Written by Slate Belt Chamber | 29 July 2010

NEWSLETTER ISSUE 2              February 2012

State Representative Hahn, Slate Belt & Nazareth Chamber of Commerce held a “Meet & Greet” with our new representative Tim Holden.  Also present were Representatives Emrick, Scavello & Congressman Dent.  This was a great opportunity for our municipal leaders and our chamber board members to network.  A question and answer session was also held.

 

The SBCC is pleased to announce that we now have the 2012 Pennsylvania Human Resources Manual & Model Policies and Forms for Pennsylvania Employers for our members to use.  If there is information you need for your business or a form, we have it! Call or stop in for more information, 610-588-1000.

Examples in the books are as follows:

HR Library                                                       Compliance thresholds

Recruiting & Hiring                                           Background Checks

Employee handbooks                                       Performance Evaluations

Privacy & technology in the workplace Discrimination in employment

Workplace investigations                                  Disabilities & reasonable accommodation

Employee discipline                                          Termination

Plant closings and mass layoffs              Family and medical leave

Military leave                                                    Safety in the workplace

Benefits                                                            Workers compensation

Unemployment insurance                                  Heal Care continuation

HIPPAA                                                          Disaster Planning

Recordkeeping requirements                             Posting requirements

 

Forms available

Job descriptions & applications                         Applicant screening

Time of hire                                                      Time off and leaves of absence

Benefits                                                            Basic company policies

Hours of work & overtime                                Performance reviews, promotion & layoff

Confidentiality and conflict of interest     Compliant or open door procedures

Termination/resignation                                    

AND MORE.......   

 

 

The Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce and PA Chamber Insurance –

Teaming Up to Bring You Winning Benefit Solutions!

 

Sidelined by trying to figure out the best benefits for your company and your employees?  Ready to call a time-out wading through multiple plan options, deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance?  The Slate Belt Chamber and PA Chamber Insurance has the winning playbook in helping you find winning benefit solutions.  

 

From the first conversation, to the results you’re counting on, Pennsylvania Chamber Insurance gives you skin in the game by simplifying the complexity of navigating benefits for businesses, employees and individuals. 

 

Our championship solution lies in the strength of Pennsylvania Chamber Insurance’s three key competencies:

Service:   Our commitment to delivering outstanding service to you is our number one priority.

Simplicity:  Healthcare can be complex.  We make it simple by cheering for our customers and sorting through the thousands of plan options and carriers to find the best solution.  The added convenience of one invoice for most coverages makes it a unbeatable combination. 

Selection:   It’s all about choice.  Offering every carrier in the state, the PA Chamber solution gives you choice of carrier and plan design and increased flexibility with our exclusive dental, vision, life and disability products.  Partnered with our unique benefit of no participation guidelines and guaranteed issue for most coverages, our ancillary benefits give you a competitive edge.   

 

Plus, you may qualify for a voucher to use toward chamber membership. 

Now there’s something to get excited about!

 

Call the PA Chamber Insurance team today at 800 225-7224 or visit our website at www.pachamberinsurance.com to learn more!

 

Small Business Roundtable

Facilitated by Pam Rozsa, Rozsa Consulting LLC

Presents:

BE PREPARED

How to get Matched with a Business Lender

 

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

12—2 PM

$25.00 per person

At Miguel’s

5881 Sullivan Trail, Nazareth

Presented by:

John Kingsley, VP Economic Development Finance for LVEDC

Mike Kane

Business Development Specialist for SBA

 

For more information or to make a reservation contact the chamber office at 610.588.1000 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

NEW SBCC MEMBERS FOR JANUARY

Add them to our membership directory!

 

Tellus Underground Technology

Frank Russo

200 Hester St., PO Box 157

Portland, PA 18351

570-234-0325, Fax: 570-245-0026

E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Web Site: www.tellusunderground.com

Manufacturer of trucks & equipment for gas utilities.

 

Richard Shaplin Financial Services

Richard Shaplin

308 Spring Garden St., Easton, PA 18041

610-559-5197, Fax: 610-559-5198

E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Banking & Financial planning for over 25 years. 

