Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with Citslinc International, will be providing an informational seminar for chamber members, family members, employees and the general public, on a trip to China.  The trip will take place from April 11th, 2013 through April 19th, 2013.  Trip highlights will include nine days with three full meals each day.  Highlights of the tour will include Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, The Great Wall, and Ming Tombs; Suzhou: Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill, Hanshan Temple and the National Embroidery Institute; Hangzhou: Lingyin Temple, West Lake, and the Economic Development Zone; Shanghai: Yu Garden, the Bund, and the Pudong Economic Development Zone.

According to marketing committee chair, Gary Danish, “The Chamber will be conducting a free informational seminar to learn the complete details of the trip.  Anyone who is interested in learning more about the trip can attend the seminar on Thursday, October 25th at 5:30 p.m. at the Chamber offices at Citiscape, 20 W. Broad Street, Downtown Hazleton.  Deadline to register for the trip is December 28th, 2012.  In addition to information on the trip, a Power Point presentation from a previous Chamber trip will be shown.”  Danish further states, “If someone cannot attend session but still would like to receive information on the trip call the Chamber office at 455-1509 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Senator John R. Gordner, 27th Senatorial District, will address the business community on Friday, October 19th  at the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Red Carpet Breakfast program. The event is sponsored by Susquehanna Bank. The breakfast program will take place at Edgewood in the Pines beginning at 7:45 a.m. Cost is $20 for chamber businesses and $25 for guests.

A full Breakfast will be served at the upcoming breakfast program, and chamber members and guests who would like to attend should contact the Chamber office at 455-1509  by Monday, October 15th or sign up online.

The Red Carpet programs are conducted monthly by the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce as a way of providing information to the local business community and offering new and expanded business networking opportunities.

The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce has announced the winners of their 2012 Business and Community Awards.  In an attempt to help promote October as “Chamber of Commerce” month, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce will hold a special awards luncheon, sponsored by Luzerne County Community College, to recognize the winners of the awards.  The luncheon will take place on Thursday, October 25th at 11:45 a.m. at Top of the 80’s Restaurant in Hazleton.  The cost of the luncheon is $25 per person. Reservations are required by Friday, October 19th by registering online, calling the Chamber at 455-1509 or emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

ChamberChoice Provides Cost Savings and Customized Benefits to Chamber Members

HAZLETON, PA (September 2012) – Chambers of Commerce announce a new program with Liazon Corp. to bring an innovative program for controlling healthcare and other employee benefits costs to business members across Northeastern PA. ChamberChoice, the area’s Chamber of Commerce insurance program, is now offering Liazon’s Bright Choices store to its membership. Bright Choices has successfully delivered cost savings and benefits enhancements to over 2,000 small to mid-sized businesses around the country. Now Northeastern Pennsylvania businesses can start saving 10% to 30% over their traditional employee benefits investments by accessing their benefits through Bright Choices.

Donna Palermo, President of the Greater Hazleton Chamber and representative of the 17 chambers serving the region, said “Affordability has been a real challenge for local businesses with the rapid rise in health insurance costs. Now our ChamberChoice program offers an improved benefit solution that actually controls cost inflation and gives employees what they need to protect themselves.”

The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce will hold an exclusive Joint Networking Mixer sponsored by CTC Manufacturing, Inc. on Thursday, October 18th from 5 pm to 7 pm at their facility located at 2 Rose Street in Beaver Meadows. The mixer is free for Chamber members, their employees, co-workers and guests.  

This event is a unique opportunity for members of the Greater Hazleton Chamber to not only network with their fellow Chamber members, but also network with members of the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce. In addition, it will give you the opportunity to visit CTC Manufacturing, meet their board of directors and see all of the services they have to offer you and your business. 

The newly re-formed Hazleton Chapter of POWER! (professionals organized and working to enrich the region) will be hosting a free Community Downtown Movie Night, Movie at the Markle. POWER! invites the community to enjoy a night under the stars while watching,
The Lorax, with friends, family and anyone interested in doing something a little different on a Friday night.

"We're receiving very positive feedback from the community, however, the best way for people to communicate their support of POWER! is to simply come to an event, explains event coordinator and POWER! leadership team member Renee Baran." "The message of The Lorax is one of personal responsibility-- it's an ideal match for POWER! If this event is well-received, it could become a monthly event that begins in the spring and runs through fall."
 
Movie at the Markle will be held on Friday, Friday, October 12th in the Citiscape/Markle Building Parking Lot, located at 8 W. Broad Street in Downtown Hazleton. The movie will begin at 7 pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets, mittens and snacks. Complimentary hot cocoa will be provided by Tarah Toohil and popcorn will be provided American Abstractors at Eagle Rock Resort and Sam Son Productions/Local News 13.

The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Women’s Networking Committee invites all women from throughout Greater Hazleton to a summer networking mixer on Wednesday, October 10th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Basile’s Italian Restaurant, located on Route 309 in Hometown. Women’s mixers are an excellent opportunity to share your business with other businesswomen from throughout the area, meet new contacts and re-connect with old ones.

The evening will include networking, complimentary hors d' oeuvres, a cash bar, a 50/50 raffle and doorprize drawings. Attendees are asked to bring along items that will help promote their business, such as, business cards, brochures and/or giveaways, which will be displayed on business resource tables throughout the event.

The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce is offering a seminar titled Who’s My Target Audience and How Do I Reach Them. This session will take a look at market segmentation, customer profiles, sales strategies, and methods to reach your niche markets in effective communication with successful conversion to loyal, valued customers.

Many businesses say they target "anyone interested in my services." That’s true, but how do you find them? Few businesses have the luxury of waiting for their customers to walk into their establishment, cash in hand and ready to buy. Yet, the cost of marketing and advertising can frustrate a business because “we spend all this money and get no results”.

The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce and CAN DO, Inc. are offering a Business Financing Luncheon Program on Thursday, October 4th. This free program is open to anyone interested in learning about business financing opportunities that are currently available.  

Brian Hansbury of CAN DO, Inc, Joseph Zeller of the Luzerne County Office of Community Development, Leigh Magnotta of MetroAction and a representative from NEPA Alliance will be on hand to discuss the low-cost financing and loan programs available through each of their respective agencies.

The Community Awareness Committee of the Greater Hazleton of Commerce announces the 5th Annual Tastes of Greater Hazleton. The event will feature a sampling of signature dishes and products from twenty-three restaurants and businesses from throughout Greater Hazleton.

It is open to the public and will take place on Sunday, October 21st from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm at the Hazleton Health & Wellness Center, located at 50 Moisey Drive in Hazleton. According to Allen Wagner, committee and event chairman, “This has been a sell out event for the past several years, so we are really encouraging folks to purchase their tickets in advance, since typically we do not have many to sell at the door.”

Participating restaurants and businesses include: Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, Basile’s Italian Restaurant, Brass Buckle, Carmen’s Bakery & Deli and Carmen’s Country Inn & Gardens, Castillo’s Bakery, Cherasero Catering, Coffee Service, Edgewood in the Pines, Frankie’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, Genetti’s Catering, Heroes Brew Coffee, Hollywood Diner & Sports Bar, Jed’s Catering, Leonard’s Fine Dining, Lookout House, McDonald’s, Rosie’s Tacos, Sand Springs Country Club, Sonic Drive-In, T. Verrastro Beer Distributor, The Cheese Store & More, URS Catering Connection, Valley Country Club and Xpress-o Catering.