AUGUST 2016
CHAMBER CENTRAL
A PUBLICATION OF THE WESTMORELAND COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS AUGUST 4 7:45 am - MBPA Chapter Networking Breakfast, Dick’s Diner, Murrysville
AUGUST 11 8:00 am - Marketing Committee Meeting 11:30 am - Member Luncheon, Waterworks Pub and Event Center, Greensburg
AUGUST 16 7:45 am - Networking Breakfast, Courtyard by Marriott, Greensburg
AUGUST 17 5:00 pm - Chamber B.A.S.H., Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg
AUGUST 20
11:00 am - Ribbon Cutting, Miller Family Enterprises, Greensburg
AUGUST 23 7:45 am - Breakfast B.A.S.H., Hayden’s Pharmacy, Mount Pleasant
AUGUST 25
8:00 am - Government Affairs Committee Meeting
AUGUST 26
8:00 am - Ambassador Committee Meeting *Events held in Chamber office unless otherwise noted.
Leadership Westmoreland Announces Incoming Class of 2016-2017 Leadership Westmoreland is pleased to announce its second cohort of participants since the program’s re-launch in 2015. “We are excited about the momentum created with the first Leadership Westmoreland class since the program's re -launch last year. The new cohort, with its diversity and commitment to Leadership Westmoreland, promises another great year to Learn, Grow and Lead,” explained program facilitator Grace Markum. The 9-month program featuring over 40 guest presenters from all over Westmoreland County will kick off in September when the cohort comes together for an overnight retreat. The Class of 2016-2017 includes: • Patrick Bochy, Westmoreland Museum of American Art • Annette Boyer, Westmoreland County Community College • Marlena Buterbaugh, Franklin Regional School District • Nina D'Antonio, Westmoreland Casemanagement and Supports, Inc. • Scot Fodi, Penn Township • Jarred Grabiak, Elliott Group • Michelle Heller, Westmoreland County Food Bank, Inc.
• Alicia Henry, Westmoreland County IDC • Kevin Jansma, PNC Bank South Main Street • Jessica Kadie-Barclay, West Overton Village & Museums • Michel Keller, Westmoreland Casemanagement and Supports, Inc. • Tricia Keltz, UPMC East/UPMC Health Plan • Jeffrey McDonald, First Energy/West Penn Power • Mary Moximchalk, Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital • Ashlee Pliska, Westmoreland County Community College • Brian Root, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg • Richard Slebodnick, Safari Contract Cleaners • Andrew Walz, Hempfield Township • Christine Weller, Grane Hospice Care • Brian Williams, Elliott Group • Cara Zanella, Franklin Regional School District
THE WESTMORELAND COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RECOGNIZES FOTORECORD PRINT CENTER AS THE “OFFICIAL PRINTER” OF THE CHAMBER CENTRAL NEWSLETTER. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICES.
FOTORECORD
CHAMBER CENTRAL Upcoming
Mark your calendar!
AUGUST MEMBER LUNCHEON “STATE OF REGIONAL ECONOMY AND FUTURE OF WORKFORCE IN THE REGION”
Cost is $25 for members/ $40 for future members.
Presented by Dennis Yablonsky CEO, Allegheny Conference on Community Development Thursday, August 11, 2016 • 11:30 AM-1:15 PM Waterworks Pub & Event Center (1817 S. Broad Street Ext., Greensburg, PA 15601) Dennis Yablonsky
Dennis Yablonsky became the Chief Executive Officer of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and its affiliated organizations – the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, the Pennsylvania Economy League of Greater Pittsburgh, LLC and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance – on March 24, 2009.
A native of the Pittsburgh region, Dennis is an accomplished and experienced veteran of managing and leading dynamic business growth – as a private business leader, a nonprofit economic development professional and a high-ranking appointed government official. He has grown companies from the ground up to a greater profitability and success both in the private sector and as the founding CEO of the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse and the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, revolutionary models for the focused growth of technology companies. During his service as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), he brought together both an economic stimulus program and the policies needed to support business growth, expansion and location and to build Luncheon economic vitality in communities across the Commonwealth.
BREAKFASTS
Sponsors:
MURRYSVILLE BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION CHAPTER BREAKFAST Thursday, August 4 • 7:45 - 9:00 AM Dick’s Diner, Murrysville $10 for non-MBPA members $20 for non-Chamber/non-MBPA members
NETWORKING BREAKFAST Tuesday, August 16 • 7:45 - 9:00 AM Courtyard by Marriott, Greensburg $10 FOR MEMBERS/$20 FOR FUTURE MEMBERS
BREAKFAST BASH Tuesday, August 23 • 7:45 - 9:00 AM
*Hayden’s Pharmacy, Mt. Pleasant* $10 for Members/$20 for Future Members
Wednesday, Aug. 17 • 5:00-7:00 PM Westmoreland Museum of American Art
BASH
221 N. Main Street, Greensburg, PA 15601
Please join the Chamber and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art on Wednesday, August 17 from 5-7 PM. Guests will enjoy refreshments, an art scavenger hunt, and networking! No cost to members thanks to a Sponsorship by Dollar Bank!
