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Do personal stories help or hurt your business? 

Posted on by Chamber of Business & Industry Centre County

SUMMARY

  • Telling personal stories is an effective way to engage customers and humanize your brand.
  • Make sure the story relates to your company’s values or mission. Use HubSpot’s guide to business storytelling as a resource when crafting stories.
  • Personal stories do not have to be about you—they can be about your customers too.
  • When done well, telling personal stories can help you become known for what makes your business special and attract ideal clients.
    ~ 665 words / 3.5 minute read

Telling a story is one of the oldest ways humans have of connecting with each other. When it comes to your business, how you share personal stories in public spaces such as social media matters. Recounting life lessons or turning points can inspire and uplift your audience. However, sharing your deepest or darkest experiences with an audience that encompasses long-time friends, employees, clients, and industry partners can negatively affect your business. So, how do you know which stories inspire trust and build your brand and which to avoid? Read on to learn more about how to ensure your personal brand aligns with your business.

Your Mission is Personal
A personal story is different from a ‘confessional’ story. And this distinction can help you separate what goes too far from what supports your business goals. For example, an inspiring story about overcoming an injury to win your college track competition is great, but if the focus is on your college awards or the fascinating details of your surgery it may come across as self-absorbed or out of touch. On the other hand, when you connect overcoming obstacles to your company’s values or even your reason-for-being, it works toward creating a positive image of your business and shines a spotlight on your company’s mission.

Social media is a busy place and most consumers are there for deals and entertainment. Ensuring your content connects sends a clear message to your customers: you can trust me with your time.

Hubspot’s guide to business storytelling is a great resource for telling more engaging stories. They advise keeping the following points in mind to keep your stories—even personal ones—on target.

  • Captivating stories keep the reader engaged and invested.
  • Plausible tales create a believable version of reality for the reader.
  • Educational pieces encourage curiosity and further knowledge.
  • Relatable content connects readers with familiar people and places.
  • Memorable stories use humor, inspiration, even shock.

Use Stories to Reveal Lessons
The best leaders share personal stories that inspire and reveal lessons about how they overcame obstacles and achieved success. Richard Branson does this well in his recent Master Class, where he describes his battle with dyslexia which effectively blocked his formal education. He turned this personal setback into a positive learning experience by sharing how his ability to collaborate, delegate, and see the world in a unique way helped build his business empire. The implied lesson to his audience is that your perceived weakness can become a strength, when you adapt a new mindset. Branson’s course is called “Disruptive Entrepreneurship,” which makes his personal story perfectly aligned. This connection is important because now his dyslexia is more than a confession but a source of inspiration.

Get Personal with Customer Stories
Not every story needs to be about yourself or even your team. Your customer’s lives are a great source of inspiration. Get strategic when you share stories that correspond to your customer avatars. Sometimes customers will voluntarily share their story with you, but expect to devote intentional time following up with customers. Use these tips, provided by Forbes’ contributor Stephanie Burns, to collect compelling testimonials and tell better success stories.

  1. Make sure to ask the right questions. Instead of ‘Would you recommend me to a friend or family,’ try asking ‘How is your life better now that we’ve worked together?’
  2. When a client sends an email telling you about their success or posts a rave review online, follow up. Set up a time to ask more questions and gather details for your story.
  3. Don’t wait until the end of the process. Let your audience experience what it’s like to work with you by chronicling the customer journey in real time.

The Takeaway
Telling personal stories can be a great way to humanize your brand and connect with your customers. When you ensure your stories support your business’s goals and connect with your audience, you’ll become known for what makes your business special and attract your ideal clients.

Mount Nittany Health’s Physician Group Establishes Tuition Reimbursement Program with the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology

Posted on by Chamber of Business & Industry Centre County

Partnership will cover tuition for full-time and part-time LPN and CMA students

Mount Nittany Health is pleased to announce a partnership with the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI) to provide tuition assistance to students enrolled full-time or part-time in the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and Certified Medical Assistants (CMA) programs. As part of the program, students will receive employment agreements to work at Mount Nittany Physician Group upon graduation, if they meet the eligibility requirements.

“Mount Nittany Physician Group is looking to the future,” said Kathleen Rhine, President and CEO of Mount Nittany Health. “As we continue in our mission of ‘Healthier People, Stronger Community,’ it is a priority for us to increase our clinical staff to continue providing high-quality care to our patients. This partnership with CPI will help create a pipeline of LPNs and CMAs as we continue to innovate ways to serve the local community.”

The program will cover full tuition for eligible and selected full-time and part time students of the LPN program and the CMA program offered by CPI.

“We’re excited to provide this educational opportunity to the local community,” said Amy Trithart, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, SHRM-SCP, Chief Human Resources and Ancillary Services Officer, Mount Nittany Health. “As an employer of choice in the area, Mount Nittany Physician Group is an important part of Mount Nittany Health which has over 2,400 employees at our 19 locations in the Centre region. This partnership is an innovative way to continue to attract top talent to our healthcare system.”

“We are very pleased to expand our long-standing partnership with Mount Nittany Physician Group” stated Todd Taylor, Vice President, Post-Secondary Education for CPI. “In addition to outstanding career opportunities available at Mount Nittany Physician Group at graduation, participating CPI students will now have tuition sponsorship funding available to them to focus on their studies and graduate with little to no student debt. It really is a great time to be thinking about a career in the medical field. CPI looks forward to working closely with Mount Nittany Health as we grow our campus and expand our health-related degree programs.” said Taylor.

If you are interested in learning more about the program, please contact please contact Megan McKalips, Manager, Talent Acquisition, Mount Nittany Health at Megan.McKalips@mountnittany.org. More information about the program is also available at cpi.edu/practical-nursing.

Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak Opens New Office in Altoona; Now Has Six Locations Throughout Northeast and Central Pennsylvania

Posted on by Jeannine Lozier

Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak, an elder law firm with current locations in State College, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Wyalusing and Wysox, Pa., is pleased to announce the opening of a new office, located at 1913 East Pleasant Valley Blvd. in Altoona. The firm will begin seeing new and prospective clients in this new location on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. This marks the sixth location for SGY, which opened another new office earlier this month in Wilkes-Barre. The Altoona office can be reached at 814-900-7613.

“We have been serving clients from the greater Altoona and Blair County areas for several years now, ever since the firm moved into State College in 2015,” said Attorney Jenna Franks, a partner at the firm. “This new office in Altoona will allow us to better serve these clients that live closer to Altoona, as well as further grow our practice and the number of people we’ll be able to assist in the future with their various estate and long-term care planning needs.”

SGY was founded 21 years ago by Attorney Julie Steinbacher, who opened a single office in Williamsport, Pa., and for over the last two decades, has assisted thousands of clients with their legal planning needs for their second half of life. The firm acquired the State College elder law firm of Goodall & Yurchak in 2015. In 2021, upon the retirement of Attorney Leslie Wizelman, SGY acquired her former elder law firm with locations in Wyalusing and Wysox, enabling it add a wide swath of Pennsylvania’s northern tier to its geographic footprint.

The firm’s mission is to provide protection in times of prosperity, security in times of uncertainty and comfort in times of crisis. It focuses solely on elder law, which enables it to provide a full suite of services relates to estate planning, both basic and advanced. SGY’s services include, but aren’t limited to wills, powers of attorney, special needs planning, estate administration, will disputes, guardianships, long-term care planning, nursing home Medicaid planning, wealth protection and tax planning, business succession planning, veterans’ benefits planning, elder care navigation, and Alzheimer’s and dementia planning.

The firm anticipates hiring additional staff for the Altoona office as it continues to grow its client base in Blair County and beyond in the coming months. Initially, however, the office will be staffed with team members that are currently working out of its State College location.

Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak is an elder care and special needs law firm offering quality representation to clients throughout Pennsylvania. It now has six locations in Altoona, State College, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Wyalusing and Wysox. Since its beginning in 2002, the firm has dedicated itself to practicing law with extraordinary standards of ethics and values. The vision of the firm has been to provide individuals and their families with a unique plan to protect their assets for their spouses and future generations, while providing for their immediate and long-term needs. More information, including resources and seminar information, can be found at PAElderCounsel.com To schedule your appointment at any of its offices, call 1-800-351-8334.

Geisinger’s new Addiction Medicine Program welcoming applicants

Posted on by Chamber of Business & Industry Centre County

Training is for physician assistants and nurse practitioners to provide addiction care in primary care settings

 

Geisinger’s Addiction Medicine Program has received a $2.5 million federal grant to support an  Addiction Medicine Advanced Practitioner Training Program for physician assistants (PA-Cs) and certified registered nurse practitioners (CRNPs).

The goal is to train advanced practitioners to identify and care for patients with substance use disorder and opioid use disorder — especially people living in rural areas where other options for care are limited.

The first training class will launch in January, with new classes beginning each July and January over the course of the five-year grant. Applicants must be board certified and maintain an active Pennsylvania advanced practitioner license. 

“Studies have shown that Pennsylvania communities — particularly those in rural areas — struggle with access to substance use disorder treatment options, putting more strain on our hospitals,” said Margaret Jarvis, M.D., chief, addiction services for Geisinger Addiction Medicine and the Geisinger Neuroscience Institute. “Putting well trained advanced practitioners in primary care sites will provide a stable environment for long-term treatment of addicted patients. Because they’re treated in their communities, it’s easier to help them stay on course.”

The 12-month program includes lectures and in-clinic training. It will focus on mental health and substance use and opioid use disorder services, including the use of medications to treat opioid use disorder.

To receive an application, visit go.geisinger.edu/apaddictiontraining.

Keller Engineers, Inc. Hires in Transportation and Survey Division

Posted on by Jeannine Lozier

Keller Engineers, Inc., with locations in Hollidaysburg, State College, Gettysburg, PA and Haddonfield, NJ is a full-service engineering firm providing client-focused civil and structural engineering, and surveying services.

Keller Engineers, Inc. is proud to announce the hiring of Martin Biesinger, PLS, in the Survey Division and Nathan Cunningham in the Transportation Division.

Martin is a Professional Land Surveyor with over 30 years of surveying and land planning experience, including but not limited to: Boundary, ALTA, Deformation/Monitoring, AsBuilt, Geodetic, and Hydrographic surveys. He also has prior experience in the construction industry, overseeing daily operations at work sites and coordinating with subcontractors to ensure project completion in an efficient manner. Martin holds an Associate Degree in Surveying Technology from The Pennsylvania State University. In addition to his varied work experience and educational background, he is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving from 1986-1994 as a Boatswains mate on the U.S.S. W.S. Sims (FF1059).

Nathan is a current student at the Pennsylvania College of Technology pursuing an Associate Degree in IT Network & User Support. He joins our Transportation Division with an extensive background in IT and technology. He has experience with numerous network and security programs, as well as advanced programming. Nathan is also a recipient of the Jersey Shore Steel Scholarship which is available to students at Pennsylvania College of Technology who maintain at least a 2.5 minimum GPA and is a family member of a current or former employee at Jersey Shore Steel. He is a 2021 graduate of Altoona Area High School and previously worked in the retail, restaurant, and delivery service industry prior to joining us at Keller Engineers.