Corridors October 2018

OCTOBER 2018

CORRIDORS

Serving Business Corridors in Western Pennsylvania Beware of Tricksters Bitcoin Mining

2019 Board of Directors Election Ballot 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 Heather Schwartzbauer Membership & Digital Media Coordinator HSchwartzbauer@PghNorthChamber.com Amy VanAtta Executive Assistant AVanAtta@PghNorthChamber.com Melissa Leedy Member Accounts Executive MLeedy@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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Member of the Month

Beware of Tricksters

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2019 Board of Directors Election Ballot

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Bitcoin Mining

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Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements

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Community Connections

From the There is a very recognizable positive energy that can be felt in the business community in this area that hasn’t been felt in quite a long time. New construction is everywhere.

Several new plazas have brought a multitude of new businesses to the region.

Retail stores, salons, healthcare practices, auto dealerships, banks, fitness centers, storage facilities, restaurants and residential complexes have all opened this year in the Chamber’s footprint. The PNRC has participated in over 25 ribbon cuttings so far Jim Boltz, President in 2018 with many more planned in the next couple of months.

Here are some links to a few that were posted on social media: 

GNC

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Izzazu Salon

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The Waters of Wexford

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Hand & Stone Massage

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HBKS Wealth Advisors

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Rt 228 Auto Mall

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Ashley Home Store

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Jason’s Deli

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Your Hangout Spot

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Omega FCU

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Choice Chiropractic

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Chrome FCU

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Fit Body Bootcamp

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Thrive Chiropractic

Indications of the vitality in the area are also evident in an increase in Chamber membership. The monthly average of new members is 60% ahead of last year.

The better news is that there is no indication that things are going to slow down. In Cranberry, construction has begun on the Meeder Development while Cranberry Springs and Cranberry Woods continues to expand. It is not just Cranberry, though. Allegheny Health Systems has broken ground on its new hospital in Wexford that will be adjacent to the Health and Wellness Pavilion. McCandless Crossing is expanding, Jackson Pointe is expanding and everywhere in between, expansion is evident. There are far too many examples to name them all individually.

Look out Loretta (thanks, Mike Lange), exciting things are happening in our region!

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B USINESS A FTER H OURS October 4 Houlihan’s Cranberry 20406 Rte. 19, Cranberry Twp.

October 17 Nakama Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar 10636 Perry Highway, Wexford

Business After Hours are from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

E VENTS Health and Wellness Fair Friday, October 26 Presentations from 2:00-7:00 p.m.

Ross Park Mall 1000 Ross Park Mall Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15237 Business After Hours Showcase Tuesday, October 30 5:00-7:00 p.m. ember & vine 910 Sheraton Drive Mars, PA 16046

M ARKETPLACE L UNCH M EETINGS October 3 Monte Cello’s at The Hampton Shoppes 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., 4655 William Flynn Highway Route 8, Allison Park October 22 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 James Roddey—Advisor to the Board St. Barnabas Health System

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, Ride Share Driver-UBER 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 Member Bruce Conley

The Computer Coach Jim Boltz, President PNRC, said “If we had a Lifetime Achievement Award, Bruce would receive that, too. He initiated the first Connections meeting that was the inspiration for the five a week that we conduct now. In fact, although it has been over fifteen years ago, he is still the host for the Wednesday morning meeting. It’s not just that, though. You can’t find a more dedicated member than Bruce. When we need volunteers for special events, he’s there. He supports and refers other members. We appreciate everything that he does.”

“Bruce is the perfect example of a Chamber member. He is always present, trustworthy, dependable and an expert in his industry. He builds trust with other members through his willingness to provide help & insight. He can not only fix the issue you might be having but he explains everything in an easy to understand way. He is always there to lend a hand when someone is in need, to volunteer at Chamber events, to run networking meetings and to connect others to help businesses grow. If you look up the words “chamber member” under Google images, you will surely see a picture of Bruce in his Hawaiian shirt and flashing name badge,” said Heather Schwartzbauer, Membership & Digital Media Coordinator.

