Cooridors april 2017

The Job Hunt Is There Any Benefit For My Company to Host an Intern?

Member of the Month

April 2017

C O N T E N T S

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4 Chamber Headquarters 5000 Brooktree Road, Suite 100 Wexford, PA Cranberry Twp. Office 2525 Rochester Road Cranberry Township, PA P: 724.934.9700 F: 724.934.9710

Jim Boltz President JBoltz@PghNorthChamber.com For more information on the Chamber’s program of work, please contact: Patty Bittle Marketing and Events Director PBittle@PghNorthChamber.com Al Davidson Membership Account Executive ADavidson@PghNorthChamber.com Kristina Hall Program Director KHall@PghNorthChamber.com Heather Schwartzbauer Membership Coordinator HSchwartzbauer@PghNorthChamber.com Amy VanAtta Executive Assistant AVanAtta@PghNorthChamber.com

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From the In February, a national restaurant chain, Noodles & Co. closed the doors of five of its local restaurants. Last week, King’s Family Restaurant closed five of its local restaurants. Westinghouse has been in the news for the past few months, amid speculation that due to heavy losses in its construction division, it would have to be sold, file for bankruptcy or both. That conjecture has been set in motion. Its board has approved filing for bankruptcy.

At first blush, this might raise concern about the economic health of the area. It shouldn’t. Unfortunately, in the business world, businesses open and close all the time for a myriad of reasons. While bad management decisions can contribute to a failure of a business that is not the sole factor that can cause demise. Changes in consumer habits, competition, technology, aging facilities, declining population base, natural disaster and unforeseen expense, to name a few, are also things that can take down a business.

We are fortunate to be in a region that is thriving. Businesses close, but new ones take their place. Failure spawns new opportunity. The circle of life, if you will. Last year, Verizon pulled its call center and 500 jobs, out of Cranberry Woods. This year, Fed Ex Genco, a third party logistics company, moved into the building with 600 jobs. Here, we have more businesses open than close. The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber averages 14 new members and celebrates 3 or 4 ribbon cuttings, a month.

The real tragedy when a business closes, moves or reorganizes is the effect that it has on its employees.

Employees that have, themselves, sacrificed for the company with the sole purpose of making a better life for their families. Some of those employees have worked their entire career for that one company. Or those employees that have specialized positions or are in a specialized industry. Now, they are faced with changing careers or moving.

Sure, if something happens to Westinghouse in this region, we would miss the 2,300 jobs that it has provided. But it would be temporary. For the employees and their families, it would be permanent.

The region is thriving. A study prepared for The Allegheny Conference predicts that over the next 10 years, 50,000 new jobs will be created. Add to that, the 290,000 workers that will be retiring, and there will be 340,000 new workers needed in the next decade. That exceeds the number of graduating high school seniors in that time period by 80,000. Local talent will no longer have to leave area to find work. In fact, Pittsburgh will become a destination for work. According to the same report, job opportunities will remain the highest in Office and Administration Support and Food Service. Healthcare Services is the biggest growth category.

That’s not even mentioning Shell’s decision to build a Cracker Plant in our area. For those of you who are not familiar, a cracker plant extracts byproducts from shale gas that are used in the production of plastics.

Shell is investing $6 billion to build this plant that will take thousands of workers to build. They are saying that they will have 600 permanent employees, but after it is initially built, up to 2,000 more workers will be needed for maintenance, conversion and rebuilding. The demand on hotels, restaurants, stores and support businesses will be significant.

The future of the area is bright. Hopefully, it will be with a rebounding Westinghouse .

