Geisinger Recognized for Military Employment and Support

Geisinger has been recognized for its continued support of military veterans and active service members with two recent designations. The Pennsylvania-based health organization was recognized by Military Times on its 2021 Best for Vets: Employers rankings and earned the 2022 Military Friendly® Employer designation by VIQTORY.

Both honors recognize Geisinger’s commitment and efforts to building programs and opportunities for military veterans.

“Both of these honors recognize Geisinger’s commitment to building important programs and opportunities for our military veterans in the community and beyond,” said Kim Drumgo, Geisinger’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. “We know that a diverse workforce with unique experiences and backgrounds makes our team stronger, and our veterans and their family members are an important part of our Geisinger family. We honor their many sacrifices and support their career growth and health.”

To be designated a Military Friendly Employer, Geisinger was evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by VIQTORY with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining an organization’s survey score with an assessment of the organization’s ability to meet thresholds for applicants, new hire retention, employee turnover and promotion & advancement of veterans and military employees.

For the Best for Vets ranking, Military Times collaborated with Fors Marsh Group (FMG) to update the research methodology and analysis from previous years to provide a streamlined, user-friendly survey experience for participants. All survey changes were made based on subject matter expert reviews of the survey and rigorous qualitative research, including focus groups and in-depth interviews with Military Times subscribers. FMG designed, deployed, analyzed and wrote the report for this year’s survey.

The updated survey captured the areas of greatest importance to transitioning service members, veterans and their families when looking for an employer. Recruitment and employment practices, as well as retention and support programs, were given the most weight and importance in scoring and final rankings.

“Geisinger is committed to military veterans by providing care options and career opportunities to them in their local communities,” said U.S. Army veteran Chris Grill, program manager of Military and Veterans Affairs at Geisinger. “We know that employing talented people, like those from our veteran community, contributes to our overall goal of making better health easier for our patients and members.”

Geisinger employs more than 700 active-duty service members and veterans throughout the system. As part of its commitment to the military and its veterans, Geisinger introduced a paid military leave benefit, which provides service members employed by Geisinger to be paid for time at annual trainings, encampments and drills. It also recently established military fellowship program eases the transition of active-duty service members looking to move into a civilian career. To learn more about Geisinger’s veteran programs and career opportunities, visit jobs.geisinger.org/veterans.

Shop Local: Holiday Deals from Our Members!

Alfredo’s Cafe

Holiday food and drinks specials all holiday season!

SkyZone Pittston

Purchase a $40 gift card get a $10 bonus card

Spend $100 on gift cards, get 2 free tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters at Mohegan Sun Arena. While supplies last.

SugarBabies LTD

Shop for the holidays and support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Find organic and vegan skin care and bath goodies in a cozy, holiday store.

Austin Burke Art

November 18 through December 24

30% off ten 5″X7″ note cards. Also available, stocking stuffers, boxed gift sets of unique note cards featuring Scranton landmarks and Dunder Mifflin. Find them at Library Express – Steamtown Marketplace or NEPA Crafters Unite – Viewmont Mall. Chamber members receive an additional 10% off.

PestPractice

Through January 31, 2022

$50 off residential pest control initial service. First month free for new commercial accounts.

Emobile Gym Fitness

November 25 through December 31

30 for $30 for new members and 15% off personal training

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders

November 19 through December 23

The perfect gift for the MVP baseball fan! Choose between our Deck The Halls ($299) and Stocking Stuffer ($145) holiday plans! Packages include undated ticket vouchers for the 2022 season and special gift items. Call 570-969-2255 to purchase!

Audacy Radio Ho-Ho-Ho Deal

Receive 72 spots total across 4 radio stations to run December 12 through December 17 for $1,500.

Audacy Radio Holiday Greetings Deal

Your very own audio greeting card! Run 112 spots across 4 radio stations to run December 5 – December 31 for $1,850.

Watch Our Shop Small Showcases

The Chamber – in partnership with Lackawanna County and Anthracite Events – recently hosted Shop Small Showcases live on social media. Four sessions were held with a variety of local businesses who talked about their holiday gift ideas. Watch all sessions below.

