The Central Susquehanna Valley Board of Realtors is the newest member of The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce. CSVBR is a nonprofit organization whose message is “The Voice of Real Estate in the Five County Area”. This association serves Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Synder and Union Counties, and has over 300 members.
The association is a big proponent of community service and advocacy, supporting property and homeownership rights. The main office of CSVBR can be found in Danville on 558 Mill St., Suite 102. You can find out more info on the association through its website which can be found here. Do you want to get in contact with them? They can be reached at 570-275-7818.
The Central Susquehanna Valley Board of Realtors joins over 425 members of The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce to receive benefits and support the Chamber’s efforts to enhance the region.
Bloomsburg YMCA Approved as a Pre-K Scholarship Program Through the Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit Program
The Bloomsburg YMCA is pleased to announce that they have been approved as an Pre-K Scholarship program through the Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit program. (EITC) Pennsylvania provides tax credits for corporate contributions to Pre-K Scholarship Organizations (PKSOs), nonprofits that provide pre-k school scholarships and Educational Improvement Organizations (EIO), or nonprofits, that support innovative programs in public schools. Tax credits are worth 75 percent of the contribution; however, a 90 percent credit can be claimed if the corporation commits to two consecutive annual contributions. In either case, the maximum tax credit is $750,000 per company. Credits are awarded to companies on a first-come, first-served basis until the cap is reached. The total amount of tax credits is limited to $110 million. For more information on how businesses can apply, visit https://dced.pa.gov. For additional information on supporting the YMCA program please contact Wayne Stump, CEO at the Bloomsburg YMCA at 570-784-0188 or wstump@bloomsburgy.org
The Exchange’s Listening Room Presents Stephanie Joyner
The Listening Room returns to Facebook Live and in-person with Stephanie Joyner! You can watch the show live on their Facebook page and the full performance will be posted the to YouTube afterward. If you would like to attend in the live audience, they have limited seats available; call 570-317-2596 or e-mail them at Exchange@ExchangeArts.org to reserve yours (donations accepted at the door). Masks are required and vaccinated guests only.
Stephanie Joyner’s sound: “the art of painting with music.” With a broad vocal range and her multi-genre styling, she textures her musical storytelling with an array of life’s adventures. Her originals reflect the seasons of life, boisterous and intimate. Simple vocal and guitar presenting relaxed and honest musical adventures! “JOYN HER”!
Members will have the opportunity to learn more about issues impacting employers at an upcoming breakfast program.
The event, sponsored by Montour Solar One, will be held Thursday, June 16th beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the Pine Barn Inn.
Alex Halper, Director of Government Affairs with the PA Chamber of Business & Industry, will provide an overview of the 2022-23 state budget, as well as other business-related issues being discussed in Harrisburg. Senator John Gordner and Representative David Millard are scheduled to participate and offer comments. Attendees will be invited to ask questions and offer comments.
Click here to register.
What’s So Cool About Manufacturing program is a video based educational tool that increases awareness of career paths in manufacturing. MRC developed this innovative career awareness program that at its core is “peer marketing” (kids telling kids what’s so cool about manufacturing jobs). The contest is showcased on the What’s So Cool website and shared nationally through the Manufacturing Institute and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership platforms.
This contest gives students the opportunity to connect with local manufacturers, document their experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students towards manufacturing career paths, and CTE and STEM education. The Central Susquehanna WSCM contest is made possible by The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, Innovative Manufacturers’ Center (IMC), Advance Central PA, Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU) and Blast IU.
The contest featured schools from Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties.
Best Overall Performance: Selinsgrove Middle School/Bright Farms
Viewer’s Choice: Selinsgrove Middle School/Bright Farms
Outstanding Team Spirit: Danville Middle School/Strong Industries, Inc.
Outstanding Brand Placement: Lewisburg Donald H. Eichhorn Middle School/Playworld Systems, Inc.
2 District and Manufacturer partners moving on to the State Competition: Selinsgrove Middle School/Bright Farms and Central Columbia Middle School/Kawneer
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce was excited to once again support the 2022 Regional STEM Competition for high school students. This year’s competition was held in collaboration with the Future Careers Expo & Parent Pathways Awareness Night, which was held April 13 at the Columbia-Montour Area Vo-Tech School.
