Corridors - January 2024

Corridors

January 2024

MAGAZINE

ions p m a Ch nity u m Com 3 2 0 2

iness s u B ll Sma

2023 Comm unity Cham pions - Ind ividua l

2023 Community Champions

In this issue: Member Articles, Community Champions, Nonprofit Spotlight, 2024 PNRC Board of Directors, and more!

Nonprofit

CONTENTS 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT

11 AFFINITY PARTNER CORNER

14 NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

4 WEEKLY NETWORKING 5 PNRC MEMBER OF THE MONTH 6 ANNUAL MEETING 7 JANUARY LUNCHBOX SESSION 8 COMMUNITY BUILDERS 13 PNRC AFFINITY PARTNERS 16 IN 2024 TURN YOUR GOALS INTO VERBS 23 LEGISLATIVE CORNER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT 27 COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS 28 LET THE MYSTERY UNFOLD 30 EVENTS CALENDAR 32 THANK YOU

31 HOLIDAY SOCIAL RECAP

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34 PNRC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

FROM the PRESIDENT

A community depends on the support of its local businesses. Our region is fortunate that our business community is vibrant and strong. There is also a common thread. Most of the businesses want to give back. As a chamber, we want to share some of the things that they have done.

For the entire month of January, the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber will recognize those individuals, small businesses and non-profits that went over and above what was expected. Their goal was to make a difference in the community.

Every business day in the month, the PNRC will highlight one of those unselfish providers. All daily honorees will be recognized in social and digital media. At the end of the month, the Chamber will select an honoree in each category and have a special commemoration at their business. In addition, in our yearly Community Resource Guide, we will publish an article regarding them.

Watch out for our posts and emails. There are some amazing stories, and we are proud to share them.

Sincerely,

Jim Boltz

President, PNRC PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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2024

lendar a C s t en ber Ev m a h C on the r e t s i eg re to r e h k c Cli

Wednesday, January 3rd 11:30a - 1p Tequila Jalisco - Gibsonia 5517 William Flynn Highway Gibsonia, PA 15044 Register HERE

Every Tuesday, 11:30a - 1p @ Discovery Christian Church in Mars

Every Friday, 7:30a - 9a @ Panera Bread in Wexford Want to present at a Connections Meeting?

Email Kelvin Mack

Thursday, January 25th 8a - 9a Virtual via Zoom Celebrate Women in Business!

Sign up HERE for the Zoom link Presenting Sponsor:

Tuesday, January 16th 5p - 7p Primanti Brothers 45 McIntyre Square Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 Register HERE

Zoom link for all virtual meetings will be provided after you register on the event page.

Thanks to the generosity of WesBanco Bank’s Cranberry Township Branch, we are able to provide virtual networking events.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Carol Grande Goldfish Swim School

Carol has gone above and beyond in her efforts to help the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber of Commerce with its mission of Outreach. As the General Manager of Goldfish Swim School in Wexford, Carol embraced the Giving Tree program by recognizing the amount of foot traffic that comes into her facility and the Fox Chapel Goldfish Swim School facility while conducting swim lessons and birthday parties. She and her team distributed and collected well over 250 gifts for the program. She has also joined the Outreach Committee to be a part of the community in which she serves. Carol’s efforts and engagement allowed Goldfish Swim School of Wexford to be a 2022 Community Champion honoree, as well as the 2022 Distinguished Business Award Winner. Please join me in congratulating this month’s Member of the Month.

~Carrie Nolan-Robson, Director of Events & Programs PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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Presented By:

The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend the 2024 Annual Meeting. This event recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments and excellence of our business community each year.

This year, our Annual Meeting will take place on two separate dates.

Part 1 of our Annual Meeting will be held virtually. Join us on March 19th at 2PM via Zoom to: Celebrate last year's accomplishments Welcome the newest members of the Board of Directors Highlight goals for the new year.

