The Chamber’s 2023 Legislative Forums The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce two upcoming Legislative Forums. The Forums will feature the Democratic and Republican candidates for the Lackawanna County Commissioner race: Bill Gaughan (D), Matt McGloin (D), Diane Campbell (R), and Chris Chermak (R). These Forums are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 28, and Thursday, Oct. 5, beginning at 8:30 AM. Hosted by Bob Durkin, president and CEO of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and Jerry Musheno, chairman of the board of directors for The Chamber, The Legislative Forum will engage candidates in open discussions regarding priority topics that are important to Chamber members and business community. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of the candidate priorities that influence our community’s economic growth. The legislative forum will be held The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, located at 222 Mulberry Street. Member businesses wishing to attend the Forums should register at www.scrantonchamber.com.
The Chamber Kicks off the EMPOWER Women’s Network Luncheon Series The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce kicked off the fall program season with the newly branded EMPOWER Women’s Network Luncheon Series. September’s keynote speaker, Dr. Christine Kiesinger (center in the first photo), inspired all attendees to sit tall, close their eyes, and embody their purpose. Register for the November and January EMPOWER Women’s Network Luncheon Series. View more photos on the Chamber’s Photo Album
PEMA’S Public Damage Assessment Link The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) has launched a Public Damage Assessment Link (below) for area residents and businesses to report the damage done to their properties in the affected municipalities by the September 9 storm. PEMA and Lackawanna County 911 and EMA officials stress the reporting link is not an application for assistance nor a guarantee of assistance. It is a step in the State’s process to alert Commonwealth and local officials where to go for damage assessment. The link will be open from today (September 13) through Sunday, September 24. The link of Public Damage Assessment is link https://damage-assessment-3-pema.hub.arcgis.com After clicking on the link, residents must then look for the incident name/title from the drop-down box 09/09/2023 Northeast PA Flooding Public Report. This is the only location where the information can be submitted and accepted. It vitally important to fill out the assessment to help State and local officials gauge the damage and then plan the recovery effort. County staff will be available at the Multi Agency Resource Center (MARC) to assist residents and business owners in filling out the assessment if they are experiencing difficulties in navigating the form. It is also very important that all residents and business owners document all of the damage to their property via written copy and photos. Everyone should also keep track of the expenses and hold onto all receipts involved in the cleanup and recovery of their properties. Next Steps For Those Impacted By The September 9th Storm Lackawanna County’s Emergency Management and 911 agencies are working with PEMA and State officials on the next steps needed to provide information to the residents and businesses affected by the Weather Event that occurred on September 9th. Lackawanna County EMA and 911 are also collaborating with PEMA and State officials on setting-up a Multi Agency Resource Center (MARC) where impacted residents and businesses can obtain information on available programs, learn what the next steps would be for their repair and cleanup work, and connect with resources and personnel that can help. The proposed dates for the MARC would be September 21, 22, and 23, with a location to be determined. Over the next several weeks, State and local officials will be out assessing damages for the purpose of meeting State and Federal guidelines for Emergency Declarations. The Lackawanna County Commissioners, Lackawanna County Emergency Management, and 911 stress once again that all residents and business owners must document all the damage to their property via written copy and photos. Everyone should also keep track of the expenses (receipts) involved in the cleanup and recovery of their properties in case individual assistance becomes available in the future. Residents and business owners should check the County’s website, social media, and the news for updates on the storm recovery initiatives.
