Patriot Federal Credit Union opens ninth location

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Patriot Federal Credit Union recently celebrated its continued growth and expansion in Washington County, Md., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its ninth branch, located at 11067 Robinwood Drive, Hagerstown.  

The one-story facility, located at the intersection of Robinwood Drive and Medical Campus Road and across from Meritus Medical Center, has over 3,800 square feet and is Patriot’s second full-service branch in Washington County. 

The branch offers auto loans; mortgages; savings, checking, certificates as well as wealth management services.  Cammie Shrewsbury, branch manager, will oversee a team of six staff members. 

Lobby and drive-up hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.  The drive-up lanes offer 24/7 access to ATM service.

“Thanks to the hard word of our entire Patriot team we are proud to celebrate the opening of our new Robinwood branch,” said Brad R. Warner, CEO of Patriot.  “We’re in a great location and we offer convenient hours to better meet the needs of our membership.   Robinwood symbolizes our ongoing commitment to growth and providing quality financial services to our members in Hagerstown and other communities we serve.”   

Support local journalism:Here is a special offer for new subscribers

More:Business news: Greencastle's Zimmerman funeral home joins Geisel

Coyle library to host job fair

CHAMERSBURG - Coyle Free Library, 102 N. Main St., will host a job fair 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 6 in its lower-level community room. 

At least 12 employers will participate: 

• Abraxas
• HomeInstead Senior Care
• Staffmark
• Providence Place Senior Living
• JFC Staffing Companies
• Worthy Consulting & Training, LLc
• Franklin County Career and Technology Center
• Macys
• KFC
• Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12
• Elwood Staffing
• R.E.M. Staffing

Anyone hunting for a job is encouraged to attend and meet with local agencies that are looking for help. Bring copies of your resume. 

Organizers are still looking for employers to participate. To sign up for a table, fill out the form here: https://goo.gl/forms/AGLOXNIXW2JbpnsF2.

If you are a job seeker or employer and still have questions, contact coordinator Charlie Mitchell at cmitchell@fclspa.org 717-263-1054.  

More:New chapter begins at Coyle Free Library

More:How does pay at southcentral Pa. jobs compare to Amazon's $15 minimum wage?

More:These are the jobs with a future in southcentral Pa.

F&M Trust gives back at 'Banktoberfest'

CHAMBERSBRUG – F&M Trust employees assembled personalized suitcases and bikes for foster children in southcentral Pennsylvania on Thursday, Oct. 18, through a partnership with Together We Rise – a California-based nonprofit organization that brings resources to foster youth across the U.S.

“We have the opportunity to bring our employees together once a year. We want to use that time to do somethings that’s meaningful, roll up our sleeves and rally behind a common cause. As a community bank, that’s what it’s all about,” said Tim Henry, president and CEO of F&M Trust.

Nearly 270 bank employees decorated and stuffed 43 blue duffel bags dubbed “sweet cases” with teddy bears, blankets, hygiene kits, coloring books and crayons. They also built 43 bicycles – all of which have been given to Family Care Services – a Chambersburg foster agency.

"Thanks to the generous support of F&M Trust, kids will experience the childhood joy of learning to ride their first bike. They will also be able to keep their most precious belongings safe in a sweet case bag. Although these items may seem small, the impact they create on youth experiencing foster care is larger than most ever realize. Thank you to F&M Trust for your support and for making a difference in the lives of youth in Pennsylvania,” said Steven Macias, donor relations manager at Together We Rise.

When foster children move from home to home, they are usually given two trash bags in which to carry their belongings. To help foster kids have more positive experiences, volunteers who partner with Together We Rise purchase and assemble the sweet cases.

“We found a way to invest in ourselves but also in our community at the same time. We know there is still work to be done, and we’re going to keep at,” said Melissa Miller, assistant vice president, marketing officer at F&M Trust. Miller spearheaded the event.

In addition to supporting the community, the goal of the event is also to strengthen employees’ ties to the organization and feel a sense of fulfillment and pride in the bank.

“I am proud of our employees not just today, but every day, for what they do. They find unique ways to harness our collective energy to make our communities a little bit stronger, a little bit better,” Henry added.

Mont Alto LaunchBox plans entrepreneurship forum

MONT ALTO - The Mont Alto LaunchBox, a program to support entrepreneurs in Franklin County, will host its inaugural Entrepreneurship Fall Forum on Nov. 14, from 12:20 p.m. to 1:10 p.m., in the Wiestling Student Center on Penn State Mont Alto’s campus.

The forum will feature Penn State students Shevy Karbasi and Jobe Matula who have developed their own business ideas and acquired early-stage funding to help develop their products. It is open to all aspiring business entrepreneurs at no charge.

Karbasi and his startup Moichor developed a mobile app that works in combination with a blood test strip reader to give individuals a blood count test at home or anywhere within 30 seconds that can then be sent electronically to a health care professional. This helps immune compromised individuals by eliminating their need to travel to hospitals or clinics for testing and ensures they aren’t unnecessarily exposed to harmful infections.

More:Mont Alto LaunchBox serves as an 'incubator' for new business ventures

Matula is a graduate of Ben Franklin’s TechCelerator program in Altoona. Working with the Happy Valley LaunchBox in State College since 2017-18, his startup is called the LiveFirst Company and he has developed a pet-proof trash can that reduces the occurrences of pet poisonings and prevents pets from tipping over the can.

Both students were awarded $10,000 each to participate last summer in Penn State’s 13-week Summer Founders Program at the Happy Valley LaunchBox where alumni entrepreneurs mentor the student founders. Karbasi and his team at Moichor have also won $30,000 to advance their product during the WPSU 2018 television episode of “The Investment”— a pitch competition, sponsored by The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) at Penn State. PennTAP is a statewide technical assistance organization charged with supporting Pennsylvania businesses and institutions.

The Entrepreneurship Fall Forum 2018 is being held in conjunction with Penn State’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 7-15, which celebrates entrepreneurship and innovation at Penn State with dynamic speakers and workshops and exposes students and community entrepreneurs to startup resources available to them through the University.

The Mont Alto LaunchBox, a signature program of the Invent Penn State initiative, is one of 21 innovation hubs located in Penn State’s Commonwealth Campus communities. Located at 40 North Second Street in Chambersburg, Mont Alto LaunchBox was seeded by a three-year, $50,000 Invent Penn State grant to provide co-working space, startup accelerator programs, and mentorship to help aspiring entrepreneurs develop their ideas and take their products and services to market.

More information about the Mont Alto LaunchBox and its services is available at montalto.psu.edu/launchbox.