Find out who the Annual Award Finalists are and how to VOTE! Register now for the VIRTUAL portion of our Annual Meeting!

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 2:00 to 4:00p Register on our website here.

Virtually via Zoom link. Thank you to WesBanco's Cranberry Twp Branch for providing the Zoom account.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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COMMUNITY BUILDERS Thank you to our Members who have generously contributed to furthering the mission and vision of the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber!

A Comfort Service Advantage Energy Partners, LLC AJ Technology Group Alliance for Nonprofit Resources Anchor Wave Internet Solutions Anchorpoint Counseling Ministry Arvos Schmidtsche Schack, LLC Ashton Commons Atria at Cranberry Woods Atria McCandless Axis Business Consultants Baierl Auto Group Bethany Christian Services of Western PA Bill Few Associates, Inc. Borough of Seven Fields Bruster's of Ingomar Butler County Symphony Orchestra C. W. Howard Insurance Agency, Inc. CCK Consulting | tHRive-People Practices CHROME Federal Credit Union Clean Express Auto Wash Clearview Federal Credit Union Cole Management, Inc. College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving Community Park Storage Compass Self Storage- Gibsonia Concordia of Cranberry Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh North Cranberry Highlands Golf Course Cranberry Messenger Service Cranberry Public Library Cranberry Supply Co. Cranberry Township Cranberry Twp. Volunteer Fire Company Cranberry Village Estates Creese, Smith, Hune & Co. LLC Cremation Society of Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh Crisis Center North, Inc CTR Payroll Services Dairy Queen - Cranberry Dented Keg Brewing Company Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham L.L.P. Direct Payment Consultants, LLC Diversified Plan Services Inc

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Dollar Bank Drayer Physical Therapy - Cranberry Early Years Community Learning Centers ECCA Payroll+ Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Harmarville Express Employment Professionals Fairfield by Marriott Pittsburgh North / McCandless Crossing Fairground Market, Inc. Farmers National Bank of Canfield First City Company-McIntyre Square First Commonwealth Bank - Wexford Flowers by Gerard Fun Fore All Family Fun Park General Rental Center George A. Reed Agency, Inc. Goddard School - Wexford Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center Green Apple Barter Guardian Storage- Hampton Guardian Storage- Marshall Guardian Storage- Ross Twp. Guardian Storage- Seven Fields Hand & Shoulder Center Handel's of McCandless HEARTH Herbein + Company, Inc. Highmark Caring Place Hill, Barth & King LLC Holsinger House of 1000 Beers i.e. Insurance IMA | ESS Innovate E-Commerce, Inc. Instant Imprints Izzazu Salon, Spa & Blowout Bar Jason's Deli- Cranberry Twp Joe Palmieri Construction, Inc. Juniper Grill Kontos Mengine Law Group Landmark Properties Group Laurel Business Institute Liberty Insurance Agency Limbach Company Lisowski Tree Service and Landscaping,LLC Lou Negley's Bottled Water Inc.

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

COMMUNITY BUILDERS Thank you to our Members who have generously contributed to furthering the mission and vision of the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber!

Lutheran SeniorLife Mark Mashuda Excavating Inc. Mars Bank Masonic Village at Sewickley McCandless Corporate Center McCandless Floral McGuire Memorial Foundation Medicine Shoppe of Ingomar MHY Family Services Morella & Associates Myers, Patsy & Associates, LLC NexTier Bank Nexus Financial Network, LLC NFP North Hills Family Dental North Pittsburgh Greeting Company Northland Public Library Nothing Bundt Cakes - Cranberry Olive Garden/Cranberry Oliver Outdoor OMEGA Federal Credit Union- North Hills OMEGA Federal Credit Union- Wexford Organic Remedies, Inc. Owl Cleaners Inc. Pearl Insurance Agency, LLC Penn National Insurance Pennsylvania House of Representatives Perform Physio, LLC PetSuites Cranberry Township Phelps Nursery PGH, North Inc. Piatt Sotheby's International Realty Pittsburgh Business Times Pittsburgh Jet Center Pittsburgh Job Corps Pittsburgh Mercy Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PNC Investor Center - Wexford Polesky Agency, Scott Berney - Erie Insurance Pressley Ridge Priority2Work R.M. Stoof & Associates Inc. Realty ONE Group Gold Standard Restart, Inc Restore It Rex Glass & Mirror Richard Goettle, Inc. Richland Mall Ridge Insurance Agency, Inc.

