Make Plans to Join Us Next Month!

Please join PACP and the PA Chamber for one of the most exciting events for local chambers in Pennsylvania - the 2025 Chamber Day event:

Monday & Tuesday, June 9 & 10, 2025

Monday, June 9 - 5:30pm - Evening Reception on the River

Dukes Bar & Grille - 313 S. Front Street, Wormleysburg

Tuesday, June 10 - Chamber Day - Capitol and PA Chamber Offices

Your local chamber of commerce staff and volunteers are invited to join us for a day of networking with other chamber professionals and insightful meetings with key state lawmakers and legislative staff on the issues of importance to job creators and Pennsylvania's local communities. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

PACP is pleased to partner with Teri Smiley and Starfish Partnerships for an All Things Chamber Webinar Series. This is perfect for new staff members or a refresher for current staff.

The All Things Chamber bundle provides pre-recorded material, averaging a hour per module, plus downloadable notes pages of the PowerPoints and additional PDF documents.  Participating chambers will have access to the website through December 2025.

The fee for the program is $195 per chamber. CLICK HERE to register. Participating chambers will also be invited to a private Facebook group for Q&A and connecting with fellow chamber members across the country. 

PA Chamber Column - May 2025

Pennsylvania’s competitiveness is at a crossroads. Recent trends in job and GDP growth indicate that the state is stagnating. We’ve continued to drop our representation in Congress with each census over the last century, and our population trends are heading in the wrong direction. Click here to read more.

The Chamber is committed to providing members meaningful solutions for your businesses — solutions that bring you economy of scale, show clear value for money spent, save time, help reduce risk, and help you show your employees you value what matters to them. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Lincoln Financial to deliver a new Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry retirement plan. For more information, contact Abby Wolfe at abby@chescochamber.org.

The Chamber was proud to partner with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to host a local round of the National Civics Bee®, a dynamic, nonpartisan competition designed to encourage middle school students to develop a deeper understanding of civics and their role in shaping the future of their communities. On Tuesday, April 8, twenty bright and ambitious students from eight school districts across Westmoreland, Somerset, and Fayette counties competed in a live event at the Fred Rogers Center. These 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students demonstrated a strong commitment to civic engagement and showcased their knowledge in front of a panel of esteemed judges, local leaders, educators, and community members. The top-scoring students from this local competition will advance to the Pennsylvania State Finals on Friday, June 13, at Penn State University. Finalists from the state level will then be invited to compete in the National Civics Bee® Championship in Washington, D.C., in Fall 2025, where they will have the chance to earn national recognition and additional prizes.

GRCA cordially invites you to experience the magic at its 112th Annual Dinner scheduled for Wednesday, May 21 at Santander Arena! Join us as we welcomes Penn Jillette, Emmy Award-winning magician, as our keynote speaker. Known for his incredible magic tricks and dynamic stage presence, Jillette will not only entertain us with his magical prowess but also share insights into his long-lasting career in showbiz and his partnership with Teller. His stories and experiences are sure to inspire and captivate the audience. Click here to read more.

The Chamber proudly hosted its 3rd Annual Excellence in Education Awards, presented by Colonial Motor Mart, on Monday, April 28, at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. This inspiring event, made possible through Indiana CountyReady™—a collaborative soft skills initiative with every Indiana County school district and the Indiana County Technology Center (ICTC)—highlights the academic achievements, school/community involvement, leadership, and personal growth of students who are shaping the future workforce. Click here to read more.

“Leadership is all about taking people on a journey. The challenge is that most of the time, we are asking people to follow us to places we ourselves have never been.” — Andy Stanley  

This quote captures the essence of leadership—and the challenge that even experienced leaders face as they grow their organizations and teams. The Chamber launched Legacy Leaders in April as part of a 6 month series. This is a unique leadership class designed specifically for Owners, Presidents, and upper-level Executives who want to continue growing by learning from those who’ve already navigated the path. Participants engage directly with respected leaders from the region who share how they’ve led through challenges, inspired teams, made tough decisions, and driven real change. Beyond the insights, this program creates space for meaningful peer discussion—building a network of trusted leaders who can support each other long after the class ends. Pictured is Doug Clemens, (left) recently retired President and CEO of Clemens Family Corporation and Clemens Food Group. Clemens Food Group is the 6^th largest pork producer in the USA and 100% family owner. CFC has over $2 billion in sales annually in the USA and worldwide. 

The Chamber hosted its first National Civics Bee local event. Eighteen bright and bold middle school students from across Schuylkill County competed in the local round of the National Civics Bee® Competition, hosted by the Chamber in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and presented by Hidden River Credit Union. These student leaders demonstrated incredible civic knowledge, courage, and passion for their communities. Congratulations to the local competition’s top three finalists, who will now represent Schuylkill County in the Pennsylvania State Competition on June 13, 2025:

• First Place – Aaron K., Tamaqua Area School District
• Second Place – Mihir P., Saint Ignatius Loyola Regional School
• Third Place – Mary A., North Schuylkill School District

Each finalist received a trophy, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pottsville and created by ET Trophy Shop, along with cash prizes provided by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Hidden River Credit Union: $1,000 for first place, $500 for second, and $250 for third. The evening event, hosted at Penn State Schuylkill in Schuylkill Haven, began with a pre-event gathering and catered dinner for all students provided by Hess Catering. Finalists competed using tablets donated by Walmart, which they were able to take home as a gift. Parents of participants received $20 gas gift cards courtesy of Onvo to help cover travel expenses.

The Chamber had an awesome first quarter partnering with Jason Ebey and the YGM team on a Total Resource Campaign to kick off 2025! Our campaign closed at the end of March, and we are ecstatic to see more than 200% growth in sponsorship! We engaged 39 volunteers and brought in 36 new members. More than half of our sponsorship income came from members who had not previously purchased sponsorship. While the additional revenue is fantastic, our team gained much more from the TRC experience than I had hoped. With Jason's guidance, our team reevaluated the utilization of our programs and services and strategically restructured our sponsorships to maximize visibility for our members. Jason's expertise enabled us to optimize our resources fully and underscored the importance of building meaningful relationships through one-on-one communication. He taught us that by understanding the needs of our members, we can help them grow their businesses and expand into untapped markets. The insights and guidance we received from Jason have been invaluable, significantly enhancing our efficiency and our ability to support our members. TRC changed our Chamber; we are stronger and more engaged than ever.

Mark your calendars for #ACCE25 scheduled for July 22 - 25, 2025 in Philadelphia, PA. Registration is now open - click here for more information!

We look forward to another amazing year at Madison, Athens, & Villanova. Click here to go to the general Institute registration page for more information. 

The National Civics Bee is a fun-filled civics education initiative that encourages young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Participating 6th, 7th, and 8^th grade students flex their civics knowledge for a chance to win recognition and cash prizes at the local, state, and national level. The national winner receives a $100,000 529 contribution. Click here for a flyer that highlights the key responsibilities of a state and local partner. Chambers interested in learning more can click here to schedule an info session with our National Civics Bee Team, and they may reach us at civictrust@uschamber.com with any questions.