Corridors December 2018

DECEMBER 2018

CORRIDORS

Serving Business Corridors in Western Pennsylvania Have Your Happiest and Healthiest Holiday Season Ever Stress Less This Holiday Season Year-End Tax Planning For Businesses

Photo Gallery

C O N T E N T S

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

Jim Boltz President JBoltz@PghNorthChamber.com For more information on the Chamber’s program of work, please contact:

Kristina Hall Director of Events & Programs KHall@PghNorthChamber.com Melissa Leedy Member Accounts Executive MLeedy@PghNorthChamber.com Heather Schwartzbauer Membership & Digital Media Coordinator HSchwartzbauer@PghNorthChamber.com Amy VanAtta Executive Assistant AVanAtta@PghNorthChamber.com

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From the President

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Business After Hours, Signature Events and Connections Schedules

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Members of the Month Stress Less This Holiday Season

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Have Your Happiest and Healthiest Holiday Season Ever

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18 Ideas for Marketing a Seasonal Business in the Off-Season

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Year-End Tax Planning for Businesses

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Community Connections

From the It is our members that make our Chamber great. It is through their contributions that we can accomplish so much.

Every month, we honor a member who has made major contributions to the Chamber and its members. At this time, as the year is ending, I would like to recognize our 2018 honorees one more time.

Jim Boltz, President January- Sheila Talarico, Glade Run Foundation

February- Al Marschke, BluMars Media

April- Nicky Voynick, Salem Media Group

May- Valerie Belz, Dollar Bank

June- Seth Prentice, Armstrong

September- Calvin Sales, New York Life

October- Bruce Conley, The Computer Coach

August- Amanda McCollough, Dittman Eyecare

March- Marta Greca, Media- The Creative Agency

July- Rakesh Unnithan, WesBanco Bank

November- Gary Basilone, Basilone Executive Search

These members have gone over and above sacrificing their time, resources and talents for the good of the Chamber. Their efforts benefit all Chamber members. We are fortunate to have them. To each and every one of them, again, we say THANK YOU. Page 3

B USINESS A FTER H OURS December 4 Ladies Night at The Block Northway 5:30-8:00 p.m.

The Block Northway Mall

December 11 Ugly Sweaters, Holiday Lights & HYPE 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Fun Fore All, Houlihan’s

E VENTS Holiday Social Thursday, December 20 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Mayernik Center at Avonworth Community Park 498 Camp Horne Road Pittsburgh, PA 15202 Business After Hours SHOWCASE Tuesday, January 15 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Atria’s Richland 5517 William Flynn Highway Gibsonia, PA 15044

M ARKETPLACE L UNCH M EETINGS December 5 Monte Cello’s at The Hampton Shoppes 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., 4655 William Flynn Highway Route 8, Allison Park January 28 Family Bowlaway Fun Center 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

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 Valencia: Fridays, 7:30 a.m.

The Crystal Conservatories, 100 Conservatories Court

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2018 B OARD

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D IRECTORS

E XECUTIVE C OMMITTEE Ann Gatty, Ph.D. – Board Chair Strategic People Solutions Philip J. Scolieri, J.D.– Chair-Elect Scolieri Law Group, P.C. Andrew Chiapusio—Vice-Chair First National Bank John Tubridy—Past Chair Franchise Network of Pittsburgh Gregg Hill—Foundation Chair Dollar Bank Lisa Hunt—Treasurer USX Federal Credit Union Kim Yerace—Secretary Petroleum Technical Services, LLC Jim Boltz—President Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

B OARD

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D IRECTORS

Tracy Armstrong, North Pittsburgh Greeting Company Gary Basilone, Basilone Executive Search & Staffing Ryan Breen J.D., Breen Law Firm, LLC Steven W. Diffenderfer, Community Bank Todd Harris, Liberty Insurance Agency Jim Logan, Pgh Repair LLC Al Marschke, ACN Business Essentials

Alyssa Marsico, Alzheimer’s Association Tiffany Nolan, i.e. Insurance Robert O’Friel, Luttner Financial Group Mark Prentice, Healthy Environments, LLC Jan Stevens, Coldwell Banker Nicky Voynick, Salem Media Group

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PNRC Members “As a departing valued member of the board I personally would like to thank you for your contribution and guidance and support of the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber. Your presence will be missed and we all hope that you will remain very active with continued support of the chamber,� said Dr. Ann Gatty, PNRC Board Chair.

