Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce

Pennsylvania’s Employment Situation for March 2012

chamber — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:59:24 +0000

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.5 percent in March, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the 7.6 percent February rate. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was below the U.S. rate of 8.2 percent, and has been below the U.S. rate for 47 consecutive months, and at or below the U.S. rate for 65 consecutive months.

The state’s unemployment rate was down 0.4 percentage points from March 2011.

Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – was up 16,000 in March to 6,406,000. Resident employment was up 21,000 to 5,927,000, and the number of unemployed residents fell 5,000 to 479,000. Pennsylvania’s labor force was 3,000 above its March 2011 level.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 7,800 in March to 5,728,400. The March gain was the third increase in the last four months. Most of the increase was within service-providing industries, which increased by 8,200 jobs. Leisure & hospitality had the largest increase of any supersector in March, up 7,000 to a record high of 522,000. Mining & logging, up 500 to 38,500 jobs, reached its highest level since the series began in 1990. The largest decline in March was in construction, down 3,000 to 226,700.

Pennsylvania’s job count was up 45,700 (0.8 percent) over the year while national total nonfarm jobs were up 1,899,000 (1.5 percent) over the past 12 months.

Media contact: Christopher Manlove, 717-787-7530

Editor’s Note: A breakdown of Pennsylvania’s employment statistics follows.

Current Labor Force Statistics

Seasonally Adjusted

(in thousands)

Change from Change from

March February March February 2012 March 2011

2012 2012 2011 volume percent volume percent

Civilian Labor Force 6,406 6,390 6,403 16 0.3% 3 0.0%

Employment 5,927 5,906 5,896 21 0.4% 31 0.5%

Unemployment 479 484 507 -5 -1.0% -28 -5.5%

Rate 7.5 7.6 7.9 -0.1 —- -0.4 —-

U.S.

Civilian Labor Force 154,707 154,871 153,392 -164 -0.1% 1,315 0.9% Employment 142,034 142,065 139,764 -31 0.0% 2,270 1.6%

Unemployment 12,673 12,806 13,628 -133 -1.0% -955 -7.0%

Rate 8.2 8.3 8.9 -0.1 —- -0.7 —-

Pennsylvania Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment

Seasonally Adjusted

(in thousands)

Change from Change from

March February March February 2012 March 2011

2012 2012 2011 volume percent volume percent

Total Nonfarm Jobs 5,728.4 5,720.6 5,682.7 7.8 0.1% 45.7 0.8%

Goods Producing Industries 835.7 836.1 816.1 -0.4 0.0% 19.6 2.4%

Mining & Logging 38.5 38.0 31.9 0.5 1.3% 6.6 20.7%

Construction 226.7 229.7 220.2 -3.0 -1.3% 6.5 3.0%

Manufacturing 570.5 568.4 564.0 2.1 0.4% 6.5 1.2%

Service Providing Industries 4,892.7 4,884.5 4,866.6 8.2 0.2% 26.1 0.5%

Trade, Transportation & Utilities 1,100.3 1,096.3 1,092.1 4.0 0.4% 8.2 0.8%

Information 88.9 89.7 91.2 -0.8 -0.9% -2.3 -2.5%

Financial Activities 312.8 311.1 308.9 1.7 0.5% 3.9 1.3%

Professional & Business Services 715.7 715.7 710.8 0.0 0.0% 4.9 0.7%

Education & Health Services 1,165.4 1,165.8 1,149.4 -0.4 0.0% 16.0 1.4%

Leisure & Hospitality 522.0 515.0 510.8 7.0 1.4% 11.2 2.2%

Other Services 253.7 254.5 252.2 -0.8 -0.3% 1.5 0.6%

Government 733.9 736.4 751.2 -2.5 -0.3% -17.3 -2.3%

For a more detailed breakdown of seasonally adjusted jobs data at the sector level, please contact the

Center for Workforce Information & Analysis at 1-877-4WF-DATA, or visit www.paworkstats.state.pa.us

Chamber honors members for their excellence

chamber — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:19:53 +0000

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – The Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce honored nine of its members and a student volunteer on April 12 at its Annual Awards Breakfast at Chambersburg Country Club. The top honor, entry to the Chamber’s Hall of Fame for longtime outstanding service to the organization, went to retiree Lucille Stence of Chambersburg.

