The Lebanon Valley Chamber Business Connection provides an inside look at our Chamber initiatives and the businesses that make our community thrive.
Chamber fun facts
- The Lebanon Valley Chamber was founded in 1916, making it 109 years old.
- The Chamber is a 501 (c) (6) non-profit supported by our business community through memberships and programming. We are not a government agency.
Advocacy
The Lebanon Valley Chamber is a strong advocate for a non-partisan pro-business agenda. Recently, our South-Central Regional Alliance took a delegation of executive leadership and members to Washington, DC to meet with federal legislators. Talking points included breaking barriers to employment for immigrants, working parents, and reentrants; speeding up infrastructure improvements & permitting reform; and addressing housing affordability.
To read our full policy agenda, please visit here.
Programming
We recently completed the Professional Development Series: New Manager Training and sent 14 employees back to their jobs with skills in understanding personality and temperament, professional standards in the workplace, HR basics, good communication and leadership styles. This 10-hour program is offered twice a year. Learn more about our programming and events here.
Upcoming news
Since 1988, the Lebanon Valley Chamber has gathered an annual class of business professionals to participate in the year-long Leadership Lebanon Valley program. Participants spend one day a month immersed in an area of our county, highlighting the complexity and interconnection of areas like education, business, health and human services, and more. The Class of 2026 is now being formed. For more information, please visit here.
Supporting small business
Every other month, the chamber presents a free workshop to our small business community regardless of membership. Sample topics include Building Your Client Base, Pricing Your Products & Services, and Understanding AI.
Every month, we offer two hours of free Small Business Support Hours. These walk-in sessions provide direct access to specialists from the US Small Business Administration, SCORE Business Mentoring, Small Business Development Center, and more.
On November 19th, we’ll host the 5th Annual Great Lebanon County Pitch, where entrepreneurs will compete for a piece of $10,000 in prize money. This event is open to the public. More information is available here.
To find the next free workshops and support hours, please visit here.
Meet our team
Rosser Lamason, Member Services Specialist – joined the team in 2022.
“I’m the friendly face you see when you first walk in the door, and the helpful voice you hear on the phone. I love helping our members and putting a smile on their faces. When I’m not at the Chamber, you can catch me watching football or basketball or going on adventures with my wife and daughter!”
From the president & CEO Karen Groh
October has been an incredible month, highlighting the diversity of our outreach. Here are a few highlights:
- We released a song and video about our members. Watch it here. It’s catchy!
- Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Anna Paulson visited our office to hold a roundtable discussion on workforce barriers. The information shared will become part of her outreach agenda.
- We cut the ribbon at H2H Marketing, Aaron’s Sales and Lease, Blue Bird Inn – new deck and outdoor space, Bomberger’s Flooring & Cabinets Showroom, Alisher Aminov – Edward Jones, and Baked with a Twist. We celebrated 10 years of the Lebanon Family YMCA Edward and Jeanne Arnold Early Learning Center.
- I’ll be representing the Lebanon Valley at a Regional Freight Summit in York to discuss issues related to freight planning and development, freight-related policy considerations, and public-private innovations to improve our freight transportation system around truck parking, land use, congestion mitigation, safety, and other emerging issues.
- This month’s networking events brought together almost 250 people!
What do our members say?
“The Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce has been so beneficial to me as a newer small business owner. While the connections and networking were the first pieces that were helpful, the educational opportunities quickly became important as I worked to develop and refine my business. In addition, the ongoing support and personal interest in my business and my success have been nothing short of amazing. I truly feel like I have a group of people cheering me on, ready to be there with advice as needed and helping me build a business that matters to the Lebanon County Community.”
– Stacia Mohr, SMART Marketing & Media.
Do you have questions about our chamber? Call 717-273-3727 or visit lvchamber.org.