PS Bank Hosts Chamber Business Card Exchange The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce held its Business Card Exchange at PS Bank’s South Abington Twp. location. Business members joined to network and enjoyed food from local restaurants and bakeries. Tony Gabello, president and CEO of PS Bank, and Bob Durkin, president and CEO of The Chamber, announced the Disaster Relief Fund for those affected by the flooding from the past weekend. The Scranton Area Community Foundation established the fund. Check out more photos in The Chamber’s photo album. No Caption No Caption No Caption No Caption
2023 Small Business Advantage Grant The 2023 Small Business Advantage Grant is now accepting applications for at least $1 million in available funds. This grant program is offered through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The purpose of this grant is to provide small businesses in Pennsylvania with grant funds for projects that increase energy efficiency, reduce pollution, or protect our waterways. Many different types of small businesses, from manufacturing to retail to agriculture, may be eligible for funding under this program. Funding is awarded first-come, first served so interested applicants should act fast! You are receiving this email because your agency, office or team may have clients, customers, or other constituencies that may be interested in applying for this funding. All program documents, including Program Guidelines and a Grant Calculator, are available on the Small Business Advantage Grant Website. There is also a link on the website to the online application system used to apply for the grant. Additionally, there are tutorial videos available for everything from an overview of the program to using the Grant Calculator for specific project types. Maximum grant awards will vary based on the attributes of a project as shown in the chart below. Projects will be eligible for more funding if they are located in Environmental Justice areas or reduce CO2e by at least 20 tons (as calculated by the Grant Calculator). 2024-2024 Funding LevelsProject AttributesWhichever is less, up to:All Eligible Projects50%or$5,000Eligible and located in Environmental Justice Area65%or$6,500Eligible and significant environmental savings65%or$6,500Eligible, located in Environmental Justice Area, and significant environmental savings80%or$8,000 Please share this information with your clients, customers, or other audiences. If you or they have any questions, feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions (Forest Edwards, foedwards@pa.gov 717-783-9640 or Caroline Zepp, czepp@pa.gov 717-772-5160). You can also send an email to RA-epAdvantageGrant@pa.gov.
Beware! Scam to Chamber Members. The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce was made aware of a person and/or company communicating with our members an offer for you to “purchase” our membership or event attendee list. Emails or communications like these are NOT from The Chamber. If you receive an email from a third-party company about buying contact information of our membership or event attendees, and the communication states “from The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce”—disregard the email or communication. The Chamber does NOT sell our membership lists or use any third-party companies to sell anything on our behalf. If you are interested in communicating directly with fellow members, it is safe and free for you to do so through the member portal. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Mari Potis (mpotis@scrantonchamber.com).
Applications Open for the 2023–24 TechCelerator Program A technology business idea in Lackawanna County could lead to $10,000 to jump-start an entrepreneur’s dream. The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is announcing the second program year of TechCelerator @Lackawanna County: a collaborative effort of Lackawanna County, the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PA, The Chamber and its affiliate IGNITE, and tecBRIDGE. “Lackawanna County is thrilled to help facilitate the funding for entrepreneurs to see their dreams get started right in our county. Individuals who are even considering starting a tech-base business should apply to the TechCelerator @Lackwanna County program. Our goal is to see our community’s base diversify and new businesses be successful from start to finish in their entrepreneurial journey,” shared Jerry Notarianni, Chairman of the County Commissioners. TechCelerator @LackawannaCounty returns this fall. The program is a ten-week, in-person experience where participants have access to mentors, educational opportunities, and access to subject matter experts on topics like business formation strategies, customer discovery, marketing, financial planning, and risk management. The result of the ten weeks is to build, share, and pitch for their early-stage start-ups. The program is presented in collaboration with the University of Scranton’s Small Business Development Center, Carbondale Technology Transfer Center, Penn State Scranton’s Launchbox, and the Venture Lab at Lackawanna College. “Supporting entrepreneurship is at the core of the Chamber’s mission—to Attract, Sustain, and, in this case, Grow in our region. This is a natural extension of our ongoing efforts to assist business start-ups through the IGNITE program, where our regional network of partners is working together to provide the platform for entrepreneurial success,” says Bob Durkin, president of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. TechCelerator @LackawannaCounty is a competitive application process. All Lackawanna County residents with tech and for-profit business ideas or early start-ups are encouraged to submit applications, but not all will be selected to participate. To apply, visit the Chamber’s entrepreneurship and incubator affiliate, IGNITE, website, www.IGNITE.ScrantonChamber.com/TechCelerator. Applications will remain open until Thursday, September 14, 2023. About The Greater Scranton Chamber of CommerceThe Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization that works to improve the area’s economic environment and quality of life by offering programs and services which stimulate economic growth, promote business prosperity and nurture educational opportunities. For more information about The Chamber, visit www.scrantonchamber.com.