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B USINESS A FTER H OURS April 20 Nakama 10636 Perry Highway Wexford, PA

May 2 The Sports Grille at Cranberry 1294 Freedom Road Cranberry Twp., PA

Business After Hours are from 5-7pm

E VENTS Monday, April 24 2pm-6pm The DoubleTree By Hilton 910 Sheraton Drive Mars, PA 16046 Friday, April 28 11:30am Pittsburgh Marriott North 100 Cranberry Woods Dr, Cranberry Twp, PA 16066

M ARKETPLACE L UNCH M EETINGS April 5: Bravo! Cranberry, 11:30am - 1:00pm 20001 Route 19, Cranberry Twp April 12: Monte Cellos at The Hampton Shoppes 11:30am1:00pm 4655 William Flynn Highway - Route 8, Allison Park April 19: Cranberry Sports Grill, 11:30am - 1:00pm 1294 Freedom Road, Cranberry Twp. April 24: Family Bowlaway Fun Center, 11:30am—1:00pm 540 Fairground Hill Road, Butler

CONNECTIONS

Daily networking events for business leaders throughout our Pittsburgh North region Wexford: Tuesdays, 7:30 a.m. Chamber Headquarters, 5000 Brooktree Rd., Suite 100 Warrendale: Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. DoubleTree By Hilton 910 Sheraton Drive Cranberry Twp.: Wednesdays, 7:30 a.m. Council Chambers, 2525 Rochester Road Ross Twp.: Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. Treasure House Fashions, 7607 McKnight Road Gibsonia: Fridays, 7:30 a.m.

Coffee and bagels provided at Connections by: page 4

2017 B OARD OF D IRECTORS E XECUTIVE C OMMITTEE John Tubridy – Board Chair Franchise Network of Pittsburgh Ann Gatty, Ph.D.– Chair-Elect Strategic People Solutions Philip J. Scolieri, J.D.– Vice-Chair Scolieri Law Group, P.C. Lisa Hunt - Past Chair USX Federal Credit Union

Gary Basilone – Foundation Chair Basilone Executive Search Kent Clifton - Treasurer AXA Advisors, LLC Gregg Hill – Secretary Dollar Bank Jim Boltz - President Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

B OARD

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Tracy Armstrong, North Pittsburgh Greeting Company Judith Bernhard, Advance Sourcing Concepts, LLC Ryan Breen J.D., Breen Law Firm, LLC Steve Carpenter, Northwood Realty Andrew Chiapusio, Mars National Bank Steven W. Diffenderfer, NexTier Bank Todd Harris, Liberty Insurance Agency John Laslavic, ThistleSea Business Development, LLC Al Marschke, ACN Business Essentials Amanda McCollough, Dittman EyeCare, Inc. Robert O’Friel, Luttner Financial Group Dan Penberthy, NexTier Bank Jan Stevens, Coldwell Banker Kim Yerace, Petroleum Technical Services, LLC

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PNRC Member Tonya Edinger Weddings of Pittsburgh “Tonya brings enthusiasm and energy to our Events Committee. Her expertise contributes immensely to their success of our events. We have come to count on Tonya’s help and look forward to seeing her big smile,” said Jim Boltz, President PNRC. “Tonya is like the Energizer Bunny. She never stops moving. You will find her networking all throughout the Pittsburgh area. Tonya, who is the founder and owner of Weddings of Pittsburgh stepped up and volunteered her event planning expertise to help the Chamber Community Outreach Committee's Night At The Races fundraiser in March. As busy as she is, she still makes time for volunteering and helping people. Tonya is a great choice for Member of the Month,” said Gregg Hill, Business Development Office, Dollar Bank.

“Tonya is a very vibrant person. She brings her energy and enthusiasm with her when she is helping out at one of the many events that the Chamber puts on. She was very helpful and energetic in helping out at Night at the Races. She helped from set-up to clean-up. She is also a member of our Events Committee.

She is very passionate about her work and dedicated to the success of the Chamber,” said Patty Bittle, Marketing and Events Director PNRC. “Tonya Edinger has proved to be an excellent event planner, who is creative and attentive to details. She assisted with our book launch for Leadership Unleashed: A Great Dane's Wisdom to the Business World. We had a wonderful event that was enjoyed by over 100 attendees. Tonya handles all aspects of the event planning and implementation. No event is too small, nor too large for her focused attention,” said Ann N. Gatty, Ph.D, Strategic People Solutions.

Member Testimonials “I want to thank the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber for playing such an important role in the local community. I work with a lot of family owned businesses in the immediate area and the Pitt North Chamber has provided me with an opportunity to meet other local business owners and business professionals that have proven to be an invaluable resource for my clients. Outside of the great connections, the chamber also provides my company with multiple opportunities to advertise and participate in local community events which helps us to stand out in a very competitive marketplace.”