CHAMBER CENTRAL 10 TIPS FOR GROWING YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
networking, and of course, in-person. 4. Meet Lots of People! The best way to make lucky things happen, is to make a lot of things happen. Go outside. 1. Be Helpful Manufacture serendipity. Ways to meet new When people in your network get stronger, people include conferences, events, asking you get stronger. By helping people in your people you know for introductions, reaching network get stronger, they may be in a better position to be able to help you in the future. In out to people directly, classes and workshops, Twitter, and LinkedIn groups. addition, per the law of reciprocity, people may be more motivated to return the favor. 5. Be Intentional Go where the people you want to meet hang Share your expertise. Share information. Be a connector. If you can connect two people who out both online and offline. Interact with people and build rapport. Share valuable content would benefit from knowing each other, you and spark interesting conversations. Also think can improve the strength of your network about who else spends time with the people 2. Build a Reputation In a professional setting, people prefer to build you want to meet and connect with them. business relationships with people they see as 6. Think Long-Term Connections open doors, but relationships being valuable. By building a reputation as someone who is talented, helpful, and valuaclose deals. Networking is not just about exchanging business cards and connecting on ble, people will be more motivated to meet you and stay in touch with you. Let people LinkedIn. Networking is most valuable when know what you’re accomplishing and learning long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships through blogging, emails, and conversations. are formed. Relationships take time to build. Be patient. Stay in touch with people. 3. Be Visible 7. Get Rejected! If no one knows what you’re doing, it’s like it When you push yourself, in any area of life, never happened. Maintain regular and conyou will inevitably face setbacks. In networksistent communication with people you want to stay in touch with via email, blogging, social ing, you will face a lot of rejection. People will
ignore your calls and email. They will decline meeting invites, and requests for introductions. Trying and failing is much better then not trying at all. At least when you try you have a chance to succeed. Learn from your rejections and grow stronger for when it happens again. 8. Listen Listening is one of the most valuable, yet commonly overlooked, skills to have in networking and in business. People love to talk about themselves and appreciate when you take a genuine interest in what they have to say. Listening will help you to get to learn about peoples’ challenges and get to know them better, which can ultimately lead to more productive professional relationships. 9. Ask You never know until you ask, and more often than you think, you will get the answer you want. Ask for introductions. Ask people you want to meet to meet with you. Ask for advice. 10. Follow Up Build a reputation as someone who delivers on their promises and is persistent. Follow up with people who promised to do something for you. Follow up on emails you send that get ignored. Do what you promised to do for others. Source: www.lifehack.org
The first local chamber was founded in Charleston, South Carolina in Mark your calendars and plan to attend one of the Chamber’s biggest events of the year—the Awards Luncheon & Annual Business Meeting! This event includes a delicious luncheon, brief business meeting and presentation of the annual Chamber Leadership Awards. 2016 award categories include Business of the Year, Chamber Member of the Year, Not-for-Profit of the Year and ATHENA® Award. Sponsorships for this signature event are still available—you can find all the details on the enclosed newsletter insert. Register online at
www.westmorelandchamber.com Luncheon • Networking • Business Meeting • Award Presentations
1773.
This was followed by one in New Haven, Connecticut and then another in Philadelphia,
1800. The trend rapidly spread across the country. By 1870 there were 40 local chambers of commerce in Pennsylvania in
the United States. Today there are over
5,000 chambers of commerce.
CHAMBER CENTRAL Over $270,000 in Dividends Returned to ChamberChoice Participants Penn National Insurance has announced a one percent dividend for the fourth program year of the ChamberChoice Business Insurance program. Members of Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce, who placed their insurance coverage with Penn National Insurance during the 2014/2015 program year and remained Chamber members and policyholders through the end of the program year, will receive a dividend equal to one percent of their total premium. Over the past four years, Penn National Insurance has returned an average of 7% in dividends and returned to the business community and region over $3.6 million in total. “This program has not only been a great benefit to our members, but has had an economic impact by putting dollars back into our local
community,” said Chad Amond, Chamber President. An important aspect of this group insurance program is preventing loss and controlling claims costs. Because dividends are based on the group’s collective loss experience, a business that may have had a significant loss may still be eligible to receive a dividend. The program is sold exclusively through local, independent agents who can offer Chamber members a variety of coverages and pricing on property and casualty insurance, including business owners, commercial auto, general liability, inland marine and workers’ compensation. Dividends are paid on all of these coverages. In addition, through safety consulting, Penn National Insurance and local independent insurance agencies encourage member businesses to develop safety practices to substantially reduce or eliminate workplace injuries. The Penn National Insurance program is just one of many benefits of Chamber membership. For more information, contact the Chamber office at 724-834-2900 or visit westmorelandchamber.com.
