Corridors April

From the President Virtual Connections & Business Inside Hours Member of the Month Maintaining Morale with a Remote Workforce Q & A with North Pittsburgh Greeting Company Postponed: 2020 Night At The Races & Healthy Living Expo Spring Innovation Pittsburgh Supporting Frontline Workers & Volunteers Non-Profit Spotlight Ways to Support Local During COVID-19 Legislative Corner Staying Visible during COVID-19

In the period of one month, our world has been turned upside down. No one has been spared. We are affected in our work life, our home life, the way we eat, the way we shop and the stuff we do. Things that we have done for years seem like distant memories. The people that we are close to, are now far away. Handshakes and hugs are no longer vogue. We yearn for normalcy with the uncertainty of when that will be. What has separated us, though, has also brought us closer together. Acts of kindness abound. Monte Cellos donated pizzas to our service providers. Several businesses have bought lunches for employees of their nonprofit brethren. Volunteers delivered them. We have been forced to get reacquainted, again, with our immediate families. We have had time to appreciate our friends and distant family and vow to show that appreciation once this all ends.

And, it will end.

Jim Boltz President

But, until it does, there will be pain. Restaurants, stores, hair salons, health clubs, golf courses, yoga studios and the like are hurt the most. But just about every small business is affected. They have gone from full speed to a complete stop overnight. And through no fault of their own.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. Collectively, they employ a majority of our work force. They donate to your fundraisers, your booster clubs, your charities and your personal causes. They give services, baskets, gift cards and time. They do it because they want to, not because they have to. They want to be a part of the community.

It is time to pay them back. They need our help and they need it now. If you want them to be there when this all ends…if you want them to donate to your cause…if you want them to hire your son or daughter or wife or husband…support them now.

How do you do that? Buy take out, buy gift cards, refer them, give them a testimonial on line, post a good review, continue to pay on your memberships. Those are just a few ways. There are a lot more.

I am sure that you can come up with other ways on your own.

They are your friends, your neighbors, the fabric of your community. Let them know you are there for them. They have always been there for you.

Sincerely,

Jim Boltz President, PNRC

PghNorthChamber.com I April 2020

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Join us for Business INSIDE Hours!

Friday, April 10th at 4PM Thursday, April 16th at 5PM Friday, April 22nd at 5PM Come Network with us during Happy Hour through Zoom safely inside the comfort of your home!

Join us for VIRTUAL Connections!

Every Tuesday & Thursday in April 11:30A-1:00P through Zoom!

Connections Meetings through Zoom are Sponsored by WesBanco of Cranberry Twp.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Mark Boris

A Comfort Service

"Mark has always been there for the Chamber and Chamber members so it is not surprising that when he heard that the Chamber was delivering pizza to our area"s first responders, he was the first to volunteer. He personally went to Monte Cellos, picked up the pizzas and delivered them to the Pine Township Fire Dept. and Northern Regional Police Dept. Thank you Mark. This honor is well deserved " -Jim Boltz, President | PNRC

PghNorthChamber.com I April 2020

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Maintaining Morale With A Remote Workforce Authored by James C. Price / Express Employment Professionals

T

here has been a monumental shift in the past month on how companies conduct business. Brick-and-mortars

have closed their doors and opened virtually. Traditional businesses are trading in the

suit and tie for home offices and video conferencing. Whether your organization was ready or not, this global pandemic has forced the workplace to adapt, for better or for worse. And while many leaders are learning on the fly, there’s one aspect of managing a remote workforce that can be particularly challenging: maintaining morale. Check out these three tips to keep your team’s spirits up!

Maintain Communication Before employees began working from home, communicating with your team was as easy as taking a few steps to their desks to check in. Today, however, it is too easy to go an entire day without speaking to a team member. Now that your office is remote, it is more important than ever to have an “open door policy.” You aren’t the only one adjusting to the new normal; your team may struggle as they adapt to the virtual office. Be sure to encourage your employees to reach out to you, if needed, and consider speaking with each employee daily. If your team is too large, consider daily meetings via Zoom, Google Hangout, or other video/telecommunication. The teams that communicate the most will be the ones that are most successful during these times.

Highlight Achievements Receiving acknowledgement can go a long way in boosting employee morale. And while you can’t call a quick stand-up meeting, you can still give kudos virtually in front of your employees’ peers.

