PennDOT Announces Annual Highway Safety Survey

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is seeking motorists’ input on traffic safety and driving behaviors through its annual online Highway Safety Survey found at www.PennDOT.gov/Safety.

“Safety is our top priority and we value continued public engagement in making our roadways safer,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “The results from this annual survey help us gauge participants’ attitudes on highway safety, and potentially allow us to adjust our safety activities so we can further reduce crashes and fatalities.”

The survey is available on PennDOT’s website through August 23 and should take about five minutes to complete. All responses, including the “comments” fields, are anonymous.

Nearly 8,000 people responded to last year’s survey, answering questions about safety habits such as seat belt use, impaired driving, speeding, and distracted driving. Notably, nearly 91 percent of respondents said they always wear a seat belt and approximately 88 percent said they never drive while impaired. When asked how often they choose to exceed the posted speed limit, nearly 84 percent of respondents said they speed at least some of the time.

“Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to react to changing traffic or road conditions,” said Gramian. “It puts you, your passengers, and others on the road at risk. Slow down, be safe.”

For more information on our highway safety efforts, visit www.PennDOT.gov/Safety.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews, like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation and Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot.

The Heritage Explorer Bike Tour

The Heritage Explorer Bike Tour is back! We hope you’ll come along for the ride!

Lackawanna Heritage Valley’s Heritage Explorer Bike Tour is returning to the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail in 2020, but this year, things are going to be a little different. 

The Heritage Explorer Bike Tour has become an annual tradition to promote the development of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. With safety in mind, this year’s event will bring our community together in a virtual celebration throughout September in honor of Trails Month. Cyclists will embark on their own journeys, at their own pace, when and where they choose to help support the ongoing maintenance of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail.

The event is a fun, family-friendly and noncompetitive event. Riders of all ages and abilities will have the chance to ride along in support of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. Supporters can register now, choose their route and distance, and show their support online for the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. At the end of Trails Month, Lackawanna Heritage Valley will award participants with official event t-shirts as our way of saying thank you for your support. 

The Greater Scranton YMCA Needs Your Vote

The Greater Scranton YMCA needs your help by voting for them to receive a $25,000 grant from State Farm® to help improve their community. Starting August 18th at 12:00 a.m. ET, U.S. residents who are 18 and older with a valid email address can vote for their favorite cause at www.neighborhoodassist.com.

The Greater Scranton YMCA has until August 27th at 11:59 p.m. ET to rally votes and anyone voting is allowed up to 10 votes per day. On September 29th, the top 40 vote-receiving causes will be announced at www.neighborhoodassist.com and a $25,000 grant will be awarded to each of the affiliated nonprofits.

A $25,000 grant from the State Farm Foundation would allow the Greater Scranton YMCA to hire a full-time staff person who would be dedicated to the success and future development of the Y’s current Food Program. Presently, due to a lack of funding and staff, the Food Program only serves children enrolled in Early Childhood Education Programs at the Greater Scranton YMCA. The addition of a full-time staff person dedicated to the Food Program and its growth would allow the Y to not only provide meals to individuals enrolled in more programs at the Y, for example summer day camp, after school, and programs serving older adults; but provide meals to the community at large, including veterans, as we know food insecurity affects individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

To cast your vote for the Greater Scranton YMCA between August 18th and August 27th, visit our cause page here: https://www.neighborhoodassist.com/entry/2038251.

“The Greater Scranton YMCA is honored to have been chosen as a State Farm Neighborhood Assist® Top 200 Finalist,” said Trish Fisher, President & CEO, Greater Scranton YMCA. “We would appreciate our community rallying together so we can turn our dream of expanding our Food Program to serve more children, adults and families in need of healthy food into a reality!”

State Farm Neighborhood Assist is a crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative that empowers communities to identify issues in their neighborhoods. The State Farm Review Committee selected the top 200 finalists from 2,000 submissions.

NEPIRC’s Annual Manufacturing Day Event

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) announced the return of its regional National Manufacturing Day (MFG DAY) 2021 Manufacturing Best Practices Summit & Expo. This year’s event will be at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Convention Center on October 1st, 2021. The event, which attracted nearly 400 participants in 2019 and garnered over 500 virtual event attendees in 2020, is open to manufacturers, suppliers, and local businesses that serve industrial customers and job seekers.

NEPIRC’s 2021 MFG DAY expo will feature four (4) timely-topic breakout sessions, a keynote speaker luncheon, an afternoon industry panel discussion on automation (robotics) implementation, a post-event reception and plenty of networking time for exhibitors and attendees. David Beurle, futurist and founder of Future iQ, will provide the keynote address – The World Ahead: A Decade of Turbulence, Transformation & Triumph – as a follow-up to his 2019 presentation to a capacity audience at NEPIRC’s 2019 gathering.

In addition to highlighting the region’s manufacturers, providing networking opportunities and offering world-class content, this year’s MFG DAY event will encourage the creation of localized supply chains and regional business-to-business commerce. “Our manufacturers learned a great deal during the pandemic – including the risks associated with distant supply chains and, conversely, the benefit of localized supplier and vendor relationships,” said Eric Joseph Esoda, NEPIRC’s President & CEO. “In response, our manufacturers are entering the post-pandemic economy eager to create new networks and business relationships with companies within the region and conduct more business locally,” he added.

Following NEPIRC’s 2019 MFG DAY event, 83% of attendees indicated that the likelihood of doing business with vendors, suppliers and fellow manufacturers that they met at the event had increased significantly. More than 92% of attendees stated that they planned to attend NEPIRC’s next MFG DAY event.

