Keystone Mission Receives Grant In June 2023, Keystone Mission received a $1,000 grant from The Giant Company, supporting the ongoing food needs at the Transformation Center. This grant bolsters Keystone Mission’s Make a Meal Program.“Residents are given weekly responsibilities to cook meals, and we are seeing a positive impact on their mental and physical health. A healthy diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases and improves the chances of a sustainable lifestyle,” says Justin Behrens, CEO & Executive Director.Giant is one of Keystone Mission’s local partnerships that provides residents with the ability to shop locally and reap the benefits of healthy eating.
PA CareerLink to Hold Second Chance Hiring Event PA CareerLink will be doing a hiring event on Wednesday, July 26th. The hiring event will be centered around helping second-chance participants find employment. We’ll also have speakers from the PA Department of Labor & Industry and Lackawanna Pro Bono. They will be providing information about federal programs and legal options for both participants and employers. Attached is the flyer with the details
The Wright Center for Community Health Opening North Scranton Practice The Wright Center for Community Health is expanding access to health care by establishing the North Scranton Practice, which will begin accepting patients on Monday, July 17. The new practice at 1721 N. Main Ave., Scranton, will offer a full complement of primary and preventive care, addiction and recovery services, and other supportive service lines. The North Scranton Practice location formerly housed Dr. Paul Remick’s family practice under Horizon Medical Corp. Dr. Remick retired June 30. With the new location, The Wright Center for Community Health offers a network of nine permanent locations across Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties that, together with its mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, serves more than 40,0000 unique patients annually and ensures everyone in the service area has access to high-quality, affordable health services, regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. A Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, The Wright Center for Community Health’s patient-centered medical home is an essential community provider of safety-net primary and preventive health services, a state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence, and a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic. The North Scranton Practice, open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., is accepting appointments for new patients. To schedule an appointment, call 570-346-8417 or go to TheWrightCenter.org and click on the appointment link near the top of the page. To see a complete list of clinic locations, hours of operation, and services, visit TheWrightCenter.org.
Upcoming Healthcare Panel Discussion The Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Myers, Brier & Kelly, LLP, and Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc. invite you to the 2023 HealthCare Panel Discussion. Rep. Joanna McClinton, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will engage in a dynamic and informed dialogue with Dr. Julie Byerley, the Dean of the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, and Maria Montoro Edwards, Ph.D., President of Maternal and Family Health, which serves over 90,000 citizens annually in 17 counties. The panel will discuss workforce challenges and maternal family health issues. The panel will be moderated by WVIA’s Tracey Matisak. Learn More
The Chamber Launches New Workforce Development Resource Skills in Scranton, the workforce development affiliate of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, has launched a new video series promoting career awareness and highlighting high-priority occupations in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Chamber and its affiliate, Skills in Scranton, are focused on implementing resources to the greater Scranton region as it promotes high-priority jobs. The mission of The Chamber is to attract, sustain, and grow businesses—the new set of career awareness videos will assist in attracting and sustaining employment in the community. The eight videos in the series are told from employees’ perspectives in diverse industries such as logistics, transportation, healthcare, and elementary education. Viewers will gain valuable insight into the qualifications, training pathways, and employment opportunities for the high-priority careers. “Career awareness is crucial for empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their professional journey. By shedding light on the occupations available in our area, The Chamber and Skills in Scranton hope to address the skills gap and support a robust talent pipeline in northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Emily Pettinato, workforce development specialist at The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. The career awareness video series is made available at SkillsinScranton.com. The videos are supplemented with additional resources, such as a career guide about key tasks and skills, local educational programs, training opportunities, and local employers. Watch the Videos 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 Skills in ScrantonSkills in Scranton, an affiliate of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, focuses on workforce development in the greater Scranton region. For more than 25 years, Skills in Scranton has worked with local employers, school districts, higher education institutions, and Pennsylvania data experts to implement strategies that help ensure our regional workforce is aligned with high-priority jobs of the future. For more information, visit www.SkillsinScranton.com
The Chamber Welcomes Summer Interns Scranton, PA— The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome four summer interns to the team. Owen DiAngelo, a senior business administration major at The University of Scranton, is the economic development intern for The Chamber’s affiliate, Scranton-Lackawanna Industrial Building Company (SLIBCO). His duties include contributing to the economic development plan by supporting the director of facilities and asset management and the economic development team in updating their database of properties and associated databases. Noah Leety, a senior industrial labor and relations student at Cornell University, is one communications intern at The Chamber. His duties include creating the weekly member news eBlast, writing press releases, and assisting with The Chamber’s social media presence. Molly Morgan, a recent graduate in corporate communication with a minor in business administration from Penn State University, is the second communication intern at The Chamber. Her duties include creating the weekly Chamber news eBlast, writing press releases, and generating content for Momentum, The Chamber’s monthly magazine. Kiera Priest, a junior business student at Lackawanna College, is the entrepreneurial development intern for The Chamber’s affiliate, IGNITE. Her duties include engaging with IGNITE program clients, researching, assisting the IGNITE program manager with curating content, and promoting clients, the program, and the community. The Chamber participates in The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center’s Small Business Internship Initiative and is now accepting applications for the Fall. Interested students can view the job description at https://www.scrantonchamber.com/small-business-internship/ or email Stephanie Juarez-Ventura, communications manager at sjventura@scrantonchamber.com. 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 Small Business Internship InitiativeThe Small Business Internship Initiative is a collaborative program created to help small businesses learn about, attract, and host high-value internships and connect area small businesses and college students. Internship opportunities are shared with Career Development partners at Clarks Summit University, Johnson College, Keystone College, Lackawanna College, Luzerne County Community College, Mansfield University, Marywood University, Misericordia University, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Penn State Scranton, The University of Scranton, and Wilkes University. The initiative is a collaborative program created to help small businesses learn about, attract, and host high-value internships and connect area small businesses and college students.
