WHAT’ S NEWS IN MURRYSVILLE
REBECCA SHISSLER EARNS GIRL SCOUT SILVER AWARD
Rebecca Shissler is in 8th grade at Greensburg Salem Middle School. She earned her Girl Scout Silver Award this summer. The Silver Award is a leadership award and the highest award a middle school Girl Scout can earn. It involves choosing a project that is sustainable and meets a need in the local community. Rebecca’ s project accomplished both of these goals.
She created a Veterans Memorial at Eastview Union Cemetery in Delmont / Salem Township, Westmoreland County. Until now, there was no memorial or recognition of the over 240 veterans laid to rest at the cemetery dating back to the Civil War, or a way for the public to access the records if looking for a family member buried at the cemetery.
The memorial includes a granite bench with a design Rebecca created, a flag pole, inscribed paver stones and an outdoor bulletin board / information center. All of these were donated, along with the materials and labor. Around the memorial is a decorative garden. It is Phase I of a project to have a dedicated outdoor space for military and other burials.
Rebecca obtained all the local community donations of materials and supplies, totaling $ 3,700. She logged over 100 hours of time to complete the project. She met with business owners, veterans groups, local government officials and members of the cemetery board.
She also worked with the cemetery director, Alan Oravec, to map out the cemetery and locate all the veterans who served our country. The map is color coded according to which war / campaign the veteran served. The document is preserved in the outdoor bulletin board /
information center. A copy was also given to the Delmont American Legion. Now on display, the information is easily accessible to the public for the first time.
Rebecca was inspired to work on this important project by a community service project that her Troop # 24142 helps with each year. The troop prepares for Memorial Day by placing flags at the grave markers of our veterans.
The new Veterans Memorial Garden will help honor and remember those who served our country, and make it family friendly for those doing genealogy or family tree research. It permanently preserves the vital record of Delmont / Salem Township veterans.
For more information, contact Andrea Shissler at andreashissler @ comcast. net.
MURRYSVILLE BUSINESS OWNER JOINS PRESIDENT TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE
Steve Rennekamp, owner of Energy Swing Windows in Murrysville, was one of only 100 small business owners in the country invited to attend an exclusive event on August 1 in the East Wing of the White House. As part of“ American Dream Week,” small business owners joined the President and several staff members to discuss what the administration can do to help small businesses succeed. Linda McMahon, Administrator of the SBA; General John Kelly, the President’ s Chief of Staff; and Ivanka Trump also interacted with the small business owners.
Most Americans don’ t realize that two-thirds of working people in the United States are employed by small businesses, and half of all new jobs are created by small businesses. Obviously, many of today’ s larger companies grew from small business roots. Small businesses have always been the engine that built America’ s economy and they will continue to play a critical role in adding well-paying jobs for tomorrow. The entrepreneurs who start and grow small businesses represent the true American spirit of creating opportunities for growth through hard work.
One of the primary points of discussion was the difficulty almost every business is facing in finding a qualified workforce. Most of the companies in the meeting expressed concern over their ability to find qualified personnel to fill today’ s voids and future people needs. McMahon talked about programs that are
either in place or are being developed, aimed at assisting American workers and small businesses.
Energy Swing Windows manufactures, installs and fully guarantees all its products and work. It employs 15 people full time, including employee installers, which is unique for the window and door industry. Most companies use subcontractors to install their products, but Rennekamp strongly believes in using employee installers to ensure the quality of his company’ s work. However, federal regulations have made it difficult for him to provide the level of benefits, especially health care, that he feels his employees deserve. Energy Swing is also a member of NFIB( National Federation of Independent Businesses), for which Rennekamp serves on the Pennsylvania NFIB Leadership Council.
Rennekamp expanded on the need for cooperation between the government and small businesses.“ Starting and running a business represents a risk that is hard to understand until you are in the middle of it,” he said.“ On a daily basis, a business owner faces a variety of obstacles in an effort to sustain and grow a business. Every small business wants to grow and add jobs. I’ m involved because it’ s important for people in government to understand what they can do to help a small business grow and add jobs. Even more importantly, it is critical that they realize the detrimental impact that regulations and tax policies can have on growth. The President seems to have a good grip on the important issues we face as business owners and understands the actual mechanics that make small businesses run. He also knows what inhibits growth.”
For more information contact Steve Rennekamp directly at 724.387.2991, or by email at stever @ energyswingwindows. com. n
Energy Swing Windows has been in business since 1996 and serves all of southwestern Pennsylvania. Energy Swing Windows manufactures its own brand of energy-efficient windows designed to swing open like a door for enhanced ease of cleaning.
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