Chamber Press Room

Now Accepting Applications: 2025–2026 Leadership Central Penn Are you ready to grow as a leader, build meaningful connections, and make a lasting impact in your community? Leadership Central Penn is now accepting applications for the 2025–2026 program year! This dynamic professional development initiative, facilitated by The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, brings…

Renewing a Trusted Partnership: Victor Koons Graphic Design Returns as Directory Publisher  Chris Berleth, President Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce One week removed from a rainy-day, pirate-themed article expressing our delight at his great work on the Chamber’s Thriving Communities Map, I’m pleased to share some exciting news regarding another of our key member resources.…

President’s Message Captain’s Message: Argh, Me Hearties, the Treasure Map Be Ready Standing on the bow of me mighty office chair after weeks of navigatin’ through printers, proofs, and the dreaded ‘Whirlpool o’ Misspellings’, yer Chamber is shoutin’… “Hoist the sails!  We’ve done it!  Thar be a map to foller to treasure and glory!  Gather…

Congratulations to the Leadership Central Penn Class of 2025 On May 15th, we proudly celebrated the graduation of the latest Leadership Central Penn class—26 rising leaders representing a diverse range of businesses and organizations across our region. Over the past nine months, these individuals have dedicated themselves to personal and professional growth, gaining valuable insights…

President’s Message: A Breakout Year? Elementary, My Dear Chamber One of the things I love about Sherlock Holmes is his uncanny ability to predict the future – not by some supernatural power or mystic charm, but by his acute observation of the reality around him and the deductions that he makes from careful interpretation of…

President’s Message: Members in a Holding Pattern on Tariffs   by Chris Berleth, President, Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce Last week, the Columbia Montour Chamber polled its members to aid federal officials in understanding the real-time impact of tariffs and trade policy on local businesses in Columbia and Montour Counties.  Below, you’ll find the results…

President’s Message: Travel with Your Chamber In our recent Chamber member survey, we asked, “What’s your favorite part of your Chamber membership?” The answer was overwhelmingly one-sided: respondents said, “Naisc ghnó”. Well, sort of. “Naisc ghnó” is the Irish-gaelic translation of the answer we got, which is “connections”, and now you’re probably wondering, “Chris, why…

Financial Literacy in the Susquehanna Valley: Empowering Students Through Real-World Learning The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber is proud to partner with Journey Bank to launch Financial Literacy in the Susquehanna Valley, a new program designed to equip students with essential personal finance skills. This initiative reflects a shared commitment to preparing the next…

Strengthening Connections: Monthly Presence in Our Communities Chris often says, “If you have seen one chamber, you have seen one chamber.” That sentiment continues to inspire my approach to member engagement. When I joined the Chamber as Director of Member Engagement, I set out to truly see and understand our Chamber by personally meeting with…

President’s Message: Happy Philanthropy Day! Longtime Chamber member and Chair of the Community Giving Foundation Board, Harry Mathias has a friendly bone to pick with Waze, the GPS navigation system that regularly brings commuters to their desired destinations. (Truth be told, after hearing Harry speak about it at this morning’s Community Giving Foundation Annual Meeting,…