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John Cheney owner of the Piscataquis edition of the Coffee News.
following members for renewing their memberships:
On September 27, 2000 the Chamber along with the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council will co-host the Western Mountain Council Alliance candidate's breakfast at the Covered bridge restaurant at 7 AM. The Chamber will have two public meeting in the month of October. On October 4, 2000 the Chamber will host Transportation Commissioner John Melrose at the Piscataquis Regional YMCA for a special evening beginning at 7 PM. The Chamber's second Issues & Eggs breakfast meeting will be held on October 12th at 7 AM at the Covered Bridge Restaurant in Guilford. Labor Commissioner Valerie Landry will be the Chamber's guest speaker. On November 1st the Chamber will host Vaughn Stinson, Executive Director of the Maine Tourism Association at a 7 AM Issues & Eggs Breakfast meeting scheduled at the Covered Bridge Restaurant in Guilford. If you would like more information about these of future Chamber meetings, contact Dennis Lyford at the Chamber 564-7533.
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While the plan is not a purchasing alliance, it will offer a lower cost alternative to businesses seeking to purchase or maintain health insurance for themselves and their employees. Starting October 1, 2000, members of both the state chamber and their local chambers will be eligible to participate in a new offering from Anthem\Blue Cross which answers the need for affordable healthcare in Maine. The program, which will include some cost sharing for employees, will provide a more affordable option than many programs currently available. Also offered within the program is a reimbursement account through MaineChoice to lower deductible costs. For more information, stay tuned. To access other cost-saving measures offered through the "Maine Chamber Alliance," please contact Joe Cooper at the Maine State Chamber by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. #23. The SPCCC would like to thank the Maine Rural Development Council for providing a grant to the chamber to allow Dennis to attend this conference. The statewide Building Bridges Program is a collaborative effort of business and education, designed to promote learning and preparation of tomorrow's workforce. Beginning in the fall of this year, a team of 10 to 20 educators from the regions five school systems will visit local businesses in the Penquis region. The educators will meet with both management and employees to learn about the businesses, history, market conditions, hiring criteria and training requirements. The educators will also receive a tour of the business site. Southern Piscataquis County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Dennis Lyford explained that the program would offer educators an opportunity, not only to visit a variety of local businesses, but would also give them a better understanding of problems facing local businesses. The goal of the program will be to have local school systems review their curriculum, to what if any changes can be made to better prepare students to enter the workforce. Lyford feels that the outcomes of this project will be the forming of a partnership between the local school systems, local businesses and economic development organizations, and that this partnership will bring to the region, education programs that will benefit the local economy. |