News & Press:: Pike County Chamber of Commerce

News from the Pike County Chamber of Commerce

Pike County Chamber of Commerce 2007 News & Press Archives

December 17, 2007
Holiday Business Card Exchange - Rescheduled

Pike County, PA – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce and the Tri-State Chamber of Commerce have rescheduled there Holiday Business Card Exchange to December 20th. The card exchange will take place at The Riverview Inn located in Matamoras, Pennsylvania from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm this Thursday.

Both the Tri-State Chamber and the Pike Chamber throw several successful business card exchanges throughout the year. However, history has been that the Holiday Exchange is always the best attended. Business card exchanges are a great way for area business people to meet and learn more about each other’s services. All business people are encouraged to attend, Chamber member or not.

The sponsors for this year’s Holiday Business Card Exchange are Milford Plumbing & Heating and Roy W. Hart Insurance Agency, Inc. The event will include music, refreshments, a cash bar, door prizes and networking opportunities throughout the evening.

The cover charge is $5.00 per person, and all are encouraged to attend. Also, in the spirit of the season, the Chambers are asking people to bring a donation of a dry or canned food item for the Pike County Food Pantry.

For more information about the Tri-State Chamber of Commerce, visit them online at www.tristatechamber.org or call 845-856-6694. To learn more about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

December 13, 2007
A Milford Festival of Lights Thank You

Milford, Pennsylvania – The 10th Annual “Milford Festival of Lights” tree lighting ceremony was once again a great success!

The celebration was held on the lawn of the Pike County Community House on Sunday, December 2nd. More than 80 visitors braved the icy roads, snow and cold weather to watch the tree lighting.

The crowd joined together to carol with the Dingman-Delaware Children’s Choir lead by Brian Krauss, music teacher at Dingman-Delaware Elementary School.

I would like to personally thank everyone who helped out: Christopher Jones who helped me emcee the event, Gerry Hansen my co-chair, who provided encouragement and arranged for Santa, The Milford Lions Club members Jim Quinn and Gregory Myers who served and provided refreshments, the Milford Business Council members; Hotel Fauchere, Just add Sugar, Wells Ferry Emporium, Born to Be, Hare Hollow and Jill Deal, Inc, Mary Alice Petzinger of Wayne Bank and Rite Aid who provided candy canes for everyone’s enjoyment, Niki Jones Agency who provide the Glow-in-the-Dark necklaces and Stone Financial who donated the cider. Special thanks also to Peter Larkin who provided all the electrical know-how to make the lights work; Ellen Schaffner who opened the Library for us; Bill Smith of Smith Party Tent’s and Special Events who donated the tent; Leanne Camarero who’s dedication to the chamber is much appreciated, Dave Ruby and the Milford Fire Department for Santa’s arrival; Jeff Phillips and Bill Harkness of the Lions Club who string the lights and Mayor Merritt Quinn who lights the tree and star on the top of the knob.

Two thousand and seven marks the Lions Club twenty-first year of lighting the tree in Milford. The Milford Business Council and the Lions Club formed a partnership in 1986 to create the “Festival of Lights”.

The Milford Business Council is part of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the Milford Business Council or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please call 570-296-8700 or visit us online at www.pikechamber.com.

Sincerely,

Niki J. Jones, Chairperson
Milford Festival of Lights

December 13, 2007
A Milford Festival of Lights Thank You

Milford, Pennsylvania – The 10th Annual “Milford Festival of Lights” tree lighting ceremony was once again a great success!

The celebration was held on the lawn of the Pike County Community House on Sunday, December 2nd. More than 80 visitors braved the icy roads, snow and cold weather to watch the tree lighting.

The crowd joined together to carol with the Dingman-Delaware Children’s Choir lead by Brian Krauss, music teacher at Dingman-Delaware Elementary School.

Sincerely,

Niki J. Jones, Chairperson
Milford Festival of Lights

December 10, 2007
Holiday Business Card Exchange

Pike County, PA – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with the Tri-State Chamber of Commerce to present the Holiday Business Card Exchange. It will take place at The Riverview Inn located in Matamoras, Pennsylvania from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm on Thursday, December 13th. (NOTE: Due to the weather, the card exchange has been rescheduled for December 20th).

December 7, 2007
Pike County Chamber’s site becomes a World-Wide Destination

Milford – Each day, Pike County is being visited by people from all over the globe. Virtual visitors are logging on to the Pike County Chamber of Commerce’s website to learn more about the county, what it has to offer in terms of shopping, dining, and accommodations, as well as find out about events, real estate and business opportunities.

For instance in 2007 people logged on to the Chamber’s site from the United Kingdom, India, Israel, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Nigeria, China, and the Philippians. While foreign visitors made up little more than 2% of all visitors in 2007, those originating from the United States make up the remaining 98%.

When looking only at the visitors coming from the United States, the single largest numbers of visitors, in 2007, were located within Pike County. But these local visitors only make up approximately 19% of all U.S. visitors, or roughly 8,900 unique people. This leads one to consider where the other 80% are coming from, and what are they are looking to find on the Chamber’s website.

Further examination leads one to discover that 82% of all United States visitors come from the Three State Area of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

Other top states include Florida, California and Virginia.

Of the Three state area visitors, Pike County visitors make up 23%. Northern New Jersey and New York City represent the next highest numbers of unique visits making up 17% and 15% respectively. 7% are logging on from Long Island and 6% from Orange County, New York. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia areas each make up 5% of the Tri-States visitors as does all of the Northern and Western New York State visitors combined. The estimated remaining 22% are from Southern New Jersey, Central Pennsylvania and Western Pennsylvania.

Besides Pikechamber.com’s main page, the top visited page is the “Great Outdoors” page with over 6,800 unique visitor page views and nearly 10,000 total page views. Next is the “Membership Directory” page with over 6,300 unique visitor page views and more than 18,000 total page views. And rounding out the top three sub pages are the “Relocation” page with nearly 5,000 unique visitor page views and almost 7,000 total page views.

The popularity of these top three pages, combined with the other results and statistics, illustrates the three types of users that are going on to the Chamber’s site and returning to use the valuable resources and information on an ongoing basis.