Andrew Chiapusio, Vice President – Commercial Lending – Mars National Bank Member testimonials are the Chamber’s best and most effective way to promote the benefits and services that a Chamber membership provides. Share your success with the Chamber and your story may be featured in an upcoming edition of Corridors. Email all testimonials to Patty Bittle

PghNorthChamber.com

April 2017

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The Job Hunt By Alexis Selders The job hunt - it’s something each and every one of us does at least once in our lifetime. Whether we are finding that elusive first job, looking for a better one, or exploring a whole new career path entirely, it will happen to all of us. Some describe it exhilarating, allowing you to finding yourself throughout the experience. Others might say the exact opposite – that this process is stressful, exhausting, and overwhelming. I have experienced all of these emotions on the roller coaster that is trying to find a job post-graduation. This May, I graduate from Penn State University. I am fortunate enough that my university provides me with amazing resources that prepare me for life after graduation. Career fairs, mock interviews, and seminars at Penn State have boosted my confidence to be successful in finding a career.

Fortunately, I was able to secure an internship for the Spring 2017 semester with the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter in their Pittsburgh office. I have been able to grow from this experience so far, and take what I have learned from the Association and apply it to my job search. In addition, the people within the organization have taught me so much about the work ethic it takes to succeed in a career.

Starting to search for jobs is stressful, it’s hard to know where to even begin, or at least that’s how I feel. At first I didn’t know where to start, how to start, or what to even look for within a job offer. The best advice I got: Google it. There are tons of websites out there with thousands of job offers just waiting to be looked at.

Between Idealist, Indeed, and Monster - there are plenty of opportunities for you! You can search by location, salary, employment types, and the list goes on. This helps you narrow down your search so you aren’t overwhelmed with the number of offers out there, and ensures you are finding exactly what you are looking for. Maybe your search is too narrow - start by slowly unselecting different options, read the new job offers that pop up, and maybe you will find something you weren’t exactly thinking about that pleases you.

If looking up job offers online doesn’t sound appealing to you, start networking! There are plenty of opportunities, such as the career fair that the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber is hosting this April. Penn State assigned me a mentor through a program they offer, and she immediately told me to create a LinkedIn account. She also suggested that I really think about the people you connect with on LinkedIn, that it’s not just another social media site. Specifically, she said to “connect only with people you would feel comfortable asking about job information,” and that advice has helped me network more with people who share my common interests. It has driven me to connect with people I’ve met through the resources provided to me

by Penn State, as well as meet individuals within the business I’m trying to pursue. By creating an account, I am now afforded the opportunity to reflect on my accomplishments and goals, and focus on what types of organizations I’m most interested in working for.

Finding a job is a process - it’s all about utilizing the resources available to you as best you know how.

Whatever path you choose, whether that be Google, job search sites like Monster or LinkedIn, or a fantastic internship (maybe with the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter!), there are plenty of ways to find the right job, with the right organization. Good luck fellow graduates, and happy hunting!

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Is there any benefit for my company to host an intern? By Kristina Hall The idea may have crossed your mind because you know you could use the extra set of hands. You’ve seen other companies hosting interns and benefiting from their help and skill set. You’d go as far to say that your goal this year is to attract and engage millennials so this would definitely help to meet that objective. However, you’re still not convinced that bringing on an intern would be beneficial to you or your business. Consider these internship statistics from the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) 2016 Experiential Education Survey: 72.7% of interns were offered fulltime positions.

85.2% of these offers were accepted.

At the one-year mark, hires that served an internship with the organization outpace their inexperienced counterparts (78.5% versus 67.5%), but hires who interned elsewhere do not (64.6%) If you look at internships from a solution-based perspective, it's good news as well. Essentially, as a small-to medium-sized business, your primary needs are twofold: Effectively manage your workflow to accomplish immediate objectives.

Find new team members to help grow your business and accomplish your future objectives.

