In This Issue
Upcoming Events

Coffee Connection
PA Department of Corrections
Huntingdon Country Club
December 8, 2017
7:45 - 9:00 a.m. 

Winter Blues
Huntingdon Country Club
March 4, 2018
5:00 - 8:00 p.m. 

Annual Golf Tournament
Huntingdon Country Club
June 20, 2018
Registration at 11:30 a.m.

Sporting Clay Tournament
Shenecoy Sportsman
September 12, 2018

Annual Awards Gala
Huntingdon Country Club
October 4, 2018

Partners In Excellence

Silver
Mutual Benefit Group

Bronze
Bumgardner & Flasher Oil, Inc.
Orbisonia Hardware, Inc. 

Royal
BottomLine Pros LLC
FirstEnergy Corporation
Helpmates, Inc.
Juniata College
Lincoln Caverns, Inc. and Whisper Rocks
MDB Drafting & Design
Nationwide Insurance
Stiffler, McGraw and Associates, Inc. 
Contact Us

Yvonne Martin
President/ CEO

[email protected]


MacKenzie Locke
Office Manager
[email protected]


500 Allegheny Street
Huntingdon, PA 16652

Phone: 814-643-1110

Fax: 814-643-1115
Links:

Constant Contact

Click here to register. 

After your free trial period expires you qualify for a special discount because you are a member of the Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce. If you prepay for six months, you receive a 20% discount. Prepay for a year and save 25%! There's no better time to try email marketing. 
October 24, 2017


Digital Huntingdon County Map

The digital version of the Huntingdon County Map is now available on www.huntingdonchamber.com and at http://www.centrepublications.com/digital/2017huntingdonmap/
index.html. 

Print copies are free and are available at the Chamber office at 500 Allegheny Street, Huntingdon. If you are making a special trip to pick up maps, please call first (814) 643-1110 to make sure the office will be open. We are sometimes both out at meetings and events at the same time. If you need a box of maps please let us know and we will have them ready for you. 


Register now to participate in the 
2018 Winter Blues

The 2018 Winter Blues is scheduled for Sunday, March 4 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Huntingdon Country Club. Flight 19 will be performing once again. 

If you are interested in participating in the "Taste of Huntingdon County" please click here for the link. Non-profits interested in promoting themselves and earning a little - or a lot - of money should click here for more information and the form. You must be a member of the Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce to paricipate. 


Event Recap: Active Shooter Training

On Tuesday, October 17 we held an Active Shooter Training at the PA National Guard Readiness Center in Huntingdon. We had 70 attendees and Ian Thompson from Standing Stone Consulting was the presenter. 

The training started with learning the 5 Cs and learning different ways to react during an Active Shooter situation. The training ended with going over different scenarios within businesses who attended and making a plan of action for what to do in the event of an Active Shooter. 



Scottsdale to Las Vegas
October 9-16, 2018

The Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce has partnered with three other local chambers to offer an 8 day tour from Scottsdale to Las Vegas October 9-16, 2018. If booked by November 28, 2017 the cost is $1,999 per person, double occupancy plus air. 

Click here for details.

Click here for the registration form. 

Questions can be directed to Cynthia Watters at Epic Journeys LLC at 814-266-5070. 

7 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Small Business

The Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce is introducing a new mini-series of articles to help your business or organization get the most out of LinkedIn. Each week we will feature one of the 7 ways mentioned below.

7 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Small Business
Grow your small business with LinkedIn by using these seven proven tactics.

There are nearly 30 million small businesses in the United States, but only half of them will make it past five years. To ensure your small business is in the successful half, we encourage you to capitalize on the various ways LinkedIn can evolve your business.
With LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, you can generate leads, produce sales, and hire top professionals to fuel your growth. There are seven ways to grow your business using LinkedIn:

7. Hire Freelancers
You've probably had an employee who took on a task outside of their domain. You might have even done it yourself a few times. While the effort is commendable, learning on the fly can also be detrimental. 

Fortunately, finding the right talent for the task at hand isn't as tricky as it once was, even if you can't afford the salary of a full time employee. 

LinkedIn ProFinder enables you to post your projects, receive free proposals, and hire trustworthy professionals all in one place. ProFinder will even pair you with local professionals to ensure you have the best freelance experience possible. With 172 professional services available on ProFinder, it's easy to find the perfect professional for any taks. 

LinkedIn vets all the professionals on the platform to ensure they are qualified and leverages your network to find freelancers your connections have used, so you're never in the dark about who you're hiring. 

By using freelancers, you'll get access to outside perspectives & broad experience of professionals of all kinds, from creating websites and designing logos to managing your books or crafting your marketing strategy. Plus, with none of the management overhead of a full-time employee, you can focus solely on the job at hand. 

Visit "What's New" at www.huntingdonchamber.com to read the entire series. 