Keep a tally of specific individuals who have gone above and beyond during this transition and encourage your supervisors and managers to do the same. If you are having consistent call-ins with your team, acknowledge an employee daily or weekly for their outstanding work. If you prefer, consider sending an email to an entire department pointing out an employee’s hard work and ask all recipients to congratulate the person.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

RESPECT WORK HOURS If your office is used to 8-to-5 workdays, adjusting to remote work can be difficult. And since you can essentially access your new “office” from anywhere, it can be especially tempting to work overtime and outside traditional work hours. And if you put in extra hours, your team may feel the need to follow suit. Some may even have the urge to always be available to prove themselves during the transition to remote work. While this may be acceptable at first, it can quickly create burnout, causing resentment, disengagement, and low morale. To avoid this, create clear and concise guidelines for your team to follow. For instance, ask your team to be responsibly responsive to emails during 8-to-5 workhours, yet create a time period of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. where the employees need to be available for calls, meetings, etc. This will allow for flexibility, yet ensure workers don’t feel like they need to work outside of a traditional workday. Maintaining a healthy worklife balance is key when managing a virtual office.

BONUS: ENCOURAGE VIRTUAL COOLER TALK One aspect of office life that some people miss is the face-to-face interaction between co-workers.

While you may focus on communication with your employees, encourage your team to reach out to one another just to keep in touch. From virtual happy hours to impromptu Skype calls, build-

ing camaraderie is key to job fulfillment and communal happiness.

PghNorthChamber.com I April 2020

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Q&A with Tracy Arm

North Pittsburgh Greeting Co

COVID-19 IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESSES

Q: How has the pandemic affected your busi-

ness? Please think beyond just financially; consider both sides of the equation: the homeowners you greet and the businesses you represent.

Tracy:

Obviously North Pittsburgh Greeting Company is unable to welcome new homeown-

ers and businesses. However, I am still representing my sponsors in the NPGC welcoming bag though digital marketing. This includes Facebook live interviews with my audience of over 4,000 followers, text message marketing, and email marketing that is received by each new homeowner that I have personally welcomed since 2013. The pandemic has also affected the majority of businesses that are sponsors in the welcoming bag, such as hairdressers, cleaning companies, home furnishings, fitness centers and the like.

Q: Did you have a disaster plan in place? Did it cover anything like this?

Tracy: A disaster plan for a pandemic, no. I have plans in place for 2-3 weeks absence that I have used before due to medical reasons or long extended trips. I was able to “double up” on welcoming new homeowners and businesses so my clients still received the services that they pay for. But a complete shutdown I really don’t think anyone could have planned for what we as a country are experiencing at this time.

Q: How has it affected the rest of your team?

Tracy: I solely r un No r th P ittsbur gh Gr eeting Com p any so luckily, I do not have to worry about a team.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

mstrong

Q: What are you doing to keep your business going, improve its position or just stay visible during the pandemic? How are you serving your customers/advertisers?

ompany, Owner

Tracy: I have built up a large social media following on both my personal and business pages. To help my business stay visible as well as the sponsors in the welcoming bag I have been to Facebook Live interviews with my clients. They can promote their business and the services and products that they offer. The process ha worked! I have received several inquiries about the we coming service from business owners watching the Interviews and my clients are getting prospect’s as well.

Q: How did you come up with this idea?

Tracy: Working with my business coach. She primarily uses social media to expand her business. I took my ques from her approach to gain business.

Q: How did you make your plan real?

Tracy: First, I educated myself on be. Live a feature on Facebook that allows you to have control over the live feed. I gave myself a good two days of practice before I felt comfortable asking my sponsors if they would like to be interviewed.

Q: What has been the response to your efforts

Tracy: The response that I have been getting from by live interviews has be fantastic. My clients are very thankful that I am still getting their business exposure, and I have been getting several email from business asking about my services and what I can offer.

Q: Is it possible to understanding the impact this will have on your customers?

Tracy: The impact the Covid 19 crisis is hard to predict. However, I believe our community, city and country will overcome this tragedy and come back bigger and better than ever!

Q: Are there things that you’re doing to stay sane in your personal life that you want to share?

Tracy: Absolutely, I am trying my best to keep a schedule. As many people are aware I feel that daily exercise is crucial to both you mental and physical health. I am continuing to do an hour work out each morning, which is keeping me sane! As far as work for North Pittsburgh Greeting Company I am blocking out about five hours each day to work on expanding the welcoming service and get caught up on work that I just have not been able to fit into my schedule during “everyday life”. Each day I am continuing to check off my quarantine to- do list and I have a great sense of accomplishment. I also have a touch of OCD so my home has been scrubbed down from top to bottom, closets cleaned out and doing some painting that I just not have had the time to fit into my schedule. Honestly, I am just as busy in quarantine as I would be in “normal life”.