The Chamber Hosts its Annual Summer Festival The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and the economic development marketing affiliate, The Scranton Plan, is hosting its annual Summer Festival at The Country Club of Scranton, Clarks Summit, on Monday, August 21. Summer Festival, sponsored by Lackawanna County, Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, UGI, Sordoni Construction, FNCB Bank, Quandel Construction, Colwell-Naegele Associates, Penntex Construction, Peoples Security Bank, Stevens & Lee, Barry Callebaut, and Greenman-Pedersan, Inc. welcomed more than 80 attendees including real estate brokers, consultants, and site selection specialists from neighboring states to a round of golf at The Country Club of Scranton, followed by dinner and networking. “Summer Festival is a signature event for The Scranton Plan and continues to be an impactful economic development marketing tool said AJ Cimahosky, economic development specialist. “The event provides an opportunity to showcase the many business opportunities available in northeastern Pennsylvania.” The festival aims to introduce corporate executives and real estate professionals from neighboring states to the quality of life and business opportunities available in the greater Scranton region. About The Greater Scranton Chamber of CommerceThe Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization that works to improve the area’s economic environment and quality of life by offering programs and services which stimulate economic growth, promote business prosperity and nurture educational opportunities. For more information about the Chamber, visit www.scrantonchamber.com. About The Scranton PlanThe Scranton Plan, the economic development marketing affiliate of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, has helped more than 350 companies relocate to northeastern Pennsylvania and assisted in creating more than 42,000 jobs since its inception in 1945. The Scranton Plan, in conjunction with The Chamber affiliates Lackawanna Industrial Fund Enterprise (LIFE) and Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Company (SLIBCO), has developed 15 industrial office and technology parks and cultivated more than $650 million in real estate investments. For more information, visit www.scrantonplan.com
Leadership Lackawanna Invites Regional Nonprofit Organizations to Submit Project LOIs The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce community leadership and professional development affiliate, Leadership Lackawanna, invites greater Scranton regional nonprofit organizations to submit a Service Project Letter of Intent (LOI) as the first step in the Request for Proposal (RFP) process for the 2023-24 Core class community service project. The Leadership Lackawanna organization will select multiple projects for the incoming class to work on throughout the program year (October 2023—June 2024). For nonprofit organizations and community groups, this invitation to submit an LOI presents an opportunity to use the services of a talented team of professionals. The group can help you with a project you have had in mind but lack the human resources to accomplish. At the same time, you can expose a group of established and emerging leaders to your organization’s mission and goals. This is a mutually beneficial experience for your agency and these emerging professionals. Projects must have a reasonable scope and budget and cannot include capital campaigns, rebranding/branding/marketing campaigns, or raising large sums of money. For more information on submitting a LOI to Leadership Lackawanna, visit www.leadershiplackawanna.com. Questions may be directed to Leadership Lackawanna Executive Director Nicole Morristell at (570) 342–7711 or nmorristell@scrantonchamber.com. The deadline to submit a LOI is August 18, 2023. About The Greater Scranton Chamber of CommerceThe Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization that works to improve the area’s economic environment and quality of life by offering programs and services which stimulate economic growth, promote business prosperity and nurture educational opportunities. For more information about the Chamber, visit www.scrantonchamber.com. About Leadership LackawannaLeadership Lackawanna, an affiliate of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, is a 501(c)(3) charitable, nonprofit organization in northeastern Pennsylvania dedicated to community leadership and professional development. Leadership’s six programs: Tomorrow’s Leaders Today, Leadership Collegiate, Core, Leadership Fundamentals 2.0, Executive, and Welcome Scranton!—enhance the skills, connections, and knowledge of emerging and established leaders, enabling them better to serve our communities, workplaces, and organizations. Established in 1982, Leadership Lackawanna has created more than 2,500 community leaders. For more information, visit www.leadershiplackawanna.com.
Chamber Email Delivery Issues The cyber world has forced businesses to employ extreme efforts to guard electronic communications and operations with multiple layers of firewalls and filters. Unfortunately, this may have unintended consequences. In the case of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, it appears that many emails to our members are being blocked by Spam or Junk filters. This situation is more than a bit disturbing, as we want you to receive the communications and information that maximize the value of your Chamber membership. This includes your membership renewal. Membership invoices are sent via email, and we are finding that in some cases those electronic filters prevented delivery. If you or your organization did not receive your membership renewal via email, please reach out to Tina Bechaver at tbechaver@scrantonchamber.com, or (570) 342-7711, extension 132, and she can help rectify this situation. Thank you for your continued support of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