First, there are the tourists who are checking out the things to see, places to eat and shop, and accommodations located in Pike County. These tourists are coming from the locations previously listed such as New York City, Northern New Jersey, Orange County, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Philadelphia, and so forth.

Next, there are the local business people using the site for business purposes by looking up services, locating sales prospects, and searching for marketing partners through the Membership Directory and other business services that the Chamber offers through the site.

The third major group consists of the people looking to relocate to Pike County. They are logging on to the site to find out about the county, the schools, taxes, etc. This group is also finding realtors, builders and other relocation business services available in Pike County.

The Chamber’s goal for their website has also been to benefit the entire community and offer services for the Pike County residents, businesses and visitors. The site was designed with four main groups in mind: tourists, local residents, people relocating to Pike County, and businesses, not necessarily in this order. The Chamber has been tracking the numbers very closely, and it would seem that they have been successful in offering important services online for all of these groups. More importantly, the Chamber still has many other enhancements coming to the site in the near future.

Member businesses are clearly benefiting the most by the high traffic Pikechamber.com receives. Through the website’s referrals by way of listings and paid banner advertising, member businesses are generating more sales, and that creates more opportunities and a better quality of life for Pike Residents. All of these items are tracked, so companies can find out how many times their ad or listing has been seen and how many times people linked over to their company’s website from the Chamber’s. This interaction through linking is another way that the Chamber and its members boost visitor loyalty. The Pike County Chamber of Commerce is continuing to be a central hub for all kinds of users. In the larger sense, the Chamber’s website has become so much more than just another Internet webpage, but instead, it has become an online community that represents Pike County and the result is people coming back again and again.

For more information call the Pike County Chamber of Commerce at 570-296-8700.

December 7, 2007
Ski Season Begins in Pike County

Pike County, PA – Pike County is a popular year-round tourist destination with wonderful shopping, dining and plenty of outdoor activities. The county has already experienced two snowfalls with accumulations of up to 8 inches, and several smaller snow storms have passed through the area. Since winter has arrived a bit early, many have turned their thoughts to their favorite winter activities.

Ski Big Bear at Masthope Mountain has announced that they will start their ski season on December 15th. With the temperatures consistently staying at or below freezing, they have been able to make snow since Thanksgiving. On opening weekend, Big Bear will have 12 of their 18 trails open.

“We currently have a terrific base between 18 and 36 inches,” said Laura Schmalzle of Ski Big Bear. She continued, “skiers and snowboarders are bound to enjoy Big Bear’s slopes next weekend with the same type of skiing that one usually has to wait until January or February to experience.”

Ski Big Bear is located in Lackawaxen, PA which is in close proximity to a wide variety of beautiful Pike County accommodations. These resorts offer wonderful ski and stay packages as well as other specials associated with the season. Woodloch Pines Resort is Big Bear’s largest partner, but other area hotels, inns and B & B’s also offer great packages such as Cliff Park Inn, Ehrhardt’s Waterfront Resort, and Myer’s Country Motel.

There’s still time to buy a season pass at Ski Big Bear, but they are selling fast. Big Bear has just reported that they have sold 30% more season passes this year than they did at the same time last year. They expect to sell out very soon.

To find out more about Ski Big Bear, area accommodations, and other things to see and do in Pike County, log on to www.ski-bigbear.com, or contact the Pike County Chamber of Commerce at 570-296-8700. You can also visit their website, www.pikechamber.com.

November 5, 2007
Pike County Food Pantry in Crisis - Emergency Food Drive Desperately Needed - Pike County Chamber of Commerce rallies members to help.

Milford, Pennsylvania – You may be shocked to learn that at least 200 local families are routinely seeking help from The Church of the Good Shepherd and St. John Ecumenical food pantry, which is housed in Milford Borough. On a given Friday night, the line for food often stretches down the food pantry’s pathway onto Catherine Street. The line is regularly congested with men and women, some with small children, looking for help to make their paychecks stretch just a little farther.

Many of these families are your neighbors, who have found themselves in dire straights due to a recent layoff or are struggling with the rising prices of housing, gas, electricity and food.

For the past 18 years the Ecumenical Food Panty has supplied food each Friday night to those who come for help. Unlike most other food pantries which can only provide food on a monthly basis to comply with government regulations, the Ecumenical Food Panty is able to supply food each week because it is not funded by the state or federal government.

Now, the Food Pantry itself is in a crisis. According to Father McGinty, Rector of Good Shepherd and St. John’s Episcopalian Church where the food pantry is located, there is about one week’s worth of food left. The shelves are almost empty.

Father McGinty stated that the “current crisis is no one’s fault,” and “it stems from an increase in the demand for food along with the lull in donations that usually begins in the summer months and runs into the early fall.” Father McGinty went on to say, “People all over the Tri-State Area have been wonderfully generous in the past by donating to the Food Pantry, especially Delaware Valley School District, local branches of the United States Post Office, Fire Departments, Elks Lodges and Masonic Lodges.”

Giving of food usually peaks during holidays, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas. Low periods for donations typically occur around February, March, the end of summer, and early fall.

America’s Second Harvest is a national food bank that is supposed to help supply pantries such as the Good Shepherd Food Pantry in Milford with food. The Allentown, Pennsylvania location does in fact send food to Milford’s Food Pantry, but they have been sending the wrong kinds of food. For instance, Good Shepherd recently received cases of Pringle potato chips. Unfortunately, the types of food that they need are staple foods such as pasta, pasta sauce, tuna, cereal, peanut butter, canned foods, soup and instant potatoes. Father McGinty stated, “We don’t need junk food.”

Good Shepherd is an ecumenical food pantry, meaning their initiatives are aimed at a greater religious unity or cooperation. Specifically in this case, Good Shepherd and St. John’s Ecumenical Food Pantry partners with five churches in the Milford and Matamoras area to run the pantry. The five teams made up of dedicated volunteers from each of the churches staff the food pantry every Friday night. The Church of the Good Shepherd & St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, United Methodist Church, and Milford Presbyterian Church are all located in Milford, while St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church is located in Matamoras.

Over the years, these churches and their volunteers have helped countless families get by during lean times.

