Area Residents Gain Information at Community Resource & Job Fair

Greater Johnstown United Neighborhoods and Vision2025 hosted a Community Resource & Job Fair on Wednesday, November 8th at the Christ Centered Community Church in downtown Johnstown.

Many area residents attended the job fair in hopes of gaining useful information and leads on potential job opportunities. There were approximately 140 available job openings featured at the fair as well as representatives from various agencies that provided information on a variety of topics such as education assistance, job seeker services and more.

This event was coordinated by JARI and the PA CareerLink – Cambria County. A special thank you to our exhibitors in attendance: JARI, Goodwill of the Southern Alleghenies, PA CareerLink – Cambria County, Lifepoint, Shared Business Services, JWF Industries, Veteran’s Community Initiatives, Inc., United Way of the Laurel Highlands, The Learning Lamp, Qualfon, Firehouse Subs, Alleghenies Unlimited Care Providers, Peerstar LLC and Crown American Associates.

If you are interested in participating in future resource and job fairs, please contact Debi Balog, JARI Workforce Development Director, at  or (814) 262-8366.

SBA 8(a) Application Process Changes

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is launching a new initial application process for the 8(a) Business Development Program.  New applicants for the 8(a) program will need to submit the initial application through the SBA.gov website starting November 15, 2017.  Eligible small, disadvantaged businesses are encouraged to attend one of the two webinars the SBA is holding to learn how to navigate the new website application process.  The identical webinars are scheduled to be held on Thursday, November 9th from 2 PM to 3 PM EST and Monday, November 13th from 10 AM to 11 AM EST.  Pre-registration is not required for either session.

The SBA’s 8(a) Business development program was created to help small, disadvantaged businesses compete in the government marketplace.  Businesses that are at least 51% owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals may be eligible to apply for this program.

Please contact us to learn more about the SBA’s 8(a) program or any of your government contracting assistance needs at (814) 254-4022 or (814) 254-4023 or via email at .

Big Idea Contest Winner to be Chosen November 16th!

The ten finalists in Ben Franklin’s 2017 BIG IDEA Contest will be making presentations to a panel of area judges beginning at 1:35 PM on Thursday, November 16, 2017.

If you know any of the finalists listed below, or if you are just excited about the Startup Alleghenies initiative in general, please stop by the Bottle Works, located at 411 Third Avenue in Johnstown, to hear the presentations:

  • Joseph DiGangi with AssureTech
  • Justin Capouellez with Boomerang Beacon
  • Heather Moyer with Crossroads Consulting
  • Mark Kasterko with MT Arms
  • Adam Stokes with muonSoft
  • Donald Nixon with Nixon’s Technical Service
  • Hunter Swisher with Phospholutions
  • Ryan Kieta with Real Design
  • James Wang with SimplrTechnologies
  • Anthony Biddle with Siterite

The finalists’ presentations will conclude at 5:00 PM, and a catered reception will immediately follow.  While the judges deliberate, you are invited to enjoy the refreshments and network with the finalists.  This will allow you to learn more about all of them in preparation for casting your vote for the People’s Choice Award which will close at 6:15 PM.  All of the winners will be announced at 6:30 PM.

This year’s cash prizes will be awarded to four winners:
First Place: $25,000; Second Place: $15,000; Third Place: $7,500; and a People’s Choice Award: $2,500.

In addition to the $25,000, the first place winner will also receive:

Behavioral Analytics for Small Business

Corey Christman, Predictive Synergistic Systems, will discuss behavioral analytics within the workplace on Thursday, November 30. Participants will hear a brief overview of behavioral analytics and understand the relationship between drives, motivating needs and behaviors. Attendees will also learn about self-awareness and the key to longevity in business and life. Registered attendees will be asked to complete a brief assessment prior to the event. Results will be shared on the 30th.

This Lunch & Learn will be held at JARI Center (160 Jari Drive, Johnstown, PA) from 12 PM to 1:15 PM. The cost to register is $5 per person and lunch will be provided. Click here to register. Please register by November 28. No shows on the day of the event will be billed.

Field to Fork Agricultural Incubator Workshop for Food Entrepreneurs

Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission (SAP&DC) and the Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center (GJCTC) will be holding an informational workshop for the Field to Fork Agricultural Incubator on November 8th, 2017 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The workshop will be held at GJCTC and will educate interested parties about the benefits of the shared-use kitchen and the processes required to utilize the space.

The Agricultural Incubator provides an opportunity for value-added producers to create their products in a shared-use facility with access to a variety of kitchen equipment and ample storage space. The workshop will assist potential users in the processes required to use the kitchen, including a review of the paperwork required by the Department of Agriculture. Business ideas, comparative cost analyses, and other useful information will also be covered at the workshop. Come prepared to learn more about this wonderful community resource, get help filling out your proper paperwork, and talk with the professionals!

If you have any questions or are interested in registering, please contact Karen Wilwol, SAP&DC’s Community Development Planner, by phone at (814) 949-6532 or by email at .

Community Resource & Job Fair

Greater Johnstown United Neighborhoods and Vision2025 will host a Community Resource & Job Fair on Wednesday, November 8th from 5 to 7 PM at the Christ Centered Community Church (531 Somerset Street) in downtown Johnstown.

Approximately 140 available job openings will be featured at the fair. Representatives from various agencies will be able to provide information on a variety of topics such as education assistance, job seeker services and more.

For more information, click here. If you have any questions or would like to participate as an exhibitor, please contact Debi Balog by phone at (814) 262-8366 or by email at .

Hosted by:       

Coordinated by:      

Wessel & Company and 1st Summit Bank Make 2017 List of Best Places to Work in PA

Congratulations to Wessel & Company and 1st Summit Bank on making the list of the 100 companies in PA to win a designation as a “Best Place to Work”!

The 2017 list represents 23,000 employees of 44 small, 27 medium and 29 large sized companies. In order to be eligible for this process, companies had to be a for-profit or non-profit business, be publicly or privately held, employ at least 15 people working in Pennsylvania and be in business for at least one year. What a great accomplishment!

Click here to view the full list of winning companies.