Lisa Hunt, USX Federal Credit Union

Lisa has been on the Board of Directors since 2013 where she has served as Board Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. She also has volunteered her services to numerous committees including finance, executive, nominating, strategic planning, events and HYPE. Al Marschke, BluMars Media

Al has been on the Board since 2015. He has served on the marketing, membership and nominating committees. Al has also provided media content for a number of our events.

PghNorthChamber.com

December 2018

Todd Harris, Liberty Insurance

Todd has been on the Board since 2010. He has served on and been chair of the facilities and nominating committees.

Ryan Breen, Breen Law Firm

Ryan has served on the Board since 2015. He has been chair of the legislative and economic development committee. page 5

Stress Less This Holiday Season By: Amanda Becker, Appleseed Events The Holidays can be such a joyful, happy and peaceful time! It’s a time to celebrate with the ones we love, and a time for Christmas cheer, right?! The holidays can be a stressful time as well. We have longer to-do lists, there seems to be more traffic everywhere, and the calendar is busier than normal.

Some of us host holiday parties, whether they be personal or professional, or a little of both. Sometimes this extra thing on the calendar, the extra things to get at the store, and the extra items on our to-do list make holiday party planning a little stressful. Did you know that Event Coordinator was rated the #5 Most Stressful Job by CBSNews in 2018?

Here are a few of my suggestions for you to Stress Less About Party Planning this Holiday Season: 1. Start early! This will help your budget, your sanity, and your guests. Select a date and decide your priorities. Are you inviting your clients in addition to your employees? Family friendly or adults only? Formal or casual? Answer some basic questions as early as possible.

2. Delegate wisely! Do you have time to bake Christmas cookies? Do you dread decorating? Do you want to cook? Do you have the energy to send out invitations? Do you want to be serving food and emptying trash cans during the party? Don't feel like you have to do it all. There may be others in your office that would love to help. If everyone else’s plates are too full, there are plenty of professionals that you could hire for catering, cleaning, invitation design, on-site event help, serving, bartending, decorating, etc.. Think of it this wayyou are helping another small business by taking something off your own plate.

3. Consider breaking tradition! Sometimes we can get all wrapped up in the tradition and the “way we’ve always done it,” and forget about the reason that we are doing it in the first place. Though there is value in tradition, sometimes this can cause more stress than anything else. We force ourselves to host the same type of party with the same insane amount of food with the same very long guest list, and we end up driving ourselves crazy. Do you always host a formal dinner party? Consider changing it up this year, and hosting an informal brunch instead. Do you always have the party at your home?

Consider going out this year, so you won’t have to cook or go nuts cleaning the house. Chances are, the fact that you are breaking tradition will bother you more than anyone else. Sometimes we need to break tradition in order to start new ones.

4. Keep it simple and focus on the reason for the season! Focus on making your party hospitable, and full of joy. After all, that's what this season is all about! Enjoy the time with the people around you, and practice gratitude. That attitude will be felt by your guests, and will mean more than any fancy charcuterie board or themed Christmas tree. Celebrate the year, and look forward to the year ahead. Time is precious, and sometimes time is the greatest gift that we can give. Enjoy the time with your family and friends.

About the Author: Amanda Becker is the owner of Appleseed Events and has close to 10 years of experience with events including creative direction to promotion, to registering attendees and acquiring sponsors, to creating timelines and coordinating with vendors, to maximizing income and minimizing expenses, to following up with attendees. Most of her years of event planning have been spent fundraising in the nonprofit industry, but she has consistently worked with local business leaders as well. Amanda enjoys working with people, and is exceptional at leading and organizing people. Named the 2015 Young Professional of the Year by the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber, Amanda has an extensive network of local contacts, and excels at connecting people to others to help them reach their goals. Appleseed Events is located in Valencia, PA and works with clients all over the Pittsburgh region. Events are like appleseeds. Though they may seem insignificant, when cared for properly, they provide plenty of fruit!