Congrats to our Fall 2021 SAGE Awards Winners

The Chamber is happy to announce the Fall 2021 SAGE Awards winners from its Chamber Gala presenting held at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center and sponsored by Fidelity Bank.

Chamber board chair, Deborah Kolsovsky, opened the ceremony thanking all finalists, award sponsors, and Gala sponsors for their dedication to the NEPA community. Our emcee for the evening was Barry Snyder – formerly known as B-Ray with the Scranton/Wilke-Barre baseball franchise and now with the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, with musical entertainment provided by Lexington Entertainment and EJ the DJ.

The SAGE Awards honor outstanding local businesses for their talent, creativity, and innovation. The Fall SAGE Awards also included the IMPACT Awards, which were created to honor and recognize the innovation our local businesses employed due to COVID-19.

The Chamber congratulates all finalists and winners of the Fall 2021 SAGE Awards. The winners in each category are:

BEST PRACTICES IN COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
• Scranton Area Community Foundation

BEST PRACTICES IN CUSTOMER SERVICE
• Center City Print

BEST PRACTICES IN MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
• Fidelity Bank

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
• Golden Technologies

HOMETOWN STAR
• Scranton Tomorrow

IMPACT: COMMUNITY OUTREACH
• NeighborWorks of Northeastern Pennsylvania

IMPACT: PEOPLE AND CULTURE
• Golden Technologies

IMPACT: PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
• Montage Mountain Resorts

NEW AND EMERGING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
• Reed Advisory Group

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR
• Agency for Community EmPOWERment of NEPA

PEOPLE’S CHOICE
• Friends of the Poor

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
• Quest Studio

Wayne Bank Celebrates 150 Year Anniversary

Lewis J. Critelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wayne Bank, is pleased to announce that the Bank will be celebrating its 150 year anniversary this November.

Wayne Bank was founded in Honesdale, PA on November 4, 1871, with the modest capital of $25,000. It was known as the Wayne County Savings Bank, after Major General Anthony Wayne, who was a prominent solider, officer, and statesman in American history. During the later portion of the 19th Century, Honesdale was a burgeoning canal town at the terminus of the Delaware and Hudson Canal. Led by President, W.W. Weston, a Honesdale merchant and businessman, the Bank’s early financing included everything from boat building and harness manufacturing to tanneries and farming.

As time went on, the Bank helped finance the progression of Wayne County into the glassworks, textile, and logging industries. The headquarters also moved to four different locations within Honesdale, until finally building and moving into the Bank’s present Corporate Office in 1924, located between Seventh and Eighth Streets on Main Street in Honesdale.

The Bank continued to expand throughout the remainder of the 20th Century, acquiring and opening additional locations throughout Wayne, Pike, and Monroe Counties in Pennsylvania. The name was also officially changed to Wayne Bank in 1993.

In 1996, the Bank’s holding company, Norwood Financial Corp, was created. Stock began trading on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol, NWFL. Additional acquisitions helped Wayne Bank to continue its tradition of expansion during the 21st Century with significant growth into Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties in Pennsylvania, and finally into Delaware, Sullivan, Otsego, Ontario, and Yates Counties in New York State.

Today, Wayne Bank has 30 Community Offices in two states and ten counties, including those operating under the Bank of Cooperstown and Bank of the Finger Lakes brands, and employs close to 300 local people.

Mr. Critelli commented, “Although so much has changed in 150 years, I am proud to say that Wayne Bank has remained committed to the same mission and core values that were instated upon our founding. We are a community bank that is dedicated to investing in the residents, businesses, and organizations who make our communities a better place to live. We are strong, secure, and excited to continue our legacy of ‘Helping the Community Grow’ for another 150 years.”

As part of the 150th anniversary celebration, the Bank has some exciting initiatives planned which will kick off in November with special product promotions and Customer Appreciation events. For more information, visit waynebank.com or facebook.com/waynebank/.