Patricia Barbarowicz, vice president for Community Relations of Summit Health, won the international Athena Award, which recognizes support of the goals of professional women, unselfish assistance on their behalf, and values that inspire women.

Other winners at the breakfast sponsored by M&T Bank were:

The Igloo, Ping’s Restaurant, MedExpress Urgent Care and Chambersburg Area Senior High School, Property Improvement Awards; Norland Avenue Pharmacy, Innovator Award; The Baxter Group Inc., the Environmental Sustainability Award of Wilson College and the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce; Blake Truman, Volunteer of the Year; and Morgan Shadle, Heritage Center Ambassador of the Year.

Suzanne Miller Trinh, chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, and Chamber President David G. Sciamanna presented the award to Stence. “Over the past 20 years, no one has given more time nor displayed more commitment to the Chamber,” Trinh said.

Stence, formerly the director of nursing and later the vice president of professional services at Chambersburg Hospital, served as a member of the Chamber’s board of directors from 2004 through last year, serves on the Government Affairs Committee and has served as chair of the Chamber’s Ambassadors Committee for more than a dozen years. Ambassadors greet members at mixers, welcome new members, deliver membership plaques to new members, attend ribbon-cuttings and other Chamber events.

“You couldn’t have a better ambassador or a more loyal Chamber supporter than Lucille,” Trinh said. “She is well versed on the Chamber and its programs, and she greets everyone with a smile and a kind word. She has given a lot of time to the board, committees and ad-hoc efforts, such as accreditation and last year’s 100^th anniversary celebration. Lucille even walked in the Christmas parade last year, helping to mark the Chamber’s 100^thanniversary.

“It’s ironic that you win prizes like this, awards like this, for something that you so thoroughly enjoy, and have had so much fun doing,” Stence said. “I think the world of the chamber, I love the community, and all of these things that I’m involved in, I have an interest. I’m somebody who wants to be a part of, have a say, and to be involved. I just love volunteering, and doing what I do. I’ve met so many wonderful, wonderful people doing this. And it gives you so much satisfaction. When you retire, don’t go home and just sit down. Get to work. You need to be involved… I thank you all so very, very much for this award.”

Stence also has volunteered for many other organizations in the community, including Keystone Health Center, The Shook Home, Meals on Wheels, The Franklin/Fulton County Mental Health Program, Capitol Theatre, the Cumberland Valley School of Music and Central Presbyterian Church. Stence is a previous winner of the Athena Award and the Chamber’s Volunteer of the Year Award.

Barbarowicz also is active in the community. As vice president of planning and marketing and most recently in her current role, Barbarowicz’s “passion, vision and guidance have brought our community state-of-the art facilities and technology like digital mammography and the daVinci surgical robot system,” said Bea Hoffman, who accepted the award in Barbarowicz’s absence.

When the H1N1 virus threatened the health of Franklin County residents, Barbarowicz worked with a team of clinicians to develop an outpatient flu clinic, Hoffman said. Her Summit Endowment team also identified the need for a Walk In clinic in Greencastle.

In addition, Barbarowicz “loves to share her smile at the homeless shelter, often during the wee hours of the night, and she serves survivors at the annual breast cancer pink ribbon dinner,” Hoffman said. She’s also a former board member of the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Chambersburg Rotary Club.

Because she is out of the country, Barbarowicz sent a statement: “My position at Summit Health has allowed me the privilege of working with so many talented and deeply committed community leaders to improve the quality of life in this area. I have particularly enjoyed the special opportunity to encourage and support other women in their professional and personal journeys,” Barbarowicz said.

The Athena Award is sponsored locally by Jennings Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and F&M Trust Co.

Other winners:

Innovator Award

Norland Avenue Pharmacy in the Summit Health Center, and owner Dr. Wayne Myers, were recognized for several innovations, including offering customers the option of custom-compounded medications. Seminars on compounding were so well received that the pharmacy now offers two or more free seminars per month on topics ranging from cholesterol to eating right for optimal health.

Dr. Myers also invested in a robotic prescription dispensing system in 2011. This robot automatically chooses a vial, takes it to the correct drug cell, weighs out the medication, labels the vial, and sends it down a conveyor to the pharmacist for final inspection and capping. The first of its kind in Chambersburg, the robot holds up to 200 medications.

When he’s not working at the pharmacy, Myers serves on the Strategic Planning Committee for Shalom Christian Academy, coaches a youth soccer team, teaches Sunday School at King Street Church, and mentors several students.