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com

July 2017

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Have Your Happiest and Healthiest Holiday Season Ever By: Janet McKee, Sana View It is possible to experience a truly joyful holiday, which is the intended original meaning behind the season. The meaning, however, gets buried amongst all of the commercial hype and pressure to create some mythical “perfect” holiday for you and your loved ones. Well, what would a perfect holiday really be like? All of this depends on you deciding what is most important to you. Maybe it is one where you have extra free time to be relaxed and rested and you find yourself filled with joy and love and sharing that positive energy with others. If that is your priority, then it is easy to make it a reality this season.

For the fun of it, I looked up the true definition of holiday. Much to my surprise, this is what I found: 

The definition of holiday: A day of festivity or recreation when no work is done.

Wait a minute, a day when no work is done? Since when do the holidays mean no work?

In order to make everything perfect like the commercials, it takes a ton of work and stress etc. Then, after the holidays are over, we are not rested (from doing no work) but instead we are tired and in debt and in need of a detox diet to try to lose all the weight we gained and get our energy back.

I realized that the holidays bring about the syndrome of too much and not enough.

What causes holiday burn out?

The Syndrome of Too Much: 1. Doing too much – by trying to make everything perfect.

2. Eating and drinking too much (of the wrong foods and drinks).

3. Spending too much time with people that you have difficulty getting along with. Practice thinking more positive thoughts about that person or about how your time with them will be. Better thinking creates better outcomes for everyone. Give it a try!

4. Spending too much money. Overspending can cause stress after the holidays for months to come as you try to pay down the debt of huge credit card bills from overzealous attempts to make others happy.

The Syndrome of Not Enough: 1. Not enough rest 2. Not enough of eating healthy foods and drinking fresh filtered or spring water 3. Not enough exercise 4. Not enough time spent with those you truly care about or possibly you find yourself alone for the holidays So how can you reduce holiday stress and exhaustion and increase the feelings of holiday joy and vitality? It’s actually simple. Try deciding what your true priorities are for the holidays. Keep it simple. I do believe sometimes in the statement that less is more. By simplifying, you will have more time to relax or spend time doing the things that truly bring you joy and joy is what you want to feel and share with others. You can enjoy the holidays in the fullest way possible by not overfilling your to-do list.

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Have Your Happiest and Healthiest Holiday Season Ever (Continued from Page 8) By: Janet McKee, Sana View How to do it: 1. Write down your intentions of what you want to experience this holiday season. Get descriptive about how you want to feel both emotionally and physically. This will help you to gain clarity on what is most important to you.

2. Set your priorities based on your intentions.

3. Create a basic plan that gives you goals of completion and timelines.

4. Create a spending budget.

5. Eliminate low priority tasks that you just don’t have time to complete 6. Learn to say no and learn to delegate.

7. Get plenty of rest.

8. Eat lots of healthy fruits and veggies.

9. Drink plenty of water.

10. Get some exercise, preferably outside – even if it is cold. Getting outside to experience some daylight is key for avoiding seasonal affective disorder.

11. Do something truly nice for someone or volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. If you are feeling down or alone during the holidays, then doing things for others in need will greatly boost your spirits and provide fulfilling interactions.

12. Remember to breath! Deep breathing exercises throughout the day will help to keep you calm and thinking clearly.

Janet McKee, Speaker, Best-Selling Author, Success Coach and CEO of SanaView, is on a mission to inspire and teach you ways to Embrace a Better Life. Learn many incredible ways to live a More Successful Life by visiting Janet’s site at www.sanaview.com.

Member Accolades Dittman EyeCare Voted #1 in Butler!

Congratulations to Dittman EyeCare for being voted Butler’s #1 Best in the Vision Care category.

Dittman was also a Gold Award Winner for Best Optical Store and Best Optometrist/EyeCare.

