During this podcast, you'll hear Bob talk about an in person event called LEAD (Legislative Education Advocacy Day). This event takes place on Friday, September 13th, from 7:30am - noon, at Mohegan Pennsylvania.

In this episode: Bob Durkin returns after time off to recover from a surgery. Sadly, he now admits he'll never achieve one of his dreams. That dream is revealed in the first 30 seconds of audio.

As we get closer to the 2024 election, Bob discusses how "the Chamber" takes on an advocacy role in the community when dealing with elected officials.

Trick Question: Which political party does "the Chamber" align with?

How and WHY "the Chamber" has changed over the years.

The different ways "the Chamber" works to eliminate legitimate reasons why a person may not take a job/start a business.

Bob explains why he thinks "the educational market is adjusting on its own."

(At 12 minutes 27 seconds) The very simple way to find a GREAT plumber . Trust us. It's not at all what you think.

This month, we're joined by Amy Luyster. Amy is the Vice President of Business & Workforce Development of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. In this WILK Local Business Community Update, Amy goes into detail about two programs that she's helped champion during her time at "the Chamber."

The two programs we discuss are:

1) Educator in the Workplace, a hybrid learning experience, bridging the gap between education and business. Click here to apply for this program, or simply for more information.

2) The Career Pathways Video Resource Library, a video series promoting career awareness and highlighting high-priority occupations in northeastern Pennsylvania. Click here for more information and to view any of the 19 videos.

Have an idea or would you like to collaborate on either of these two programs, contact Amy Luyster via e-mail, or by calling 570-342-7711.

In this episode, Jason Barsky and Bob Durkin discuss: How NEPA's low unemployment (good news) is at a crossroads with a housing crisis (bad news). More importantly, how does the housing crisis directly affect local business and the NEPA economy?

Bob shares the details you'll want to know, and offers up some real world ideas which could lead to possible solutions as NEPA navigates through these tricky circumstances.

It's not all doom and gloom. In fact, there's plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Hear them all by listening to this podcast of the Local Business Community Update!

In this episode, we discuss: What Bob sees in NEPA that makes him believe our business landscape is in great shape. The changing mindset leading to FRANCHISES joining the Chamber. How businesses can get thousands of dollars in free marketing and advertising. The homegrown "boutique" business boom in NEPA. An positive update from Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport on the performance of Breeze Airways. With few office vacancies in downtown Scranton, Bob details an exciting new way for existing and startup businesses to have a physical workspace for day to day operations, meetings, and networking (in a relatively inexpensive way). Is downtown Scranton a "Cosmopolitan Community?" Bob says "yes," and explains why. Plus, we end with an amazing, local success story that started with the Chamber.