Nancy Holleran, Director of the Food Pantry, has been running the ecumenical efforts for the past 18 years. Father McGinty said, “She’s been doing a wonderful job, but Nancy can’t perform miracles and multiply food.” He went on to say, “When people go to the supermarket, they should try to remember to pick up some extra food and drop it off at the church.” Several shopping centers in the area allow you to build up credit to get a free turkey. People are urged to consider giving this turkey to the Food Pantry. Good Shepherd has also asked anyone that knows of other food supply sources to please let the Food Pantry know.

Pike County houses seven food pantries. In addition to the Good Shepherd in Milford, there are the Bushkill Outreach, Holy Trinity, Loaves and Fishes, Blooming Grove, St. Anthony’s, and Good Cheer Food Pantries. Most of the other programs in the county receive state or federal aid.

Recently, the news of the food crisis was heard by the Board of Directors of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. The Pike Chamber has rallied its members together to help. Pike County Directors Niki Jones, David Stone, Susan Hines, Ken Chergosky, Paul Brislin, Dr. Candis Finan, Ed Nikles, MaryAlice Petzinger and Jerry Reganess are spearheading the emergency food drive.

All members of the community, Chamber members or not, are being asked to help collect food for the needy. Several people have already stepped forward and volunteered their businesses as drop-off locations and others have offered their time and trucks to transport the food to Good Shepherd. The Pike County Chamber of Commerce’s emergency food drive will benefit both Good Shepherd and Good Cheer food pantries. Good Shepherd will receive the first of the donations due to their current crisis but the Chamber will also help Good Cheer with donations as well.

If you would like to make a food contribution or monetary donation, please drop them off at the Pike County Chamber of Commerce office on Harford Street in Milford. Wayne Bank has also offered to accept food donations at their Shohola, Milford and Lords Valley locations. Milford Performing Arts Center has offered to collect food by partnering with Bodies In Balance in Milford as a drop off point. The Port Jervis Rotary Club has donated $100.00 to the Pantry and will be holding a member food drive on Wednesday, November 7th. Clarion will collect internally from its employees and donate to the food pantry. Of course, people can always make donations directly to one of the five churches that make up the Good Shepherd Food Pantry. The Chamber will continue to collect and deliver food through the month of November.

To learn more about how you can help our local food pantries, call the Good Shepherd Food Pantry in Milford at 570-296-8316, or call the Good Cheer Food Pantry in Greeley at 570-226-3966. For more information about the emergency food drive or Pike County Chamber of Commerce, please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700 or call Niki Jones Agency at 845-856-1266.

October 23, 2007
Pike County Card Exchange a Huge Success
WIB-Check

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce held a very successful business card exchange on September 27th. The event was held at Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC), and it was one of the best attended events in the Chamber’s history with approximately 100 people showing up to network.

“The Chamber extends our deepest thanks to Jim Reinhart, Florence Mauro and the entire PEEC staff for making the event a positive and memorable experience for all who attended,” stated Pike County Chamber President, Paul Brislin, “and we would also like to thank Al Renna and Citizens Bank for sponsoring the event.”

The networking event was held in PEEC’s Visitor Activity Center (VAC) which gave PEEC the chance to show-off their new “sustainable” building design and helped them promote green building techniques.

"We were so happy to host the Pike County Chamber of Commerce's first GREEN business card exchange,” said PEEC Executive Director/CEO, Jim Rienhardt, “through these kinds of partnerships, Pike residents and business professionals become more knowledgeable about all of the great resources that are available to them.”

In conjunction with the card exchange, PEEC held an official grand opening ceremony for their new YURT Village. A Yurt is a cross between a geodesic dome and a luxury safari tent, and the Yurts are now available for families and groups to take part in PEEC’s programs and workshops. Several officials were on hand to celebrate the grand opening such as Representative John Siptroth and all of the Lehman Township officials.

“We were pleased to combine the card exchange with the grand opening ceremony for our new Yurt Village. The Yurts will definitely provide a new camping experience for PEEC visitors and give them a chance to enjoy the beauty of nature in a comfortable setting," stated Mr. Riendhardt.

The Chamber has been getting a lot of positive feedback about the wonderful presentation by METZ at the event. METZ is the food service company that PEEC uses, and they not only donated the food and refreshments for the evening, but they also graciously provided their staff as well.

Some lucky people won prizes during the evening such as Anca Tudinean from American Living in Milford who claimed $175.00 after winning the 50/50 award. Door prizes were given out, and Beverly Leisten, a reading specialist, won a free banner ad, for one month, on the Chamber’s website www.pikechamber.com. Florence Mauro, from PEEC, won a DVD player; that she donated back to PEEC to use.

The Pocono Environmental Education Center is located in northeastern Pennsylvania, approximately 20 miles from the junction of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, near the town of Dingmans Ferry. PEEC is within the borders of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Visit them online at www.peec.org or call
570-828-2319.

Pike Chamber business card exchanges are always a great way for area business people to meet, network and learn more about each other’s services. The Chamber always welcomes non members to attend, so they can learn more about the Chamber of Commerce as well as partake in the networking.

For more information about the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call
570-296-8700.

October 9, 2007
Pike County Women Help Habitat for Humanity

Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania – Women In Business, a committee of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, recently raised WIB-Check $300 for Habitat for Humanity.

Each year, the Women In Business committee picks a local charitable organization to sponsor. This year, the committee chose Habitat for Humanity to be their recipient. The funds were collected through door prize drawings at the committee’s meetings and workshops held throughout the year.

Habitat for Humanity will use the $300 to go towards basic landscaping at its recently completed home in Pike County.

For more information about Women In Business or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

September 24, 2007
Pike Tourism Dollars Being Diverted to Philly and Pittsburgh

Pike County, PA – A large portion of the tourism dollars spent in Pike County will soon be siphoned to the two largest cities in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State Tourism Office arbitrarily posted the new guidelines on July 25, 2007 in the Tourism Marketing Grant Program Guidelines Fiscal Year 2007-2008 booklet.

