FNCB Bank Honors Long-Time Employees

FNCB Bank, locally based since 1910, recently recognized 19 employees with 10 or more years of service during an employee appreciation event at Glenmaura Country Club, Moosic.

The following employees were honored at the event:

45 years of service:
Mary Ann Gardner (Compliance).

35 years of service: James Bone (Finance), Dawn Diehl (Retail Banking), and Tom Lunney (Facilities).

30 years of service: Jerry Champi (Executive)

25 years of service: Pat Barrett (Commercial), and Holly Fortese (Loan Operations)

15 years of service: Tiffany Bator (Compliance), MT Constantino (Retail Banking), Anthony Grande (Facilities), Ted Kowalick (Mortgage Origination), Jamine Mbae (Retail Lending), Lois Syryla (Commercial), and Karen Wolfe (Retail Banking).

10 years of service: Michael Cummings (Marketing), Michelle Jacques (Executive), Nancy Pipcho (Credit), Margaret Woody (Compliance), and John Zielinski (Technology Services).

Disaster Blaster Featured in Franchise Journal

The challenge was how to take a business operating in an industry already valued at $210 billion and make it even better. The father-and-son team behind Disaster Blaster believe they have built a better mousetrap and are now ready to expand their business model on a national basis via franchising.

Founded in 2006, Disaster Blaster is a full-service, indoor restoration firm specializing in water damage, smoke damage, duct cleaning, asbestos abatement, and a wide range of other services, including meth lab cleanup and remediation – the only company in its market professionally trained to perform such work. Gary Lyons, 71, and son Matthew Lyons, 39, formed a mitigation and restoration company that separates itself from the competition with a simple but highly impactful strategy: Disaster Blaster offers the most services to the most wide-ranging customer base; one that encompasses insurance claims, commercial clients, property owners, cleaning companies, home sellers and buyers, schools, and universities and more.

“We wanted to address what we saw as serious issues inherent in the industry as a whole, such as the seasonality of service offerings and the over-reliance on certain customer segments and revenue sources,” Gary said of the restoration industry, which has been valued at $210 billion, according to IBISWorld. “That led us to develop the Disaster Blaster brand and concept that addressed the seasonality issue within our industry and create stability in growth, revenue, and income.”

Already approved to sell franchises in 30 states, Disaster Blaster is selling territories throughout the country, with the average territory including a population of between 150,000 to 200,000. Experience in management or the trades is beneficial, but not required. “We want someone who is honest, dependable, and ethical,” Matthew said. “We want individuals who will represent the Disaster Blaster brand well in their territory and have a long-term interest in the brand and fulfilling the needs of their customers. And we want to offer a startup business to couples and individuals who are looking to operate a small mobile business that otherwise may be out of reach for them.”

Disaster Blaster considers itself the “Indoor Environmental Experts” and also provides radon mitigation, flood cleanup, mold remediation, odor removal, vandalism repair, basement waterproofing and reconstruction. But Disaster Blaster’s meth lab cleanup and remediation is certainly a differentiator.

According to figures from a report by news organization Spotlight PA, the “Pennsylvania State Police, the agency that typically handles drug lab busts here, logged 923 incidents” from 2017 to 2021. Matthew said Disaster Blaster began offering meth remediation about six years ago after they received several requests for the service.

Spotlight PA further reported that although meth remediation makes up less than 10 percent of Disaster Blaster’s projects, Matthew said he’s hoping the state will eventually regulate the service. Clients are generally property owners or managers who want to clean a property so it can be rented again; people who purchased bank-owned properties without knowing the full history of the home; and insurance companies. The jobs are complex and take at least two weeks.

“We didn’t believe it was that big of a problem up here,” Matthew told Spotlight PA. “I grew up here. I’ve lived in northeast Pennsylvania most of my life. I never expected that we would have the issues here that we have.”

The possible effects of climate change are another area that Matthew said might impact their service offerings in the future. “It will be interesting to see how that may impact our services and/or the need for our services,” he said. “Additionally, homeowners are becoming more and more aware of the needs for our services for such things as mold, radon, or asbestos remediation.”