PghNorthChamber.com I April 2020

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O

n the evening of Thursday March 5th, The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber hosted the Spring Innovation Pittsburgh Series along side Master of Ceremonies, Jim Roddey, at the DoubleTree in Cranberry Twp. The topic, “Attracting and Engaging the Next Generation: How to Keep Your Business on the Cutting Edge”, discussed issues facing employers

on retaining and engaging today’s young professionals in the workplace. The series involved a panel of young professionals who are currently experts in their field and have a broad sense of how to help employers with the increased turnover rate among today’s younger generation.

The panel featured the following individuals: Jennifer Apicella: President & CEO, BUILD412 Tech Jacquie Forador: Boar d Pr esident, Pittsbu r gh Y ou ng Pr ofessionals & Operations Manager, Locomation, Inc. Katy Kendeall: Account Executive; Partnership Development, Sparq Designs Bethany Laslavic: Dir ector of Recr u itm ent and Developm ent, Nor thw ester n M u tu al Ben Wilson: Pr esident, River s Agile

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

The PNRC’s initiative #inthistogether has launched local businesses to join and support one another.

Donor businesses support a restaurant by purchasing lunch for local non-profits, healthcare workers, or anyone still serving on the frontlines to keep our community safe.

The staff at PNRC delivers the food!

Here are a few highlights from this initiative:

FRONTLINE RECIPIENTS: Cranberry Twp. Police Station Cranberry Twp. EMS Cranberry Twp. Fire Department Northern Regional Police Station

Northern Regional Fire Department Northern Regional Police Station McCandless Police Station

McCandless/ Franklin Park EMS Franklin Park borough Police Station The Lighthouse Foundation Butler County Humane Society

THANK YOU TO OUR DONOR BUSINESSES!

Interested in helping donate lunch to employees still on the frontline during the COVID-19 Crisis?

Email Annie Cairns at acairns@pghnorthchamber.com

PghNorthChamber.com I April 2020

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Authored by Lisa Schiller, MHY Executive Director

A

s an essential service, MHY Family Services continues to provide consistent care for youth in our residential pro-

gram as well as youth and families in our community services programs. The uncertainty of our world right now affects us all, but it can be particularly challenging

for our young people who are already managing trauma and other behavioral issues, like anxiety or depression. This is why it is more important than ever to ensure they feel safe, protected and have a sense of control. They key to helping our children through these tough times is to continue to provide routine and con-

To Donate: https://mhyfamilyservices.org

sistent care. To do this, it is essential that

We have all the resources and tools available to provide engaging on-line classroom instruction; reliable connectivity for family visits or therapy sessions and so much more. Our challenge to fully implement these opportunities is our aging infrastructure to support the technology needs for our individual students, teachers, and clinicians. For $199, you can sponsor a technology need to help us impact the youth an families in our care. Every donation will make a difference.

MHY remains dedicated to keeping our youth, employees and visitors safe while we weather this storm. Please stay well. We are all in this together so let faith and wisdom be your guide.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com | April 2020

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The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber understands that concerns for health, safety, and the impact on the workplaces and business meetings are affecting our members, their employees, and customers.

As we navigate through this challenging time for our community, please use guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and other reliable sources to ensure you are getting accurate information from media sources.

We can all do our part keeping one another healthy by washing our hands frequently, coughing or sneezing into our shoulders or sleeves, and avoiding handshaking. Most importantly, if you are feeling ill please avoid contact with others; especially those with weakened immune systems or the elderly who are most at risk of suffering from any illness.

The PA Chamber has created a Business Resources for Coronavirus page to help educate employers and provide quick links to valuable resources. We thank you and your business for being a part of our Pittsburgh North community and please feel free to contact the chamber if you have any concerns.

To visit the PA Chamber Business Resources for Coronavirus page visit their website here:

www.pachamber.org/coronavirus If you have not already done so, please visit the PNRC Facebook Group created to help our local businesses and the community get the information they need to apply for small business loans, help know what businesses are still open, and up to date information from the CDC, Pennsylvania Governor, and how to support our businesses during this difficult time.

Please visit and join: PNRC Community Resource Support During COVID-19 Crisis On Facebook Page 16

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com | April 2020

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U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: GUIDE TO SBA LOANS Source: PA Chamber of Business and Industry

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com | April 2020

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

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Authored By; Elizabeth Blakely, Link to Visibility/ Owner

I

n an incredibly short time, the Coronavirus has radically changed how we live and conduct business. That doesn’t mean that everything has ground to a halt. Whether your business is open or closed it is important that you find ways to stay connected with your customers and build your business’ future.