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

Riverview Carpet & Flooring, Inc. Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA Ross Township Rossman Hensley, Inc. Rt 228 Auto Mall S & T Bank- Cranberry Township Salem Media Group Sam's Club Sarver Landscape Maintenance Company Scolieri-Beam Law Group, PC Seneca Valley School District Sherwin-Williams Cranberry Signature Settlements Services Agency Special T Electronics Specialized Staffing and Industry Recruiters, Inc. SportClips SSB Bank St. Barnabas Health System Staples-Cranberry Twp. Star Limousine Service Inc. Streamline Connections Strutz International Terry's Plumbing, Inc. The Arc of Butler County The Blessing Board The Block Northway The Chadwick The Haven at North Hills The Joint...the Chiropractic Place The Lighthouse Foundation The Pavilion at Star Lake Live Nation The Payroll Shoppe The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School The Thrasher Group, Inc. The Waters of Wexford The Wilson Group, LLC Three Rivers Paintball, Inc. Tierra Realty Management T-Mobile Toplak & Associates TownePlace Suites by Marriott Township of Hampton Treasure House Fashions Trib Total Media Two Men and A Truck Ultimate Granite Surfaces, Inc. UPMC Passavant

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COMMUNITY BUILDERS Thank you to our Members who have generously contributed to furthering the mission and vision of the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber!

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Thank You

Urish Popeck & Co. LLC Vector Security Vincentian Vitalant (Central Blood Bank) Vrabel Plumbing Company, LLC Wain Landscaping, LLC Walnut Grill Wexford WesBanco Bank - Perry Highway West Penn Multi-List, Inc. Wichman Landscape Construction, LLC Wiest Asphalt Products & Paving Inc. Williams Industrial Sales Wine Concrete Products Inc. Win-Son Inc. Your CBD Store - Shaler Your CBD Store- Gibsonia Your CBD Store- North Hills

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

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The Benefits of Prioritizing Employee Well-being Prioritizing employee well-being is a strategic move for any business looking to successfully develop their business and enhance their competitive edge among their peers. Companies that demonstrate to employees that they are valued and supported as important individuals within the organization are more likely to develop a workforce that is engaged, productive and committed to their work.

By expanding employee assistance programs to address burnout, offering and steering employees to resources designed to better support employee needs, training managers to better recognize employee behavioral issues, and offering workplace flexibility, business owners can effectively implement programs that can truly make a difference.

Some of the benefits employers are likely to realize by adding more holistic employee benefits, perks and wellness programs include: Increased productivity and efficiency. When employees are happy and healthy, they are more likely to be productive and efficient at work. They are able to focus on their tasks and complete them in a timely manner, without being distracted by health or personal issues. This results in higher quality work and a better overall performance for the company.

Improved employee retention. When employees feel that their well-being is a priority for the company, they are more likely to stay with the company for the long term. This reduces the cost of turnover and ensures that the company retains its top talent.

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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Enhanced levels of customer service. Employees who feel valued and supported are more likely to provide customer service at an elevated level. They are better able to build strong relationships with the company’s customers and address client needs more effectively. This leads to greater customer loyalty and increased revenue for the company.

Reduced healthcare costs. Prioritizing the well-being of employees can lead to lower healthcare costs for the company, since when employees are healthy, they are less likely to require expensive medical treatments or take time off from work due to illness. This can result in a significant cost savings for the company.

