Honesdale National Bank Welcomes New Branch Supervisor

David Raven, President and CEO of The Honesdale National Bank, announced Sharon Smith has joined HNB as Branch Supervisor of the Lackawaxen Office.

In making the statement, Raven noted, “We are pleased to welcome Sharon to the HNB Family. Her strong retail and customer service experience will be of great benefit as we look to continue to support the needs of our customers in the Lackawaxen community.” 

Originally from Queens, NY, Smith is new to the financial industry. She moved to the area in her teenage years, graduating from Honesdale High School, and has since received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Management from East Stroudsburg University. She has then pursued over 20 years in retail management at the Dollar Tree in Honesdale.

In mentioning her new role with HNB, Smith said, “I am excited to start a new career and reinvent myself in a new industry.” She continued, “I am looking forward to using my decades of experience in the customer service industry to serve my community in a new way.”

In her spare time, she enjoys spending it with family, watching movies, or shopping. 

Participate in the Electric City Trolley Museum Trim-a-Tree Challenge

This holiday season the staff of The Electric City Trolley Museum is inviting a team of students of your choice plus an adult coordinator to participate in our 5th annual Electric City “Trim-a-Tree” Challenge.

Our Plan is to provide undecorated trees for your group to trim with your own decorations following a theme. This year’s theme is “Popular Board Games”. Clear light, 7-7.5 foot pre-lit trees will be available for trimming starting November 1st through November 24th. All participating students will receive a gift certificate for two for our 2022 season.

Cash prizes will be issued for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and honorable mention.
1st place: $275 gift card
2nd place: $225 gift card
3rd place: $175 gift card
Honorable Mention: $125 gift card

Winners will be determined by our visitors’ votes for their favorite tree. Participating school may collect money on their own at $1 per vote and/or encourage family, friends and school personnel etc. to come enjoy our museum plus all the trees at $2 admission and vote for their favorite tree. All participants and their families and friends are invited to a reception held in our museum on Thursday December 30th from 2 to 3 p.m. during which time all winners will be announced and gift certificates will be distributed.

Space for this event is limited so reservations are required. We will begin taking reservations on October 1st. If interested, please contact us with any questions and to reserve a tree. Reservations should be made no later than October 31st. Our museum is open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Phone: 570-963-6590

Marywood University to Host Annual Lackawanna County College Fair

Marywood University will host the Annual Lackawanna County College Fair on Wednesday, October 20, 2021, from 7-8:30 p.m., in the Center for Athletics and Wellness on the University’s Campus. Prior to the College Fair, a Higher Education Presentation will take place at 6:15 p.m., and a Financial Aid Presentation will take place at 7:15 p.m., both at the Swartz Center for Spiritual Life in the McGowan Community Room. This event and the presentations are free and open to the public.

Representatives of more than 50 colleges and universities, from both in and out of state, will attend the Annual Lackawanna County College Fair and will be available to offer information and answer questions. High School juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend.

For additional information about the Annual Lackawanna County College Fair held at Marywood University, please call the Office of Admissions at Marywood, at (570) 348-6234, or email Sarah Polinchak, senior admissions counselor, at scpolinchak@marywood.edu.

Luzerne Bank Welcomes Three Experienced Bankers

  • Sara Hogan
  • Walter Sarafinko
  • CJ Rinaldi

Luzerne Bank welcomes Sara Chisdock Hogan as a new Manager of the Branch located on South Main Street in Pittston. Hogan earned her bachelor’s degree in business from East Stroudsburg University and her MBA from Wilkes University. She began her banking career in student lending working with post-secondary schools and has come to Luzerne Bank with over 10 years of retail banking and lending experience.

Luzerne Bank’s Commercial Lending Department has announced that Walter Sarafinko joined the team as Vice President of Commercial Lending and will assist the bank in expanding the commercial lending footprint into Lackawanna, Wyoming, Bradford, and Susquehanna Counties and continue the banks role as a consistent funding source for small businesses in Luzerne County. A commercial banking officer and relationship manager, Sarafinko has more that 36 years of progressive experience in the banking industry. A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, Sarafinko has completed numerous banking certificates and diplomas, including Leadership Lackawanna and his diploma through the Pennsylvania Bankers Association Central Atlantic School of Commercial Lending with Honors.

Luzerne Bank is excited that CJ Rinaldi has accepted his new position as Commercial Lender. As a commercial banking officer and credit professional, Rinaldi has 10 years of experience in the banking industry. He will work to expand the Luzern Bank presence in Lackawanna County and continue to serve the small businesses in Luzerne County. Outside of the office he serves on the board of Day Nursery Association, as an advisor board member of Lackawanna County CASA, Advisor for Leadership Lackawanna, and a member of the Keystone Chapter of UNICO. Rinaldi is a graduate of Marywood University and has also completed the Core Program of Leadership Lackawanna.

Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau Local Business Alert

Two national championships will be held in Lackawanna County. The visitor’s bureau alerts local businesses of an increase in visitors to the area the weekend of September 11.  

The National Beard Championship will be held at Montage Mountain.

The Northeast Regional Ladies Ball will be held in Downtown Scranton.

PA CareerLink® Lackawanna County Now Open for In-Person Visits

Staff is available to help with your training and employment needs. Employers have posted well over 2500 job orders in the last 6 months and are searching for qualified applicants.

Beginning June 1st, we are available for in-person visits from 8:30 – 4:30 p.m. every day with appointments recommended. All COVID protocol will be followed.

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Tomorrow, April 20

Lackawanna County is holding a COVID-19 vaccine clinic tomorrow, April 20, at Montage Mountain from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sign up below.

UPDATE as of 8:00 p.m. 4/19/21 –
No appointment necessary. Clinic is first come, first served.

Process information:

  • After completing this form, you will be added to our waiting list.
    • Please note, select “Medicap Olyphant” as the pharmacy location on the form, even though this clinic will be at Montage Mountain. Directions and more information will be provided upon confirmation.
  • The system will automatically send invitations (via text) to the phone number provided.
  • You can then select an appointment time that works best for you.
  • A phone that can receive texts, as well as internet service, will be required to confirm an appointment.
  • For HIPAA compliance, patients will need to enter the birth date provided on the form to access the scheduling.

You may also call 211 to sign up via the phone.

SIGN UP

CANPACK Group Hosts Ceremonial Event

The CANPACK Group held a ceremonial event on Friday March 19 with state and local officials along with community leaders. A short program was presented marking the 908,000-square-foot aluminum can manufacturing plant being completely under roof with final construction expected to be in May.

In July of 2020, The CANPACK Group – a subsidiary of Blandon, PA-based GIORGI GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC. (GGHI) – announced the construction a state of the art aluminum beverage can body and ends manufacturing plant. President and CEO of GGHI Peter Giorgi remarked that “this is CANPACK’s first plant in the United States and will feature a North American Center of Excellence which will demonstrate our R&D and lithographic capabilities. In anticipation of this ceremonial event, Mr. Giorgi added: “We are extremely excited to be bringing CANPACK to the United States and to my home state of Pennsylvania, and we are very pleased that Roberto Villaquiran, CEO of the CANPACK Group, will be joining us in person for this event as well as our leadership team for CANPACK US.”

The new $366 million facility in Olyphant will create more than 400 skilled and semi-skilled jobs. CANPACK will open the first of its assembly lines in September with further lines to follow.
Roberto Villaquiran, CANPACK’s CEO, notes that “providing life sustaining jobs while creating essential packaging products which can be recycled again and again is foundational with respect to CANPACK’s focus on sustainability, being a responsible corporate citizen, and passionately serving the needs of our customers.” Brooke Lipperini, HR Manager o f CANPACK US, added, “We are hiring passionate and dedicated individuals to join our team. This is an exciting time for CANPACK and we welcome those who want to be a part of the creation of a major manufacturing facility that brings great sustainable product to our great country.”

Learn more at Canpack.com.

Commissioners Announce Lackawanna County COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Grant Program

Lackawanna County Commissioners approved $2,374,844 million in funding to provide grants to eligible hospitality and accommodation businesses through the Lackawanna County COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Grant Program. 

The program will provide grants up to $25,000 to eligible businesses in Lackawanna County.

“The hospitality industry has been hit very hard by the pandemic. The majority of our well-established area restaurants and small eateries were reduced to take-out or capacity restrictions, while our hotels saw a huge drop-off in guest room bookings.  We are very pleased to provide some assistance again in conjunction with our partner, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.  Together, we will utilize our resources to assist these sectors to get on the road to economic recovery,” the Board of Commissioners stated.  

In February, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania earmarked $145 million to establish the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Grant Program. The funding was distributed through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to Lackawanna County.

The County will partner with MetroAction, the small business affiliate of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, to administer the program and provide technical assistance to grant applicants and awardees. 

Information on the grant program is available at www.metroaction.org. Businesses are encouraged to read program guidelines and gather required program documents. Businesses will be able to submit a grant application for a two-week time frame or until program funding is exhausted.

The grant application will open on March 8.

READ GUIDELINES