Eight school districts in our region participated in the STEM Competition, which challenged students to create “virtual escape rooms”. The rooms were judged based on a rubric and the top three schools were awarded cash prizes to support their school’s STEM programs. First place ($5,000) was Midd-West School District, second place ($2,500) was Danville Area School District, and third place ($1,000) was Shamokin School District. Additional sponsors of the STEM Competition included Bloomsburg University and VZRscada.com.
The Future Careers Expo & Parent Pathways Awareness Night event is led by the Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Advance Central PA and Pennsylvania Career Link. This event features 40 businesses for students to explore future career and educational opportunities. This year’s event also featured mini-TED talks featuring topics on Careers in Aviation (led by Dr. Victor Vogel, Susquehanna STEM to the Skies), The World of AI (led by Dr. Laks Srinivasan, Return of AI Institute/Sr. Fellow Enterprise Systems Center, Lehigh University), and How Bitcoin Mining Works (led by Jack Gleim, Nautilus Cryptomine, LLC).
The Chamber recently testified at a regulatory hearing in support of a project that would expand the natural gas pipeline infrastructure in the Northeast. Williams’ Regional Energy Access project would provide greater access by the 2024 winter heating season. The project is designed to increase natural gas transportation capacity by up to 829,000 dekatherms per day. Unlike other greenfield pipeline proposals, Regional Energy Access maximizes the use of existing energy infrastructure.
Specific upgrades would include:
- A new electric motor-driven compressor facility in Gloucester County, NJ
- 22.3 mile, 30-inch pipe lateral in Luzerne County, PA
- 13.8 mile, 42-inch pipe loop in Monroe County, PA
- Modifications to existing compressor facilities
Williams projects that construction will generate 295 million dollars in labor compensation and $357 million in GPD contribution. Approximately 6,396 local union jobs will be supported. Regional Energy Access will inject an expected $17 million in state tax revenue and over $6.6 million in local tax revenue.
Additional information on the Regional Energy Access project is available at https://www.williams.com/expansion-project/regional-energy-access/.
Bloomsburg Children’s Museum Will Host 7th Annual Bloomsburg Mini Maker Faire on Saturday, April 23.
The Bloomsburg Children’s Museum will host the 7th Annual Bloomsburg Mini Maker Faire on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 10 am-4 pm. Crafters, inventors, hobbyists, and artisans will be able to showcase their skills and talents in a family-friendly environment. As usual, it is free to attend.
The event will be held on the grounds of the Children’s Museum, 2 West 7th Street, in Bloomsburg. This event brings together amateur and professional artists, crafters, engineers and performers in a combination of large spectacles and communal interactive experiences. We like to call it the greatest show and tell on earth, where families will get to experience inventions, creativity, and resourcefulness.
The day features live entertainment, hands-on activities for children, over 60 vendors selling one-of-a-kind arts and crafts, and great food. The event will be sponsored by UGI, MAKE: Community, and PPL Foundation.
Jen Zarko, from Zarko Hill Craftery, will be demonstrating the process of soapmaking. She says she’s looking forward to doing a cold process soap-making demonstration, while looking at the science behind the suds. Zarko said, “Kids are naturally born artists and it’s so amazing to see their imaginations kick in when introduced to soap as a medium,”
Caeley Looney, the CEO of Reinvented Magazines, says Reinvented is excited to bring their “princess with power tools activity” to the Mini Maker Faire. Looney said, “Our princesses can’t wait to help students learn how to use their first power tool and show everyone that #brilliantisbeautiful!”
For more information about Mini Maker Faire visit the events website. https://bloomsburg.makerfaire.com/
Town of Bloomsburg Community Yard Sale Date is Set
The yard sale will be held on Saturday, August 13, and will be held rain or shine. Bloomsburg Police Department/Parking will not be enforcing residential permit parking that day.
Identify Opportunities for Collaborative Solutions with “Conflict to Collaboration” Webinar
McKonly & Asbury is teaming up with its partner, Dale Carnegie Mid-Atlantic, to host a webinar entitled, “Conflict to Collaboration.” Conflict situations are frequently complicated and difficult to resolve. By ourselves, we may have limited capacity for dealing with the many issues that might be involved. By collaborating with others within and outside of our organization, we can access the experience, expertise, creativity, and values of other professionals to bring the situation to a successful conclusion.