Enhanced brand reputation. Companies that make their employees’ well-being a priority are viewed as socially responsible and ethical. This enhances the company’s brand reputation and makes it more attractive to customers and potential employees.

The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber 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 pnrc.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Craig Pritts at (800) 377-3539.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PNRC Affinity Partners Program Your Chamber membership is a valuable business tool that is complemented by our Affinity Program Partners who help you to save time and money. Save on everything from payroll to energy and you don’t have to spend your valuable time researching - your Chamber has done it all for you!

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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Nonprofit

Spotlight

Nonprofit Name: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Mission: The mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay.

Upcoming Events: · Strikes for St. Jude on Tuesday, March 19 at Zone 28 in Harmarville. More information at www.stjude.org/strikes · Pittsburgh St. Jude Gala on Friday, June 21 at Acrisure Stadium. More information at www.stjude.org/pittsburghgala Information/donation contact: Learn more or donate at www.stjude.org/pa or contact Jamie Rhoades, Area Development Advisor, at Jamie.Rhoades@alsac.stjude.org or 412.328.6632 What impact does your organization wish to make in the world?

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Our purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food - so they can focus on helping their child live. Because of generous donor support, we can provide children cutting-edge treatments not covered by insurance, at no cost to families.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Nonprofit

Spotlight

St. Jude cares for some of the world’s sickest children regardless of their race, ethnicity, beliefs, or ability to pay. Our patients receive the customized care they need to treat childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases, no matter what barriers they may face.

When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%.

In many developing countries, however, only 1 out of 5 children diagnosed with cancer will survive. We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer, no matter where they live.

What needs would help your organization to put your mission into action?

The majority of St. Jude funding comes from generous donors and every dollar makes a difference. Because of our supporters we can provide children cutting-edge treatments not covered by insurance at no cost to families. Visit www.stjude.org to learn more about how to get involved including volunteer opportunities, workplace giving options, local events, and more.

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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In 2024 Turn Your Goals into Verbs: Psychological Tools for Goal Achievement

By Jackson Kerchis, Happiness Means Business Imagine.

It’s the first week of January - our friend Jeff goes out and buys a brand new gym membership. He orders 3 books on Amazon. And he tells his wife they’re going to take an amazing trip this coming fall with his extra money.

This is the year.

Jeff set his New Year’s resolutions: Get in shape.

Read more.

Grow his business unit.

Fast forward – it’s now mid January. The books aren’t getting quite as much use. And his trips to Dunkin’ Donuts are more frequent than his trips to the gym.

And by early February he steps on the scale to see he hasn’t lost a pound. His stack of books have accumulated a nice layer of dust on his nightstand. And he’s doing the same things he was doing before at work.

Odds are you’ve probably been in Jeff’s shoes before – I certainly have.

That’s because goal setting is overrated. That’s right, even SMART goals are, in my opinion, not very effective for goal pursuit and achievement.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

In this resource, I’ll explain why that is and share with you some psychological tools you can use to get results this year: personally and/or professionally.

Let’s start with why goals or resolutions are overrated. Well Jeff (and the 1,000,000s of other people who fail to keep their resolutions each year) often have the same goals as the people who actually do lose weight, read more books, and earn more money. “Successful” and “unsuccessful” people often have the same goals. So there must be something other than the goals themselves that matters…

Well you might say – okay it has to be a SMART goal. Let’s run with that with our Jeff example. Remember this means – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound So Jeff says “I want to lose 10 pounds, read 5 books, and earn $10,000 more from my business by July 1st, 2024”.

The problem of traditional goal setting and SMART goal setting remains – at no point did Jeff actually articulate the behaviors or systems that would lead to the achievement of his goals. He defined the outputs but ignored the inputs. Or as Yale psychologist Laurie Santos would say he fell for the “GI Joe Fallacy”.

In the old cartoon GI Joe, the protagonist used to say “knowing is half the battle” – in Santos’ course on wellbeing, she points out that knowing is absolutely NOT half the battle. Pretty much all of us know we should eat healthier, sleep more, exercise more, smartphone less, and focus more on high-priority projects. To do it is the challenge!