Environmental Award

The Baxter Group Inc., 941 Progress Road, won the Environmental Sustainability Award. The Baxter Group specializes in asbestos abatement, lead paint removal, mold remediation, lead detection, selective demolition and mechanical insulation in residential, commercial and industrial properties. In addition to its 23 years of work in removing hazardous materials, the company office recycles plastic, aluminum, glass and cardboard and is converting to a paperless system.

Property Improvement

Four Chambersburg properties were honored for their 2011 improvements. Chambersburg Area Senior High School won in the category for improvements costing more than $500,000, with an honorable mention going to MedExpress Urgent Care of Lincoln Way East. Ping’s Restaurant of South Main Street won in the category for improvements costing $150,000 to $500,000, and The Igloo, 2395 Philadelphia Ave., won in the up to $150,000 category.

Volunteer of the Year

Blake Truman has been chair of the ChambersFest Committee for five years, helping to plan Chamber events and taking an active role during the annual festival each July. In 2011, he and fellow workers worked at the Battle of the Bands contest for nine-plus hours in 100-plus degree heat, as they did in 2010.

Truman has promoted ChambersFest and other community events such as IceFest through his management of Verstanding Broadcasting. For the first time in 2011, Verstanding Broadcasting was the radio company promoting Crab Feast – and attendance was significantly higher. Truman also has helped to promote the Chamber’s Civil War seminars and the Chamber Foundation’s jobs Web site, www.FranklinCountyWorks.com.

In addition, he serves on the Chamber’s board of directors and provides valuable input on marketing, the Chamber’s buy local program and other Chamber initiatives.

Heritage Center Ambassador

Morgan Shadle of Chambersburg is the Heritage Center Ambassador of the Year. In addition to her regularly scheduled volunteer duties, the Wilson College junior participated in several special projects at the Heritage Center. She assisted with exhibits related to the Chamber’s 100^th anniversary in 2011, and she appeared in frontier costume and led tours of 850 fifth-graders to downtown historic sites (along with volunteer Joe Hunt). In addition, Shadle helped to create a database of potential Civil War seminar participants.

Chamber Hall of Fame members

J. Glenn Benedict
T.K. Nitterhouse
Robert B. Shively
Sam Booth
Paul E. White
John McD Sharpe Jr.
C. Graydon Schlichter
Robert G. Zullinger
Sidney M. Palmer
George C. Eppinger
Richard P. Zimmerman
William T. Coffield
Lee Hartzok
Charles Q. Smith
Ann L. Wagner
Will Pananes
Lucille Stence

Will Your Business Disaster Preparedness Campaign Work?

chamber — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:22:27 +0000

Will Your BC PlanWork

FCADC Volume 3 Issue 1 – The Developer

chamber — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:21:12 +0000

Volume 3 Issue 1

PA Fast Facts on Unemployment – March 2012

chamber — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:21:17 +0000

Fast Facts March 2012 viewing

PA’s Employment Situation – February 2012

chamber — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:02:31 +0000

Pennsylvania’s Employment Situation for February 2012

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in February, unchanged from the January rate. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was below the U.S. rate of 8.3 percent, and has been below the U.S. rate for 46 consecutive months, and at or below the U.S. rate for 64 consecutive months.

The state’s unemployment rate was down 0.4 percentage points from February 2011.

Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – was up 6,000 in February to 6,389,000. Resident employment was up 10,000 to 5,906,000, and the number of unemployed residents fell 3,000 to 483,000. Pennsylvania’s labor force was 15,000 below its February 2011 level.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 16,700 in February to 5,717,600. The February gain was the largest increase since May 2010. Most of the increase was in service-providing industries, which increased by 17,300 jobs from January. Education & health services had the largest increase of any supersector in February, up 8,500. Professional & business services also posted a large increase, up 7,000. The largest decline in February was in other services, which fell for the second consecutive month following seven straight months of increases of at least 500.

Pennsylvania’s job count was up 40,000 (0.7 percent) over the year, while national total nonfarm jobs were up just over 2 million jobs (1.5 percent) over the past 12 months.

Media contact: Christopher S. Manlove, 717-787-7530

Editor’s Note: A breakdown of Pennsylvania’s employment statistics follows on the next page.