Reminders:





Penn National Dividend Program


Only One Month Open to Host A Business After Hours

We are seeking members who would be interested in hosting a Business After Hours in 2017. We still have December available! If you would like to discuss hosting an After Hours, please contact MacKenzie at (814) 643-1110 or [email protected]
Special Announcement! Facebook Virtual Tour for Business

If you recall we launched a new member benefit program last year that brought Google Street View virtual tours INSIDE local businesses. We've had a number of members participate in this program and it has really boosted their Google Local Search Ranking and provided a virtual walk-through of their business online and in our Virtual Business Guide
That program is now expanded to add in Facebook Virtual Tours!
Using the same 360 degree panoramic images as the Google program does, this new feature creates and provides a 360 degree interactive virtual tour of your business that is displayed and functional right in your Business Facebook Timeline! You can pin it to stay at the top of your timeline so that it is always visible to your fans/friends. 
Photo Shoot Day!
Our virtual tour photographer for this program will be in the area soon. If you'd like to learn more and possibly be on that photo shoot day then submit the online form found at  this linked web page and they will follow up with you immediately to go over the details. Don't wait - it's first come/ first served and space is limited. 
On The Job Training Program

Advantages To Using The OTJ Training:
  • Cuts the cost of wages for employers by a minimum of 50% during the training time.
  • Reduces the employer's costs for advertising and recruitment.
  • Allows employers to make all hiring and firing decisions.
  • Guarantees a quick referral process.
  • Requires minimal paperwork.
  • May involve a single placement, a number of people for one type of job, or a variety of jobs. 

How It Works:
An employer meets with the Business Services Representative to develop a job order indicating what type of people the employer desires and the screening method preferred to evaluate potential candidates (resumes, applications, interviews, etc.)
  • Post the job on the CareerLink system.
  • A search is then conducted of the eligible applicant pool for people who match the characteristics set by the employer. The employer is then provided the information about potential candidates in the manner in which they have requested. 
  • The employer decides whom they want to hire and a possible start date. The Business Services staff is notified about the circumstances of the hire. 
  • The employer and the Business Services Representative negotiate a contract, which includes a training plan, length of training and costs to be reimbursed to the employer for providing the training. It is important to note that this contract MUST be in place BEFORE an eligible client begins working or the opportunity to secure funding will be lost. 

To continue reading, please click here.  
Free  E-mail Blast
The Chamber offers FREE e-mail blast to our members who are offering free workshops or hosting events that donate all money raised to a charity.

Disclaimer: The Chamber has the right to refuse blasting information if the Chamber staff decides the information does not meet the proper criteria. 
FREE Bulk Mailing Permit Use!

The Chamber is now offering use of our Bulk Mail Permit for FREE to our members. Bulk Mail Permits cost $250.00 per year. If you are interested in using the Bulk Mailing Stamp, we will walk you through the process to make it easy for you. You will still have to pay postage. 
Let the Chamber Help You Save Money

If you are interested in saving money on your electric bill, please contact [email protected] or 814-643-1110 to get connected with the program endorsed by 120 chambers of commerce in PA and 80 Harrisburg based associations. OnDemand Energy manages 6 billion kWh in PA. There is no cost or obligation involved with seeing how much money your business or organization can save. In many cases it has been quite a significant savings. OnDemand Energy can also review your gas savings options with you. 
E-Newsletter Advertising Opportunities

You are now able to be the exclusive sponsor of our weekly e-newsletter. The cost is $200 a quarter and includes your name in the email heading as the sponsor and an ad (2 in. wide and 3 in. tall) at the top of the left column of the newsletter. 

If you only want to have an ad (2 in. wide and 2 1/2 in. tall) in the left column, the cost is $100 per quarter or $300 per year. Please continue to share your events and special news and we will include that information for free. Contact [email protected] if you would like to include your ad in our e-newsletter or be the exclusive sponsor. 
E-mail Blast Special Rates

Many of you have been asking about more opportunities to send email blasts to our database of nearly 1,000. Currently individual blasts are $50 for for-profit businesses and $25 for non-profits. You can now purchase one blast a week for a quarter for $200 or one blast a week for a year for $500. Non-profits pay $100 for the quarter or $250 for the year. Contact [email protected] if you are interested in taking advantage of this special opportunity. 
HCCC Member to Member 
Facebook Group

This group is being brought to you at the request of HCCC members during the most recent survey. The HCCC Member to Member group is a closed group for Chamber members only to post questions and important information that other members will find valuable. Please invite other Chamber members to join our group and share in discussions. 
Want to be Featured in the Next Chamber News? 

If you have any business news and updates, achievements, awards or recognitions that you would like to be included, it can be done for FREE! If you have an event that is free or all the proceeds are being donated to a non-profit as a fundraiser, we'll include it for FREE! If you'd like to include a promotion or a money making event or non-profit fundraiser where proceeds will benefit the organization's operations, we charge a small fee. (Profit - $25 and Non-Profit - $10) Contact MacKenzie Locke at 814-643-1110 or [email protected] if you're interested in including an article. 
Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce | (814) 643-1110 |[email protected] | http://www.huntingdonchamber.com
500 Allegheny Street
Huntingdon, PA 16652