So what I advocate is an approach to goals which is grounded in the psychology of behavior change literature – one that focuses on inputs that lead to the outputs rather than the outputs themselves.

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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What you’ll get next are what I’ve found to be the 5 most important psychological tools to go from knowing to doing. These are based on research from my happier habits course at the University of Alabama and my work in leadership development with the US Army and small-to-medium business leaders.

1. Make it count.

2. Make a plan (focused on behavior).

3. Make it so easy you never miss.

4. Change your environment.

5. Create accountability: tracking, rewards, and social support.

Make it count.

This means connecting with the goal on a personal, emotional level. You should think of the goal as it relates to your identity and how you see yourself. Imagine two people trying to stop smoking.

Person 1 says: I think I want to quit smoking this year.

Person 2 says: I am not a smoker. I do not want to set this type of example for my children and I want to be there to play with my grandkids without a ventilator. This stuff is not aligned with who I am.

Now maybe it sounds a little extreme, but who do you think is more likely to quit smoking?

Someone who wants to lose a couple pounds will tolerate missing a workout. An athlete will not.

Someone who wants to get a little better with work-life balance can tolerate staying late at the office just one more time. Someone who sees themselves as a Father or Mother or Partner who is committed to being there consistently for the people who matter most whilst being an efficient, effective leader will not tolerate it. They will implement systems or behaviors to reduce their hours.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

There are various models of behavior psychology and motivation that explore this point. Simply stated, you should relate your goal to emotionally compelling reasons why and statements of identity: I am the type of person that [does x consistently] because of [emotionally compelling reasons].

Make a plan.

Now you have emotionally compelling reasons why you will work towards this goal.

This step is how you do it. It gets at what I shared early on in this resource.

Goals and resolutions are outputs – what are the inputs?

Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has an excellent resource on this where he talks about “verb-based goals”. What are the day-to-day or week-to-week actions in the physical world which will lead to your goal? Answer that question and make those behaviors your goal instead…

Then create an implementation intention. This means you clearly articulate when, where, and for how long you will do the behavior. This draws on literature from Peter M. Gollwitzer and Gabriele Oettingen in the Department of Psychology at New York University.

Take one study where researchers asked participants to perform an important selfexamination to check for potential cancers. One group was told simply to do the 10 minute procedure. Another group was told to do it and simply state when and where they would do it. The second group was 2 or 3 times more likely to follow through simply because they said when and where.

Think of it as making an appointment with yourself.

Examples: Lose 10 lbs this year becomes do 20 minutes of cardio at home M, W, F and 30 minutes of weight training at the gym T and R. Read more becomes read for 15 minutes at my desk after lunch M-F. Improve the performance of my team becomes Monday and Thursday afternoon I will spend an hour developing a member of my team on a key skillset.

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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Make it easy.

One of the common issues I’ve observed in coaching leaders and teams is the following allegory: I want to run a marathon this year so I’m going to run 5 miles every day. By the third day their legs are breaking down. After a week they are totally suffering and ready to go to the hospital.

I follow the model that you have to have a habit or behavior in place before you can scale it. There is a certain amount of activation energy required to do a new behavior.

Change is hard. So start with something easy.

This is an important point for habit formation as well. Think of the reading example.

If you sit down to read for a couple hours on Sunday afternoon that is 120 minutes of reading. If you do 24 minutes, 5 days per week that is also 120 minutes of total reading. But these two examples are not equal.

In the first case you have completed one iteration of the habit. In the second case you reinforced your habit of reading five times. Now we need not take this to an extreme – there are practical limits (you don’t need to read for 5 minutes 5 times per day).

But generally speaking – think of scaling what you did in step 2 down to the smallest possible version of your new behavior or habit and start with that.

What would this look like if it were easy? What is the simple first step (e.g. putting on my running shoes and stepping outside as opposed to running x miles)?

