Welcome

We'd like to welcome our newest members. They are Central Sealcoating Asphalt Services, Huntingdon County PRIDE and Greenlands Lodge! 

Happy Easter

The Chamber Board of Directors and staff would like to wish you a very Happy Easter!

Poll Workers Needed

Event Re-Cap

On March 15, we hosted a Business After Hours at AristaCare at Huntingdon Park to celebrate their first year of business in Huntingdon County as well as St. Patrick's Day! Entertainment was provided by Bill Greene and Josh Crownover. Several door prizes were given. 

Top 3 Surprising Tax Breaks

For anyone who hasn't filed taxes yet, you may want to give your extracurricular activities a second look. Feed feral cats? There's a tax break for that. Is Fido protecting your home or business? There's a tax break for that, too. Does a medical condition have you swimming laps? You may qualify for a swimming pool deduction. Sound too good to be true? These deductions are possible, and have held true in tax court. There is a laundry list of tax breaks, and if the above don't apply, one of the following may:

1. Gambling Losses: Did Lady Luck leave you high and dry last year? You can deduct your gambling losses up to the amount that you won. For instance, if you lost $1,000 playing blackjack, and later won $1,500 on the Wheel of Fortune machine, you can reduce your winnings by $1,000. However, if you lost $1,000 and won nothing, you are still out of luck. 

2. Getting in Shape: If your doctor told you that your life may be in danger if you don't lose some weight, you may be able to deduct your workout expenses. Remedies that will help you shed pounds, reduce your cholesterol, and/or improve your heart rate may be deductible. 

3. Beer, Here!: If you have a business and are trying to attract customers, you may be able to deduct alcohol costs. One gas station owner gave customers free beer if they bought gas. Somewhat surprisingly, the tax court gave the thumbs-up to it as a business expense. Beer isn't the only business expense that may be tax-deductible. If you feel having a board meeting in Hawaii or the Caribbean is necessary, you may be able to write it off. Entertaining clients with meals or amusing activities can be deductible, so long as your meeting destination or recreational activities aren't too lavish or extravagant. 

If you think something is too unusual to be tax deductible, you may be surprised. A tax attorney and your accountant can always provide guidance, and possibly an unexpected break come Tax Day. 

Zumba-Thon for PRIDE

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.