Mei Tsui, Live Young International said, “Bruce Conley introduced me to visit the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber in spring 2014! I joined it right after that! He has always been contributing his service and enthusiasm to support other Chamber members. He is a good friend and a great business partner to have in the community. Congratulations to Bruce for being named the October member of the month!”

PghNorthChamber.com

October 2018

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Beware of Tricksters By: Kyle Knapp, Viterium LLC October is upon us, and with it the fun tradition of Halloween Trick or Treating. Children dress up in playful costumes to pretend to be something they are not, knock on the door, and make the offer of “Trick or Treat”. This fun tradition has been practiced for over 100 years. More recently, in 2003 to be precise, October was designated as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. So, it is appropriate to discuss a more recent phenomena with striking similarities to the Halloween tradition, but intended for much more sinister purposes: Cyber fraud through Social Engineering. Attackers use many methods to pretend to be something else and lead with the “trick” before stealing or extorting their “treat”.

Scams in many forms are nothing new and have been practiced by criminals throughout history. What is new, and makes the practice that much more prevalent in our daily lives, is the current state of 24/7 connectivity through the Internet. The web, e-mail, and social media platforms have brought everyone closer and more connected than ever before. Unfortunately, this isn’t just limited to friends and family. Scammers now have easier access to potential victims at any time and any place. These scams come from many sources. You may receive a direct call claiming to be from Microsoft technical support or a pop up ad from a web site with a dire warning that your computer has a virus and you should call the displayed number immediately. A “tech support representative” will then ask you to go to a web site to give them remote control so they can provide a “free” assessment, which invariably ends with the conclusion that you are indeed infected and should provide a credit card to pay them to “fix” the problem. In fact, there was likely no problem to begin with and the end result is that they gained access to all of the information on your computer and probably also installed software to give them access to your computer at any time later. While there are legitimate services that provide remote support, any service you may be using that has the ability to detect a problem with your computer will be able to fix the problem without you having to call them and give them access. If you do think there is a legitimate problem and want to ask for help, go to a web site you trust or talk to an IT professional. Above all, make sure that any phone number you call is an official tech support number, either by visiting the web site of a company you know or at least running a Google search of the number to ensure it is associated with that company.

Phishing e-mails are another popular scam technique. These are designed to look like an official notice from a well known entity, such as a bank, with some kind of warning that you need to take action along with a link to click on or a file attachment to open. Clicking this link will either take you to a web site made to look like the real thing or directly download a virus onto your computer. If you enter your login information into a fake web site like this, your login credentials will be recorded and the attacker can then access your real account. You may not even know this is happening, because in many cases you just get a notice that your username or password were incorrect, then your browser is redirected to the real site so that it works when you try again. At first glance, it is very hard to distinguish a phishing e-mail from one that is legitimate. There are many free training resources on the web or you can ask an IT professional to help you learn what to look for. In any case, the best defense is to avoid opening attachments you aren’t expecting and clicking on links sent to you via e-mail. To see if there truly is a problem, type the address of the site you want to go to directly in a web browser and log in that way. If you don’t see any notices in your account, then you know the e-mail was a fake.

These are just two of the methods by which scammers are using Social Engineering tactics to steal your personal or business information. While there are technological solutions that can help reduce the threats, continuing education and awareness are the first, and best, line of defense.

Have a safe and happy Halloween this October, and remember to stay vigilant for the “tricks” that can steal your “treats”.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com

July 2017

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PghNorthChamber.com

October 2018

Candidates for Re-Election

Nominee Profiles Tracy Armstrong is the owner and operator of North Pittsburgh Greeting Company, the area’s premier welcome wagon service. Tracy has been in this industry for fourteen years. She has extensive knowledge of the area as a lifelong resident of Cranberry Township. Tracy has been involved with the community since childhood. After college she realized her entrepreneurial spirit and started a pet care service. She volunteered with the local MOM's Club and was President for three (3) years. Currently volunteering on the Board of Managers for the Butler County YMCA and has served on the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber Board of Directors. Tracy also serves on the Chamber’s Ambassador and HYPE committees. In 2016, Tracy received the Chamber’s Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Tracy resides in Cranberry Township with her husband Curtis and son Logan. Tracy would enjoy the opportunity to continue to serve on the PNRC Board of Directors.