 

 

Doyle Enterprises Inc./dba Lost My Wick

Aimee & Patrick Doyle

1232 Turtzo Blvd., Bangor, PA 18013

E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Web Site: www.lostmywick.com

Scentsy wickless candles, direct sales/home party plan,

Scentsy independent super star directors.

 

The First National Bank of Palmerton has changed their name and information to:

First Northern Bank & Trust Co.

Same addresses: Rt. 611, Mt. Bethel &

6663 Sullivan Trail, Wind Gap.

New Web Site: www.1stnorthernbank.com

New Emails: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

& This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

The Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce & Blue Valley Times

Are giving our final push to produce a Slate Belt Place Mat

We are in the final stages of producing 100,000 place mats, black and one color (blue) will be printed featuring Slate Belt businesses and distributed to our Slate Belt eateries.  Only 5 adds available, if interested in this advertising opportunity or if you have questions, contact Mike directly at 610.452.9234 or 570-856-7617. 

 

PRESS RELEASES

Lehigh Valley Steel Hawks Professional Indoor Football Invite you

To attend their Season Ticket Holder Party

Wednesday, February 22nd, 6-9 pm at Roosevelt’s, 21 E. Elizabeth Ave., Bethlehem

Join the Steelhawk players, Precious Metal Dancers, Coaches & Front Office Staff to kick off the 2012 season!

 

Details about WM’s New Electronics Recycling Service

Waste Management began offering free recycling service for computer equipment and TV’s today at GCS and Apex. We began offering the same service Dec. 1 at Beach Lake. I encourage you to let your co-workers, family, friends, neighbors, customers, churches, non-profits and the small businesses you patronize know about this new service so we can drive as much of this material into our locations as possible.

Here are a few details that may be helpful for you to know about this new service:

A state law that took effect Sunday gives the public (households and businesses with fewer than 50 employees) access to free recycling of TV’s and computer equipment (laptops, CPU’s, monitors, scanner, printers, speakers and any other equipment that was used with a computer). Much of the cost of recycling these items is the responsibility of electronics manufacturers who sell their products in Pennsylvania.

Other electronics, such as telephones, VCR’s and stereo equipment, are not covered by the state law and please discourage those you speak to from bringing these items to our drop-off stations.

We are not prepared to pick up any of these items but we are working on creating additional drop-off stations/locations and will consider pick-up service in some form as this program develops.

We also are determining how we will provide service to businesses with more than 50 employees. In all likelihood, this service will not be offered free of charge.

TV’s and computers may be dropped off at GCS on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 7 to 9 a.m. This is an ongoing service.

The electronics we will accept for free recycling are:

• All old televisions, including old console units, projection TV’s, and flat screens.
• All computer equipment, including CPU’s, laptops, monitors, keyboards, printers, mouses, computer wires and cables, battery backups, scanners and any other equipment that connected to a PC.

I notified more than 13,000 of our residential and commercial customers of this new service by e-mail last week and issued press releases about this service to numerous regional media outlets two weeks ago.

A state ban on the landfilling of electronics will go into effect Jan. 1, 2013. This code will prohibit the disposal of electronics in landfills and will result in these items being left on the curb by waste collectors.

Merchants Bank recently donated $1,400 to seven area food banks to assist their efforts to care for those in need.  As an independent bank  headquartered in the Slate Belt,  the Board of Directors of Merchants takes pride in its ongoing commitment to support the communities they serve,  particularly in helping to  fulfill the growing needs of our less fortunate neighbors. 

 Donations were made to The Salvation Army, Families First, Saint Elizabeth’s/Saint Joseph’s Ministry, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pentecostal Christian Church, Benders Mennonite Church, and Portland Upper Mt. Bethel Pantry (PUMP).   All are located in the Slate Belt and provide food for the area’s needy families.

