/ By Lauren Thompson / Cambria County • Financing & incentives • Somerset County/ 0 Comments

The Importance of Strategic Planning

On Thursday, May 4th, Jonna Contacos-Sawyer, SPHR, CCP, CMC, SHRM-SCPSM, HR Consultants, Inc, will share the definition and necessity of preparing a strategic plan. Attendees will learn why mission & vision statements and values are important in the process, the elements of a SWOT analysis and how they link into a strategic plan. Attendees will also have the opportunity to understand the importance of writing goals and objectives while monitoring, measuring and updating their strategic plans.

This Lunch & Learn will be held at the JARI Center (160 JARI Drive) on Thursday, May 4, from 12 to 1:15 PM. The cost to register is $5 per person and lunch will be provided.

Registration is required. If you are interested in attending, please complete the registration form and e-mail it to Lauren Brewer at .

/ By Lauren Thompson / Cambria County • Financing & incentives • New business • News • Somerset County/ 0 Comments

PA Small Business Week Takes Place Next Week

The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) in conjunction with the National Small Business Week has announced the second annual Pennsylvania Small Business Week that takes place next week (April 30 – May 6).

Pennsylvania will showcase the role small businesses play in our state and how they support both strong entrepreneurship and vibrant communities.

The DCED will be hosting five free webinars that will be presented by experienced experts:

If you’re interested in attending one of the listed webinars, click the corresponding links for more information.

/ By Lauren Thompson / Cambria County • Financing & incentives • Media Releases • News • Somerset County/ 0 Comments

Commonwealth Tax Credits

On Thursday, April 27th, Lindsey Bennett, KIZ Resources, LLC, will share her expertise on the variety of tax credit programs that may be available to area small businesses. Attendees will learn about the Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ), Research and Development (R&D), Neighborhood Assistance-Enterprise Zone (NAP-EZ), PA Historic Preservation Credits (HPTC), Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC) and Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC).

This Lunch & Learn will be held at the JARI Center (160 JARI Drive) on Thursday, April 27. The cost to register is $5 per person and lunch will be provided.

Registration is required. If you are interested in attending, please complete the registration form and e-mail it to Lauren Brewer at .

/ By Lauren Thompson / Event • News • Somerset County • Workforce Development/ 0 Comments

Workforce Development Session Has Successful Turnout

On Wednesday, April 12 the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce hosted an “Eggs & Issues:Workforce Development Benefits,” session at the Somerset Country Club

Representatives from seven workforce related agencies highlighted the many resources and benefits available to businesses in the Southern Alleghenies region. Industry experts also discussed employee recruitment options, training resources and funding options for workforce development.

For more information on Workforce Development, contact Debi Balog at (814) 262-8366 or via email at .

/ By Lauren Thompson / Cambria County • Event • Financing & incentives • Somerset County/ 0 Comments

Cracking the Interview Code

Manpower Inc, Vice President/Managing Director, Brock Kull, will present on how to interview candidates and how to attract the best applicants. Attendees will learn what types of interview processes exists and what can work best for their companies. Also, find out what questions should and should not be asked during an interview.

This Lunch & Learn will be held at the JARI Center (160 Jari Drive) on Thursday, April 20. The cost to register is $5 per person and lunch will be provided.

Registration is required. If you’re interested in attending, fill out the registration form and sent it to Lauren Brewer at .

/ By Lauren Thompson / Media Releases • News • Somerset County/ 0 Comments

UFC Finds Partners in Mexico City, Philippines and Japan

SAP&DC Newsletter

Universal Forensics Corp. (UFC) is a full service genetics DNA testing laboratory located in Somerset, Pennsylvania. UFC’s principal services are relationship testing, infidelity, immigration testing and forensics for identification of disaster victims.

UFC’s Larry Marsh, Director of Strategic Alliances attended the BTW2PA (Bringing the World to Pennsylvania) event that was coordinated by SAP&DC. After meeting with Pennsylvania’s ATR for Mexico at the BTW2PA event, UFC was able to successfully negotiate a representation agreement for Mexico City.

UFC also worked with the Pennsylvania office in Singapore to successfully sign contractual agreements with a company in the Philippines as well as the parent company located in Tokyo, Japan.

For more information about UFC, visit their website. Also, look for the full articles in the SAP&DC April 2017 newsletter on their website.

/ By Lauren Thompson / Event • Somerset County • Workforce Development/ 0 Comments

Students Making Plans for the Future

Debi Balog
Director, Workforce Development

On March 29th, Over 400 students from 11 Somerset County high schools attended the College and Technical Fair. The students had the opportunity to discuss education and career options with representatives from 59 colleges, technical schools, the military and skilled trade organizations. The fair also included a panel of employers who provided the students with insight on careers within their respective industries as well as information on the importance of critical workplace behaviors. Many thanks to the employers who participated on the panel:

  • SFC Kenneth Gifford, USARMY/USAREC
  • Tobie Gunby, AmeriServ Financial Bank
  • Mike Hinson, API Technologies Corp
  • Amy Horwath, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Alleghenies
  • Mike Stohon, In-Shore Technologies
  • Karissa Yoder, Somerset Hospital

The fair was hosted by the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce Education Committee and Success in Somerset County Committee.

/ By Lauren Thompson / Cambria County • Event • News • Somerset County • Workforce Development/ 0 Comments

Education Job Expo

On Thursday, April 13, there will be an Education Job Expo at the Greater Johnstown Career & Technology Center for anyone looking for a career in the education field. This expo will give employers the opportunity to meet prospective employees in our region and a chance to share information about their organization and available jobs.

The deadline to register is April 7th. If you are interested, RSVP to Kayla Cobaugh at (814) 262-0732 ext. 236 or via email at .

/ By Lauren Thompson / Cambria County • Consortium • Event • News • Somerset County • Workforce Development/ 0 Comments

Pumpkin Chunkin Competition

JARI and Faranda’s Farm is pleased to announce our new partnership to host a Pumpkin Chunkin Competition for local high school students. The competition will be held at Faranda’s Farm located in Hollsopple, PA., on November 4, 2017.

Seven local school districts are registered to participate in the competition in which students form teams and build their own prototype of a trebuchet to launch pumpkins the longest distance. The students will use the S.T.E.M concepts to solve the challenges presented by force and gravity.

We are currently searching for mentors and judges to help at the event and in-kind sponsors for building materials.  Mentors will assist the teams through the designing, building and testing process. Judges will review the judging criteria and participate in scoring the teams the day of the competition.

If you are interested in helping with this event, contact Debi Balog, Director, Workforce Development, at (814) 262-8366 or via email at .

/ By Lauren Thompson / Cambria County • Event • Financing & incentives • News • Somerset County/ 0 Comments

Prime Design Solutions Presenting at Upcoming Lunch & Learn Events!

Brian Law and Shelley Johansson from Prime Design Solutions will be presenting at two of JARI’s upcoming Lunch & Learn events.

Tuesday, March 21, Shelley will be presenting information on the topic “How (and When) to Write a Press Release.” Those who attend this Lunch & Learn will learn what goes into writing a good press release, as well as, publishable topics and the difference between promotion versus PR copy.

Brian will be presenting Thursday, April 6, with the topic of “Content Marketing.” Attendees at this Lunch & Learn will learn what content marketing is and what it can do for their business while also setting expectations for predictable results.

The cost for each event is $5 and registration is required. Please send registration forms to Lauren Brewer by mail or via e-mail at .