Tobyhanna Army Depot’s quality management system (QMS) will retain the sought-after Aerospace Standard certification after an in-depth surveillance audit by an outside organization last week.

The assessment, conducted by Orion Registrar, verified Tobyhanna’s adherence to AS 9100/9110 – an industry standard that has been achieved by only 20,000 companies worldwide. Like the ISO 9001 certification, AS 9100/9110 requires a more rigorous QMS to support aerospace and defense workloads. Tobyhanna has maintained industry-standard quality certifications since 2003. Only 850 companies worldwide hold the AS 9110 certification.

This year’s audit was anything but typical, according to William Stevens, a quality assurance specialist in the Quality Management Directorate (QMD).

“Surveillance audits, which are conducted between recertification audit years, involve two auditors on-site for five full days – a total of ten auditor days. This year, an emergency kept one auditor from attending, so we expanded the audit to two weeks, one of which was virtual. The depot workforce did a great job adjusting to the constantly changing – and faster paced – approach for this important audit.”

Stevens and other personnel from QMD maintain a year-round program to support the QMS and ensure quality practices are a fundamental part of Tobyhanna operations.

“We don’t just produce quality product on audit days,” said Wayne Daniels, another of QMD’s quality assurance specialists. “We train employees from day one to ensure they are working within the AS standard. We also have outreach programs – such as our weekly AS Steering Committee – to connect regularly with leadership at all levels, ensuring quality is at the forefront of our processes.”

Orion’s Lead Auditor, Eric Barnes, brings a unique viewpoint to his position after spending more than thirty years working for the government – first, as a solider in the U.S. Army responsible for mechanical upkeep of military aircraft. Barnes then worked as a contractor for the Department of Defense (DoD), supporting a similar mission. Depot personnel say Barnes’ background make him a better auditor.

“Eric’s knowledge and years of experience give him insight into our mission, allowing us to draw upon his expertise as we further grow our QMS,” said Daniels, adding that Barnes’ appreciative approach makes the audit more effective.

“Being able to work with our auditor as a cooperative partner as opposed to an adversary is huge.”

Within his recommendation for recertification, Barnes cited numerous best practices and noted the competence of the depot workforce.

“The whole team is open, professional, and willing to take feedback. I’ve been coming here for several years, and I definitely see a cultural shift happening – quality is becoming even more of a focus, which is impressive.”

Auditors will return to Tobyhanna in 2023 to conduct a recertification audit to the AS standard.

The NEPA Marywood Alumni Chapter is hosting two more movies at the Circle Drive-In, located in Dickson City, for their Summer Series.

On Thursday, August 25, the featured movie is Top Gun: Maverick, while Spiderman (2002) will be shown on Wednesday, September 7. Both of these movies are open to the public.

Pre-registration is available online for the purpose of gathering expected numbers. The cost of admission (at the drive-in) will be $9 for adults and $7 for children aged 3-12. Children under 2 get in free, and Marywood students get a discounted admission price of $5 with their student IDs.

For more information, or to pre-register for the events, go to marywood.edu/alumni/events.

Recording now available for the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Update virtual zoom meeting held on August 14, 2022.

Watch the recording here.

Allied Services Hospice & Palliative Care is honored to be a Silver Sponsor of the inaugural Shine Like Susan 5K Run in honor of the late Susan Burke of South Abington Township.

Susan was an avid runner who devoted her life to motivating and inspiring others to achieve their full potential. As a running coach for The Scranton Running Company’s Barrier Breakers, she was able to fulfill this devotion where she coached and helped mentor hundreds of runners.

The race is slated for Monday, September 5, 2022 at Abington Heights Middle School. Proceeds from the race will benefit The Susan Burke Foundation for Colon Cancer through the Scranton Area Foundation.

For more information about the Shine Like Susan 5k visit www.runsignup.com/shinelikesusan

FNCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: FNCB; www.fncb.com), the parent company of Dunmore-based FNCB Bank, today announced that FNCB Bank’s Opportunity Checking account was officially certified by the national Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) as meeting the Bank On National Account Standards (2021 – 2022). The national safe account Standards, co-created by consumer advocates, leading national nonprofit organizations, civic leaders, and other financial institutions, designate both core and strongly recommended features that ensure low cost, high functionality, and consumer safety.

Key features of Opportunity Checking include a monthly cost of only $5, no overdraft or nonsufficient fund fees, the ability to pay bills and make purchases, and federal deposit insurance. Opportunity Checking is available in every one of FNCB Bank’s 16 branches across Northeast Pennsylvania.

“We are honored to receive the Bank On certification for our Opportunity Checking account.” said Gerard Champi, FNCB Bank President and CEO. “Our team analyzed the needs of our community and designed a safe, affordable account that offers many unbanked individuals the opportunity to open a checking account with online access, no overdraft fees and access to more than 55,000 surcharge free ATMs.” 

“The Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund is delighted to award its national Bank On account certification to FNCB Bank’s Opportunity Checking account,” said Jonathan Mintz, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. “Opportunity Checking offers Northeast Pennsylvania residents who are looking to improve their finances a safe, affordable, and truly useful mainstream banking product– this is especially important during COVID-19, as consumers need to access and manage their money both affordably and safely. FNCB Bank’s offering of this terrific account brings them into the forefront of national banking access efforts, and we thank them.”

The goal of Bank On is to ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable financial products and services. The Bank On National Account Standards identify critical product features for appropriate bank or credit union accounts, making it easier for local coalitions across the country to connect consumers to accounts that meet their needs.

FNCB Bank’s Opportunity Checking is available at all 16 branches in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties. With the addition of Opportunity Checking, accounts that meet Bank On National Account Standards are now available at over 39,000 branches in all 50 states and Washington, DC; financial institutions with Bank On certified accounts already comprise over 56% of the national deposit market share. In addition to Opportunity Checking, there are over 200 other Bank On certified accounts available at financial institutions across the country. Data collected by the CFE Fund in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis through Bank On’s national reporting platform shows that these accounts are meeting consumers’ needs; since their offering, millions of consumers have opened Bank On certified accounts, with approximately 85% of them opened by consumers new to the financial institutions.

The CFE Fund leads the national Bank On movement, supporting 90 local coalitions working to connect individuals and families to the financial mainstream through partnerships between governments, financial institutions, and community organizations. To learn more about Bank On and the National Account Standards click here, or follow the conversation on Twitter @CFEfund #BankOn.