Change your environment.

I once went 3 months with no alcohol, no nicotine, no meat, no social media, and meditated four hours per day.

And want to know the weirdest part?

It was pretty easy… That’s because I was living as a Zen monk at a monastery in the mountains of California. If I wanted booze, nicotine, or meat I would have had to hike over a mountain!

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Discipline, like goal setting, is also overrated. Most disciplined people aren’t “more disciplined” – they just have a more disciplined environment.

Despite my ability to do all those things for three months, I promise that if you sit me next to a big plate of my aunt’s christmas sugar cookies, they are going to get eaten!

What can you do to make your desired behavior easier? How can you change your environment to support you?

Examples Weight loss: do not keep junk food in the house, keep fresh fruit and high protein snacks on hand, eat a lite healthy snack before going to restaurants so you aren’t tempted, get a gym membership close by, buy new workout gear that you really like wearing, leave a sticky note reminding you to get up and go for a walk, etc…

Read more: leave a book on top of your pillow, turn on “Do Not Disturb” during reading time, go to a quiet private space, set reminders on your phone, etc.

Improve business: work in a focused environment, remove distractions, join a peer group of people working on the same projects, reduce meetings or other time wasters by setting parameters on your calendar, etc…

Create accountability: tracking and rewards.

Finally, take steps to ensure accountability.

First – it is amazing the things we do and don’t track. Most people can look at their smart watch and say how many steps they took. They can maybe say how many hours they worked and about how much they made last month.

But if I ask – how much time have you invested in your physical health, mental health, or relationships with loved ones? How are you trending when it comes to your relationship with your spouse or children? What critical few outcomes is your performance measured on in your role and how have you moved the needle?

I usually get back crickets (or worse!).

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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The idea of tracking is taking what we did in step 2 of making a behavior-based implementation intention and having some way of assessing your progress. This could be as simple as a checklist you cross off at the end of each day. It could be a jar of marbles where each marble is a completion. It could be a digital tracker.

The point is you need to assess if you are actually following through on the inputs that will lead to your outputs rather than flying blind for months then stepping on the scale only to realize the number has gone in the wrong direction.

This will help you check and adjust.

As you reach certain milestones, throw in positive reinforcement in the form of rewards. This is important because most goals and resolutions require some up front sacrifice for a later reward – they are a form of delayed gratification. Exercise now to look better later. Make time to read now to be smarter later. Prioritize and strategize now to earn more later.

The problem is our cognitive systems are designed for immediate rewards. Go kill the deer or find the berries and eat everything you can.

So using intermittent rewards helps to bring those future benefits closer to the present so you maintain motivation.

For example – maybe after you have consistently read a few days a week for a month you aren’t at your goal of 5 books yet but you celebrate with a nice bottle of wine.

Maybe you have really dialed in on your one or two business objectives and consistently made time for them but still haven’t seen all the results yet so you give yourself a little pat on the back.

There are many applications but the important part is the recognition of your own progress. Noticing, savoring, and appreciating your follow through will help to positively reinforce the behavior and increase self-efficacy (which is your capacity to follow through on commitments).

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Workforce Development

By Geoff Zak, FocalPoint Business Coaching of Greater Pittsburgh This past May, in a Corridors article titled, “Workforce Development – How Can You Get Involved?”, Legislative & Economic Development Committee Chair Kathleen Kuznicki articulated a compelling call to action in response to the progressive decline in the ability of local businesses to find and keep a qualified workforce.

Kathleen stated that before the pandemic, some of the prevailing trends in our region’s workforce included: A diminished pool of talent due to an aging population in Western PA. The competency gap between emerging technologies in the workplace and the current worker population.

A cultural deemphasis on learning the trades, leading to a decline in competent blue-collar employees.

A lack of public transportation in our region, cutting off communities from eligible candidates.

