Blair County Chamber of Commerce
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Oblivious no more

6/14/2021

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Last Friday around noon, I pulled into the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant in Altoona and was surprised to see that I was the only car in line.  As I pulled-up to place my order, I noticed a sign on the window announcing that the restaurant was closed due to “unavoidable circumstances.” Those circumstances, I later learned, were due to insufficient staffing.
            I’ve shared that experience with a number of people in the local hospitality industry and they were amazed.  Not amazed that a business had closed for lack of employees.  Amazed that I was apparently out-of-the-loop on what has gradually been taking place, not just in hospitality, but throughout the business community.
            I felt like Rip Van Winkle.  While I was continuing to fight the battle to allow more businesses to reopen at full customer capacity, the other shoe was preparing to drop.
            “We waited so long to get back to operating at close to normal levels,” a restaurant owner told me, “and now we’ve got no one to work.”  Many restaurants have cut hours to more effectively utilize the employees they have. It is also not uncommon to be greeted at the front door of a hospitality business by a sign requesting patience within the realm of customer service.
            So who’s to blame for all this?  You can point your finger in a number of directions.  The fact that the Unemployment Compensation system has made it more profitable to stay at home than to work gets most of the invective. In reality though, we’re past the point of looking for scapegoats.  It’s time to look for solutions.
            The Chamber’s Public Policy Committee will be taking the lead in creating a strategy to ascertain just how many businesses are struggling, their short-term staffing needs and other challenges that are making life difficult. From the staffing standpoint, it’s important to remember that workforce issues carried high importance prior to the pandemic.  The Chamber will be announcing a new initiative within a few weeks to begin addressing long-term approaches on a regional scale.
            The Blair County business community holds the key to our future growth and our quality of life.  Our workforce is the heart and soul of that community. We’ve got to stay alert (and awake!) to confront the obstacles ahead.    
           
     (Joe Hurd is President/CEO of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce)
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    Joe Hurd is President/CEO of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce.

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Copyrighted Blair County Chamber of Commerce.  All Rights Reserved.
3900 Industrial Park Drive, Suite 12  | Altoona, PA 16602
Phone: (814) 943-8151 | chamber@blairchamber.com
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  • Home
  • About
    • Chamber Q & A
    • Chamber Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Buy Here. Thrive Here.
    • Chamber Committees
    • Chamber Foundation
    • News
    • Publications >
      • NETworks Digital News
      • Newsletter Subscription
      • Business Insight
      • Blog
    • Community Partners
    • Visitor/Relocation Information
    • Policies
    • Contact
  • Chamber Membership
    • Sponsorships
    • Members Benefits
    • Member Directory
    • Chamber Unity Fund
    • Membership Application
    • Members Only
  • Events Calendar
  • Special Offers
    • Power Card
    • Small Business Advertising Opportunities
  • Events & Programs
    • Annual Meeting
    • BASICS
    • Breakfast Club
    • Business After Hours
    • Business Before Hours
    • Business Excellence Dinner
    • Chamber Golf Classic
    • Committee of Non-Profit Businesses >
      • Essential Tips for Building a Nonprofit Organization
    • Farm-City
    • Hall of Fame
    • Healthy Workplace
    • Home Garden & Healthy Living Show
    • Leadership Blair County Adult >
      • Class Projects
    • LBC Adult Alumni
    • Leadership Blair County Youth
    • Public Policy Committee
    • Regional Programs
    • Safety Programming
    • Sustainable Blair County
    • WE-LEaD
    • Young Entrepreneurs Academy
    • Young Professionals of Blair County
    • Community Calendar
  • Chamber Trips
  • Job Board
    • Commercial & Personal Lines Insurance - Customer Service Representative
    • Customer Service Representative (Bank Teller)
    • Marketing Coordinator
    • Structural/Miscellaneous Steel Detailer
    • Housekeeper
    • Front Desk Clerk
    • Entry Level Police Officer
    • Pre-K Counts Family Child Advocate
    • Executive Director
    • IT Business Support Manager – Corporate Systems
    • Insurance Customer Service Representative
    • Warehouse Attendant
    • Project Coordinator/Lead Installer
    • Health Insurance Producer Sales
    • Insurance Customer Service Representative
    • Development Coordinator
    • Accountant
    • Director of Development
    • Career Planner
    • Youth Career Planner
    • Estate Assistant
    • Lawn Service Technician
    • Carpentry/Construction Teacher (School year-9 month position)
    • HVAC Instructor
    • Production Positions
    • New Products Research/Development/Design Engineer
    • Manufacturing Project Engineer
    • Heavy Equipment Operator & Truck Driver
    • Service Technician/Installer
    • General Construction Laborer
    • Customer Service Representative
    • Licensed or Mental Health Level Therapists
    • Information Technology Director
    • Hardware Store Sales Associate
    • Auto Parts Sales Associate
    • Bookkeeper
    • School Psychologist
    • ​Customer Service Representative (Bank Teller)
    • Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical & Appliance Repair Tech
    • Escape Room Game Master
    • Judicial Secretary
    • Tipstaff
    • Courtroom Tipstaff
    • Teacher Assistant
    • Facility Assistant
    • Bus Driver
    • Director
    • Production Packers (2nd Shift)
    • Business Services Coordinator
    • Career Planner (Youth Programs)
    • Customer Service Representative (Bank Teller)
    • Certified Peer Specialists
    • Practical Nursing Instructor
    • Elementary (Kindergarten) Instructor
    • Appliance Repair Technician
    • Physical Therapist
    • General Laborer
    • Mechanic - Electrical
    • Software Technology Positions
    • Implementation Lead
    • Business Analyst/Scrum Master
    • Medical Technician
    • Structural/Architectural Engineer
    • Office Specialist
    • Production Packer
    • Certified Occupation Therapy Assistant (COTA)
    • Ticket Agent
    • Wastewater Engineer
    • VP of Programming and Membership Education
    • Construction Laborer