In Section E of the guidelines, it states the new allocation of 19% of each fiscal year’s matching funds to Philadelphia and 13% allocation to Allegheny County (Pittsburgh). The net effect, according to the Pennsylvania State Government’s Tourism and Recreational Development committee, is an 11% increase to Philadelphia and an incredible 37% increase to Pittsburgh. The committee also pointed out that this would mean an average decrease of 12% in matching grant funds for the rest of the State’s Tourism Promotion Agencies (TPA) such as the Pocono Mountain Visitor’s Bureau that serves Pike County.

The Pennsylvania Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (PACVB) announced a call to action on August 20, 2007, sighting the decrease in the State budget for general tourism funding and now the compounding affect of the additional 12% decrease in matching grant funds.

In a letter sent to Governor Rendell, Secretary Yablonksy and Deputy Secretary Rowley, State Legislator Thomas Tangretti denounced the sudden and unexpected changes to the Matching Funds Guidelines for the 2007-2008 fiscal years.

State Representative Tangretti, of the 57th Legislative District, who chairs the Tourism and Recreational Development committee, said, “ it comes as no surprise that I am shocked—not only at the inequitable changes being implemented, but also at the appalling way this entire matter was handled.”

Many other Pennsylvania politicians have weighed in with their disgust over the way this issue was handled such as State Representative Keith McCall from the 122nd Legislative District. Representative McCall stated in a letter he sent to Secretary Yablonsky, “as an active participant in this year’s budget negotiations, I was never appraised of these proposed changes nor asked for my input.”

State Senator Jane Earll expressed her “great concern” over the issue in a letter to Secretary Yablonsky as well and asked that “you restore the level of funding (percentage of total) for all tourism promotion agencies to the prior year level…”

There are 47 TPAs in Pennsylvania. The Pocono Mountain Visitor’s Bureau (PMVB) is the official tourism promotion agency and destination marketing organization for the Pocono Mountains Region of Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and Wayne Counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and according to Bob Uguccioni, PMVB President this region would see a decrease in funds of $300,000.

Mr. Uguccioni said, “The PMVB received $1.8 million last year, second only to Philadelphia.” He went on to say that the main issue is that this all happened without any input from the TPA’s, State Representatives and State Senators. “There’s never been earmark’s for tourism legislation before…it’s always been competitive,” he stated.

According to Mr. Uguccioni, even the State Representatives and State Senators that voted for this legislation never imagined it would be used in this manner. Bob Uguccioni said, “The Tourism Office violated the legislative intent of the Tourism Matching Funds appropriations.”

The Tourism Committee rebutted the criticisms through Deputy Secretary Mickey Rowley who was sited in an interview with Pittsburgh WTAE TV as saying that the funding is fair, and that there is a long-ignored law requiring the state to give about 12.5 percent more grant money to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia than to other tourism bureaus. Rowley said, "This year we have acknowledged that."

Rowley also made an argument that rural Counties throughout Pennsylvania have incorporated hotel taxes, which have often doubled their tourism dollars. But counties, such as Pike, say that they have already allocated that income to fund clean-up projects and help with infrastructure.

Pike County Commissioner Harry Forbes stated that the commissioner’s office had contacted the legislators in our area in support of restoring funding to our TPA.”

State Senator Lisa Baker says “I find the proposed changes unacceptable. Tourism is a major part of the economy of our region, and I am tired of seeing our rural communities suffer at the expense of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.” “I also find it extremely disturbing that the department would consider making such a significant policy change without speaking to the tourism community in advance.”

State Representative Michael T. Peifer stated in a letter to Secretary Yablonsky that he not only disagrees with the proposed matching fund guidelines, but also the manner in which it was handled. “It is unacceptable that the administration did not send advanced notice to the state’s TPA’s about the modifications. Tourism is one of the most important industries in my district.”

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce has officially taken a stance against these new changes. Pike Chamber’s President, Paul Brislin said, “these new rules will in affect divert much needed tourism promotional dollars that the county is counting on.” He went on to say, “Pike County depends on tourism, at least 65% of our businesses derive their income from tourism dollars, with this decision following the January 2006’s 129% energy rate hike, Pike County is becoming a difficult marketplace for businesses to stay in business.”

Perhaps Janet Wall, the Communications Vice President of Lancaster County’s Visitor’s Center, put it best when she was quoted in an interview with Lancaster Online, “how is it that we became the Commonwealth of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh?"

For more information about the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

September 19, 2007
Pike County Women In Business

Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania – Women in Business held another successful workshop on July 12th in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania. The meeting was held at Pike Physical Therapy & Wellness Center, a state of the art health center located on Route 739.

Some twenty local business women came together for this fun-filled networking opportunity that combined several topics that are important to women in business. One of the main focuses for the July 12th meeting was physical health and keeping the body fit and toned, and the group received instruction on simple band exercise techniques that they can do while they are sitting in their office or waiting in an airport.

Light snacks were donated by the Forklift Café in Dingmans Ferry.

“The meeting was very useful,” said Sue Hines, Chair of the Women in Business committee, “Pike Physical Therapy presented three personal trainers who each gave us great tips in a variety of easy exercises that anyone can sneak into their busy days.” Sue Hines went on to say, “these simple exercises give us the energy we require to keep going in our professional and personal lives.”

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

August 29, 2007
PEEC to Host Pike Chamber Business Card Exchange

Pike County PA – The Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) is gearing up to host a business card exchange on Thursday, September 27th. This marks the next of several highly anticipated business networking events brought to the community by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce.

Pike Chamber business card exchanges are a great way for area business owners to meet and learn more about each other's services. Many member have gained lasting professional relationships through the Chamber's card exchanges, among the many other programs the chamber has to offer.

The business card exchange is scheduled for 5:30pm to 8:30pm.
Refreshments will be available as well as appetizers.

For more information about PEEC, please visit www.peec.org or call 570-828-2319. For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

Click Here for directions

August 7, 2007
Pike Chamber Offers a PEEC at the Next Business Card Exchange

Pike County PA – Mark Your calendars for Pike County Chamber of Commerce's next business card exchange to take place on September 27th at Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC).

Pike Chamber business card exchanges are a great way for area business owners to meet and learn about each other's services. Many member have gained lasting professional relationships through the Chamber's card exchanges and other programs the chamber offers.