Current Labor Force Statistics

Seasonally Adjusted

(in thousands)

Change from Change from

February January February January 2012 February 2011

2012 2012 2011 volume percent volume percent

Civilian Labor Force 6,389 6,383 6,404 6 0.1% -15 -0.2%

Employment 5,906 5,896 5,894 10 0.2% 12 0.2%

Unemployment 483 486 510 -3 -0.6% -27 -5.3%

Rate 7.6 7.6 8.0 0.0 —- -0.4 —-

U.S.

Civilian Labor Force 154,871 154,395 153,302 476 0.3% 1,569 1.0%

Employment 142,065 141,637 139,551 428 0.3% 2,514 1.8%

Unemployment 12,806 12,758 13,751 48 0.4% -945 -6.9%

Rate 8.3 8.3 9.0 0.0 —- -0.7 —-

Pennsylvania Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment

Seasonally Adjusted

(in thousands)

Change from Change from

February January February January 2012 February 2011

2012 2012 2011 volume percent volume percent

Total Nonfarm Jobs 5,717.6 5,700.9 5,677.6 16.7 0.3% 40.0 0.7%

Goods Producing Industries 834.9 835.5 813.7 -0.6 -0.1% 21.2 2.6%

Mining & Logging 37.7 37.1 31.5 0.6 1.6% 6.2 19.7%

Construction 229.1 230.4 219.2 -1.3 -0.6% 9.9 4.5%

Manufacturing 568.1 568.0 563.0 0.1 0.0% 5.1 0.9%

Service Providing Industries 4,882.7 4,865.4 4,863.9 17.3 0.4% 18.8 0.4%

Trade, Transportation & Utilities 1,098.7 1,096.5 1,092.2 2.2 0.2% 6.5 0.6%

Information 89.7 88.9 91.4 0.8 0.9% -1.7 -1.9%

Financial Activities 310.2 310.7 309.5 -0.5 -0.2% 0.7 0.2%

Professional & Business Services 715.0 708.0 708.3 7.0 1.0% 6.7 0.9%

Education & Health Services 1,163.9 1,155.4 1,147.4 8.5 0.7% 16.5 1.4%

Leisure & Hospitality 515.5 515.6 509.7 -0.1 0.0% 5.8 1.1%

Other Services 254.5 257.4 252.4 -2.9 -1.1% 2.1 0.8%

Government 735.2 732.9 753.0 2.3 0.3% -17.8 -2.4%

For a more detailed breakdown of seasonally adjusted jobs data at the sector level, please contact the

Center for Workforce Information & Analysis at 1-877-4WF-DATA, or visit www.paworkstats.state.pa.us

Note: March 2012 labor force and nonfarm jobs statistics will be released April 19, 2012.

Unemployment/Jobs Press Release

chamber — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:43:37 +0000

The latest Area Unemployment/Jobs Press Releases and Civilian Labor Force data are now available on our website.

To access the Area Unemployment/Jobs Press Releases:

Select the following link: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=552914&mode=2. This will take you to the website where all of the press releases are listed. Choose the press release you require and click on it.

To access the Civilian Labor Force (CLF) packet:

Select the following link: http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/gsipub/index.asp?docid=363.

This will take you to the Center for Workforce Information & Analysis Civilian Labor Force publication page. Near the bottom of the page there are links for the Civilian Labor Force Series packet in both PDF and Excel format.

Pennsylvania’s Employment Situation January 2012

chamber — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:47:02 +0000

March 1, 2012

Pennsylvania’s Employment Situation for January 2012

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in January, down from 7.7 percent in December 2011. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was below the U.S. rate of 8.3 percent, and has been below the U.S. rate for 45 consecutive months, and at or below the U.S. rate for 62 consecutive months.

The state’s unemployment rate was down 0.4 percentage points from January 2011.

Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – was down 7,000 in January to 6,381,000. Resident employment was down 2,000 to 5,896,000, and the number of unemployed residents fell 4,000 to 485,000. Pennsylvania’s labor force was 19,000 below its January 2011 level.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were down 9,000 in January to 5,703,800. The January drop followed a December gain of 8,700 jobs. Goods producing industries added 8,900 jobs in January with increases in all three supersectors. Losses were concentrated in service providing industries, which declined 17,900 over the month. Education & health services made up a large portion of the decline, down 14,600 in January.

Pennsylvania’s job count was up 37,200 (0.7 percent) over the year while national total nonfarm jobs were up 1,953,000 (1.5 percent).