What are some specific tools you can use to stay visible?

1. Make sure your website is updated. You can let customers and prospects know that how you are serving them during the virus or if you are forced be closed, when you will reopen. Take time to make sure that the information on your website is clear, easy to find and correct. If you Think of ways to provide useful information and whenever possible strike a positive note. Since there start posting regularly on social media, make is lots of information about the pandemic available sure you have links to your profiles and include a news feed on your site. and it can be hard to fact check everything, move beyond that unless it directly relates to your busi2. SEO and SEM. With everyone turning to ness. Tell folks about: online sources check to see how your site ranks · Your business’s plans and how you can serve them for key terms associated with your business.

You may need to hire folks to support your SEO now or in the future (search engine optimization) efforts, or do SEM (search engine marketing) to make sure you ap· How you have supported the community pear in search results. · A local community service that folks can support 3. Make sure GOOGLE MY BUSINESS information is correct. You can note special hours · A client’s experience, aka a testimonial and services to help your customers know your · An online special usable now or in the future; give availability during the pandemic. people an opportunity to support your business now or when you reopen.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

4. Post regularly on social media. If you haven’t been connecting on social media, this is a great time to start! Use Facebook live, pre-recorded video or pictures to share pictures of products, client stories, quick tips, even something funny or positive to brighten your audience’s day. You can even go live on Facebook to interview clients or share expert advice from other professionals. You can save time by cross postings items. Make sure the material plays well across the different platforms and your audiences who follow on multiple platforms don’t feel spammed. You may be better off cross promoting instead.

5. Hold teleconferences in place of face to face meetings. Be sure to be a professional even from home—the rules about business dress and planning still apply.

Make sure the channel you use is secure too. Teleconferences can be done through formal online vendors (GoTo Meeting, Zoom, WebEx, etc) or tools such as Facetime, Skype, Google Duo, Facebook Messenger.

6. Call you clients by phone. Its nice to hear a friendly voice and it has a personal touch that is hard to beat.

Besides, not everyone is setup or wants to teleconference so a phone call may be a great way to reach people. For businesses with really large client lists break up the list, and call your most important clients first.

They may not take the call, but the personal connection shouldn’t hurt.

7. Send out useful email blasts. Include information about products that are or will be available, online deals, client stories etc. There are email/CRM services like MailChimp, Constant Contact, Act, and Zoho which allow you to send out professional email blasts.

What list should you use? Start with your own email contacts because buying lists with quality can be difficult and expensive.

Prepare your staff on how to handle your new “long distance relationships” As your office environment shifts, you may assign calls to your staff. Make sure your team is trained on how to take and handle calls. Have a script to make certain calls are professional, and information provided is consistent. You also need to create a plan about how to handle problems and how to redirect calls for problems which require additional attention. If you are using teleconferencing establish appropriate standards for dress and call environments too.

Staying Safe If you are an essential business and staying open, use signage and the tools listed above to make sure customers know what precautions you are taking to keep everyone safe.

Have hand sanitizer or a place to wash their hands upon entering the facility. If using masks and or protective barriers, remember that although such equipment will keep people safer it can be harder to hear and be understood. Just like dealing with the pandemic, patience is critical.

Strategic Planning Wouldn’t it be great if things were back to normal in just a few weeks? However, that probably won’t happen. It’s best to plan for a longer period of isolation. Use this time, particularly if your business is closed, to review your marketing goals and tools. Remember that marketing is just a form of very focused, goal -oriented communication.

Make sure you are communicating the ideas to your audience and give them incentives to stay involved.

Use this time, particularly if your business is closed, to review your marketing goals and tools. Remember that marketing is just a form of very focused, goal -oriented communication.

PghNorthChamber.com | April 2020

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Cranberry Township Cranberry Supply Co. ASAP Promotions CFS Bank Glade Run Foundation

Coldwell Banker - Jan Stevens Chatham University Eden USX Federal Credit Union Hall Campus Liberty Insurance Agency Petroleum Technical Services, MHY Family Services LLC. NexTier Bank Jason's Deli- Cranberry Twp Send Out Cards - Jerry Walkins UPS Huntington Bank - McKnight K. A. Bell, CPA, PC Legal Shield & Identity Theft Banccard Protection I-Clean, Inc. InVision Human Services Pressley Ridge Phelps Nursery PGH, North Hampton Do It Best Home Inc.- DBA Fratangelo GarCenter dba C.D.F.S., INC dens, INC Sheeley Agency- Allstate Insurance 2 Krew Security and Surveillance

