You’re Invited: Scranton Economic Development Town Hall The City of Scranton is developing a Strategic Economic Development Plan which will serve as an actionable and forward-looking vision to build upon the initiatives already underway throughout Scranton. The City and their partners at Fourth Economy Consulting are taking a stakeholder driven approach to the planning process by incorporating numerous community engagement opportunities, including one-on-one interviews and small group discussions. A summary of the team’s key quantitative and qualitative findings to-date can be found here. In December, Fourth Economy hosted a series of Build Sessions – interactive workshops where community stakeholders came together to brainstorm and build solutions that will shape the Strategic Economic Development Plan. The workshops covered the following topic areas: IndustryTalent Attraction & RetentionCommunity Identity & Neighborhood ReinvestmentInfrastructureHousing As follow up, the City of Scranton and Fourth Economy will be hosting a town hall meeting to share outputs from the Build Sessions and gather feedback on the initiatives that have been identified to date and insights into what may be still outstanding. You’re invited to participate in this Town Hall on Thursday, January 20 at 8:30 a.m. It will be a virtual session open only to our collective membership. REGISTER HERE Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with a calendar invite.
Apply for Leadership Fundamentals 2.0 Our affiliate Leadership Lackawanna is hosting Leadership Fundamentals 2.0 — an 8-week virtual course that will provide advanced leaders with an innovative and flexible online learning experience – complete with a variety of personal and professional development skills. The program begins February 14, 2022 and ends April 8, 2022. Participants can work on weekly course content at their own pace. There are eight mandatory Zoom meetings: February 15 and 22, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and April 5 (every Tuesday from 12-1 p.m.). APPLY NOW
MetroAction Launches COVID Recovery Loan Program APPLY MetroAction, Inc. – the non-profit, small business financing affiliate of the Chamber – announced its launch of the Lackawanna County COVID Recovery Loan Program, created to provide capital to businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program provides low-interest loans to Lackawanna County businesses for working capital purposes. Eligible uses include, but are not limited to, lease or mortgage payments, utility payments, payroll, and other operational expenses. In addition, businesses can use the loan capital to purchase machinery, equipment, or technology that will allow the business to expand its operations. The program will provide loans up to $25,000 at 1% to Lackawanna County businesses adversely impacted by the COVID pandemic. The term for the loans will be 36 months with a 3 month payment deferral. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose great challenges for our small business community. This fund was established to support Lackawanna County businesses with day-to-day operations as well as growth opportunities,” stated Jack Reager, MetroAction President. Funding is limited for this loan program. Applications will be funded on a first approved, first funded basis. Funding for this program was provided by Lackawanna Industrial Fund Enterprises (LIFE), Lackawanna County, the Hawk Family Foundation, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Businesses can apply and find additional program information on www.metroaction.org.
OSHA’S Vaccine and Testing Standards for Employers Businesses with 100 employees or more must comply with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). To meet the requirements of the ETS, employers must either: Establish a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, ORAdopt a policy requiring employees to get vaccinated or have them get regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work instead of getting vaccinated. As a trusted voice in the business community, please share this information with as many employers as possible to help them understand and meet this federal requirement. Federal Guidance On Dec. 18, 2021, OSHA released new guidance for the ETS after the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the stay on the standard. OSHA will not enforce any requirements under the ETS until Jan. 10, 2022. Additionally, the agency will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard’s testing requirements before Feb. 9, 2022, so long as an employer is exercising responsible, good faith efforts to meet the standard. Federal guidance states that employers can mandate vaccinations for staff. To support vaccinations, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) will continue to oversee a Commonwealth-wide vaccination program, and employers are invited to refer any staff seeking vaccination to one of the hundreds of Pennsylvania clinics providing vaccines. Readiness Guide for Pennsylvania Employers The Pennsylvania Department of Health has prepared a Readiness Guide for Pennsylvania Employers about the OSHA ETS. In the guide you will find detailed information about: Vaccinating employeesTesting employeesSupport from the PA Department of HealthList of U.S. employers with vaccine mandatesInformation on differences in NAAT and Antigen Tests Questions? If you have questions related to the OSHA ETS on COVID-19 vaccination and testing, visit the OSHA website or reference the Frequently Asked Questions.