A breakdown of Pennsylvania’s employment statistics is available on the Department of Labor & Industry’s website at www.dli.state.pa.us.

Media contact: Christopher Manlove, 717-787-7530

Editor’s Note: A breakdown of Pennsylvania’s employment statistics follows. Because the data included in each month’s press release (primarily civilian labor force and nonfarm jobs data) are sample-based, the data are subject to revisions. Once each year, estimates are adjusted to new levels based on additional or revised information collected after the initial release of the data (called a benchmark). Additionally, seasonal adjustment factors for historic labor force and nonfarm jobs data are updated each year. Revisions to the labor force and nonfarm jobs series have been completed and are reflected in the January news release.

Current Labor Force Statistics

Seasonally Adjusted

(in thousands)

Change from Change from

January December January December 2011 January 2011

2012 2011 2011 volume percent volume percent

Civilian Labor Force 6,381 6,388 6,400 -7 -0.1% -19 -0.3%

Employment 5,896 5,898 5,886 -2 0.0% 10 0.2%

Unemployment 485 489 514 -4 -0.8% -29 -5.6%

Rate 7.6 7.7 8.0 -0.1 —- -0.4 —-

U.S.

Civilian Labor Force 154,395 153,887 153,250 508 0.3% 1,145 0.7%

Employment 141,637 140,790 139,330 847 0.6% 2,307 1.7%

Unemployment 12,758 13,097 13,919 -339 -2.6% -1,161 -8.3%

Rate 8.3 8.5 9.1 -0.2 —- -0.8 —-

Pennsylvania Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment

Seasonally Adjusted

(in thousands)

Change from Change from

January December January December 2011 January 2011

2012 2011 2011 volume percent volume percent

Total Nonfarm Jobs 5,703.8 5,712.8 5,666.6 -9.0 -0.2% 37.2 0.7%

Goods Producing Industries 835.6 826.7 809.6 8.9 1.1% 26.0 3.2%

Mining & Logging 37.0 36.8 30.5 0.2 0.5% 6.5 21.3%

Construction 230.5 225.8 217.5 4.7 2.1% 13.0 6.0%

Manufacturing 568.1 564.1 561.6 4.0 0.7% 6.5 1.2%

Service Providing Industries 4,868.2 4,886.1 4,857.0 -17.9 -0.4% 11.2 0.2%

Trade, Transportation & Utilities 1,096.0 1,101.5 1,089.0 -5.5 -0.5% 7.0 0.6%

Information 88.8 89.3 91.3 -0.5 -0.6% -2.5 -2.7%

Financial Activities 311.0 307.4 310.3 3.6 1.2% 0.7 0.2%

Professional & Business Services 707.4 712.2 707.3 -4.8 -0.7% 0.1 0.0%

Education & Health Services 1,157.5 1,172.1 1,143.8 -14.6 -1.2% 13.7 1.2%

Leisure & Hospitality 517.0 512.8 509.5 4.2 0.8% 7.5 1.5%

Other Services 257.3 257.7 251.9 -0.4 -0.2% 5.4 2.1%

Government 733.2 733.1 753.9 0.1 0.0% -20.7 -2.7%

For a more detailed breakdown of seasonally adjusted jobs data at the sector level, please contact the

Center for Workforce Information & Analysis at 1-877-4WF-DATA, or visit www.paworkstats.state.pa.us

Note: February 2012 labor force and nonfarm jobs statistics will be released March 22, 2012.

Fast Facts January 2012

chamber — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:41:29 +0000

Click the link below to read information on January’s labor statistics.

Fast Facts January 2012 v

Area Unemployment/Jobs Press Releases and Civilian Labor Force data

chamber — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:15:34 +0000

To access the Area Unemployment/Jobs Press Releases:

To access the Civilian Labor Force (CLF) packet:

Select the following link: http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/gsipub/index.asp?docid=363.

When viewing either the Civilian Labor Force packet or Press Releases, you may print the document you are viewing by either clicking on the icon of the printer on the tool bar or clicking on File and then Print.

If you experience any problems with accessing the Press Releases or CLF packet, or if you have any other questions/concerns, please feel free to contact the Workforce Information Center at 877-493-3282 or e-mail us at <mailto:workforceinfo@state.pa.us>

Center for Workforce Information & Analysis

PA Department of Labor & Industry

(877) 493-3282