Collaborative solutions to conflict situations enable everyone involved to feel that everything was done to resolve the situation professionally. It takes the pressure off of us to have all the answers in these situations and brings many expert viewpoints to bear on a successful outcome.
This webinar will be led by David Osborne, Executive Organizational Development Consultant and F2F Trainer / Digital Team Facilitator & Producer with Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc. In 2017, he won Digital Trainer of the Year as voted by Carnegie’s global clients. He has facilitated and produced over 10,000 hours of online training.
At the completion of this module, participants will be able to:
- Identify opportunities for collaborative solutions
- Enlist the skills and abilities of others to provide support and direction
- Collaborate with others to reduce conflict and create synergy
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Thursday, April 28 at 2 PM EST
“A Star is Born” Join Columbia Montour County United Way for this Award-Winning Film
In honor of Alcohol Awareness Month, join United in Recovery for “A Star is Born”, brought to you in partnership with the Berwick Theater & Center for Community Arts. This 2018 award-winning film is an American musical romantic drama that follows an alcoholic musician (Bradley Cooper) who discovers and falls in love with a young singer (Lady Gaga). Tickets are FREE and includes one free popcorn and a small drink. The showing will take place at the BTCCA, 110 E. Front Street in Berwick on April 24, 2022. There will be two showings with the first starting at 2 p.m., while the second one will begin at 7 p.m.
Individuals vying for State Representative for the 109th District will have the opportunity to share their views with the public during an upcoming candidate forum. All five registered candidates for the 109th District seat will be participating. The candidates are Edward Giannattasio, Janine Penman, Joseph Martin, Aaron Kline, and Robert Leadbeter. The event, being hosted by The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, will be held tomorrow, May 4th from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Central Columbia Area School District’s High School auditorium.
The format will be a modified debate. Each candidate will be presented with the same questions in rotating order with two minutes for each response. Questions screened from the in-person audience will also be presented. Candidates will also be given time for closing remarks. Fred Gaffney, president of The Chamber of Commerce, will be the moderator.
The 109th House District is currently represented by David Millard, who is not seeking another term. At least four candidates have announced they will be running on the Republican ticket and one Democratic candidate has registered. As a result of redistricting, the 109th District will consist of all of Columbia County beginning in 2023.
The event is open to the public and will also be recorded and streamed live on The Chamber’s YouTube channel, which can be found here.
Section 132(a) of the IRS code allows employees to pay for their qualified commuting costs (up to specified limits) with pre-tax dollars. The program was created to encourage commuting in a way that reduces road congestion and improves air quality so qualified expenses include transit passes, vanpooling, bicycling expenses and work-related commuter parking, but excludes the cost of fuel to drive a personal car to work.
As a pre-tax benefit, the program provides employees with a savings on their federal payroll tax since the designated benefit amount is deducted from their gross income. If any employees reside in a state that recognizes pre-tax benefits, the savings will increase. Employers who provide this benefit save on payroll taxes since the employer does not include the designated benefit amount in the employee’s gross income.
Qualifications and restrictions of this program include:
- Transit benefits are for any public or privately-operated transit service. Transit passes, farecards, tokens, vouchers or passes are included.
- Vanpooling is a valid expense provided that 80% of the mileage is for the transport of employees to and from work, the van must have seating capacity for at least 6 workers plus the driver and at least half the seats must be used.
- Commuter parking is valid if parking is at or near the worksite and the employee commutes to work via transit, vanpool or carpool. Parking for residential purposes is excluded.
Please feel free to speak to an MBA Advisor for more information and instructions for setting up a Section 132(a) plan.
The Columbia-Montour 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 cmcc.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Brian McLaughlin at (800) 377-3539.
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry will sponsor a Nexstar Media, Inc. hosted prime-time debate for the Republican Candidates for Pennsylvania Governor on Wednesday, April 27 at 8:00pm.
The candidates who have agreed to attend so far: Lou Barletta, Doug Mastriano, Bill McSwain and Dave White, had to meet eligibility requirements in order to be invited to participate. WHTM abc27 News anchor and Capitol Bureau Reporter Dennis Owens and WPXI Anchor Lisa Sylvester will co-host the debate, engaging the candidates on issues like, the economy, foreign policy, infrastructure, and others.
The debate is slated to reach over 9 million viewers and will be aired on WBRE-TV (NBC) and WYOU-TV (CBS).