Dr. Dan Turo on Soar to Success Grab yourself a copy of “Soar to Success” magazine and you’ll see Dr. Dan Turo on the cover! Congratulations to Dr. Dan for making his debut and sharing healthy habits and information about Turo Family Chiropractic.

Franklin Inn Celebrates 40 Years!

Congratulations to Franklin Inn Mexican Restaurant for celebrating 40 years in business! What a great accomplishment and wonderful food! Here’s to 40 more!

Have an accolade to share? Email Kristina with any exciting news your business celebrates!

PghNorthChamber.com

December 2018

18 Ideas for Marketing a Seasonal Business in the Off-Season By: Rieva Lesonsky, Guest Blogger (U.S. Small Business Administration) Does your business rely on seasonal customers? Whether you own a surf school, a patio furniture store or an ice cream shop, you know how slow business can get during the off-season. Try these marketing ideas to keep customers engaged (and buying) all year long.

1. Offer off-season specials. There’s a reason desert resorts slash prices when it’s super cold or hot. Reducing prices during the off-season is the easiest way to attract customers. Try holding a “flash sale” or one-day sale. Nothing sparks spending like a really limited time offer!

2. Upsell and cross-sell existing customers. Reach out to existing customers to offer them special packages for next season, or products and services to get them ready for next season.

3. Promote early payment specials. To keep cash coming in, try offering discounts for early payments for next season. For example, if you run a children’s summer camp that starts in June, you could offer a discount to parents who sign up pay in full by April 1.

4. Hold a giveaway or contest. People might not be ready to buy surf lessons in January—but they would still be open to winning them. Use a contest to collect email addresses and get permission to send emails to the entrants. You’ll build your list of leads for the busy season.

5. Work on getting referrals. Contact satisfied customers and ask them to refer you to someone else who might want your service or product. You can offer a reward for referrals, such as a discount coupon or a gift card.

6. Grow your online reviews. Ask past customers to review your business online. Make it easy by emailing them a link so all they have to do is click and type. Then be sure to pay attention to your reviews and deal with any negative ones.

7. Hold an event for your loyal customers. Build goodwill by rewarding your seasonal customers with a fun event. It could be a preview of next season’s offerings (with the option to buy early at special prices) or just a party to thank them for their business.

8. Market a different product or service. For example, a lawn care business could offer snow removal services in the winter. An ice cream store could add hot coffee drinks or hot chocolate to the menu.

9. Target a new geographic market. If your seasonal business is weather-related, use the off-season to reach a new market with different weather. For example, if you sell patio furniture in Boston, you could ride out the slow season by expanding to Florida.

10. Target a new demographic market. When the tourist season slows down, a bed and breakfast owner could promote their location as a site for business offsite meetings or church retreats.

11. Switch from consumer to corporate. If you have a consumer-oriented business, try targeting corporate customers during your off-season. For instance, a food truck owner could look for corporate catering jobs or find trade shows and events where they can set up a food booth.

12. Partner with local businesses. If your business is in a tourist area so everyone is in the same boat during the off-season, put your heads together. Work with other local business owners and the chamber of commerce to brainstorm ideas for marketing the town as a destination during the off-season.

13. Focus on local customers. If you’re in a tourist town, hold a blowout sale for local residents to clear out last season’s merchandise. They’ll enjoy the savings without the in-season crowds.

14. Educate your customers. What can you teach customers to help them make the most of your products or services? If you hold sailing classes during the warmer months, for example, you could offer boat maintenance classes during the winter.

15. Find out what your customers want. Is there a product or service that your seasonal customers frequently ask for that you don’t offer? If not, conduct a customer survey and see what other products or services customers are interested in, then do some market research on the feasibility of adding them.

16. Focus on low- or no-cost marketing methods. Your sales will be slower and your budget smaller in the offseason, so concentrate on marketing channels that require more time than money, such as social media, public relations and email marketing.

17. Find out what your customers want. Is there a product or service that your seasonal customers frequently ask for that you don’t offer? If not, conduct a customer survey and see what other products or services customers are interested in, then do some market research on the feasibility of adding them.