Setting up an internship program meets both needs simultaneously. Specifically though, there are many more detailed benefits to dive into. According to internships.com, these are the top 10 benefits of starting an internship program.

Find future employees. An internship program is a year-round recruiting tool. Fall internships, summer internships, semester internships, and quarterly internships, implementing an internship program means you have an ongoing pipeline of future fulltime employees.

For many, the process of recruiting and hiring is a drain on company resources. One solution: Appeal to tomorrow's staff members when they're looking for internships, and all you have to do is choose the best of the bunch when it comes time to hire. Moreover, college campuses are viral societies. This means if your organization impresses one class of interns, word will quickly spread.

Soon you'll find the most sought-after student talent is interested in working with you.

Test-drive the talent. It's a human resources

PghNorthChamber.com

April 2017

reality: A new employee makes a solid impression in the interview, but then just doesn't gel with your current team or your company's way of doing things. Because of this, hiring someone as an intern is the most effective way to evaluate their potential as a fulltime employee. When you "try out" candidates via a semester or summer internship, you make fewer mistakes when it comes to fulltime staffing; you avoid the pitfall of training a new hire, only to find out they're not a fit for your organization…or that the entry-level employee doesn't like the field. Starting an internship program lets you benefit from added manpower, while more accurately assessing candidates.

Increase productivity. Speaking of additional manpower, setting up an internship program allows you to take advantage of short-term support. The extra sets of hands help your employees be more productive, prevent them from becoming overburdened by side projects, as well as free them up to accomplish more creative tasks or those where higher-level, strategic thinking or expertise is required.

Increase employee-retention rate. The proof for the test-driving theory is in the positive employee-retention figures: According to NACE's 2016Experiential Education Survey, almost 64% of employers reported a higher five-year retention rate among employees they'd hired via their internship programs.

Enhance perspective. It's not just the extra sets of hands that make interns advantageous.

Especially in an organization of only 12 or 15 employees, new people bring with them novel perspectives, fresh ideas, and specialized strengths and skill sets. These augment the abilities of your professional workforce Take advantage of low-cost labor. Interns are an inexpensive resource. Their salaries are significantly lower than staff employees, and you aren't obligated to pay unemployment or a severance package should you not hire them on fulltime.

Moreover, while their wage requirements are modest, they're among the most highly motivated members of the workforce.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Interviewers' Pet Peeves

by Carole Martin

You sit facing the interviewer, feeling like things are moving along nicely when all of a sudden the interview takes a drastic turn for the worse. What just happened? You may have hit one of the interviewer's pet peeves, one of those things that automatically triggers a negative response.

Here are seven of the most common peeves provided by experienced interviewers, along with some tips on how to avoid them: 1. Smells: Too Much of a Good Smell Can Be Bad Pat Riley, author of Secrets of Breaking into Pharmaceutical Sales, has a pet peeve story to relate: "Preparing for an interview is not like preparing for a date. I had one interview with a woman who doused herself with perfume (the same perfume my ex-girlfriend used to wear) right before stepping into the small interview booth.

The perfume was overpowering and brought back bad memories."

2. Communication: Too Little Leaves Interviewers Exasperated "My number one interviewing pet peeve is an applicant who won't talk,” says Steve Jones, a manager of client services at a software company in Dallas. “I try to ask open-ended questions and prod them for longer answers, but no luck. I've even mentioned to a few that I need more information so I can get an idea of where they're coming from -- still no luck. I always end the interview saying, ‘Now it's your turn to ask questions,' and still no luck; they don't have any. Oh well -- next!”

“Help me out here,” says Jones. “Come prepared to answer questions and talk about yourself.”

3. Communication: Too Much Can Be Too Much "Candidates who ramble are the ones who get to me," says Dotti Bousquet of Resource Group Staffing in West Hartford, Connecticut. “Last week, I was interviewing a candidate and asked her one question. The candidate talked and talked and talked for 45 minutes straight. I was unable to stop her. I had to say, ‘Let's wrap this up,' and I stood up while she continued to talk. I walked to the door of the office and opened it. She left, but continued to talk while walking out the door."