The full agenda for the event, as well as sponsorship, exhibitor and attendee registration information can be found at www.NEPIRCMFGDAY.com or obtained by calling Chelsey Coslett, NEPIRC’s Manager of Marketing & Stakeholder Engagement, at 570.704.0018.

Award Winning Journalist Tracey Matisak to Host WVIA Mental Health Initiative Mind Over Matter

Award winning journalist Tracey Matisak will host the WVIA and Geisinger presented mental health initiative Mind Over Matter. 

“We are excited to have Tracey guide conversations and increase awareness of mental illness prevention, treatment, and management in our area” said Ben Payavis II, WVIA’s Chief Content Officer. “Her extensive resume and inquisitive approach make her an ideal partner on this project to inform and engage the people of northeastern and central Pennsylvania.”

“Mental health is a topic that, until recently, has not gotten the attention it deserves. While we have all been (rightly) focused on COVID-19, the anxiety and depression that have come along with it have created something of a secondary pandemic. I’m encouraged by those in the public eye who have courageously come forward to share their challenges and spark a national and long overdue conversation around mental health. It’s a topic that has touched my own life, and one that I’m looking forward to exploring with WVIA viewers through Mind Over Matter. My hope is that the series will encourage and challenge us all, and heighten our awareness and sensitivity to this important topic” said Matisak.

With more than 30 years of major market television and radio experience, Tracey has anchored numerous special projects for WHYY-TV/PBS in Philadelphia; she also serves as a regular guest host on WHYY-FM’s Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane. In addition, Tracey serves as moderator for the Philadelphia Speakers Series, where she has shared the stage with the likes of NBC’s Tom Brokaw, former British Prime Minister David Cameron, Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson and acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns.

Tracey is a frequent moderator for the Author Events series at the Free Library of Philadelphia, where she has interviewed former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, entertainer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington and Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, among others. 

In addition, Tracey travels nationwide hosting live, interactive executive leadership webcasts for Skillsoft Corporation. In that capacity, she regularly interviews some of the most widely respected authors and speakers in the business world, including Daniel Pink, Seth Godin, John Maxwell and Angela Duckworth.

Tracey is perhaps best known for her work in television news, having worked for 12 years at FOX 29, Philadelphia. There, she anchored the live morning show Good Day Philadelphia and served as an anchor and reporter for FOX 29’s Ten O’Clock News. She was also a contributor to the HGTV show Design Basics, and has served as a news anchor for a number of Philadelphia radio stations, including KYW Newsradio.

A graduate of Temple University, Tracey taught for several years there as an adjunct instructor in the Klein College of Media and Communication. A winner of several local Emmy awards, Tracey was among the first to be inducted into Temple University’s School of Media and Communications Hall of Fame. She has also won the Sarah Award for Excellence in Broadcasting from the Association for Women in Communications and was named Communicator of the Year by the National Black MBA Association.

Originally from Hazleton, PA, Tracey and her husband Daniel are the parents of three young adults; they live in suburban Philadelphia.

Mind Over Matter is a yearlong initiative which includes programs and presentations created by WVIA. The series goal is to combat the stigma and increase awareness, prevention, treatment and management of a range of mental Illnesses. Like WVIA’s successful Battling Opioids series, this public health initiative aims to improve the mental and physical health of our community through a multi-platform approach that will include TV, radio, and digital content.

Major funding for Mind Over Matter is provided by Geisinger.

On Thursday, August 26th at 8pm the initiative will present Living with Alzheimer’s & Dementia, a program that explores the effects these diseases have on individuals, families and communities. 

To find more information and to learn more about Mind Over Matter visit wvia.org/mindovermatter.

Chamber Announces Promotion of Brianna Florovito

The Chamber is proud to announce the promotion of Brianna Florovito to IGNITE Program manager. IGNITE is the entrepreneurship and business incubation program of the Chamber, which helps new businesses grow in Lackawanna County.

In this role, Brianna will manage the IGNITE Program by fostering entrepreneurs and their companies through education, counseling, networking, and mentorship. Her responsibilities include overall program management, client development, funding, marketing, events, and more.

Brianna started at the Chamber in 2019 as the workforce and entrepreneurial development specialist where she focused on economic and workforce strategies for the Chamber and its affiliates – SLIBCO, The Scranton Plan, and Skills in Scranton.

Brianna is also an instructor at Lackawanna College teaching GED classes. She recently co-authored an article “Subject Position and Manifestations of Workplace Followership” that was published in the Journal of Organizational Psychology.

Chamber Announces Two Promotions

Aaron Whitney
Bruce Reddock

The Chamber is proud to announce the promotion of two of its employees, Aaron Whitney and Bruce Reddock, who will both expand their roles with the Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Company (SLIBCO), the economic development affiliate of the Chamber.

Aaron Whitney is now the director of facilities and asset management and is responsible for the administration of finances, design, and construction of SLIBCO real estate. Aaron will also manage all properties and utilities owned by SLIBCO, as well as manage the Chamber’s IGNITE entrepreneurship program.

Bruce Reddock is now the director of economic development. In this role, Bruce will manage aspects of SLIBCO development activities, oversee relationships with private companies, real estate brokers and developers, local officials, economic development organizations and more, plus oversee all aspects of the site-selection process. Bruce also recently graduated as a fellow from the Industrial Asset Management Council’s Leadership Development Program.