"More details are to come," said Pike Chamber Executive Director Amy Gruzesky, "but we want to make sure that everyone saves the date."

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization consisting of over 450 area businesses, professionals and civic organizations. Incorporated in 1962, the membership continues to grow and diversify, all with one common goal: to strengthen the business environment and enhance the quality of life in Pike County.

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

Click Here for directions

August 6, 2007
Pike Chamber Event Raises $1,000 for Local Fire Company

Milford, Pennsylvania – On July 24, 2007, the Board of Directors for the Pike County Chamber of Commerce met at the Emerson House in Milford where they presented a check for $1,000 to Bill Mikulak, Fire Chief of Dingman Township Volunteer Fire Company. Mikulak said that this money will be put towards a new Mass Casualty Trailer.

The $1,000 donation was made possible by the Signature Event fundraiser that the Pike County Chamber of Commerce holds annually. This year, the Signature Event was titled, “An Evening with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.” In response to Secretary Chertoff’s call to action, the Pike Chamber decided to make a donation to a local organization.

The Secretary of Homeland Security spoke at the Pike County Chamber of Commerce Signature Event on June 28th. Over two hundred guests were in attendance at the dinner to benefit the Pike County Chamber of Commerce at the Skytop Inn in Skytop, Pennsylvania. After dinner, Secretary Chertoff gave a speech about the state of Homeland Security.

The speech was well received by those in attendance, and the Chamber was quite thrilled to have had such a wonderful and important Signature Event that was pertinent to all Pike County citizens.

“We feel very honored to have heard the Secretary’s speech,” said Chamber President Paul Brislin, “and the Board of Directors was moved to take action and donate a portion of the proceeds to a local fire company.”

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

August 3, 2007
Meet and Greet Pike County Chamber Members

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Ambassadors Committee of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce has scheduled their second Meet and Greet to take place on August 15th from 6 pm till 7:30 pm at Laurel Villa in Milford. All local business people are invited to attend whether they are Chamber members or not. There is no charge, and Laurel Villa will be providing complimentary cool beverages, coffee and cookies. Laurel Villa has also graciously offered a discount for those who wish to stay for dinner after the event is over.

The Ambassadors Committee is reaching out to Pike Chamber members and area businesses through a series of planned events. The goal is to hold several small Meet and Greets throughout the many sections of Pike County.

Because many members do not know everything that the Chamber has to offer, the Committee has prepared a short presentation to inform business people of the many opportunities, perks and services that the Chamber has available to members. They also discuss the initiatives that are coming in the near future, and there is a networking portion of the event as well.

“The Chamber has so many opportunities available to benefit all businesses in Pike County” said Paul Brislin, Pike Chamber president, “the Ambassadors Committee is providing an important service by bringing the Chamber of Commerce to the businesses throughout the county and showing them how they can use the Chamber’s services they are paying for.”

Laurel Villa is located at 210 Second Street in Milford, Pennsylvania. Laurel Villa is a country inn that has been operating continuously as an inn since 1876 and has been operating under the Muhlhauser family since 1945. Their dinning hall is open to the public and serves dinner every day except on Tuesdays. They offer a refreshing, relaxing and memorable experience to their inn guests as well as to their restaurant patrons in a casual and informal atmosphere. For more information about Laurel Villa please call 570-296-9940 or visit their website, www.laurelvilla.com.

For more information about the Pike County Chamber of Commerce or the Ambassadors Committee please call 570-296-8700 or visit www.pikechamber.com.

July 27, 2007
Milford Festival of Lights

Milford, Pennsylvania – The 10th Annual “Milford Festival of Lights” tree lighting ceremony will take place on December 2, 2007 at 6pm. The highly anticipated community celebration will take place on the lawn of the Pike County Community House.

Last year, more than 300 visitors braved the chilly weather and watched the magical tree lighting where the crowd joined together to carol with the Dingman-Delaware Children’s Choir.

This year marks the 21st year that the Lions Club and the Milford Business Council will have the Festival of Lights celebration in Milford. The two groups formed a partnership in 1986 to create the Festival of Lights.

The Milford Business Council is part of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the Festival of Lights event, the Milford Business Council, or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please call 570-296-8700 or visit www.pikechamber.com.

June 14, 2007
Pike County Chamber Website Sets a Record for Hits in May

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce announced that their website, www.pikechamber.com, saw a record number of visitors in May. The Chamber’s website saw over 4,000 unique visitors in May with the year-to-date total reaching nearly 16,300 unique visitors. For a six-month-old website, in an area with a population of less than 60,000 people, these figures are something the Chamber should be proud of.

The Chamber’s website has seen steady growth each month, and at this rate, the website may reach 50,000 unique visitors by the end of the year. Why is this significant? Well to start, the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that there are only 58,195 people living in Pike County as of 2006. This means that there are as many unique people going to www.pikechamber.com as there are residents living in the entire County.

Another statistic the Pike Chamber is delighted to announce is the total number of visitors to the site since January. The Chamber’s website saw 22,143 total visitors for the first six months. Most analysts dismiss total visitor data as unreliable, but despite what the true number might be, what this figure shows is that people are not only checking the website out, but they are returning frequently.

The Chamber’s website is essentially setup to help three main segments of the Internet population actively seeking out information about Pike County. PikeChamber.com contains services and information for tourists, people looking to relocate to the county and businesses. The data shows that all three types of visitors are utilizing the Chamber’s website, and this means driving more opportunities to the community’s businesses.

Member businesses involved in tourism such as hotels, restaurants, shops and outdoor activities are getting noticed online through the Chamber’s many tourist-centered pages. This year, nearly 13,000 page views have occurred on the Great Outdoors, Events, Events Calendar, Stay the Night, and Dining & Shopping pages.

Businesses dependant upon people interested in relocating to the county including realtors, builders and financial service companies have had over 10,000 page views to the Chamber’s pages such as the Realtors, Relocation General, Map, Living in Pike, Builders, and Financial Services pages.

The Pike County Chamber is constantly working to promote local businesses, and the Chamber’s website is becoming an active part of local business’ day-to-day activities. The Chamber’s site has seen more than 13,500 page visits on the Membership Directory, Governments, Business Services, Relocation Business, Grand Openings, and Advertising pages.