Four years later, these prior workforce trends have exacerbated the new challenges many of our members have faced in this extended post-pandemic recovery. The business community continues to feel the reverberations of a stark new normal as employers struggle to recruit, develop and retain top talent. Moreover, while owners and managers still tend to lean to the same expectations of their employees in the workplace, this new multi-generational workforce has introduced a different set of standards born from both our public health crisis as well as shifting generational priorities. No longer an “employer’s market”, businesses now realize that to stabilize their labor capacity and thrive, a new investment must be made in creating a more hospitable and meaningful company culture.

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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Workforce Development Continued...

The Project For the average business owner or manager, the cost of increasing benefits and revamping company policies to compete with other employers is significant and not without effort. In response to this challenge, this year the PNRC commissioned the Legislative & Economic Development Committee to record a series of videos featuring interviews with leaders from diverse businesses and organizations in our community that would increase awareness of these challenges, as well as to share best practices for creating a more responsive employee program. These interviews will remain accessible in a library of videos on PNRC’s website, as well as shared via social media.

PNRC Legislative & Economic Development Committee Chair, Kathleen Kuznicki, introduced three standard interview questions that wisely homed in on three of the most critical considerations of this conversation: retention, recruitment, and expectations.

1. What new changes have you implemented to retain your current employees?

2. What new tactics and marketing are you using to attract new talent?

3. Besides a paycheck, what have you found that candidates are seeking from employers such as yourself?

Each participant in this project responded thoughtfully and offered unique insights from their industry perspective in response to these questions.

Common Best Practices Renewed focus on work/life balance.

Targeting employee programs to cater to personal fulfillment and wellness.

Offering more comprehensive benefits.

Experimenting with retaining flexible and hybrid schedules.

Emphasizing a culture of recognition and incentives.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Workforce Development Continued...

Promoting a more diverse and inclusive company culture.

Fostering opportunities for advancement, development, and career support.

Additional Insights Coordinating flex time or PTO to specifically accommodate family needs.

Conducting “stay interviews” for current employees to gauge levels of satisfaction, career mobility, and as a direct feedback mechanism.

Providing opportunities for their CEO and company leaders to make a fun, human connection with the teams at each location.

A more formal succession plan program, to hire from within and develop future leaders.

Budget permitting, developing more holistic employee benefits: unlimited PTO, preventative care, mental health initiatives, legal services, even dog day care!

Creating Individual Professional Plans for each employee that focuses on professional and personal support.

Reviewing the onboarding process, including providing a mentor or buddy for new hires.

Reevaluating each job description to consider non-traditional and less qualified candidates that offer potential in that role. Seek alternate sources to post jobs to meet candidates from where they are at.

Ongoing industry and work skills training programs.

Job benchmarking via behavior assessments to create an “ideal candidate” profile, one more likely to be successful in your company long-term.

Use of assessments to identify tasks that cater to a team’s “zone of genius” and delegating accordingly.

Developing an “unique hiring proposition” to differentiate from other potential employers.

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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Workforce Development Continued...

Special Mention As someone who pursued a parallel career track in non-profit workforce development, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the importance of non-profit and academic organizations in our network who are on the frontlines of developing our workforce, especially for those who have financial or other challenges to employment. Typically, these organizations will offer comprehensive case management, preemployment skills training programs, industry skills and credential achievement, and retention follow up with support, among other services. Hiring someone who may have previously been overlooked changes lives. Yes, not every hire will work out, but for those that do, their progress will be your inspiration every day.

Next Steps So where do we go from here? This video project, and the wealth of advice from our fellow chamber members, merits consideration and deserves applause for all involved.

As you are reviewing the effectiveness of your business or organization in response to our continuing workforce development challenges, consider your current constraints to be opportunities to take control of your business in 2024. Stay in touch with your chamber community and remember that these insights mean nothing if you don’t apply what you’ve learned to making meaningful changes to the quality of your company culture.