The lesson? “Candidates should stay focused, and answer the question asked -- in less than two to three minutes," advises Bousquet.

4. Lack of Focus: Results in Losing the Interviewer "Typically, candidates are simply too intimidated by the process," says Mark Fulop, project director for a large nonprofit agency. "Relating the answer given to one question back with another -- and asking clarifying or follow-up questions -- shows me that the candidate is confident and thinking about the whole picture instead of enduring an interrogation."

5. Averting Your Eyes: One Way to Avert an Offer "People who do not make any eye contact during the entire interview” irritate Gwen Sobiech, an agency recruiter in West Hartford, Connecticut. “I realize some people are shy, but to never look at me once -- they look down, around, everywhere, but not at me for the entire interview. I find that extremely annoying. I also tend to distrust someone who will not look at me when I've asked a question."

If you are uncomfortable looking into someone's eyes, look at his "third eye,” just above and between the person's two eyes.

6. Slang and Street Speak: Leave Them on the Street "Poor communications skills really get to me," says Robert Fodge of Power Brokers in Dover, Delaware. "What I mean by this is not merely their language fluency, but more about the use of language. Slang words and street speak just don't have a place in most business environments. Also, candidates who say 'um,' 'like' and 'uh' between every other word lose my attention very quickly."

7. Deception: Little Lies Leave a Big Impression One major complaint among recruiters is when a candidate is not completely truthful; small lies are all too common in the world of recruitment. This includes not being completely forthcoming with relevant information, embellishing accomplishments, hiding jobs or leading the process on with no intention of ever following through. Building trust during the interview is key to getting an offer.

PghNorthChamber.com

April 2017

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Is there any benefit for my company to host an intern Continued from page 7 Find free-of-charge. Internships.com allows you to post your employer profile completely free of charge. This means you get extensive exposure to the top colleges and candidates without putting a dent in your recruiting budget.

Give back to the community. As a small business, you likely rely on community support. Creating an internship program is an excellent way to give back. Hiring interns not only helps students in your community get started; it enhances the local workforce as a whole.

Support students. Internships provide students numerous perks: They gain experience, develop skills, make connections, strengthen their resumes, learn about a field, and assess their interest and abilities. Offering a paid internship is particularly beneficial, because it enables economically disadvantaged youth to participate. Students who have to help fund

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their own schooling will need a job, regardless. Providing an internship allows that job to facilitate a positive future.

Benefit your small business. When looking for fulltime work, the top talent often go for bigname businesses. But when seeking internships, learning is the leading draw. Many candidates feel they'll get more hands-on training, real experience, and mentoring opportunities with smaller organizations.

Interns provide various unique and beneficial opportunities for your company. In terms of both today's workload and tomorrow's workforce, starting an internship program is a great way to facilitate growth and success for your business.

Statistics and information were taken from both internships.com and the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) 2016 Experiential Education Survey.

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

The Weakness Question by Brian Braiker, Salary.com contributor You're sitting in a conference room or office, face-toface with the person you most want to impress - your prospective boss - and he or she is asking you, "What is your biggest weakness?" How do you answer a question like that?

The good news is, it's a job interview, not a confessional. No one expects you to demonize yourself in hopes of appearing forthright. After all, you are selling yourself and you want the interviewer to buy, not pass.

You could try stalling - think hard for a minute or two and answer something to the effect of, "I can't really think of any aspect of my personality that has compromised my performance at work. All of my performance reviews have been positive and I've never had any problems with past employers." The problem with this approach, though, is that you run the risk of appearing smug.

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

A better approach to take with the weakness question is to answer it honestly in a way that makes you look positive. Try to come up with a problem or difficulty you had at work a long time ago - the farther back, the better. Explain how that one minor flaw affected your performance in a way that enabled you to correct the problem and learn from it. This will show your employer how you have learned from a mistake.

"The classic 'weakness' answers are those where the weakness is a strength in disguise," said Jenn Schraut, Human Resources and Compensation Associate at Salary.com. "But avoid the blatant, overused ones, like, 'My problem is, I work too hard'," she said.