UPMC Centers for Rehab Services Zacharia Brown, P.C. This Magic Moment Bridal Studio

Lisa Hunt

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Baker Consulting Services, Inc. Revive Med Spa Standard Bank, PaSB

Edward Jones InvestmentsAndrew Dobies Treesdale Life- n2 Publishing

Wine Concrete Products Inc. Krol Media Associates, LLC C3 Financial Services Keystone Advisory Solutions, LLC

Pittsburgh Stone and Waterscapes, LLC Power Marketing

Vincentian Charitable Foundation Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services

Piatt Sotheby's International Realty

Mainstream Boutique

True Merchant Common Sense Cleaning, LLC

Lisa Oldach

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PANERA BREAD CRANBERRY TWP.

20111 Rte 19, Cranberry Twp, PA 16066

OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT & DELIVERY PghNorthChamber.com | April 2020

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Executive Committee Andrew Chiapusio—Chairman of the Board First National Bank Tracy Armstrong– Chair Elect North Pittsburgh Greeting Company Mark Prentice—Vice Chair Valpak of Western PA Philip J. Scolieri, J.D.– Past Chair Scolieri Law Group, P.C. Dr. Ann Gatty, Ph.D.—Foundation Chair Strategic People Solutions Lisa Hunt—Treasurer USX Federal Credit Union

Tiffany Nolan– Secretary i.e. Insurance Jim Boltz—President Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Board of Directors Gary Basilone Basilone Executive Search

Jim Logan Pgh Batteries

Ken Scott Rev Local

Elizabeth Blakely Link to Visibility

Alyssa Marsico Alzheimer’s Association

Strawberry Ridge Golf Course

Bruce Conley The Computer Coach

Nick Mazzoleni Pittsburgh Improv

Rakesh Unnithan WesBanco Bank

Calvin Sales New York Life

Nicky Voynick Sechler Law Firm, LLC

Steven W. Diffenderfer Community Bank Kathleen Kuznicki The Lynch Law Group

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Cynthia Stirling

Valerie Wieloch Dollar Bank

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

SUPPORT LOCAL PghNorthChamber.com | March 2020

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JOIN A COMMITTEE

One of the best ways to take advantage of your membership is to get involved in a committee. You can impact your business by building relationships within the Chamber and advertise your talents by demonstrating them through committee service. Choose an area of interest and get involved!

Contact the PNRC to join: info@pghnorthchamber.com

Ambassador Committee is designed to assist and promote the Chamber’s program of work as part of its recruitment and retention efforts in the Pittsburgh North region.

Ambassadors are focused on three core functions Legislative & Economic Development for the Chamber: member recruitment, member Committee w or ks to encou r age and services, and member retention. support the growth of local businesses within the geographic areas served by the Chamber. This Community Outreach Committee focu ses committee will be proactively involved as an on service and promoting goodwill within our information gathering and disseminating regional footprint. This includes endeavors such organization on issues that impact business as scholarships, Days of Caring and Angel Giving growth, development and the infrastructure of Trees, etc. The committee works in conjunction our communities. The committee continually with the staff and the Board of Directors of the informs our members as to current political and Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber to identify legislative issues that affect the membership of worthwhile outreach endeavors to promote and the Chamber and businesses in our footprint. support.

Marketing Committee is r esponsible fo r Events and Programming Committee creating innovative ways of promoting the serves as a support system to the Chamber staff Chamber and its program and services. This in the planning, development, execution, and committee is responsible for supporting the follow up for the Pittsburgh North Regional initiatives of the staff, Board of Directors and Chamber’s Signature events and programs. The committees.

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber offers a range of events and programs designed to Membership Committee su ppor ts the strengthen and grow businesses within the strategic direction of the Chamber to improve its regional footprint. value proposition and ensure programming and service excellence. The committee is responsible HYPE, Helping Y ou ng Pr ofessionals Excel, for identifying the needs of the members to supports the growth and involvement of talented ensure the Chamber offers a solid return on the young professionals by creating business membership investment. The committee provides opportunities, supporting community valuable insights on the best ways to: grow involvement, and fostering an overall investment membership, engage and retain current in the future of our region. HYPE brings together members, evaluate and make recommendations young professionals with the most powerful on member benefits and identify opportunities network of business leaders in the Pittsburgh and business trends in specific industries.

North region by providing opportunities, information, and mentorship to the next generation of leaders.

Thank you to our Valued Corporate Sponsors and Chamber Partners