Although they formed Disaster Blaster in 2006, both Gary and Matthew have been involved in the industry since 1996. Both owned separate mitigation and restoration businesses until they decided to launch Disaster Blaster together. Gary also worked in the insurance industry for more than 20 years as a claims representative handling mitigation and property restoration claims and later as a claims manager overseeing close to 100 offices across the country. Likewise, Matthew started working in the mitigation/property restoration industry when he was 14 and holds multiple industry certifications.

“My experience in handling property claims for insurance companies has been invaluable in helping our customers navigate the claims process and will also be an invaluable resource for our franchisees,” Gary said.

While they both operated similar businesses on their own, Gary and Matthew said there was a period of adjustment as they combined their knowledge and experience to create a newly branded company. “We had to essentially start over from scratch,” Matthew said. “We had to market to customers who didn’t know our name yet. We had to develop our own marketing, relationships, and vendors. It was a lot of change, but it was well worth it in the end.”

“We love watching people succeed and are anxious to help our franchisees grow their businesses,” Gary said. “We are excited to watch the Disaster Blaster brand grow nationally, broadening our ability to assist more homeowners in need of our services or with existing environmental issues.”

Marywood University Chamber Singers Earn National Honorable Mention

The Marywood University Chamber Singers have earned national recognition in a choral competition. The Chamber Singers were named semifinalists for the 2022 American Prize in Choral Music last February, and, in May, they were named one of the finalists.

The Marywood University Chamber Singers are one of two collegiate choral ensembles in the small program division to receive an Honorable Mention for the 2022 American Prize in Choral Performance. Among the national finalists, only six choirs in the United States received the distinction of winning a prize or being given an Honorable Mention. Only one of the other schools is of a size comparable to Marywood University; the other universities are significantly larger.

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation’s most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings.

The Dime Bank Supports NeighborWorks NEPA

Earlier this year, The Dime Bank donated $10,000.00 to NeighborWorks Northeastern PA via the Neighborhood Assistance Program.

NeighborWorks rejuvenates neighborhoods and creates opportunities for individuals and families to improve their lives through quality housing and financial guidance. This donation supports the 2022 Carbondale Beautiful Blocks Program. The program provides matching grants of up to $1,000.00 per property to groups of five residents or more to help them make exterior home improvements.

“We are excited to partner with NeighborWorks to not only improve the appearance of neighborhoods but to build community connections between neighbors as they work together through this program” stated The Dime Bank Vice President of Marketing Deborah Unflat. “Being a community bank, The Dime Bank is honored to give back and help make our region a better place to live and work.”

We are extremely grateful for The Dime Bank’s generous support of the Carbondale Beautiful Blocks Program” said Shane Powers, Chief Operations Officer at NeighborWorks. “Their investment highlights the bank’s strong commitment to investing in our community in a tangible way that empowers our neighbors and brightens up our neighborhoods.”

The Waverly Community House Artisans Marketplace Volunteers Needed

    Volunteers needed for both Saturday and Sunday. Two hour shifts. Mornings or afternoons available. Free admssion ticket for all volunteers. Call the Comm Office to sign up or for more information: 570.586.8191 or email kathy@waverlycomm.org.    Click HERE for more information and to purchase tickets.    

This outdoor holiday marketplace will feature artisans from near and far offering a wide variety of hand crafted gifts and specialty food items for the holidays! Warm beverages, heat lamps, and seasonal music will all make for a fun, festive, atmosphere and a unique shopping experience.

Luncheon by Constantino’s will be offered in The Comm Auditorium with seasonal entertainment provided by The Abington Heights High School Orchestra.  

Participating Artisans are:  
Bald Mountain Makes
Beyond Infinity Creations
Birdsong Birdhouses
Brook Hollis Leathercraft
Candles by Stellata
Case Quattro Winery
Christine’s Soapbox
Comm Bakeshop
Crow Designs
DA Create
Damiani Coffee
Deep Roots Hard Cider
Designs by Olivia Grey
Distinctively Raisa
Gravity Line Forge
Happy Threads
Lil’ Sophia’s Jewelry Box
Maple Hill Farm & Apiaries
Mulberry Moon Studio
North Harford Maple
Pure Suds Co.
Rogers Nursery
Root Relations
Saint’s Nicks
The Big G Organic Farm
Vessels for Danu
Vivid Color Jewelry Creations
Wyldflower Farms

Click HERE to purchase tickets!