Member Moves & Milestones Each month we celebrate grand openings, ground breakings, anniversaries and other significant events involving our members through various ribbon cutting events and plaque presentations.
On June 23, First Commonwealth Bank celebrated the Grand Re-Opening of their newly remodeled branch on Main Street in Greensburg.
Contact Leyla Pilon-Sinclair, Director of Membership Services, at 724-834-2900 or leyla@westmorelandchamber.com to inquire about planning a ribbon cutting at your new or expanded location.
Westmoreland Community Federal Credit Union is passionate about advancing the financial knowledge of students, especially those here in Westmoreland County. They recently received two awards: Junior Achievement awarded WCFCU with a JA Educational Leadership Company Award. WCFCU presented JA programs in several school districts in Westmoreland County. The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association awarded first place to WCFCU with the Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award, in recognition of leadership in youth financial education.
CHAMBER CENTRAL We’re Making Connections!
B.A.S.H. @ Rivertowne Brewing
Luncheon @ Greensburg Country Club
CHAMBER CENTRAL
MEMBER
SPOTLIGHT: GREGG NEAVIN,
SandlerTraining by Peak Performance Meet our Member Spotlight for August: Gregg Neavin, a working partner with Sandler Training by Peak Performance. At Sandler Training, the focus is on Sales Team Development, as they work alongside many companies where the owner or President is directly involved with their sales process. “Typically they are folks who are committed to the success of their companies and tend to be very good at core competencies. However, they might not be getting in front of enough of the right opportunities – so the new revenue stream isn’t growing at the rate they’d prefer,” Gregg explained. “Other times, we hear that prospecting efforts are creating new opportunities, but the sales process drags on longer than it should and deals die on the vine or get closed by competitors. Finally, there are those who are doing a lot of transactional business, but the deals are being won on price, margins are down and the business owners are working harder and enjoying it less,” he concluded. Gregg and his team change the lives of the people they do work for. While it’s important to be fiscally responsible, he explains that business owners can cut expenses only so much - and improving the top line is the true path to prosperity. He helps make that happen and finds gratification in witnessing the results. When asked what he likes most about being a Chamber member Gregg said, “Having participated as a member of several other chamber organizations, I’ve found the Westmoreland Chamber to be the single most active, welcoming and supportive one I’ve experienced.” When he’s not working, Gregg is very active as a Franklin Regional School Director, Joint Operating Committee Member of Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, a husband, parent, grandparent, and step-parent to three active school-aged girls. He also enjoys singing barbershop harmony and playing the tuba. Find out more at www.peakperformance.sandler.com.
Plan a Visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp at Saint Vincent Steelers Nation is pleased to welcome back our 6-time Super Bowl Champions for their annual summer training camp. Visiting Steelers Training Camp is FREE and most practices are open to the public. The public is generally permitted access to the campus beginning at 1:30 p.m. with practices beginning at 2:55 p.m. unless noted otherwise; all times are subject to change. To learn more about Steelers Training Camp, visit www.steelers.com or call Saint Vincent College at 724-537-4560.