18. Create your marketing plan for the coming season. You’ll have more downtime during the off-season. Use it to fine-tune your marketing plan for the next season and take care of marketing projects you don’t have time for when you’re busy, such as redesigning your business website or finding a freelancer to help with marketing.

For more information, click here.

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6 Tips to Grow Your Small Business During the Holiday Season By: Ariele Krantzow, OnDeck Here are 6 ideas for you to prepare and grow your small business during the Holiday Season: 1) Set Sales Goals You can’t know what you need to prepare for the holiday season without knowing your goals. Sit down with your trusted team members and carve out goals for hitting different targets along the way from now until the end of the year. Define your goals as the minimum goals you need to reach, your expected goals, and your stretch goals. Don’t only define these goals in terms of revenue. Add any other goals you may have such as customer engagement and social media following.

2) Create a Holiday-Focused Marketing Campaign Use our holiday-crazed society as a benefit to your business. We’re programmed to LOVE holidays, especially the present buying season. Don’t be shy about it, let your target audience know that you have what they need and since you’re a small business, you actually care about them, so you’ll do it better than the big guys.

3) Make a Plan to Stock Up on Extra Inventory You’ve done your best to anticipate the crowds, their needs, and be prepared, but was it enough? Make sure you have a plan to purchase extra inventory quickly if your holiday sales are better than expected.

4) Decorate Your Windows and Store Even the “grinches” of the world secretly love the holidays, and they’ll love coming into your festive store. Take some time to decorate your storefront for the season. It’ll draw the eyes of passersby and bring them in. We know you don’t have the budget of Macy’s or Tiffany’s, but a bit of holiday cheer will help your bottom line. Here are a few tips on decorating your storefront.

5) Train Your Seasonal Employees You know you’ll be busier than usual this holiday season, so you hired a couple of extra employees. Invest your time and train them properly. Even though you may not see its worth now, the better their training, the better experience your customers will have, and the less stressed you’ll be about an unexpected rush.

6) Invest in New Software Have you been eyeing new software? Whether you’re in need of updated bookkeeping, inventory tracking, or employee management systems. The holidays are busy enough, buy yourself this early holiday gift and enjoy the perks of your business run smoother and spend more time with your family, friends, or alone with some peace & quiet.

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Tipsy Turkey Trot

The Chamber hosted a progressive business-afterhours on Tuesday, November 13. Participating locations included Jergel's Rhythm Grille, Bakn, House of 1000 Beers and Stack'd. Attendees enjoyed drink specials, appetizers and networking! A courtesy shuttle was provided between stops by Star Limousine.

Thank you to our 70+ attendees and participating locations.

Giving Tree Celebration

The Chamber was excited to celebrate with local charities during our annual Giving Tree Celebration on Friday, November 30. We presented gifts to Glade Run Lutheran Services, Lutheran Senior Life, Mars Home for Youth, North Hills Community Outreach, Once Upon A Hero, Pittsburgh Mercy, The Lighthouse Foundation, and Victim Outreach Intervention Center (VOICe).

Year-End Tax Planning for Businesses There are a number of end of year tax planning strategies that businesses can use to reduce their tax burden for 2018. Here are a few of them:

ADVERTORIAL

Deferring Income Businesses using the cash method of accounting can defer income into 2019 by delaying end-of-year invoices, so payment is not received until 2019. Businesses using the accrual method can defer income by postponing delivery of goods or services until January 2019.

Purchase New Business Equipment Section 179 Expensing. Business should take advantage of Section 179 expensing this year for a couple of reasons. First, is that in 2018 businesses can elect to expense (deduct immediately) the entire cost of most new equipment up to a maximum of $1 million for the first $2.5 million of property placed in service by December 31, 2018. Keep in mind that the Section 179 deduction cannot exceed net taxable business income. The deduction is phased out dollar for dollar on amounts exceeding the $2.5 million threshold and eliminated above amounts exceeding $3.5 million.

Caution: The new law removes computer or peripheral equipment from the definition of listed property.

This change applies to property placed in service after December 31, 2017.