In future articles, we’ll be exploring ways your business can set the stage to make a positive impact in the coming year. A good place to start is by taking honest stock of your company’s mission, values, procedures, and habits. More importantly, consider your strategy to align your people with the highest ideals of your company, and chart your unique path to creating sustainable employee satisfaction and retention. In this post-pandemic, multi-generational workforce, your leadership is no longer an option, it’s now an expectation.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Thank you to everyone who nominated a Community Champion last month! Stay tuned to our Social Media as we recognize different Community Champions each day.

The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber Community Champions Program recognizes the goodwill, generosity, and incredible spirit of community demonstrated by those in the Pittsburgh North Region. In December, nominations were accepted to spotlight individuals, small businesses, and non-profits that have gone above and beyond to support others, give back, and provide service to the community in 2023. Community Champions will be honored by the PNRC throughout January 2024 on our social media and in various PNRC publications, including Monday Morning Coffee and Corridors. In February 2024, one Community Champion from each category – individual, small business, and non-profit – will receive additional acknowledgment for their efforts as a Community Champion, and will be featured in the annual Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber Community Resource Guide.

There are so many who are quietly doing good in our community. Thank you for taking the opportunity to recognize the efforts, large and small, of the individuals, small businesses, and non-profits who made the Pittsburgh North Region better in 2023.

PghNorthChamber.com | January 2024

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Let the Mystery Unfold

By Tesha Nesbit: A Phoenix Rising Coaching I’m captivated by this question right now and I wonder if you might be too: Do you spend more time treating life like a problem to be solved, a game to be won, a struggle to be survived or a mystery to be lived?

Mysteries can be elusive and confounding. They can also be a wild ride to a heartpounding crescendo. Some mysteries are never solved. Can you delay gratification long enough for the mystery to unfold?

My mother has an enduring knack for giving me birthday presents 2 or 3 months early. And she’s well aware that I never open gifts until the actual day of the celebration. I suspect the ability on my part to delay gratification comes from my humble childhood. Gifts weren’t a given. And I cherished the opportunity to have something to open on a special day. I savored it more. And a well-wrapped gift was a beautiful mystery.

When you started your business you may have operated from a space of mystery, to some degree. How will I build a team? Who will be my first customer? How will I get this idea to market? Can I pay the mortgage/rent next month?!! To move from mystery to a place of knowing takes work. A more concerted effort to drive outcomes involves targeted focus and planning. Here’s my dream, draft, and deliver advice to let the mystery unfold : Dream: Cultivate and investigate where your curious mind takes you. Is there a new market you want to capture? A new location you want to open? A client that you want to re-engage? A skillset that you need to master for growth? What safety net can you remove? Take some time to move into a dream state. When we dream our brains are deeply activated during sleep. It’s intense and quick. Replicate this nocturnal delight by stilling your mind and let the ideas flow - freely. No judgments or editing needed here.

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Draft: Write, write, write! Capture all of the ideas from your dream state then create a SMART goal or two. The more Specific and Measurable you can be, the more Attainable the plan. Confirm how Realistic this venture can be for your business. And then document your Time-based action plan. You know the adage – a goal without a plan is an idea.

Deliver – Move from compliance to commitment. Don’t just check the boxes on the plan. Adopt a mindset that in order to deliver on the dream-turned-plan you need to know what the plan eats for breakfast, where it has lunch and what it wears for power meetings. What song is on repeat for the goal? Essentially, you need to remove the mystery and let conscious reality take the wheel.

As business owners we all know that waiting for the perfect time is a sure road to inertia.

Instead make it “progress over perfection.” Don’t wait until you’re ready - start now.

What’s one action you can take right now – right after you click out of this newsletter – to get closer to your dream state? Let me help you get started with a creative challenge.

Create a soundtrack for your goal. Yes, back to that song that’s on repeat. What will be the theme song? Curate 1 (or 5) titles that inspire your goal and help bring it to life. Let it remarkably unfold. I’ll check back with you in 6 months.

Here's to an inspiring 2024!

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