Steven W. Diffenderfer was born and raised in Pittsburgh where he attended Clarion University of PA and earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting. He started his Banking career in 1992 with PNC. He is currently a Commercial Lender with Community Bank. His experience has mainly been with helping small to medium size businesses throughout the metro area. In 1999, he moved to the Cranberry/Mars area and has been serving the local community there since. He believes his personal and professional experience continue to make him a valuable asset to the Board and the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber.

Gregg Hill- My career spans over four decades, bringing experience in banking and financial services. I’m also a Pennsylvania licensed title insurance agent. I not only contribute as a leader, relationship builder, product developer and goal setter, but my caring spirit has been recognized for providing over 10 years of service to the Board of Directors of Campus Life/Youth for Christ, helping at risk youth. Additionally, I serve on the PNRC Board, Executive Board, as chairman of the PNRC Educational Foundation, and as chairman of the Community Outreach Committee. My wife Jayne and I just celebrated our 43rd anniversary. If elected, my vision for the PNRC is to grow the membership and empower new members by showing them how their investment will pay immeasurable dividends.

Candidates for Election

Elizabeth Blakely is the owner of Link to Visibility, LLC, a strategic marketing and web design firm. She believes in using her experience in marketing, web development, information organization, and project management to guide clients through the marketing and internet wilderness. She has worked with a wide variety of clients in both the profit and non-profit sectors, from multinational technology firms to entrepreneurs. Elizabeth shares her experience and skills by serving on the Chamber’s Marketing Committee and is an active member of the PNRC. Elizabeth holds a master’s degree in Information and Library Sciences from the University of Michigan and bachelor’s degree in American History from the University of Pennsylvania. She minored in Art History. She has lived in Cranberry Township with her husband, 2 kids and assorted pets since 2007.

Lisa Heller is a native of Pittsburgh that has the passion to help businesses grow and thrive. Her twenty-five plus years of entrepreneurial success of owning a retail business has provided her with the necessary tools and experience to mentor and advise other business leaders. When she is not partnering with local commerce in her financial advisor role with Heartland, Lisa can be found enjoying her family or volunteering within the community. As a long-term advocate of the benefits of the Chamber, Lisa is thrilled and appreciative about the opportunity to roll up her sleeves and make many significant contributions in this capacity.

Joanne Kelly - I am the Branch Manager of Northwest Bank, Wexford office. I have lived in the North Hills since 1975 and am a graduate of North Allegheny High School. I have over 35 years of banking experience helping individuals and small business's plan for their future. I am a spouse and proud mother of two wonderful daughters. I am very committed to my faith and community. I have served on several boards and have volunteered diligently to help raise funds for both the Arthritis and Northland Public Library Foundations.

Wayne Roller has been the North Hills COG Director for 25 + years.

Wayne has been active in the initiation and success of a number of programs involving joint bidding and purchasing, equipment sharing, unfunded mandate compliance, and State and Federal grant administration. Previously he was appointed Exec. V.P. of the Altoona Economic Development Corp., a public/private partnership, and Director of Enterprise Zone Initiatives. He possesses considerable experience with new housing and commercial construction, the adaptive re-use of re-purposed buildings, and historic preservation. Wayne also served as Asst. Director of Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Upon graduation from IUP, with a Degree in Regional Planning and a minor in political science, he was the City Planner for the City of Williamsport. Wayne is a resident of Allison Park, in the Town of McCandless. He is the father of two adult daughters.

Cynthia Stirling – My current role is Business Development expert for Strawberry Ridge Golf Course. My multi-state financial career has spanned 22 years in various roles of responsibility that have afforded me opportunities to be involved in the community. In Lyon, France I was a member of AVF (Accueil Des Villes Francaise). In Herndon, Virginia I served on the Board of FATE (Foundation for Applied Technical Education) as 2nd Vice President, and on the Committee for the branding of the Town of Herndon. I enjoy helping others to succeed and in each and every position, I strive to be a voice for others.

