners," said Cassandra H. Latimer, Vice President of communications and public affairs for Citi's Hagerstown, MD Operations Center.
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Maryland Department of Health Planning "Walk Maryland Day" on Hagerstown Cultural Trail
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Mark your calendars for
October 4th
! Come and take a walk on the Hagerstown Cultural Trail at lunch time. The walk starts at noon at the Antietam Street trail entrance with free samples of a healthy grilled chicken and salad lunch! The first 100 participants will also receive a miniature Maryland flag!
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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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Advertise in our 2018 Directory! |
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Chamber Connects News |
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Chamber Connects is a free professional networking group within the Chamber for select members to create opportunities for each other!
Interested in joining a Chamber Connects referral group??
Sometimes the best form of connection is slowly cultivated with some of the same great members over time. It's often a nice contrast to the rest of our Chamber events! Email Tim Luipersbeck, Director of Member Services at tim@hagerstown.org if interested!
To find out which industries are represented in each group, & much more:
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Upcoming Chamber Events |
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Mixers, Learning Sessions, Signature Events & More!
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98th Annual Meeting
Thursday, September 28th 5-8pm
Fountain Head Country Club
13316 Fountain Head Rd., Hagerstown, MD
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Learning Lunch Hour
Tuesday, October 3rd - 11:30am - 1pm
Hager Hall Conference & Event Center
Hagerstown, MD
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Eggs & Issues: Engineering Through Operations
Wednesday, October 4th - 7:30am - 9:00am
Applause Caterers, Hagerstown, MD
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Business After Hours
Hosted by Mulberry Lofts
Thursday, October 19th, 5:00-7:00pm
22 N. Mulberry St., Hagerstown, MD
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BEP Corner |
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A contribution from our Business Education Partnership Committee!
from Stephen Schutte of Sprint Maugans Ave.
"Cleaning Apps make your phone Messy"
In the yesteryear of Android devices "cleaning apps" were all the rage. You know, those apps that claimed to "save memory," "Save battery," "protect your device," etc. In today's Android world, I've found these apps to do more harm than good.
Cleaning apps are the equivalent of a grocery store paying an employee to step in front of the automatic doors for a customer, I'll take a moment to let that sink in.... Unnecessary, inefficient, and redundant are some adjectives that have always come to mind. Some apps claim to clear cached data, (small bread crumbs left behind when an app is deleted or changed) but more often than not, they spend valuable processing power and BATTERY life to do so. The app will regularly scan your device looking for the smallest scraps. It's like hiring a dump truck to follow you... just in case you want to throw something away.
Other apps claim to "save battery life." These app manually close apps running in the background, or claim to do so. In order to fully close a background app, you must have access to the operating system. None of these apps do. More often than not, they close the app and a short time later, the app re opens itself. It's a loop that can cost more power than what it saves.
The final offender is the "anti-virus apps." Unless you are visiting the deep dark corners of the web through your mobile device or downloading apps outside the Play Store, You don't need it. Some of these lower end virus protection apps actually hold your phone for ransom. Popping up and telling you that you need to buy this to clear this out or buy this to make your phone run faster. They prey on your insecurity and naivety.
All of these apps have full permission to do what they want on your device once installed. They will often run, and run, and run, and run... killing valuable resources. They are full of advertisements that entice/force you to buy or download other product and if you are not careful, your phone will run slower than molasses in the dead of winter. I will touch on the solutions and fixes for all of these issues at the October lunch and learn. Need to contact me directly? Email - Stephen.Schutte@emp.shentel.com
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Accident Fund - A New Member Benefit! |
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A Wright-Gardner Insurance Initiative!
Worker's Compensation. The Safe Way!
Through our group pooling power, your small to mid-sized business can have access to dividends that you wouldn't otherwise obtain on your own!
- Benefits include a 5% up-front savings on Premium
- Access to safety materials through Accident Fund's WorkSafe Toolbox TM
- Potential to earn a dividend based on experience of the individual policy loss performance and written premium.
Accident Fund Insurance Company of America is one of the nation's leading workers' compensation insurance organizations, managing risk and minimizing loss for our policyholders, creating a safer environment for their workers and building businesses with our agent partners. All backed by the reach, knowledge and best practices of our holding company, AF Group.
Interested in joining the program? Contact
Wright Gardner Insurance at
301-733-1234!
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About Us |
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Washington County Chamber of Commerce members include more than 600 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!
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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