The Member Directory is the most active page in the site. While only 3,328 unique visitors have visited the directory over the past six months, it is clear that these particular visitors are returning to use the information found on this page over and over again. The total page views for the directory alone, from January to May 2007, were 10,377. This is a good sign for the business community of Pike County and the members of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce in particular.

The Chamber states that the website analytics for the site’s first six months have just been released, and further analysis of the numbers will be required to illustrate more of the exciting things happening through www.pikechamber.com. One thing is clear: the Chamber’s site is very active and the popularity and use is growing every week.

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

June 4, 2007
Tables Are Filling Fast for Chamber's Signature Event

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce announced today that the Signature Event planned for June 28th is already a huge success. Tables are filling up fast, and the Chamber advises those who received invitations to R.S.V.P. immediately before they miss out on their chance to be a part of this highly anticipated evening.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce announced the Chamber’s 2007 signature event, “An Evening with Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security” on April 11, 2007. Since then, the Chamber has been receiving an influx of calls from people requesting invitations and or more information.

“Secretary Chertoff rarely makes public speeches, so the Pike Chamber is quite honored that he has chosen to speak at our fundraiser” said Chamber president, Paul Brislin.

Secretary Chertoff is expected to talk about the state of Homeland Security in the United States today at the event which will be held at Skytop Inn, in Skytop, PA on June 28, 2007. Cocktails will be served at 6:00pm and dinner will be served at 7:00pm.

If you are interested in attending the Michael Chertoff event please contact the Pike County Chamber of Commerce at 570-296-8700. Tickets are $110.00 per person. Tickets are available but are selling out, so call today to reserve your seat before it’s too late.

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

May 22, 2007
Pike County Chamber of Commerce Holding Legislative Breakfast

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce will be holding a Legislative Breakfast on June 8th at Mt. Haven Resort. Among the dignitaries slated to attend are State Senator Lisa Baker, State Representative John Siptroth and State Representative Mike Peifer.

The Legislative Breakfast was arranged by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce’s Governmental Affairs Committee who represents the chamber in areas of local and state government. The committee stays abreast of legislative issues that could impact chamber members.

Each of the dignitaries attending the breakfast will speak about specific issues they are involved in and how these may impact Pike County and the Chamber of Commerce.

Senator Lisa Baker was elected to the State Senate in 2006. She serves on several Senate committees, including Communications and Technology, Community, Economic and Recreational Development, Education, and Public Health and Welfare. Senator Baker plans on tackling access to quality and affordable health care, property tax reform and job growth. She also chairs the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committee where she’s held a joint hearing with the Transportation Committee to conduct an investigation regarding the state's failures during the Valentine's Day storm. The Senator stated that she is “concentrating on the issues that people indicated were important during the campaign – effective and efficient governing, protecting citizens, strengthening families and communities, and conserving natural resources.”

State Representative John Siptroth was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in a special election held on February 8, 2005. Representative Siptroth serves on several committees: Appropriations, Local Government, House Majority Policy Committee, Transportation, subcommittee chairman- Aviation, Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness, and Commerce.

State Representative Mike Peifer was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2006. Representative Peifer is a member of the House Finance Committee, the House Game and Fisheries Committee and a newly created committee, the House Gaming Oversight Committee.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce welcomes anyone with an interest in Pike County to attend the Legislative Breakfast on June 8th at Mt. Haven Resort. The breakfast will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and costs $10 for Pike Chamber members and $15 for non-members.
Make reservations today by calling the chamber office at 570-296-8700.

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

May 10, 2007
Chamber of Commerce Spring Business Card Exchange at the Muir House

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Muir House in Milford will be THE place to be on May 24, when the Pike County Chamber of Commerce hosts its spring Business Card Exchange.

Pike County, one of the fastest growing counties in the northeast, is home to a large variety of businesses and entrepreneurs, and the Chamber is hoping to attract owners and employees of both new and established businesses from the surrounding areas, as well as its own backyard. “The Pike County Chamber of Commerce membership is growing leaps and bounds and we are anticipating a large crowd at this event”, says chamber president Paul Brislin.

With the warmer weather here to stay, the Spring Business Card Exchange will offer guests a chance to enjoy networking on the Muir House’s large porch, as well as in the air conditioned comfort of the restaurant, now under new management.

“Our past card exchanges have attracted a lot of local business people and we are anticipating a great turnout at this one as well,” said Pike County Chamber’s Executive Director Amy Gruzesky. “Those who do attend will not only have a great time, but make plenty of helpful business contacts.”

Everyone involved in business of any kind, member or not, is highly encouraged to attend. Opportunities such as the May 24th business card exchange are often seen as the perfect time for new or small business owners to make the connections that will launch them to the next level. These types of networking events are also known for helping established business people as well. Ultimately, professionals connect and have a bit of fun at the same time.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce has been sponsoring business card exchanges for the past several years. The winter mixer had over 75 members and nonmembers in attendance.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce works hard for its members. One of their most important objectives is to help local business owners generate more business and grow. The chamber organizes a myriad of events all year long to meet that end and offer a variety of opportunities intended to promote their businesses.

The spring business card exchange will be held May 24th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, at the Muir House located on State Route 2001. The cost is $5.00 per person and includes light refreshments and door prizes. There will be a cash bar available.

Members and nonmembers are encouraged to bring promotional items for door prizes and to promote their businesses, and be sure to bring plenty of business cards!

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

May 1, 2007
Secretary Chertoff to Speak at Pike County Chamber of Commerce
Signature Event

Milford, Pennsylvania – Paul Brislin, President of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the upcoming Chamber’s 2007 signature event, “An Evening with Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security.” The event will be held at Skytop Inn, in Skytop, PA on June 28, 2007 with cocktails at 6:00pm and dinner at 7:00pm. Chertoff, who rarely makes public speeches, will talk about the state of Homeland Security in the United States today.

If you are interested in attending the Michael Chertoff event please contact the Pike County Chamber of Commerce at 570-296-8700. Tickets are $110.00 per person and include a gourmet meal. Tickets are expected to sell out, so call today to reserve your seat.