Rakesh Unnithan is the Banking Center Manager for Wesbanco Bank Cranberry. He is a results-driven customer service professional with a progressive management career in the banking, financial services & mortgage industries. Rakesh is skilled at developing and executing targeted business initiatives that drive customer growth, achieve sales objectives, and enhance bottom-line profits. A highly effective communicator and team leader, Rakesh has a proven ability to build longterm relationships with internal and external customers by establishing a high level of confidence and trust. Visionary leader with a keen Kathleen Kuznicki is a registered Patent Attorney with The Lynch Law understanding of business priorities and demonstrated expertise in Group, LLC, working with clients solving their intellectual property rapidly advancing business goals to revenue-producing activities. He needs. I am active in our community as a member of two local Cranberry enjoys helping the PNRC through networking, volunteering, supporting Township Toastmasters’ clubs (having held officer positions in both clubs) the PNRC social media presence, and sponsoring events. Rakesh also has and as a member/instructor at the Millvale Sportsmen’s Club in Wexford. served on the Membership and Legislative and Economic Committees for the PNRC since 2017.

I have a passion for learning, educating, and mentoring. As a member of the Board, I would use that passion to help strengthen our business community by building relationships and by promoting the exceptional opportunities that our Chamber offers for the benefit of individuals and businesses.

Bitcoin Mining By: Michael Hemy, CompuWiz, Inc. Cryptocurrencies are not just a buzzword anymore. After the recent significant market changes in value both up and down, everyone wants to have bitcoins or any of the other cryptocurrencies that are popping like mushrooms after a rain. So where can you get them? One way is to buy them either with cash or with paypal or with credit cards that have not yet banned cryptocurrency purchases. Another way to obtain them is to sell products or services and get paid in cryptocurrencies. There is also a third way: mining.

Mining is a process through which transactions are verified and added to a public ledger, known as the block chain. This is a complex computational problem that is necessary in order to provide guaranteed accuracy and independently verified data about the validity of all transactions. Since cryptocurrencies are not issued by governments or other financial institutions, transaction verification and hence decentralized mining form the DNA of these currencies. The inventors of the block-chain algorithm decided to reward miners with a fraction of the cryptocurrency for every transaction verified, and if you are willing to allocate computational power, you can start accumulating your own (fractions of) bitcoins.

Here is where it gets interesting. In the gold rush era you needed a shovel, time and luck. In our crypto-currency era you need a computer, time and… electricity. If you already have a computer like most people do, then your only cost is electricity. It is therefore trivial that if your utilities bill to mine a bitcoin is lower than the value of the bitcoin at the time mined – you can turn a profit. So let’s do some simple math: the value of a bitcoin as of September 17th 2018 is about $6,260. That is still more than the average utility bill to mine a bitcoin in the US which is $4,758 (cointelegraph / The future of money ). At 12cents per Kilowatt-hour that translates into 39,650 Kilowatt-hours. If you dedicated your (average) computer just to mining for 16 hours a day (assuming the rest of the 8 hours you are doing productive work), then your average yearly consumption (just for mining) would be 1,200 Kilowatt-hours. It follows that you will need 25 years to mine one bitcoin. That is not very enticing, but if you had 25 computers, due to the distributed nature of the computation, you could do it in one year.