Tax reform legislation also expanded the definition of Section 179 property to allow the taxpayer to elect to include certain improvements made to nonresidential real property after the date when the property was first placed in service (see below). These changes apply to property placed in service in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017.

1. Qualified improvement property, which means any improvement to a building's interior. However, improvements do not qualify if they are attributable to:  the enlargement of the building  any elevator or escalator or  the internal structural framework of the building.

2. Roofs, HVAC, fire protection systems, alarm systems and security systems.

Bonus Depreciation. Businesses are allowed to immediately deduct 100% of the cost of eligible property placed in service after September 27, 2017, and before January 1, 2023, after which it will be phased downward over a four-year period: 80% in 2023, 60% in 2024, 40% in 2025, and 20% in 2026.

Qualified Property Qualified property is defined as property that you placed in service during the tax year and used predominantly (more than 50 percent) in your trade or business. Property that is placed in service and then disposed of in that same tax year does not qualify, nor does property converted to personal use in the same tax year it is acquired.

Note: Many states have not matched these amounts and, therefore, state tax may not allow for the maximum federal deduction. In this case, two sets of depreciation records will be needed to track the federal and state tax impact.

If you plan to purchase business equipment this year, consider the timing. You might be able to increase your tax benefit if you buy equipment at the right time. Here's a simplified explanation: Conventions. The tax rules for depreciation include "conventions" or rules for figuring out how many months of depreciation you can claim. There are three types of conventions. To select the correct convention, you must know the type of property and when you placed the property in service.

To continue reading more of this article regarding year-ends tax planning for businesses, click here.

The Chamber was pleased to welcome Blaze Pizza to The Block Northway on Thursday, November 15. Try out their delicious pizza! They are located at 8011 McKnight Road in the lower level of The Block.

The Chamber was excited to celebrate a ribbon cutting and open house at The Lighthouse Foundation’s new location on Thursday, November 15. They are now located at 116 Browns Hill Road in Valencia.

Ribbon Cuttings

The Chamber is very fortunate to celebrate the grand openings of new businesses into our growing region. On behalf of our members and Board of Directors, welcome!

The Chamber was excited to celebrate a Grand Opening with Just in Thyme Catering on Monday, November 19. Stop by to check out the beautiful event space! They are located at 5316 William Flynn Highway, Suite 203 in Gibsonia.

The Chamber was excited to celebrate a ribbon cutting ceremony with Amy’s Embroidery and Much More on Thursday, November 29. Head on in to see their expanded services! They are located at 20325 Route 19, Unit 8 in Cranberry!

Community Connections will provide the latest updates from our municipality partners.

Stay up-to-date on what is happening in the areas that you live and work in.

Cranberry Township New bus service added to Pittsburgh

Commuters to Pittsburgh now have a new transit option. Starting October 1, the Butler Transit Authority began offering express coach service from the Park ‘n Ride lot on Rt. 528 near the Evans City entrance to I-79 through to the North Shore T-station, where riders can transfer for free to various downtown stops. The bus ride takes 40 minutes for a cash fare of $5. For more information, click here.

Storm Tree Only Debris Removal Cranberry Township’s Public Works Department will assist with storm tree debris removal, between Monday, December 3, through Friday, December 7. This pickup will follow the normal trash collection schedule. To ensure that tree debris is collected in the most efficient, safe, and timely manner, Cranberry Township asks residents to separate tree debris at the curbside from regular trash. For more information, click here.

Pine Township Brunch with Santa

Head to the Pine Community Center on Saturday, December 9 from 9:00-10:30 a.m. and 12:00-1:30 p.m. for a brunch with Santa! Click here for more information.

Noon Year’s Eve Celebration Don’t want to stay up until midnight to celebrate the New Year? Join Pine Community Center from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for a Noon Year’s Eve Celebration on Monday, December 31. For more information, click here.

McCandless Township WPA Model Railroad Museum display Come check out the traveling display from the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum on Wednesday, December 5 and Thursday, December 6 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage Center. Get in the holiday spirit by looking at this great display (additionally, the Heritage Center will be all dolled up for the holiday season). Click here for more information.