With the weakness question, you'd better be prepared. If you think of something on the spot, your example might have flaws you don't have time to think about.

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Community Connection

Cranberry Township Bring out your inner artist Painting, sculpting, metalwork and photography can be lonely pursuits. But if you are someone serious about their art, the Cranberry Artists Network is holding a screening for new members on Thursday, May 18. Benefits of membership include shows in which only member artists can exhibit, discounts on artrelated material, and special events. Click here for more information.

A History Roundtable with Staff Sergeant Parker Johnston, U.S. Army In conjunction with history teacher James Lucot, Jr. and Cranberry Township Parks and Recreation, the Cranberry Public Library is extremely honored to host Staff Sergeant Parker Johnston on Tuesday, April 11 at 6:30 PM. Staff Sergeant Johnston is a retired United States Marshal, Witness Protection Program and served in Company E, L.R.R.P (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) Team Leader 20th Infantry (Airborne) with the United States Army Rangers. He is a member of the Hall of Valor, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Pittsburgh, PA. Seating is limited and registration is required.

McCandless Township Summer Recreation Program Resident school-age students in the North Allegheny School District are invited to attend the Summer Recreation Program sponsored by the joint municipalities of Bradford Woods, Franklin Park, Marshall, and McCandless. The program includes team sports, group recreation, and arts and crafts. PARTICIPANTS MUST HAVE COMPLETED THE FIRST GRADE. The program begins on Monday, June 12, and will continue through Friday, July 7, from 8:45 a.m. to noon, with no provisions for lunch. There is no summer rec on Tuesday, July 4. For more information, click here.

2017 Community Day Planning for Community Day is underway! The 17th annual event will be held on Saturday, September 9.

Most of the activities will take place at Town Hall (9955 Grubbs Road), including the entertainment acts (to include Center Stage, the Red Hot Ramblers, El Dorado, Pittsburgh Puppet Works, Michele's Dance Center, Kardasz Brothers, InTransit and the Allegheny Brass Band), booths from local vendors and groups, a variety of food, rides and children's activities. For more information, click here.

Pine Township Earth Day Celebration Children ages 5 - 12 and their families are invited to join us at the Pine Park Lake for an afternoon of outdoor fun and education. Families will enjoy earthy activities, recycling games, hiking, and more!

Date: Saturday, April 22 Time: 2:00 - 4:00pm Pre-Registration Required!

Teen Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt Ages 10 - 15 | It's not your little sister's Easter Egg Hunt! Bring your flashlight and get ready to find eggs filled with candy, coupons, gift cards and other prizes! Enjoy activities and games in the gym. Light snacks and refreshments also provided: Date: Friday, April 14 Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm . Register by April 7

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NexTier Bank Nonprofit Spotlight Pittsburgh Mercy Presents – The Way Home Operation Safety Net® (OSN), an outreach program of Pittsburgh Mercy, will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. In addition to providing medical care to our city’s street homeless population, OSN has been very successful in transitioning individuals off the streets and into housing. Given its success rate with transitioning the homeless, we are launching a new program in 2017 dedicated to that mission. It’s estimated that more than 250 people live on the streets in Pittsburgh. Over the past 10 years, OSN has helped more than 1,400 individuals who were once homeless to find homes of their own. Even more impressive is our success rate: 85 percent have remained in housing for two or more years. The Way Home will focus on finding homes and providing follow-up for 200 persons in Allegheny County who are experiencing homelessness. The estimated cost per person is $2,600 – not a lot when you consider it Photo © Pittsburgh Mercy. Used with permission has the potential to positively change and save lives. We invite individuals, organizations, corporations, schools, and faith communities to join in our efforts and help raise $2,600 each to transition an individual into housing.

For more information about The Way Home and how you can be involved or for upcoming events, contact Connie Murray at 724-934-3537, CMurray@pittsburghmercy.org or Lorry Perkins at 724-9343538, LPerkins@pittsburghmercy.org.

