The GSVCC Blog

Bob and Chris team up for "Just a Word" about the value of business on the golf course and the Chamber's Chip & Chat. Read more

On Chamber Friday, AM 1070 WKOK's Mark Lawrence and co-host Ben Reichley welcomed Bob Garrett, President, and CEO of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Art Thomas, GSVCC Chairman and President of Meck-Tech and Diversified Construction Inc., for their reaction to the latest US and PA jobless numbers, and the Chamber’s latest activities, events, and meetings. Read more

The last time a Pennsylvanian chaired the Agriculture Committee of the United States Congress was way back in 1855, when John Littleton Dawson of Uniontown held the post. To put the timing of that into perspective, consider that Dawson was offered the governorship of the Kansas Territory by President Franklin Pierce, pre-Civil War after his service as Agriculture Chair. Certainly no Member of Congress who represented several of the counties in the Greater Susquehanna Valley has ever served as the Dean of the Pennsylvania Delegation. If the pundits are correct, and they all seem to agree, Glenn "G.T." Thompson, who will represent the counties to the west of the Susquehanna River, will make history for our area. Read more

History tells us that the first commemorative ribbon cutting ceremony in America likely took place in Union Parish, Louisiana to celebrate the opening of a railroad line in northern Louisiana in 1898. Using small scissors and thin ribbon, the ceremony borrowed from the symbolic traditions of French and Italian weddings, where grooms would cut a ribbon across the road on the way to the church ceremony (France), or the father of the bride would cut the ribbon across the threshold of the newly blessed marital home (Italy). Drawing on the wedding tradition, the ribbon cutting marked a moment in time that was filled with anticipation, happiness, and the promise of something exciting. It marked 'new access", and the elimination of barriers, and in the business context, the meaning hasn't changed - a ribbon cutting was a chance to celebrate development with a community. Of course, from 1898 to the mid 1950's, this wasn't exactly the easiest thing to capture on camera, and the moment was more or less about the celebration of a community who attended in support of one another - building off the pomp and circumstance of the christening of a ship, or the driving of the "golden spike" at the completion of the railroad. Read more

On April 6, as part of a comprehensive tour of their service footprint, PPL Electric Utilities President/CEO Steph Raymond (the first female CEO in PPL's history) shared with an audience of regional organizations and customers at the Barn at Frosty Valley about the work that PPL is doing right now to keep the power on and the energy flowing in the Greater Susquehanna Valley. Read more