Chamber Hires Workforce Development Specialist The Chamber is proud to announce the addition of Emily Pettinato as the workforce development specialist for Skills in Scranton, the Chamber’s workforce development affiliate. In this role, Pettinato supports workforce development and talent recruitment initiatives for Skills in Scranton, including managing programs like Workforce Wednesday, Educator in the Workplace, Industry Career Camp, and more. Pettinato’s responsibilities include coordination and implementation of programs with educational institutions and businesses, securing grant and funding opportunities, managing analytics, developing relationships with key workforce segments, and more. Pettinato has worked in education as a teacher assistant for multiple organizations, as well as having varied experience in communications and business development. Pettinato earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Moravian College and is currently earning her MBA in business administration.
Leadership Lackawanna Hires Program Coordinator The Chamber is proud to announce the addition of Jennifer Strzelec as program coordinator for its affiliate Leadership Lackawanna, the area’s premier community leadership and professional development organization. In this role, Strzelec primarily supports the Tomorrow’s Leaders Today program – a seven-month initiative for high school juniors. This includes recruitment, marketing, evaluations, and administrative support. Strzelec has several years of experience as a preschool aide at Bright Beginnings Preschool in Mt. Cobb and at the YMCA in King George, Virginia. She also served in the United States Army in the avionics division at both Fort Hood in Texas and Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Strzelec earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Temple University and is currently earning her MBA at West Chester University.
Apply today for a Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Grant Does your organization provide work in any of the following areas? Environmental and/or Local Parks ProjectsFacility Improvement for Animal WelfareHomeless Programs Grants are available through the Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) grants program. The Scranton Area Community Foundation is accepting requests for proposals for the Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) grants program. Applications will be accepted from charitable organizations in Lackawanna County through Friday, January 15, 2022. What is the Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) grants program? Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) is a youth leadership program of Leadership Lackawanna that provides high school juniors with the opportunity to meet with community leaders and decision-makers. In addition to leadership development, the students are also required to complete a philanthropy curriculum conducted by the Scranton Area Community Foundation. TLT seeks to help participants realize what they can do to make a difference in their community as young philanthropists and to further develop their leadership skills. The Scranton Area Community Foundation is proud to partner with Leadership Lackawanna in introducing the concept of philanthropy and grantmaking to our region’s youth. The Scranton Area Community Foundation allocates funding for the TLT class to grant. Priority areas are chosen by the TLT students. In 2022, grants will be provided to organizations working to make a difference in the following Priority Areas: Environmental and/or Local Parks Projects Facility Improvement for Animal Welfare Homeless Programs Grant applications for the TLT grants program are available through the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s online grant management portal. The maximum grant amount awarded per grant for a 2022 TLT grant is $2,000. Applications will be accepted from charitable organizations in Lackawanna County through Friday, January 15, 2022. Apply To submit an application, you will need to first create an account in our online grant management portal if your organization has not already done so. Please email grants@safdn.org with questions.
Scranton Chamber is All Aboard for New Amtrak Service to Scranton Join us! The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce has prioritized support for economic development efforts in northeast Pennsylvania. As a component, the Chamber Board of Directors has unanimously approved a resolution in full support of the restoration of a rail passenger service between Scranton, the Poconos, and New York City—as proposed by Amtrak and included in the recently passed federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Bill. The resolution was forwarded to the Office of the President, Governor Wolf, and elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels. If established, this new service would provide positive recruitment opportunities for businesses, education institutions, as well as the tourism and recreational industries and more – with an estimated annual impact of $87 million. The next step is the support of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With that, we’re asking businesses to back the Amtrak rail service proposal by sending a message to Governor Wolf, the Secretary of Transportation (PennDOT), as well as other federal, state, and local officials. You can very simply reference support for the Chamber resolution (see draft message and contact list below) or craft your own message. Similarly, we encourage those who would like to support this effort individually to visit the Scranton Rail Restoration Coalition website to sign a petition in favor of the project. You can review the Chamber resolution here. Sample Support Letter Contact List