Better yet, if you had 1000 computers you could mine 40 bitcoins in a year. Your profit according to today’s value would be roughly $60,000. (*) I get it- it is still not enticing… Do you really want to maintain 1000 computers just to make $60,000 a year? Probably not. But, what if you could mine 40 bitcoins using someone else’s computers and electricity? That is much more lucrative as you would make $250,000! This is where opportunists/hackers get in the picture. The idea is simple: plant mining software on as many computers as possible and have them do the work and report back to the opportunist/hacker. It would have to be done in an inconspicuous way such as not to alert the user that their computer is being used. That is easy enough to accomplish by throttling the mining process to not use more than 50% resources, and can easily be compensated for by throwing more computers and even cellphones into the mix, and this is exactly what is happening…

Guess what: that free game app you downloaded, that coupon app or that website you just visited? They may have a mining component embedded in them that uses your resources behind your back. And oh by the way, not all of them are behind your back. Some will notify you in one way or another that you are agreeing to have your device used for mining, maybe to support that free service you are getting. In our haste to get what we are looking for we mostly overlook those agreements and are quick to click OK and agree on almost anything that pops up on our screen. The result is always the same: you have now volunteered your device to be part of a huge network helping someone else mine cryptocurrencies. Here is the thing: it is NOT illegal if you have been notified. But even if you were not notified, it is not harmful, so these mining software cannot be considered viruses. They are definitely also not ransomware or spyware because they don’t spy on you and they don’t request a ransom.

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Bitcoin Mining (Continued from Page 10) By: Michael Hemy, CompuWiz, Inc. For the reasons above most AntiVirus and AntiMalware products do not yet search or detect mining software. However the effects in loss of productivity can already be seen as more users are reporting computers that are reduced to a crawl or cellphones that are overheating. With cellphones the longterm effect can be reduced battery life, and with any device that is constantly overworked, the risk of failure is increased.

Most of these ill-effects can be avoided by adding mining avoidance to your global protection strategy, which should already include protection from viruses, malware, spyware and ransomware. Your IT specialist should be able to analyze your computer usage, determine any risks and provide recommendations for blocking mining based on your usage patterns. Alternatively, if you are the owner of a company that has multiple computers and your rent already includes utilities you may be interested in making double-duty use of those computers for some extra profit.

About the Author: Michael Hemy is President of CompuWiz inc, providing security solutions and IT support to companies for the past 22 years. Hemy was a research scientist at Yale University and CMU and has provided consulting to companies both nationally and internationally. (*) Actual numbers will vary based among many additional factors that were not mentioned such as the computational strength of your PC and the Mining Difficulty Factor which determines how hard it is to mine one block of bitcoin.

Member Accolade Marie Sales Photography Congratulations to Marie Sales Photography for being awarded the Bronze Merits at The Portrait Masters awards in the Contemporary, Creative, and Teen/Senior categories. Your work is something to be very proud of!

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Picnic in the Parking Lot

The Chamber, in partnership with Grand Canyon University, hosted a Picnic in the Parking Lot on Friday, August 31 at the Chamber Headquarters in Wexford. We were happy to launch the Scholarship Program GCU has exclusive to Chamber members and their employees! GCU offers 100% online courses, taking one at a time to accommodate your schedule.

Contact Russell Graham to learn more about this great Chamber member benefit!

Taste of Cranberry & Beyond

The Chamber’s Annual Taste of Cranberry & Beyond was held on Monday, September 24 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cranberry. Attendees enjoyed unlimited samples from over 25 regional restaurants, entertainment from LYRA and prizes! This year even featured a Kids Zone, sponsored by Guardian Protection Services. John Marshall Catering took home the award for “Best Dish” voted on by all guests in attendance. A special thanks to Ten Four Social for planning a great event!

Photos courtesy of Philip Sam, Ten Four Social.

Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements Small employer HRAs or QSEHRAs (Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements) allow small businesses without group health plans to set aside money, tax-free, for employees to use toward medical expenses--including the cost of buying health insurance. Here's what you need to know about QSEHRAs.