Beware! Scam Involving Employee Retention Credit The law office of Ufberg & Associates recently sent out communication regarding a scam surrounding the employee retention credit. Below is the text from Ufberg & Associates. Employee Retention Credit The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) was designed to provide a refundable tax credit for businesses that continued paying employees while shut down during the COVID-19 Pandemic, or for businesses that had a significant decline in gross receipts during the eligibility periods. However, with this resource came the opportunity for misuse and abuse. Schemes and Scams The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has learned that third party promoters have developed schemes to entice businesses to apply for the ERC, who may otherwise not be eligible for the ERC. Third party promoters are continuing to engage in marketing campaigns designed to have businesses enlish their services to apply for ERC and then charging businesses 10%, 20%, 30% for more of the amount of the ERC for their services. The IRS reacted to these developments by adding the ERC to its “Dirty Dozen” list in March of 2023. The IRS’s “Dirty Dozen” list is an annual list generated by the IRS listing potential scams and schemes that put taxpayers and the tax professional community at risk. The list is aimed at helping raise awareness to protect honest taxpayers from potential bad actors. The IRS Commissioner made the following statement on this issue: “The aggressive marketing of these credits is deeply troubling and a major concern of the IRS. Businesses need to think twice before filing a claim for these credits. While the credit has provided a financial lifeline to millions of businesses, there are promoters misleading people and businesses into thinking they can claim these credits. There are very specific guidelines around these pandemic-era credits; they are not available to just anyone. People should remember the IRS is actively auditing and conducting criminal investigations related to these false claims. We urge honest taxpayers not to be caught up in these schemes.” Warning Signs The aggressive marketing from these promoters can come in a variety of forms, such as radio, television, and online advertisements. Additionally, promoters have been sending out fake letters from non-existent groups, such as the “Department of Employee Retention Credit” urging businesses to take immediate action in applying for ERC. The IRS has provided some warning signs of an aggressive ERC marketing that businesses should be wary of. These included: Unsolicited calls or advertisements mentioning an “easy application process.”Statements that the promoter or company can determine ERC eligibility within minutes.Large upfront fees to claim the credit.Fees based on a percentage of the refund amount of the ERC claimed.Aggressive claims from the promoter that a business qualifies for the ERC before any discussion of the group’s tax situation. In reality, the ERC is a complex credit that requires careful review before applying.The IRS also sees aggressive suggestions from marketers urging businesses to submit the claim because there is nothing to lose. In reality, the IRS would expect those improperly receiving the credit to repay the credit — along with the potential assessment of substantial interest and penalties. How to Protect Yourself Work with a Trusted Tax Professional — Employers who believe they may be eligible for the ERC should contact a trusted tax professional and not rely on the advice of any individual or company soliciting these credits.IRS urges employers not to apply for ERC if the employer does not have a reasonable belief that the employer is legitimately qualified for this credit. Lastly, if you wish to seek further information about the ERC, you can find additional information from the IRS by following the link: Employee Retention Credit Resource. Disclaimer: This communication from the law office of Ufberg & Associates provides a general overview of new legal developments. It is not intended to provide legal advice. If you have questions or would like more information about how these developments may affect your businesses, please contact Ufberg & Associates at (570) 341-8800.
Coffee With Your Congressman Matt Cartwright The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce government advocacy and affairs committee wants to share an upcoming opportunity for Chamber members to meet and discuss important issues with Congressman Cartwright. Congressman Cartwright will be at the Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069 on Monday, July 10, from 3:30-5:00 PM. Enjoy coffee and contribute to the discussion with your local community. AddressAbington Memorial VFW Post 7069402 Winola RoadClarks Summit, PA 18411
Marywood Students to Participate in Global Business Plan Competition Five students from Marywood University’s School of Business and Global Innovation have been selected to participate in the X-Culture Global Business Week in Lublin, Poland, from July 12-19, 2023. X-Culture is an international business plan competition in which students compete on teams composed of other students from around the world on real-life projects, set up by companies seeking to enter international markets. Each year more than 10,000 students participate in X-culture from over 400 institutions around the world. The top 150 students are invited to participate in the X-culture international symposium annually. The following Marywood University students have been invited for participation: Michael Romano, Maywood, N.J., a junior business management major; Daniel Gomez, Miami, Fla., a sophomore sports management major; Gabrielle Trosh, Newfoundland, Pa., a junior financial planning in business management major; Joel DeCarli, Archbald, Pa., a junior business management major, and Madison Guelho, Stroudsburg, Pa., a junior business management/health services administration major. Dr. Chris Speicher, their professor on this project and the Executive Director of Marywood’s School of Business and Global Innovation, said, “These students are our rock stars! They stand out in any situation, and they will be wonderful ambassadors for Marywood while in Poland, participating in this symposium and business plan competition.” For more information about Marywood’s School of Business and Global and its programs, go to marywood.edu/academics/business.
All About Function to Host Education Workshop Lori A. Radisnki will be hosting a Menstrual Education Workshop at the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Please see flyer for details.