Michael Chertoff was sworn in as the second Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on February 15, 2005. Chertoff formerly served as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Secretary Chertoff was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the Bush Administration as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. As Assistant Attorney General, he helped trace the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the al-Qaida network, and worked to increase information sharing within the FBI and with state and local officials.

Before joining the Bush Administration, Chertoff was a Partner in the law firm of Latham & Watkins. From 1994 to 1996, he served as Special Counsel for the U.S. Senate Whitewater Committee. Prior to that, Chertoff spent more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, including service as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. As United States Attorney, Chertoff investigated and prosecuted several significant cases of political corruption, organized crime, and corporate fraud.

Chertoff graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1975 and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978. From 1979-1980 he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr.

Secretary Chertoff is married to Meryl Justin and has two children.

For more information about this event contact Niki Jones Agency, public relations contact, Director of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce 845-856-1266 or contact the chamber office directly at 570-296-8700.

April 30, 2007

Pike County Women In Business

Milford, Pennsylvania – Women in Business held a successful second workshop in Milford on April 19th. Attendees enjoyed a well-rounded evening that covered a host of topics.

The 22 local businesswomen participated in discussions about the new tax laws. They also collected funds for their spotlight organization for 2007, Habitat for Humanity. Door prizes were awarded to the women in attendance. “It was a wonderful time had by all,” said Sue Hines, Chair of the Women in Business committee.

The meeting was held in Milford at Beautiful Things and Coffee, the areas newest shop offering top-of-the-line silk floral arrangements and a quaint coffee house. Beautiful Things prides itself on supporting local artists by displaying their artwork in the shop. The ladies also enjoyed a splendid demonstration on creating arrangements by one of the shop’s owners, Sharon Nagassar.

The Women in Business Committee of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce is a woman-based committee providing networking and educational opportunities. The committee is dedicated to enhancing, educating and empowering its members with both personal and professional growth. The April 19th workshop marked their second meeting this year, and they intend on holding four more meetings before the year’s end. The next event will take place in June.

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

April 23, 2007
Pear Blossom Festival Cancelled

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Milford Business Council, a committee of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, announced today the cancellation of the annual Pear Blossom Festival which occurs April each year in Milford.
The Milford Business Council made the decision at their last board meeting.

This year would have marked the eighth Milford Pear Blossom Festival, and it is the first time since the festival’s inception that the festival has been cancelled. The festival typically includes a five kilometer walk and a five kilometer run, a tent fair, a pear cook-off and a parade.

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

April 18, 2007

Make a Record Sales Year!
Pike County Chamber of Commerce offering an exceptional eBay Seminar

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce wants to help local business people increase their bottom lines. On Tuesday, May 8, 2007, The Business Education Committee will host will host an educational eBay seminar at the Administrative Offices at Delaware Valley School District in Milford, PA from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The eBay seminar will be taught by an eBay certified trade specialist. Those attending the seminar will learn ways that they can double; triple; or even quadruple their sales. The popular seminar is entitled, “The Basics of Selling on eBay: Learn to Buy and Sell Like a Pro!” The event is sponsored by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, the University of Scranton’s Small Business Development Center and the Delaware Valley School District.

Everyone is welcome and highly encouraged to attend this highly acclaimed eBay Seminar. Chamber members will pay $30.00 per person and non members will be charged $35.00 per person. The fee includes the seminar led by an eBay expert and an eBay workbook that attendees may keep and take home for further reference.

The Administrative Offices at Delaware Valley School District are located off of Routes 6 & 209 in Milford, PA. Those who need directions are asked to call the chamber at 570-296-8700.

Opportunities are abundant for crafters, retailers, antique dealers and just about anyone looking to sell anything—especially years of basement/attic collectables. The Pike County Chamber of Commerce encourages everyone to make the decision to take action and call them now to reserve a spot at the seminar: 570-296-8700. Seating is limited. Pre-registration and pre-payment is required.

For more information about this event or the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

April 10, 2007

Local Business Owners Get the Help They Need!
PikeChamber.com now offers free job postings

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce its new job listing feature on www.PikeChamber.com. Now it is easy for job seekers and employers to connect in Pike County by simply using the chamber of commerce’s website.

People looking for jobs today are heavily involved in online job-hunting. According to The Conference Board, a leading business research organization, 71.1% of job seekers use the Internet to look for employment. Traditional methods, such as newspaper listings, are not as effective as they once were. By overlooking job seekers on the Internet, employers are potentially missing qualified candidates.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce understands the difficulty and expense associated with finding quality employees and has implemented free Internet job listings. This free job listing service is available to all chamber members. The free listing is an amazing opportunity and it provides all of the benefits that are associated with Internet listings but saves area businesses the typical costs.

The service is simple and easy to use. Employers can implement this new service one of two ways. Chamber members looking for workers can go to the chamber website, www.pikechamber.com/submitjoblistings.html, and fill out the easy-to-follow steps. The other way employers can list their open positions on the chamber website is by faxing the information to 570-296-3921.

For more information on the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

March 14, 2007

Great Updates to pikechamber.com

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce has implemented great new updates to their website, www.pikechamber.com. Now that more than 53% of internet users are utilizing search engines to look up a business, it is more and more important for businesses to have a presence on the world wide web. Pike County Chamber of Commerce has made it easier than ever for their members to have their place on the internet.

Online marketing is the wave of the future and the Pike County Chamber of Commerce is making it easier for chamber members to make that transition. Businesses can utilize pikechamber.com’s 3,000+ visitors per month to bring more business to their stores or websites. Businesses are not required to have a website to participate! Pike County Chamber of Commerce offers two great advertising programs that enable members to be viewed on the internet at a lower cost than traditional advertising. Choose from Banner Advertising which rotates advertisements on the homepage and throughout the site or a Premium Listing that features advertisers our premium pages. For more information on chamber advertising please visit www.pikechamber.com/advertising.html.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce has also implemented a new program for its banner advertisers that will track how many views a business’s advertising campaign receives. Now advertisers have the capability of calculating how much return they receive on their marketing investments, which can be difficult with traditional advertising methods. This new program is free to all pikechamber.com’s advertisers. For more information or to sign up for Pike Chamber advertising for your business please visit www.pikechamber.com/advertising.html.