ADVERTORIAL

Background Included in the 21st Century Cures Act enacted by Congress on December 13, 2016, was a provision for QSEHRAs, which permit an eligible employer to provide a qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement (QSEHRA), which is not a group health plan and thus is not subject to the requirements that apply to group health plans. QSEHRAs must meet several criteria such as:  the arrangement is funded solely by an eligible employer, and no salary reduction contributions may be made under the arrangement;  the arrangement generally is provided on the same terms to all eligible employees of the employer;  the arrangement provides, after the employee provides proof of coverage, for the payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by the employee or the employee's family members; and  the amount of the payments and reimbursements for any year do not exceed $4,950 for employeeonly arrangements or $10,000 for arrangements that provide for payments and reimbursements of expenses of family members. These amounts are adjusted for inflation annually for tax years after 2016. For 2018, the maximum dollar amount for employee-only arrangements is $5,050 ($4,950 in 2017). The maximum dollar amount for arrangements that provide for payments and reimbursements for expenses of family members is $10,250 ($10,050 in 2017).

Which Employers Qualify?

Any small employer from a startup to a nonprofit that doesn't offer a group health plan is able to set up a QSEHRA as long as they meet certain rules (see below). Small employers are defined as an employer that is not an applicable large employer (ALE). An applicable large employer is defined as one that employs more than 50 full-time workers, including full-time equivalent employees, on average.

Tip: If a small employer currently offers a group health plan but wants to set up a QSEHRA, the group health plan must be canceled before the QSEHRA will start.

Are there any other Rules?

Yes. One of the most important rules is that in order for employees to participate in a QSEHRA, they must have health insurance that meets minimum essential coverage. That is, indemnity, short-term health insurance, and faith-based insurance plans (e.g., Liberty HealthShare) do not qualify. Health insurance plans purchased through the Marketplace meet this qualification. Employers may choose whether to reimburse employees for both medical expenses and health insurance premiums or just premiums.

Furthermore, while there are no minimum monthly contribution limits, there is an annual maximum contribution limit. For 2018, the limit is $420 per month for individuals and $854 per month for families.

Note: QSEHRAs are funded entirely by the employer. As such, employees are prohibited from making contributions.

For more information on these Health Reimbursement Arrangements, visit http://thinkholsinger.com/newsletter/#1

The Chamber was excited to celebrate the opening of Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa on Tuesday, September 11. Treat yourself to a relaxing experience! They are located at 1713 Route 228 Suite A in Cranberry.

The Chamber was pleased to welcome The Waters of Wexford into the area on Thursday, September 13. The Waters is a Senior Living Community that was built in Warrendale. They are located at 210 Fowler Road.

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 Izzazu Salon, Spa & Blowout Bar on Thursday, September 13. Stop by for an amazing experience! They are located at 101 Fowler Road Penthouse A in Warrendale.

The Chamber was excited to celebrate a reopening with GNC on Friday, September 21.

Stop by for some great products for all ages!

They are located at 8876 Covenant Ave in McCandless Crossing.

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 We’re Building a New Playground!

Join approximately 200 volunteers from Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania Municipal League, and KaBOOM! as they build a new playground on Thursday, October 4 from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm at North Boundary Park. For more information and to help volunteer, click here.

New grocery acquires liquor license

It’s hard to be competitive in the cutthroat grocery business these days without the ability to sell beer and wine. So, to keep up with the competition, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, which has stores in 11 mostly mid-western states, has leased the space that formerly housed HH Gregg at Cranberry Commons Mall. The store plans a 32-seat café inside where alcohol will be sold. Click here for more information.

Pine Township Halloween Party in the Park Come out to Pine Community Center on Saturday, October 20 from 1:00-4:00 pm for a Halloween Party! Children of all ages are invited! For more information visit this website.

McCandless Township McAutumnFest

Join the Town of McCandless for a McAutumnFest on Saturday, October 20 from 1 to 7:15 p.m. at the Town Hall grounds on Grubbs Road. The event will feature vendors, crafters, performance acts and children's activities. A car cruise will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. at the former Trader Horn lot on Blazier Drive. The event will end with a fireworks show at 7:15 p.m. For more information, click here.

Leaf Pickup begins October 15 Fall Leaf Pick-Up Program begins Monday, October 15, 2018 and ends Friday, November 30, 2018.

There will be no leaf pick up on Saturdays and Sundays, Election Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Friday after Thanksgiving. Leaf vacuum trucks and pick up of biodegradable paper bags will be used to accomplish the Town’s leaf pick up. Click here for more information.