The Chamber helped support over

500 individuals in need this holiday season

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NexTier Bank Nonprofit Spotlight North Way Christian Community You’re invited to join us this Christmas season at North Way Christian Community! North Way is dedicated to being a church that loves people where we live, work, and play, and we gather for worship every weekend at six locations across the Pittsburgh region. Our original and largest location is in the heart of Wexford on Perry Highway. We also have campuses in Oakland, East End, Dormont, Sewickley Valley, and Beaver Valley. The church was founded in 1981 by nine couples who shared a dream of God transforming Pittsburgh with the hope of Jesus.

If you join us, you’ll find a safe place to explore your faith and to build friendships. Our worship services include a live band leading us in a few songs and one of our pastors sharing a message. We meet together for about an hour. Our North Way Kids environment (birth-5th grade) happens during the adult service. It’s safe and secure, and the kids have lots of fun! Regular weekend worship services are held at North Way Wexford (12121 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA 25090) at 5pm, Saturday and 9:15 & 11am, Sunday.

This season at North Way, we have been exploring the theme of “waiting”—our current teaching series is called Waiting on Christmas. In many ways, Christmas is about waiting. Kids open Advent calendars and count down to the holiday. Adults start shopping and hanging tinsel in early November as they dream of a white Christmas.

But the importance of waiting goes much deeper. The first Christmas was the culmination of centuries of waiting. God’s people had yearned for a king. A rescuer. A savior. And on that first Christmas, 2000 years ago, the wait was finally over.

At North Way, we’re waiting for you. We’re planning every element of our Christmas Eve services, and we truly hope you can join us at one of our six locations. We’ve been praying, preparing music and lights, decorating our spaces… all so that we can welcome you. We’ll be gathering to celebrate the fact that in more ways than one, the wait is over.

Here are our Christmas Eve service times for North Way Wexford (12121 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA, 15090).

-5pm, Saturday, December 22 -5pm, Sunday, December 23 -1, 3 & 5pm, Monday, December 24 For our other locations and service times, please visit northway.org/Christmas. We hope to see you soon. Merry Christmas!

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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

MSA - The Safety Company ARMSTRONG

Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham L.L.P.

Butler County Community College, Cranberry Center

Minuteman Press - Cranberry Coldwell Banker - Jan Stevens

Paxton Bookkeeping and Tax Services

USX Federal Credit Union General Rental Center

Polesky Agency, Scott Berney Erie Insurance

Cranberry Twp. Volunteer Fire Company

Red Clay Tile Works

Consolidated Communications

Kontos Mengine Law Group XTO Energy Inc. Fuellgraf Electric and Technical Management Associates

Cranberry Messenger Service

Wells Fargo Home MortgageRenovation Lending

Media- The Creative Agency

Lou Negley's Bottled Water Inc.

Muhlenkamp & Company, Inc.

Federated Mortgage Corp.

VOICe

Randstad

IntegraCare Corporation

Evangeline's Creative Side

Pittsburgh Plastics Manufacturing

Clean Town USA- DBA New Wave Car Wash

CalTech CFI

The Diet Doc Pittsburgh North

DQE Communications, LLC.

Heartland Payment Systems

Healthy Environments, LLC

Stryde Solutions, LLC

Peak Performance Management Mayernik Center at Avonworth Community Park

Renick Brothers Construction Co. North Pittsburgh Greeting Company

Jireh Mobile

Ambrogio and Gallo Landscaping Services, Inc.

Welcome to those who have joined!

Gallagher Home Health

Aging Alternatives-Pittsburgh

Blaze Pizza-North Hills

House of Thrift, LLC

Pillar to Post

Escape Room Sports

Edward Jones Investments-Andrew Dobies

f5 Construction Services, LLC

Pitt Cycles

Thank you for your referrals!

Judi Birch, My Elder-Pittsburgh Stephanie Copeland, GNC McCandless

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Tracy Armstrong, North Pittsburgh Greeting Company Lisa Heller, Heartland Payment Systems

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com

December 2018

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Thank you to our Valued Corporate Sponsors and Chamber Partners