We are also happy to announce that through “organic” search engine optimization we are the top ranked website for the search words “milford pa.” This optimization has enabled our website to gain more and more visitors that are continually coming back to pikechamber.com. This February www.pikechamber.com had approximately 3,444 visitors to the website at an average of 123 visitors per day. The chamber also increased its visitor return rate by more than 6%. The top pages of the website are the Membership Directory, the Realtors premium listing page, Relocation General Information page and the Great Outdoors page.

We are also excited to find that it is our residents in the Tri-State area that are utilizing our www.pikechamber.com. Because of that, look for more great additions aimed at Tri-State residents coming soon!

For more information on the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

February 26, 2007

Local Women Enjoy A Night Out While Helping Out Local Habitat for Humanity

Milford, PA – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce’s Women In Business Committee kicked off its 2007 season of events earlier this month, with a special presentation by Habitat for Humanity representatives, this year’s chosen WIB beneficiary.

About 20 area women came out for the event, which was held at the River Rock Inn. They enjoyed gourmet appetizers, and after an hour of socializing and networking, listened as Habitat for Humanity officials gave an informational presentation on the organization and what it does locally.

The group capped off the evening with door prize giveaways.

The Pike Chamber’s WIB Committee is a women-based committee providing networking and educational opportunities. WIB is dedicated to enhancing, educating and empowering its members with both personal and professional growth.

WIB hosts bi-monthly events. A donation is requested for registration for door prizes and all proceeds benefit a local charity. All are welcome to attend any of our workshops or networking opportunities, and membership/participation is open to women from all walks of life, whether you are a businesswoman, stay-at-home Mom, business owner, entrepreneur, or just someone looking to connect with local women to share their experiences in a wide variety of areas on both personal & professional topics.

For more information about the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.PikeChamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

February 5, 2007

Joint Networking Event a Huge Success!

Milford, Pennsylvania – More than 80 regional professionals attended the recent Joint Business Card Exchange hosted by the Pike County and Tri-State Area Chambers of Commerce!

The event was held January 31 at Mount Haven Inn and Resort with a special chocolate theme, featuring chocolate drinks, chocolate fountains, and chocolate themed foods and door prizes.

The joint exchange’s huge attendance is testimony to the number of area professionals who are interested in networking and meeting others from the business communities of Pike County and the Tri-State region, said Amy Gruzesky, the Pike County Chamber’s executive director.

“The entire community and all businesses benefit when regional businesses get together to network and work with one another to better promote business growth and economic development,” she told the crowd.

Gary Linton, executive director of the Tri-State Area Chamber said that the night’s crowd represented businesses from the fastest growing areas in the Northeast, and that the projected growth of the Tri-State area and Pike County, makes this the perfect time for everyone to start working collectively for the greater good of businesses in both regions.

The Pike County Chamber would like to thank Hazard Communications and Jalite for their generous sponsorship of the event and for their support, and all of the chambers’ members and attendees who submitted door prizes.

The next Pike County Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange will take place in the spring. Anyone interested in being a sponsor, donating door prizes or volunteering to help with the event should contact Lee Ann Camarero at 570-296-8700.

January 15, 2007

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce’s New Website a Huge Success with More Than 21,000 Viewings Each Month!

Milford, Pennsylvania – The Pike County Chamber of Commerce’s new website finished out 2006 successfully. The site saw an average of 21,507 page visits per month, making www.pikechamber.com one of the most popular sites about Pike County, Pennsylvania!

The average number of page visits per month was more than 21,000 and in June, the most active month, the website reached 25,826 visits! The month of October came in at close second with 25,586 visits. The website saw its peak visitation through out the spring, summer and even into the fall.

Visitors frequented a variety of web pages during their visit to www.pikechamber.com. The most popular page for site visitors was the Pike County Chamber of Commerce Home Page, which was the number one page for visitors throughout the year.

Rounding out the top 5 pages were Realtor, Shopping and Dining, Relocation, General Information, and Living in Pike County pages, which can all be accessed from the Chamber’s home page.

Website visitors reached www.pikechamber.com in a variety of ways; however most visitors were referred to the site through search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN and Comcast. Visitors typed in keywords such as “Milford, PA”, “Pike County, PA” and “Real Estate Pike County, PA”.

In 2007, the Pike County Chamber of Commerce plans several new programs that will drive even more visitors to www.pikechamber.com. The most exciting will be a brand new Online Shopping Center. You will now be able to shop Pike County businesses 24 hours a day from the comfort of your own home! Also, look for discounts from our members that will save you money on your everyday purchases and business to business chamber discount programs.

In addition to its new promotions, the Pike County Chamber of Commerce is taking more in-depth steps to learn about its website visitors. The chamber has just installed a new visitation tracking program that will give more detailed information about visitors including first time visitors, returning visitors and where visitors are from.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce is now also able to send its monthly newsletter by email for ease of reading. To sign up for the e-newsletter go to www.pikechamber.com and click on “Sign Up for the Chamber Newsletter”, you can also log onto the chambers site and download the newsletter onto your desk top.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce launched its brand new website in April 2006 that included many upgrades from the existing site. Pikechamber.com has established itself as the information center for Pike County, including news on events, local businesses, attractions, history and more!

For more information on the Pike County Chamber of Commerce please visit www.pikechamber.com or call 570-296-8700.

January 3, 2007

Leadership Pike Program Now Accepting Applications

The Leadership Pike program is accepting applications for its 2007 classes which will commence on March 16.

Leadership Pike is a comprehensive leadership development program which offers individuals the opportunity to develop and sharpen leadership skills, a chance to network with existing and future leaders, and to learn about Pike County's assets as well as introducing participants to the major issues and challenges facing the county. This program is a collaborative effort between the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, Delaware Valley School District, Northampton Community College and the Penn State University Cooperative Extension.

Register now to take advantage of this exciting leadership program!

* Develop and sharpen leadership skills
* Network with today's community leaders and other local professionals
* Learn about Pike County and the issues and challenges facing our region

The members of the class will become a Leadership team that is responsible for complet