Visit our website Waverly Community House 1115 N. Abington Rd. Waverly, PA 18471 Phone: (570) 586-8191 Fax: (570) 586-0185 Contact UsToday  

Pennsylvania CareerLink News

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View Open JobsCheck out jobs and opportunities available now in Lackawanna County!

Are you looking for training to better yourself or change careers? Check out our list of approved training courses through WIOA! Approved Training Courses
Professional Development Workshops  
Been out of the workforce due to the pandemic and nervous about meeting with employers?   We offer several workshops daily designed to help you fine-tune your resume, interview skills, and other skills related to professional development! Workshops are free of charge and available via Zoom.   Click for a complete list of workshops and to register!

Allied Services Hospice Earns Five-star Rating

In a move designed to help consumers make better-informed healthcare decisions, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released new star ratings for Hospices throughout the country. Allied Services Hospice was recognized as a five-star hospice, an achievement that places the organization among the top 10% of all hospices in the country. Only 195 hospices out of 2,026 hospices in the United States were awarded five stars, which is the highest quality rating available from CMS. It is the only Hospice provider in Northeastern Pennsylvania to receive a five-star rating.

In August 2022, CMS released its first annual star ratings for Hospice providers based on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Hospice Family Caregiver Survey. The surveys, which are handled by an independent vendor, assess family satisfaction with the hospice, timeliness of receiving assistance, respectful treatment while in hospice care, receipt of emotional and spiritual support, management of pain and other symptoms, and willingness to recommend the hospice to others.

“We cannot be more proud of the five-star rating we’ve achieved. This is a wonderful recognition of our team’s efforts in providing person-centered, family-centered, holistic care in all that we do,” commented Laura Marion, Assistant Vice President of Hospice and Palliative Care at Allied Services.

“We are honored to care for the patients and families in our community, at a time we consider to be incredibly special, and sacred. Whether we are providing care to patients in their homes, in a facility, or in one of our inpatient units, we strive to focus solely on the needs of the patients and families.”

Scranton Prep Galleria

Get a jump start on your holiday gift list and support local businesses when you shop over 65 local vendors-ALL UNDER ONE ROOF at Scranton Prep Galleria ’22 at the Xavier Center on November 12th and 13th.

Saturday the first 250 patrons receive a swag bag and a chance to win a door prize.

Sunday the first 250 patrons receive a swag bag and a chance to win a door prize.

Take your chance and enter the basket raffle.

Shop, eat and enjoy the holiday atmosphere at the best family-friendly event this season!

Scranton Prep continues to monitor the Covid – 19 situation and follows guidance from the PA Dept. of Health and the CDC.

Scranton Cultural Center Tom Papa Comedy Tour

        Tom Papa 2023 Comedy Tour   March 10 – 7:30 PM Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Theatre   With more than 20 years as a stand-up comedian, Tom Papa is one of the top comedic voices in the country finding success in film, TV, radio and podcasts as well as on the live stage. He is a regular guest on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast and the late night TV shows.  

On May 12, Tom released his second book, “You’re Doing Great!: And Other Reasons To Stay Alive,” a collection of essays on how people really live in modern America and what’s truly good and wonderful about our lives. On February 4, Netflix premiered Tom’s fourth hour-long stand-up special, “Tom Papa: You’re Doing Great!” A hilarious rebuttal to the current cultural feeling of dread, Tom wants viewers to remember that they are doing great; life isn’t perfect, it never will be, and that’s okay.  

Tom’s new podcast, “Breaking Bread with Tom Papa,” premiered on May 12 and features Tom and his guest for an hour of eating, drinking and enjoying life. Listeners are invited to take a seat at the table as Tom and his guests celebrate the true meaning of breaking bread with insightful, revealing and always funny conversations.  

Tom is host of the daily Netflix radio show, “What A Joke With Papa And Fortune,” on SiriusXM’s Netflix Channel, airing Mondays through Thursdays from 10:00 AM – Noon ET. To learn more, visit tompapa.com.    

Tickets range from $42.40 – $64.55
VIP option available for $165.55
Prices include fees.  

GET TICKETS!  

Tickets can also be purchased at the SCC’s Fidelity Bank Box Office in person or by phone at (570) 344-1111.           Fidelity Bank is proud to support the Scranton Cultural Center and the arts in Northeastern PA!