STEELERS TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE Monday, August 1 - Open practice Wednesday, August 3 - Open practice Thursday, August 4 - Open practice Friday, August 5 - Open practice - 7 p.m. at Latrobe Memorial Stadium Saturday, August 6 - Open practice Sunday, August 7 - Open practice Tuesday, August 9 - Joint practice with Detroit Lions open to the public (time to be determined) Wednesday, August 10 - Joint practice with Detroit Lions open to the public (time to be determined) Thursday, August 11 - Closed practice Friday, August 12 - Preseason game vs. Detroit Lions 7 p.m. at Heinz Field Sunday, August 14 - Open practice Monday, August 15 - Open practice Tuesday August 16 - Open practice
Wednesday, August 17 Closed practice
Thursday, August 18 - Preseason game vs. Philadelphia Eagles - 7 p.m. at Heinz Field
CHAMBER CENTRAL The Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the following businesses as NEW MEMBERS of our organization! The ASH Club Joni Jerina 119 Harrison Avenue Greensburg, PA 15601 724-837-8430 www.theashclub.com Pubs & Taverns
The Challenge Program, Inc. Maria Campieri 915 Menoher Boulevard, Ste. B Johnstown, PA 15905 814-533-7401 www.tcpinc.org Not for Profit
Circulatory Centers Lisa McGough 4075 Monroeville Blvd., Bldg. II, Ste. 126 Monroeville, PA 15146 1-800-VERICOSE www.veinhealth.com Physicians, Dentists, Eye & Ear Care Professionals
Commercial Bank & Trust of PA Cynthia Fontaine 900 Ligonier Street Latrobe, PA 15650 724-539-3501 www.cbthebank.com Banks & Credit Unions
Commercial Bank & Trust of PA
Mark Yemc Masonry Contractor
Tom Sylvester 201 West Main Street Ligonier, PA 15658 724-238-9538 www.cbthebank.com Banks & Credit Unions
Mark Yemc 1045 Lyons Run Road Murrysville, PA 15668 724-325-2796 Building Contractors, Site Development
CQK Consulting LLC
PACE Success Coaching
Cash Kalina PO Box 786 Greensburg, PA 15601 724-875-8279 www.cqkconsulting.com IT Consulting & Services
Samantha Westerlund 24 Regola Drive Irwin, PA 15642 412-915-1141 www.pacesuccesscoaching.com Business Coaches, Consultants, Speakers, Authors
Guardian Home & Community Services
Precision Business Solutions
Sean Cavanagh 900 Porter Avenue Scottdale, PA 15683 724-322-2396 www.GuardianCommunity.com Home Health Care & Hospice Care
JDRF Ashley Novacic 501 Martindale Street, Suite 670 Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-471-1414 www.jdrf.org Not for Profit
Skala | Miller, PLLC George Miller 116 North Main Street Greensburg, PA 15601 724-221-6886 www.skalamillerlaw.com Law Firms & Legal Services
Western & Southern Life
Commercial Bank & Trust of PA
Limbach Company
Racquel Matijak 19 North Main Street Greensburg, PA 15601 724-836-7699 www.cbthebank.com Banks & Credit Unions
Mike Balistreri 1139 Broad Street S. Greensburg, PA 15601 724-696-9546 www.limbachinc.com Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical
Commercial Bank & Trust of PA
Livengood & Associates, LLC
Donna Daugherty 11 Terry Way Latrobe, PA 15650 724-539-9774 www.cbthebank.com Banks & Credit Unions
Niki Ashbrook 302 Reddinger Street Ebensburg, PA 15931 814-471-0206 www.PrecisionBS.com IT Consulting & Services
Linda Livengood 4520 Old William Penn Highway Murrysville, PA 15668 724-733-3892 www.lmlivengoodcpa.com Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping
Michael Grec 4055 Monroeville Boulevard, Ste. 230 Monroeville, PA 15146 412-376-9156 www.WSlife.com/agent/mgrec Financial Advisors, Retirement Services, Life and Health Insurance Products
Let’s Connect!
facebook.com/westmorelandchamber
CHAMBER CENTRAL 2016 Board of Directors
Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce
James Creenan - Creenan & Baczkowski, PC (Chairman) Michael Storms - Elliott Group (Vice Chair) Michelle Ivill - General Industries (Treasurer) Janet Corrinne-Harvey - Trib Total Media (Secretary)
241 Tollgate Hill Road | Greensburg, PA 15601 Phone: 724-834-2900 / Fax: 724-837-7635
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID GREENSBURG, PA PERMIT NO. 123
Linda Dickson - Redstone Presbyterian SeniorCare Walt Henry - THE pt GROUP Physical Therapy Christina Jansure - Jeannette Specialty Glass John Kline - S&T Bank Terri Knupp - West Penn Power/First Energy George O’Brien - YMCA of Greensburg Ron Ott - Excela Health Dr. Gennaro “Jamie” Piraino Jr. - Franklin Regional S.D. Steve Rennekamp - Energy Swing Windows Rich Rosky - First National Bank James Smith - Economic Growth Connection Dr. Tuesday Stanley - Westmoreland County Community College Clair Ward - Valley School of Ligonier *Ann Nemanic - Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau *Jason Rigone - Westmoreland County Industrial Development Company *Bill Ferri - Ferri Pharmacy *Michael Egan - CBL Associates/Westmoreland Mall *Tony Vecchio - Northwood Realty * Ex-officio member
Chamber Staff Chad Amond - President Joanne Pearson - Director of Operations Leyla Pilon-Sinclair - Director of Membership Services Tricia Thomas - Director of Communications & Event Planning Grace Markum - Leadership Westmoreland Facilitator
Building Business. Empowering People. Connecting Communities.