Business briefcase
Lemont Furnace
Jordan new association member
Christopher G. Jordan, Lemont Furnace, is a new junior member of the “American Angus Association”, said Bryce Schumann, chief executive officer of the national organization with headquarters in St. Joseph, Mo.
Junior members of the association are eligible to register cattle in the American Angus Association, participate in programs conducted by the National Junior Angus Association and take part in Association-sponsored shows and other national and regional events.
The American Angus Association is the largest beef breed association in the world, with more than 25,000 active adult and junior members.
Uniontown
Ribblett president of Earthtech
Earthtech Inc. has elected new officers. They are Hiram E. Ribblett, president; David Mills, Thomas Matisko and Ryan Stairs, vice presidents; Robert Reese, treasurer and assistant secretary; and Jason Horner, secretary.
E.T.I., established in 1980, is a consulting company, specializing in engineering, environmental science, and construction inspection. Offices are in Johnstown, Uniontown and Somerset serving western and central Pennsylvania as well as northern Maryland and West Virginia.
Ribblett is a licensed professional engineer with 37 years of experience in mining and geotechnical engineering. He is licensed to practice engineering in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
Ribblett has a bachelor of science degree in engineering from Pennsylvania State University and is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania and Ohio with 28 years mining and civil engineering experience, 24 years experience in engineering design and operations, 16 years experience in surveying and ground control, 16 years experience in water pollution control and erosion and sedimentation control and 16 years experience in design of pumping and water handling facilities.
Earthtech employs about 60 people at its three locations.
Harrisburg
PUC announces Internet All Stars
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has announced that D. Merle Skinner, the executive director of the Christian Family and Children Center in Fayette and Westmoreland counties has been named an Internet All Star as part of a PUC campaign promoting high speed Internet subscription in rural parts of the state.
“High speed Internet service can offer a variety of benefits to users, including access to job opportunities, health information and government services,” said PUC Chairman Robert F. Powelson. “This campaign demonstrates just how valuable the service is for Pennsylvanians.”
Skinner and several others were identified through the PUC’s “I Do More with High Speed Internet” campaign, which launched earlier this year. Users of high speed Internet in Butler, Fayette, Mercer, Schuylkill and Westmoreland counties were encouraged to submit stories to the campaign’s website explaining how they benefit from high speed Internet. The All Stars will be featured in print advertising scheduled to run in the five counties and on the “I Do More With High Speed Internet” website www.IDoMoreWithHighSpeedInternet.com.
Skinner said the service is critical to the Christian Family and Children Center, which uses high speed Internet to connect its campuses in Champion and Donegal.
“We could not offer the quality programs we have without it,” said Skinner, a Laurel Highland Total Communication customer.
A list of high speed Internet providers by county is available by calling the PUC at 1-800-692-7380 or visiting www.IDoMoreWithHighSpeedInternet.com.
For more information, visit online www.puc.pa.gov.
Uniontown
‘Virtual’ company opens
A “virtual” public relations/communications firm is now operating in Uniontown.
MW Group, or Media Works Group, is a nationwide network of independent communications professionals who collaborate to create custom-made communications and PR solutions to tough problems. MW Group teams professionals who work remotely from their “virtual” offices to unravel and solve the real communications challenges that impede a client’s goals.
Technology enhances our ability to deliberate, share ideas, and resolve problems so individuals no longer must be in the same location, said Richard Ringer, the MW Group managing partner in Uniontown. Our “virtual” agency maximizes those opportunities for clients, resulting in lower costs for them.
MW Group partners with each client to understand their situation and problem, and then the firm’s consultants, selected for the specific needs of each client draw on their collective experiences and shared knowledge of what works to develop creative, effective and measurable results. “With MW Group, you get a team of veteran communications and PR pros, many of them award-winning in their field, who pride themselves in fixing complicated communications and PR problems,” Ringer said.
MW Group’s work on any assignment, whether on retainer or project basis, ends when the client is pleased with the result and willing to share the positive experience with others. “MW Group ends an engagement when the client is totally satisfied, not when all the tasks on our checklist are completed,” Ringer said.
MW Group’s specializes in traditional to new media, reputation to crisis management, thought leadership programs to boardroom support, for corporate to private business, for those seeking elected office to those leaving a longtime executive office, all done by a team of two to eight or 10 or more professionals. To learn more about MW Group, contact Richard Ringer at ringer.mwgroup@gmail.com.
Somerset
Bank best place to work
Somerset Trust Co. has announced that it is second among the top 29 large employers in the state, according to the 13th annual Best Places to Work in PA awards program.
This program evaluates and ranks the best places of employment in the state based on employee satisfaction and engagement, as well as workplace practices and policies. The Best Places to Work in PA includes two groups of companies: 71 small/medium-sized firms with 25-249 employees and 29 large-sized companies with 250 employees or more.
“We are fortunate to have a professional, energetic and committed staff that brings a wealth of talent and knowledge to the table and every day work positively together as a team,” commented G. Henry Cook, Somerset Trust president and chief executive officer. “They honor our bank year after year by voting us on to the list of Best Places to Work. We are especially honored by this recent achievement.”
Washington, D.C.
SBA helps NHL lockout businesses
With the National Hockey League lockout approaching its fourth month and small businesses across the country on ice, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is prepared to help the affected local businesses. In the 23 cities that host NHL teams, SBA representatives will be reaching out over the coming weeks to business owners to provide counseling sessions and help businesses work through this difficult time.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our cities and towns and they should not have to sit in the penalty box,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “When massive work stoppages affect local businesses, the federal government must play a role in helping to ensure stability. Using our vast counseling network, SBA is prepared to coach small businesses until the crowds return.”
“Our region’s resource partners like SCORE, Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, and Veterans’ Business Outreach Centers, as part of SBA’s network of over 14,000 counselors, are ready to lend a hand to small business owners in the affected areas,” said Regional Administrator Natalia Olson-Urtecho.
The cities SBA will be targeting include Columbus, Ohio, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Reading
Utility revises payment plans
West Penn Power, Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed), Pennsylvania Electric Co. (Penelec) and Pennsylvania Power (Penn Power) are revising payment plan options for customers who may need help paying their electric bills in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
The changes make the payment plans more flexible than the current installment plan arrangements. The revised plans will remain in place through March 15, 2013.
The revised payment plan arrangements for Met-Ed, Penelec, West Penn Power and Penn Power customers are:
n Customers with income levels above current state requirements will be able to
receive two payment plans instead of one as currently allowed.
n If a customer is not able to fulfill the first or second payment plans due to
continued financial hardship, another installment plan could be established.
n Payback periods would remain unchanged, varying from six to 36 months
depending on income level.
For customers who might need a few additional days to pay their bill, a “promise
to pay” extension of up to 10 days beyond the due date printed on their bill statement can
be granted by calling the company’s customer service number at 1-800-545-7741.
To take advantage of this option, a customer must have made a payment within the past three months and must not have broken a previous promise to pay within the past three months. Some customers who lost electric service due to Hurricane Sandy are receiving estimated bills. Customers with questions about their bills are encouraged to call 1-800-545-7741. Or, submit a meter reading online:
www.firstenergycorp.com/content/customer/help/billingpayments/about_your_bill.html