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Brian Bell Joins Kish Bank’s Blair-Centre Commercial Team

Posted on by Jules Slater

STATE COLLEGE, PA – May 12, 2025 – Kish Bank has announced the appointment of Brian Bell to the position of Vice President, Middle Market Relationship Manager. Bell is based primarily out of Kish Bank’s Pleasant Valley Boulevard branch in Altoona, serving both the Blair and Centre County markets.

Robert Bilger, SVP, Senior Lending Officer for Kish Bank, commented, “We are pleased to welcome Brian Bell to the Kish Bank team. Brian brings a wealth of experience in banking and commercial lending, and his deep understanding of the industry will be invaluable as we continue to support key relationships in Central Pennsylvania. His expertise and commitment to our community banking model align perfectly with our mission at Kish Bank, and we look forward to the impact Brian will make for our clients.”

Bell brings over 25 years of community banking, business development, and lending experience to Kish Bank. He is well known in the community, having previously served in key business banking, commercial lending, and branch management positions. In his new role, Bell will procure and expand opportunities with emerging local businesses by developing and enhancing relationships among Kish, its clients, and the community. Bell is a graduate of Mt. Aloysius College and resides in Hollidaysburg with his wife, Joy, and their three children.

About Kish Bank

Kish Bank is a $1.8 billion regional community bank that operates 19 locations serving Centre, Mifflin, Huntingdon, Blair, and Juniata counties, and northeastern Ohio. Other business units of Kish Bank include Kish Insurance, Kish Financial Solutions, Kish Benefits Consulting, and Kish Travel.Kish Bank is a subsidiary of Kish Bancorp, Inc., trading under the OTCQX stock ticker symbol of KISB. For additional information, please visit MyKish.com.

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Spring Plant Sale Fundraiser Returns to Discovery Garden May 17th in Silver Anniversary Year

Posted on by Jules Slater

(Hollidaysburg, PA)   The Discovery Garden, located at Legion Memorial Park in Hollidaysburg, will hold a fun, fundraising event on Saturday May 17th, from 9am until 12 noon.  The annual Spring Plant Sale will offer plants, vegetables, flowers, and herbs to the public at very reasonable prices.  Many local businesses, greenhouses, and individual gardeners donate the merchandise for this annual event. There will also be a selection of native plants along with homegrown items. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Discovery Garden and Skills of Central Pa’s horticultural therapy programs. The Discovery Garden was founded in 2000, so this year’s sale launches the 25th anniversary planting season.

On hand to staff the plant sale will be many of the volunteers who maintain the garden throughout the year.  These experts in all types of gardening will be available to answer questions, and give valuable advice on keeping your plants healthy.  Also, anyone interested in becoming a part of garden’s team of volunteers can learn more about serving in any capacity, on May 17th, during the sale.

Raffles, prizes, and drawings are all a part of this yearly event to kick-off the gardening season.  The event takes place rain or shine, at 1501 N. Juniata St., Hollidaysburg, PA (known as Legion Park).  Among the raffle prizes are high-value items such as a complete Aqua Garden Mini Pond Kit, gift cards, prize baskets, event tickets, and more.  A 50/50 drawing will also be conducted.

The Discovery Garden was founded in 2000 in memory of a Skills program participant, Courtney Claton, in partnership with her family. The beauty and atmosphere of the Discovery Garden make it a place for community members to spend time with friends and family, to gather and take photos for special occasions, or to simply sit quietly and enjoy nature in its splendor. Additionally, the Discovery Garden provides an ideal setting for Skills of Central PA to provide therapeutic programming for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those recovering from mental health challenges. These individuals benefit deeply from this program, learning both how to care for a garden and how to enjoy the beauty and purpose of the plants. Learn more at www.discoverygardenpa.com. 

Skills of Central PA is a non-profit health and human services organization that provides support for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those recovering from mental health challenges. The organization was founded in 1960 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, as a small day program to provide people with opportunities to have paid work, gain social skills, and become more independent in the community. Today, Skills is one of the largest human service providers in central Pennsylvania, offering services in 17 counties throughout the region and employing nearly 1,000 people in a variety of professional, clinical, and direct support roles. Learn more about Skills of Central PA at www.skillsofcentralpa.org. 

Doing Better Business continues to grow!

Posted on by Jules Slater

Knox, PA – May 6, 2025 – We are pleased to announce that McCleary Business Machines, Inc., Clarion County, Pennsylvania’s leading provider of Ricoh office equipment solutions and services, has become a part of the Doing Better Business, Inc., family of businesses (DBB).  DBB is headquartered in Altoona, PA, and currently has 8 locations across the five-state region.

