Chamber Recognized in Congressional Record by Bob Casey and Pat Toomey The Chamber was recognized in the Congressional Record by United States Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey in celebration of its 150th anniversary.
President’s Message for August “Celebrate Your Business!” We’ve just celebrated our 150th anniversary, now it is time to celebrate YOU—our members! It’s August, which means that the dog days of summer are upon us… a great time to sit back and relax, unless you’re part of the volunteer and staff team involved in our annual SAGE Awards (Scranton Awards for Growth and Excellence). The teams are preparing to launch SAGE Applications next month, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start thinking about your application now! Our SAGE Awards seek to capture some of the great stories behind our members’ accomplishments over the past year. Indeed, the most important aspect of this in my eyes is not the competition, but rather the chance to shine a light on all of the great things that are happening within our business community in Lackawanna County and throughout northeastern Pennsylvania. Judging is done by your fellow Chamber members, which really underscores the fact that this a community initiative. We’re always looking for volunteer judges, so please let us know if you’d like to participate! Between outdoor picnics, dips in the pool, or rounds of golf – give some thought to promoting your business success this year and start thinking of your application!
Sheetz Breaks Ground at Mount Pleasant Corporate Center From left: Cassandra Coleman, Governor’s Office; Kristin Magnotta, Senator Bob Casey’s Office; Bob Durkin, president, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; Marianne Gilmartin, SLIBCO Board President; David Smith, Sheetz; William Courtright, Mayor of Scranton; Jerry Notarianni, Lackawanna County Commissioner; Brent Brubaker, Sheetz; Sam Marranca, RandMar Development ; Rose Randazzo, RandMar Development; and Larry West, Senator John Blake’s Office. Randmar Development LLC, developer for Sheetz, broke ground on a 1.76-acre parcel of land at the Mount Pleasant Corporate Center, where it will join other tenants located in two medical office buildings owned by Geisinger This parcel will be used for the construction of a brand-new, state-of-the-art Sheetz Convenience Store. Randmar purchased the parcel from SLIBCO, the Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Company, the Chamber’s industrial development arm, for $900,000. “The Chamber and SLIBCO leadership are pleased that Sheetz – a recognized leader in the commercial arena, has decided to grow their brand with the addition of a store in the Mount Pleasant Corporate Center within the heart of Scranton’s central business district,” said Chamber President Bob Durkin. “This development will not only add to the appeal of the Mount Pleasant Corporate Center but will contribute to the ongoing revitalization of Downtown Scranton,” he continued. “We expect that these continued efforts will work in getting additional businesses, developers and investors to consider Scranton in their site selection processes.”
Leadership Lackawanna Hosts Celebration of Leadership From left, front row: Eugene Munley, Alicia Wang, April Guse, Amanda Marchegiani, Logan Hansman, Amy Hnat, Amy Kelley and Allie Marroquin. Middle row: Linda Tregea, Christopher Krape, Michael Stremski, Christine Gabello, Sarah Mann, Robert Krukovitz, Jeff Cavanaugh, Jannette Moran, Kevin Brislin and Kim Fanning. Back row: Tara Priest Rhodes, Gary Howell, Carlyle Hicks, John Dean, Mark Barbernitz, Kim Rollman, Lisa Browning, Matthew Horvath, Elizabeth McGill, Terilynn Bretchel, Sara Dellecave, Mileise Sabbatini and Julie Bialkowski. Leadership Lackawanna, the region’s premier community leadership development organization, recently hosted its Celebration of Leadership at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center. In celebration of its 35th anniversary, Celebration of Leadership paid tribute to Leadership Lackawanna’s history of visionary leadership success in northeastern Pennsylvania. It also highlighted achievements from the past year and honored the participants in the Leadership Lackawanna Core Program Class of 2018, as well as participants in the Leadership Lackawanna Executive Program and Tomorrow’s Leaders Today. The Leadership Lackawanna Core Program Class of 2018 is as follows: Mark Barbernitz Boys Scouts of America NEPA Council Julie Bialkowski Penn State Scranton Mark Bonfiglio NOTE Fragrances Terilynn Brechtel United Neighborhood Centers Kevin Brislin Lightspeed Technologies Lisa Browning Community Bank, NA Jeff Cavanaugh Office of State Sen. John Blake John Dean AllOne Health Resources Sara Dellecave Penn Foster Career School Kim Fanning Sordoni Construction Services Christine Gabello Keystone Community Resources Kayla Guilford Lackawanna College April Guse Bedrock Technology Logan Hansman Fidelity Bank Carlyle Hicks Keystone College Amy Hnat Electric City Escape Matthew Horvath Tobyhanna Army Depot Gary Howell Baker Tilly Virchow Krause Amy Kelley FNCB Bank Christopher Krape Weiler Corporation Rob Krukovitz Benco Dental Co. Sarah Mann Barry Callebaut Amanda Marchegiani Northeast Regional Cancer Institute Allie Marroquin Lackawanna Susquehanna BH/ID/EI Program Elizabeth McGill Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Jannette Moran Wells Fargo Bank Gene Munley Prudential Retirement Matt Nied Penn State Scranton Tara Priest Rhodes Kim Rollman TMG Health, A Cognizant Company Bill Ruddy Tobyhanna Army Depot Mileise Sabbatini NET Credit Union Mike Stremski Reuther+Bowen Linda Tregea Benco Dental Co. Alicia Wang Gertrude Hawk Chocolates
July 2018 President’s Message: Leaving a Legacy To the more than 500 members who attended the Chamber’s 150th Anniversary Celebration last month, I thank you for your support and hope you enjoyed the extravaganza. The program offered an overview of our history, current efforts and what is to come, all wrapped in unique and wonderful musical and dance performances that offered something for every taste. For those of you who couldn’t make the event, this issue of Momentum will try to give you some highlights. (To be honest, it would be impossible to match the energy and excitement of that night.) Another key aspect of the event was the incredible support we received from our sponsors. More than 70 members contributed in recognition of this milestone and their contributions will be used as investments in a special legacy. Proceeds from the event will be used to increase small business Internships, the “Educator in the Workplace” initiative and promotion of creative school-based programs designed to connect schools (secondary and higher education) to business and business to the schools. These efforts, to be coordinated through Skills in Scranton, seek to strengthen career pathways for students, address the workforce needs of our members, and enhance the opportunities for future generations to establish the Lackawanna Valley as the place to begin their professional careers. Many thanks to all – volunteers, sponsors, performers, vendors and staff for making our 150th Anniversary a special experience.
Marie Beggin Joins Penn East Federal Credit Union Marie Beggin has been hired as Vice President of Commercial Lending at Penn East Federal Credit Union. She has more than 25 years of commercial loan experience and most recently worked at Fidelity Bank in Dunmore as their Senior Risk Officer.
Brian Hillard Joins Sustainable Energy Fund Brian Hillard has joined the team at Sustainable Energy Fund as a technical specialist. He will provide technical assistance to Sustainable Energy Fund’s finance team, which uses commercial loans, energy savings agreements and power purchase agreements to help energy users implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
