 
 
E-Memberandum
Vol. 2 Issue 1
January 20, 2011
Mandatory Local Tax Withholding In 2011 -- Is Your Business Ready? -- Starting January 1st of this year, employers in Lebanon County are required to withhold local earned income taxes as part of their employee payroll obligations. This requirement is covered under Act 32, a new law that also mandates that every employer register with their countywide collector. This new law is being implemented in countywide jurisdictions in Pennsylvania starting this year or in 2012, with Lebanon County employers required to comply in 2011.
Act 32 is intended to provide standardization in the local tax collection process. In Lebanon County, Keystone Collections Group has been selected as the tax collection group. Information from Keystone Collections on how to comply with the new employee tax collection rules, along with a “Quick Start Guide” for employers, can be accessed by clicking here.
The Chamber, which hosted a series of Act 32 informational workshops on January13 in conjunction with Keystone Collections Group, is looking at additional workshop dates to assist our member employers in understanding and complying with this new law.
Chamber Sets Ireland Tour Sign-Up Deadline & Final Info Sessions -- The final date for sign-ups and payment for the Chamber’s group tour and business mission to Ireland scheduled for this coming April has been set for Monday, February 14. Also scheduled by the Chamber are the final two pre-tour informational meetings for those Chamber members, other area business people and residents who are interested in learning more about the trip. These two sessions, both of which are free, will be held on Tuesday, January 25 and Thursday, February 10 from 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. at the Chamber’s offices at 728 Walnut Street in Lebanon and will feature a presentation by Chamber and Boscov’s Travel officials on the details of the tour.
The nine-day, seven-night tour, which also has optional business mission features available for those participants interested in exploring business contacts and opportunities in Ireland, will depart on April 28, 2011 and return on May 6. The tour package will include transportation to and from Newark International Airport, roundtrip international airfare, superior and first-class hotels each night, 12 meals, entrance fees to tourist attractions included in the tour package, all in-country transportation and the services of an Irish driver - guide. The package price for this trip is $2,127 per person, double occupancy, for Lebanon Valley Chamber members. An additional $150 per person will charged to non-Chamber members. Single rooms are also available at an additional cost. Payment of the $400 per person deposit for the trip may be made by credit card, check or money order to Boscov’s Travel.
The tour package being offered by the Chamber and Boscov’s Travel will include visits to the cities and towns of Dublin, Killarney, Galway, Connemara and Clonmacnoise and to such sites as Blarney Castle & Woollen Mills, the Cliffs of Moher, the Dingle Peninsula, Galway Bay and a ferry ride across the River Shannon, the entrance fees to all included tourist attractions, all in-country transportation and services of a professional driver/guide. Space on the Ireland tour and business mission is limited to 45 people on a first-come basis, with over three-quarters of the available seats already reserved.
Reservations for the free, no obligation informational meetings on January 25 and February 10 can be made by contacting the Chamber at 273-3727 or at donna@lvchamber.org.
Chamber 2011 Sponsorship Opportunities Booklet Available – The Chamber’s “2011 Sponsorship Opportunities” booklet is now available and provides a larger-than-ever array of available sponsorships designed to meet any member business’s budget and areas of interest. The sponsorships available through the Chamber for the coming year cover both an expanded number of programs and events and also offer an increased range of sponsorships on some of the Chamber’s most popular events that will be continuing in 2011.
The Chamber’s sponsorship opportunities, which can be a great way to promote and gain additional exposure for your business or organization, are available on the Chamber’s Membership Luncheons, morning and evening networking programs, government affairs programs, as well as major special events such as the annual Golf Outing, “Networking in the Valley”, the Annual Breakfast and many others.
Because we expect some of these sponsorship opportunities to fill up fast, you are encouraged to make your selections and sign up early.
To learn more about the sponsorship opportunities available to you and your business in 2011, please visit the Chamber’s website at www.lvchamber.org to download a pdf copy or call the Chamber at 717-273-3727 to request that a copy of the “2011 Sponsorship Opportunities” booklet be e-mailed or mailed to you. Printed copies of the booklet are also available at the Chamber office.
Chamber Welcomes Christine Heibel As New Vice President – Christine M. Heibel was recently appointed to the position of Vice President with the Chamber and assumed her new position with the organization on January 3. The appointment was announced by Chamber President & CEO Larry Bowman.
In her new position, Christine will be responsible for coordinating the Chamber’s membership recruitment and retention efforts, organizing and managing a number of the Chamber’s major special events and assisting in the development and implementation of communications and marketing strategies for the organization. In performing these varied responsibilities, she will work with the organization’s Ambassadors Committee, Communications Task Force and various event-related committees, while also assisting the Chamber’s Lebanon Valley Young Professionals group.
Prior to joining the Chamber, Christine served for the previous six years as the Director of Marketing and Membership Development with the Hamilton Club in Lancaster. In that position, she managed all aspects of the membership recruitment and retention efforts for the Club, oversaw the marketing and communications area and worked with several of the Club’s committees in planning and implementing a variety of special events.
Before joining the Hamilton Club, Christine worked for the Lebanon Valley Family YMCA at its Lebanon VA Medical Center site, as Member Relations Director for ClubCorp in Oldsmar, FL and as Recreation Coordinator for the City of Oldsmar. Previous to that, she held the positions of Recreation Manager and Activities Manager with the Lake Naomi Club in Pocono Pines, PA.
In announcing Heibel’s appointment to the Chamber’s Vice President position, Bowman stated that, “Christine brings to the Chamber a wealth of experience in the membership, communications and programs and events areas. This experience, coupled with her energy, outgoing personality and strong focus on customer and member service should be a major plus for our organization as we look to grow our membership and the range of benefits and services we have available for our members.”
Heibel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Penn State’s Capital College in Middletown and also attended Harrisburg Area Community College’s Lebanon Campus prior to that.
She, her husband and son live in South Lebanon Township.
Chamber Seeking Member Businesses With 2011 Milestone Anniversaries – Already looking ahead to its 2011 Annual Breakfast in December of this year, the Chamber is seeking to identify those Chamber member businesses and organizations that will celebrate milestone anniversaries – 10, 15, 20… -- during 2011.. The Chamber’s plans to recognize these employers during our 2011 Annual Breakfast this coming December.
Any Lebanon Valley Chamber member business or organization that will celebrate a 10-year or more milestone anniversary during the coming year is asked to contact Chamber President Larry Bowman at 273-3727 or at Lbowman@lvchamber.org so that they can be included in the list of businesses and organizations to be recognized at the Annual Breakfast in December.
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