Mack McCleary and Vince Dellaposta, both, started their businesses in 1973, as Savin Copier Dealers. The friendship between the two companies is long and has continued with the second generations of each business having spent time together at various dealer meetings and trips.

“I’ve known Bruce McCleary for over 25 years.  Bruce and his team, are a perfect fit for our DBB Family,” said Debra Dellaposta, DBB CEO and President, “Their deep community involvement reflects the very core values we share.”

Bruce McCleary, who will be staying on to lead the transition team, said, “We are so excited to work with Debbie, Beth, Joe and the entire DBB family and we know that this will elevate our offerings and customer service to all of our customers.”

DBB is proud to have earned the Ricoh ProVision Dealer Partner designation again in 2025 and are proud of our technicians who earned the ProVision 2025 Service Engineer Certifications. In addition to Ricoh, DBB also provides products and service for Canon, HP, KIP, Laserfiche, Sharp and Toshiba. These are the world’s leading-edge technologies, and the full breadth of those product lines from desktop printers to large format printers to production printers to interactive flat panel displays and whiteboards to scoreboards will now be available to the Clarion region.  In addition, DBB has an entire solutions team developing and creating digital documents and workflows.

After three acquisitions in 2022, another in 2023, and the launch of a new division, AVYZE! Audio Visual Integrators, in 2024, DBB is keeping the momentum going with it latest acquisition in 2025.  “This is a strategic addition, bridging the gap in our coverage area between DuBois and Erie,” said Joseph Dellaposta, DBB Chief Operations Officer, “Bruce has built strong, trusted relationships, and we are thrilled to welcome all the McCleary Business Machines’ customers into our DBB Family.”

DBB (doingbetterbusiness.com) is a family and women owned business with eight locations and over 100 employees across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.

DBB is the leading regional provider of office technology, document and print management solutions and cloud architecture and administration. DBB is an authorized Canon, HP, KIP, Laserfiche, Ricoh and Sharp technology solutions provider.

For more information, please contact DBB at (800) 456-1977 or www.doingbetterbusiness.com

Axemann Brewery Announces New Managers

Posted on by Jules Slater

Axemann Brewery is pleased to announce the promotions of Brett Michael and Melanie Kipp to management positions.


Melanie Kipp – Events Coordinator
Melanie Kipp (Mel) has been a bartender and assistant manager at Axemann Brewery for more than 3 years. A graduate of Penn State, she has 11 years of industry experience in the Centre County area. As the new Events Coordinator, she will manage scheduling and logistics for group rentals and special initiatives. This role is crucial to the success of Axemann, where multiple events may happen simultaneously in the 27,000 SF space that includes a first floor taproom and game area plus a second floor loft with outdoor deck as well as brewing operations. Mel has proven extremely proficient in coordinating events of all kinds from birthday parties to company meetings to weddings, while maintaining a strong focus on customer service to ensure a seamless and enjoyable experience for all guests. She is currently working with local businesses and entrepreneurs to expand our weekly and monthly special events, giving our customers more opportunities to be involved with games, music, crafts, science, and more.​


Brett Michael – Taproom Manager
Brett Michael, a 2008 Penn State grad who has been working at Axemann as a bartender and assistant manager since October of 2021, has been promoted to Taproom Manager. His 30 years of experience serving customers in the Centre County area has equipped him with the skills to manage staff, inventory, and scheduling efficiently, ensuring smooth operations and a high level of customer satisfaction. ​Having a Taproom Manager familiar with the industry and the local culture is crucial for understanding customer preferences and creating a welcoming atmosphere, and we are fortunate that Brett has accepted this responsibility.​

CATA Introduces Two New Trail Routes for Summer 2025

Posted on by Jules Slater

The Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) is excited to announce the launch of two new summer trial routes as part of its fixed bus schedule for the 2025 summer service period. The new routes will be operational from May 12 to August 17, 2025, during which CATA will implement a reduced summer service schedule.


The UP – University Parkway route provides a counterclockwise circulator service Monday to Saturday at a frequency of every 32 minutes. This route will enhance accessibility to key community destinations, including Downtown State College, Westerly Parkway Plaza, the Retreat, the Social Security Office, Easterly Parkway Elementary, and the Penn State campus.


The HV – Happy Valley route will operate all day on Sundays and from 10 PM to midnight on Monday through Saturday. This route is designed to complement the existing NV route during these hours. From Monday to Saturday during late nights, the HV route will service six stops by traveling south on Atherton Street and Burrowes Road from Blue Course Drive. The HV travels counterclockwise, providing service directly from Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Colonnade Boulevard to Martin Street and The Heights.


For more information on CATA’s summer service, including detailed timetables and maps, please visit the CATA website at catabus.com/summer_service_2025/

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