The Chamber has

99 student members

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NexTier Bank Nonprofit Spotlight American Cancer Society

My Story My name is Chris Kail and my family has been affected by breast cancer. My Mom is one of three sisters to have had breast cancer. My Mom is a survivor, my Aunt Jody is a survivor and unfortunately, we lost my Aunt Mae after she courageously fought breast cancer for 34 years. My Aunt Mae was a medical miracle to survive as long as she did. Her ability to be with us for so long provided our family with many fond memories that not everyone is able to achieve. We miss her dearly and honor her kind spirit with this campaign. Breast cancer touches many of our families so your donation is an opportunity to join this fight together. I believe that money buys science and science finds cures. This is our hope anyway and a hope worth fighting for, together!

Please support my Real Men Wear Pink campaign to help save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without breast cancer. My goal is to raise over $30,000. Your support can help me reach this ambitious goal. Any donation amount is appreciated. To donate, please visit: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/chriskail Why I Wear Pink Breast cancer affects everyone - it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman.

That's why I'm stepping up to fight breast cancer with all I have. Since I'm in a position to make a difference within my community, I believe I have an obligation to do so. By raising money and awareness through Real Men Wear Pink, I'm helping to save more lives from breast cancer.

Why I Support the American Cancer Society Every day, the American Cancer Society is saving more lives from breast cancer than ever before. They're helping people take steps to reduce their risk of breast cancer or find it early, when it's easier to treat. They provide free information and services when and where people need it. They fund groundbreaking breast cancer research and they're working to ensure access to mammograms for those who need them.

800 Help Line Number The American Cancer Society (ACS) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help guide individuals through their cancer experience. Whether they’ve recently been diagnosed, are currently going through treatment, or are caring for a loved one with cancer, the ACS is there with information, day-to-day help, and emotional support every step of the way. From free lodging and transportation to help making decisions about patient care, the ACS offers programs, services, and resources to help people on their journey. Cancer information, answers, and hope is available every minute of every day.

The Help Line number is: (800) 227-2345.

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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

Jay Bullie - State Farm Agent Borough of Seven Fields

United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania - Butler County

Conley Resort Chestnut Hills Dental- Cranberry Twp.

Costco Wholesale

Treasure House Fashions

Cranberry Public Library

Pittsburgh Magazine

ACRES/Allegheny Commercial Real Estate

Craters & Freighters of Pittsburgh Wiest Asphalt Products & Paving Inc.

Horovitz, Rudoy & Roteman H2R CPA

S.R. Snodgrass, P.C.

A Comfort Service

Davevic Benefit Consultants, Inc. Jay Duquette & Associates Hal English Turo Family Chiropractic Strutz International

WoodSpring Suites Signature Pittsburgh Cranberry Pfister Adjusting, Inc.

HEARTH

Sport Clips

IL Pizzaiolo- Warrendale

Off The Hook

Rachel Carson's Trail Conservancy

Laurelwood/West's Realty Land and Development Co.

Signature Settlements Services Agency

Schneider's One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning

St. Anthony Charitable Foundation

Modomation

Nimlok Pittsburgh

SSB

Welcome to those who have joined!

Trident Management Advisors

US Health Advisors

Stonecrest of McCandless, Senior Living

Laura's Life Transformers, LLC

Office Depot

Laura Bitzer Administrative Virtual Assistant

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery

The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School

Pittsburgh Psychotherapy Associates, LLC

Welcome to our Student Members!

Evan Markowitz, Slippery Rock University

Kelli Pattison, Slippery Rock University

Taylor Deep, Slippery Rock University

Erin Denk, Slippery Rock University

Thank you for your referrals!

Tracy Armstrong, North Pittsburgh Greeting Company John McCool, Legal Shield & Identity Theft Protection

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Gregg Hill, Dollar Bank Stephanie Copeland, GNC Lucia Cintra Photography

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com

October 2018

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Thank you to our Valued Corporate Sponsors and Chamber Partners