Upcoming Events: Online Auction to Benefit Dancing Classrooms Pittsburgh will be held from May 30 – June 7. To place a bid, go to https://www.biddingforgood.com/pittsburghmercyauction Join us for the 14th Annual Reindeer Ball on Sunday, December 3, 2017 at the Westin Convention Center Hotel from 4-7 p.m. Proceeds benefit our child and adolescent services. Watch for the dates of our Online Holiday Auction in November.

About Us: Pittsburgh Mercy is one of the largest health and human service nonprofit organizations and employers in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Our family of care employs more than 1,700 colleagues and serves more than 33,000 people annually in 60+ locations. All of our services are community-based. We address the needs of the whole person – body, mind, and spirit Donate Now: Please consider making a gift to those in need. Know that in doing so, you are making a difference in the lives of the people we serve. To support one or more of these programs, please make a secure online donation at www.pittsburghmercy.org or send your donation to: Pittsburgh Mercy Development, 101 Bradford Road, Suite 320, Wexford, PA 15090. www.pittsburghmercy.org

A MEMBER OF TRINITY HEALTH, SERVING IN THE TRADITION OF THE SISTERS OF MERCY

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The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber would like to thank those who have renewed.

We thank you for your continued support!

20 +Years St. Barnabas Health System

Township of Ross

ARMSTRONG

Diversified Plan Services, Inc.

Welcome to those who have joined!

Thank you for your referrals! page 14

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Six Overlooked Tax Breaks for 2016 Confused about which credits and deductions you can claim on your 2016 tax return? You’re not alone. Don’t miss important tax breaks.

Six Tax Breaks That You Won’t Want to Overlook I. State Sales and Income Taxes Thanks to the PATH ACT of 2015, taxpayers filing their 2016 returns can deduct either state income tax paid or state sales tax paid, whichever is greater. Here’s how it works. If you bought a big-ticket item like a car or boat in 2016, it might be more advantageous to deduct the sales tax, but don’t forget to figure any state income taxes withheld from your paycheck just in case. If you’re self-employed, you can include the state income paid from your estimated payments. In addition, if you owed taxes when filing your 2015 tax return in 2016, you can include the amount when you itemize your state taxes this year on your 2016 return.

2. Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Most parents realize that there is a tax credit for daycare when their child is young, but they might not realize that once a child starts school, the same credit can be used for before and after school care, as well as day camps during school vacations. This child and dependent care tax credit can also be taken by anyone who pays a home health aide to care for a spouse or other dependent–such as an elderly parent–who is physically or mentally unable to care for him or herself. The credit is worth a maximum of $1,050 or 35 percent of $3,000 of eligible expenses per dependent.

3. Job Search Expenses Job search expenses are 100 percent deductible, whether you are gainfully employed or not currently working –as long as you are looking for a position in your current profession. Expenses include fees paid to join professional organizations, as well as employment placement agencies that you used during your job search.

Travel to interviews is also deductible (as long as it was not paid by your prospective employer) as is paper, envelopes, and costs associated with resumes or portfolios. The catch is that you can only deduct expenses greater than two percent of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Also, you cannot deduct job search expenses if you are looking for a job for the first time.

4. Student Loan Interest Paid by Parents Typically, a taxpayer is only able to deduct interest on mortgage and student loans if he or she is liable for the debt; however, if a parent pays back their child’s student loans that money is treated by the IRS as if the child paid it. As long as the child is not claimed as a dependent, he or she can deduct up to $2,500 in student loan interest paid by the parent. The deduction can be claimed even if the child does not itemize.

5. Medical Expenses Most people know that medical expenses are deductible as long as they are more than 10 percent of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for tax year 2016. What they often don’t realize is which medical expenses can be deducted, such as medical miles (19 cents per mile in 2016 and 17 cents per mile in 2017) driven to and from appointments and travel (airline fares or hotel rooms) for out of town medical treatment.

To read more click here.

Are you getting all of the tax breaks that you are entitled to? Maybe you are…but maybe you’re not. Why take a chance? Let the tax experts at Holsinger provide the guidance you need. Call Holsinger today and make sure you get all of the tax breaks you deserve.

PghNorthChamber.com

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5000 Brooktree Road, Suite 100 Wexford, PA 15090

Thank you to our Valued Corporate Sponsors and Chamber Partners