 Merchants Bank recently donated $5,000.00 to the Bangor Borough K-9 Unit Fund. The fund was started a few months ago after Borough Council voted to approve creating the Unit to assist the officers of the Bangor Police Department in fighting crime.  Merchants Bank was founded in Bangor over 120 years ago, and the Bank’s Directors remain dedicated to the betterment of the community.  The K-9 Unit will be an asset to many areas of local law enforcement.

 

For more information on PriorityCare and the Capital BlueCross partnership, please log on to the link below to view the press release. http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1102752443441-152/PCBlueCross(1-9).pdf

An Evening with Tommy Zito to support the Slate Belt YMCA.  Sunday, February 12th at the Knights of Columbus, at 1680 W. Bangor Rd., Bangor.  Doors open at 3:30 and the event will include dinner and entertainment by Tommy Zito.  Tommy is well known for his piano playing and his ability to play any song from memory.  Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased at the Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce office, 366 Blue Valley Dr., (Rt. 512) Bangor.  610.588.1000 or 610.252.0056.

Win Gap NASCAR unfortunately will be closing it’s doors in mid February.  They are offering a liquidation sale, everything marked down and must go.  Store located at 40 W. First St., Wind Gap.

Welcome to Hope UCC Fellowship Hall, 701 Cherry St., Wind Gap, PA.  A year round rental facility with full kitchen facilities and appliances.  Seating up to 125 people with 15 round tables and 15 rectangle tables.  Church members $80, non members $150. Call 610-863-4474 for more information.

REMINDER:

Please submit your 2012 SBCC Membership Renewals so we can get ready to go to press with the NEW

2012 Membership Directory.

 

SBCC EVENTS

2/14: Be Prepared, how to get matched with a Business Lender, Miguel’s, Sullivan Trail, 610-588-1000, Cost $25

2/23: Priority Bracelet Workshop, 5:30 pm at the chamber office.

2/28: SBCC Business Luncheon, Augie’s Spare Time Restaurant, 12 noon.

3/17: Tri chamber night at the Steelhawks, tailgate 4 pm game 7 pm.

3/20: Lehigh Valley Lender Match & Business Resources Expo, 5-9 at ArtsQuest Center at Steelstacks, Bethlehem.

4/11: Networking mixer at State Theatre followed by Riverdance.

4/24: SBCC Business Luncheon, 5 Points Inn, 12 noon.

May: Scholarship Awards Dinner

6/4: Scholarship Golf Classic, Woodstone Country Club

6/15 Iron Pigs Game on the Patio

 

See Attached Flyer’s for more details!

 

COMMUNITY EVENTS

2/11: Roseto American Legion Dinner for Cent’Anni, 5-8 pm $8.00 call 610-452-9128

2/21: BARC Evening of Dance, Bangor Bee Hive, 197 Pennsylvania Ave., Bangor Cost is $10 per person/session or $30 for all classes, Tuesday’s 2/21-3/13  Call for information,484-645-9370 or 610-360-8730

2/22: LV Steelhawks Professional Indoor Football 2012 Season Ticket Holder Party, 6-9 pm at Roosevelt’s, 21 East Elizabeth Ave., Bethlehem.

 

FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ON EVENTS CLICK ON THE EVENTS CALENDAR ON OUR WEB SITE.

 

SBCC Officers & Directors

Officers:

Nadine Moyer, President                                   Steve Hurni, 1st Vice President

Mary Marshall, 2nd Vice President                     Fred Curcio, Secretary

Rosemary Albert, Treasurer                               Paul Donovan, Jr., Chairman

 

One Year Directors:

David Dent, Paul Donovan, Frank Russo, Patti Guarry, Fred Curcio, Victor Rodite, Richard Guarry

Two Year Directors:

Rosemary Albert, Mary Marshall, Chuck Niclaus, Dianne Newman, Jewel Williamson-Burns, Nadine Moyer, Steve Hurni, Jeff Ott

SBCC Mission Statement: To promote and enhance positive business activity and growth in the Slate Belt region with special emphasis on community involvement.

 Proudly sponsored by

Merchants Bank

Ott Consulting