Week of: September 24, 2018
OUR MISSION:
JARI will be the collaborative force that enhances all aspects of our region to grow a diverse economy and build vibrant communities.
Defense Business Council Businesses Visit Norway/Denmark
Linda Thomson
President

JARI defense-related businesses visited three northern European cities during the first two weeks of September to enhance relationships with key business partners. The group first met with Kitron’s executive team in Arendal, Norway getting a first-hand view of the flagship facility and learning more about the company’s worldwide operations. The group then bused to Kongsberg, Norway, the HQ for the Kongsberg organization. Meetings were held with production leaders, and the group participated in tours of various facilities. Finally, the group spent time with JARI's partner agency, CenSec, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Meetings were held with the U.S. Embassy, the CenSec Board of Directors, and MyDefence, a small company that visited Johnstown during the Showcase for Commerce this year. 

Those attending the marketing trip included Linda Thomson, JARI; Bill Locher, Somerset Trust Company; Bill and Tina Sipko, BCL Manufacturing; Tim Brown, Enterprise Ventures Corporation; Russ Bailey, Lockheed Martin Aeroparts; Carl Sax, Compass Systems; and Kim Kunkle, Laurel Holdings. Special thanks to Jason Galiote (Kitron), Jeff Wood (Kongsberg), Shawn Koontz (JWF) and Bernadine van Kessel (FirstEnergy) for participating in portions of the visit. 

Many thanks to our hosts: Kitron, Kongsberg, and CenSec for the detail and time associated with our visit. 
Hans Petter Thomassen of Kitron briefs the group in Arendal, Norway
Carl Sax talks with the Chairman of CenSec, Paul Arne Jensen, in Copenhagen, Denmark
Klaus Bolving (CenSec), Bernadine van Kessel (FirstEnergy) and Linda Thomson (JARI) meet in Copenhagen, Denmark


The group pauses for a picture
with Kongsberg executives in
Kongsberg, Norway
JARI's PTAC Program Manager Recognized
Linda Thomson
President

Lenora Leasure, JARI’s PTAC Program Manager, was recently awarded the Ed Cernic, Sr. Community Support Recognition Award through the Veteran Community Initiatives. The award recognizes individuals who have been and continue to be supportive of our veterans and their family members.

Congratulations Lenora!
Employee Retention Strategies
M ichele Clapper
VP, Economic Development

HR Consultants, Inc. provided valuable information to our Expertise Matters blog on JARI's website this week. The newest blog gives insight on putting together Employee Retention Strategies and how to increase employee job satisfaction levels and more.

Expertise Matters is a new section of our blog in which we will invite area experts to write guest posts on topics of interest to businesses and people thinking about starting a business. Let us know what topics you would like to see addressed in Expertise Matters. Just get in touch with Lauren Brewer at  lbrewer@jari.com .
Upcoming Events:

October 2
16th Annual Alleghenies Regional Safety Conference

October 17

October 18
"Success Is Intentional" Youth Conference
JARI
Showcase for Commerce
JARI PTAC
Contact Us:
(814) 535-8675 | info@jari.com | www.jari.com
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