POINT BREEZE CREDIT UNION UNVEILS
RENOVATED, TECH-SAVVY LOBBY IN HUNT VALLEY

HUNT VALLEY, MD (1/15/20) – Celebrating its 85^th year in business in 2020, Point Breeze Credit Union is officially opening the redesigned lobby at its Hunt Valley office, which has been undergoing extensive renovations for the past several months. 

The remodeled lobby represents the first phase of an extensive renovation and expansion taking place at Point Breeze’s Hunt Valley headquarters. Due to the credit union’s rapid growth, it is also doubling the size of its current Hunt Valley facility, adding a new two-story, 20,000-square-foot addition to its existing 20,000-square-foot building at 11104 McCormick Road. 

Point Breeze’s renovated lobby area features member service workstations outfitted with the latest in banking technology. The workstations will enable Point Breeze members to have quicker, easier access to accounts and other financial services, while still receiving the personalized service they have come to expect from Point Breeze.

The lobby also employs a new “dialogue banking” service model, which Point Breeze first introduced with the opening of its two new locations in Westminster and Owings Mills in 2017. Upon entering the Hunt Valley lobby, Point Breeze members are personally greeted by a Member Service Specialist who is able to handle most of the member’s needs without delay or referral to other staff members.

“Our new, tech-savvy lobby and our headquarters building expansion when completed next year will enable Point Breeze Credit Union to better meet the financial needs of our growing membership and to continue providing easy, reliable banking services to our members in a more efficient way,” says Point Breeze President and CEO Bernard McLaughlin.

McLaughlin notes that the entire project was spurred by the record growth Point Breeze currently is experiencing, both in terms of new members and its consumer and business loan activity. The credit union is also seeing a strong increase in business lending as more small businesses are taking advantage of investment real estate and Point Breeze’s zero origination fees and pre-payment penalties.

Once completed in late-2020, the combined 40,000 square foot Point Breeze Headquarters building will consolidate all of Point Breeze’s administrative functions under one roof to better meet the needs of its rapidly growing membership.

About Point Breeze Credit Union

Currently celebrating its 85^th year in business, Point Breeze Credit Union is one of Maryland’s largest credit unions, with 59,000 members and approximate assets of $800 million. A full-service financial institution that is member-owned and not-for-profit, Point Breeze offers easy, reliable banking through offices in Hunt Valley, Rosedale, Bel Air, Westminster, and Owings Mills, as well as more than 5,600 Shared Branch locations and 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide. Membership in Point Breeze is open to individuals who work, worship, or volunteer within 20 miles of a Point Breeze location. Point Breeze is federally insured by NCUA and an Equal Housing Opportunity lender. For more information, visit www.pbcu.com.

Delegates Chris West, Nino Mangione and Michele Guyton met with HVBF members and Public Policy Committee members on October 29th for an informative overview of the upcoming legislative session. The Delegates encouraged HVBF members to be vocal on issues affecting their communities and organizations, and emphasized that they welcome feedback on proposed bills and policies. Topics discussed ranged from traffic to education and minimum-wages. 

For more information about the Public Policy Committee, please Click Here.

Join the Hunt Valley Business Forum to celebrate the Grand Opening of Pat's Select & Asian Grill in Cockeysville. Special Guests Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens and 98 Rock host Scott Reardon will be in attendance. 

Register online for the event and enter to win one of 3 outstanding prizes including free pizza for a year, a cruise for two, and Ravens season tickets! You must be present to win. No purchase necessary. 

Monday, September 16
5:30 - 8:00 PM 

Pat's Select & Asian Grill
10151 York Road
Cockeysville, MD 21030

Register Now 

University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, recently named by US News & World Report among the top three (3) hospitals in Maryland, will host the 2019 Dr. James W. Eagan, Jr. Golf Tournament to benefit UM St. Joseph Medical Center.

We invite members of the Hunt Valley Business Forum to register and join us for a wonderful day of golf to benefit our work in delivering exceptional patient care. All proceeds from the tournament will support the greatest needs of the hospital. There are still a limited number of foursomes available as well as opportunities to sponsor holes and contests throughout the day.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

10:00 am Shotgun Start
The Elkridge Club
6100 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21212

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (410) 337.1397
ONLINE REGISTRATION>>

Not a golfer – not a problem! While the players are out on the course, we will also host a panel discussion during lunch in the Elkridge Clubhouse for community members interested in a very important topic, Behavioral Health Challenges faced by Adolescents. Our panel consists of two high school counselors, a physician who specializes in child and adolescent psychology and the director of a nonprofit that provides resources for families experiencing mental health challenges. If you are interested in joining us, please contact the Foundation at SJFoundation@umm.edu. 

Estate Planning 101 For Young Families – Why You Must Take Time to Start Your Estate Planning NOW!

Join PK Law for their PK Law Learning Seminar "On the Road!". As a young family you may have many things that keep you running at a record pace. You may think that you do not need estate planning until you acquire more assets, your children are born, or you hit a certain other milestone. Join PK Law Estate Planning Attorney Kristy Williams to learn why it is so important to start your estate planning now. 

Wednesday, August 28, 2019
6:00 - 8:00pm 

The Greene Turtle Hunt Valley
118 Shawan Road
Hunt Valley, MD 21030

More Information and Registration>>

Point Breeze Credit Union is hosting their second Annual "The Harvest" Golf Tournament benefiting the Maryland Food Bank. Members of the Hunt Valley Business Forum are invited to register and enjoy contests, refreshments, prizes and giveaways as part of an afternoon of premiere golf at Hayfields Country Club. As a participant, you will help strengthen the Maryland Food Bank's efforts to feed hungry families in Maryland. 

Monday, September 16, 2019
12:30pm Shotgun Start

Hayfields Country Club
700 Hayfields Road
Hunt Valley, MD 21030

More Information and Registration>>

Recently Cockeysville has experienced late night Business Robberies. These robberies have occurred along York Road from Ridgley Road up to Scott Adam Drive. The 3 cases have occurred between the hours of 2145 and 2325 hours and have taken place on a Tuesday, Thursday and a Monday. It appears that these times are associated with the closing of the businesses as well.

Click here to download the above statement from the 
Baltimore County Police Department - Cockeysville Precinct 

HUNT VALLEY, MD (6/25/19) – As part of its 13^th Annual Scholarship Program, Point Breeze Credit Union has awarded $22,500 in scholarships to 15 local high school students.

The students, each of whom received a scholarship totaling $1,500, competed for the scholarship awards by submitting an application in which they explained their involvement in high school activities and the community, a letter of acceptance from the college or trade school of their choice, a personal reference, and an academic reference. 

In addition, students had to submit two essays – one in which they described their goals and how their plan of study would help them to achieve those goals, and a second in which they discussed what they expected their priority expenses to be during school, how they will budget for them, and what additional expenses they will budget for after college.

“Through our Annual Scholarship Program, Point Breeze is able to support the financial well-being of our youngest members as they plan for their futures while demonstrating our ongoing commitment to financial education,” says Lynn Finckel, Secretary of the Point Breeze Credit Union Board of Directors and Chair of the Scholarship Committee.

“We were very impressed with all of the applications we received for this year’s Scholarship Program, and want to wish all of our members the best with their future educational pursuits,” Finckel continues.

Winners of Point Breeze Credit Union’s 13^th Annual Scholarship Program are:

• Abigail Brannon, a graduate of Mercy High School of Baltimore who plans to attend Saint Vincent College;
• Samuel Burton, a Sparrows Point High School graduate who will be attending Liberty University;
• North Harford High School graduates Brooke Ciampaglio, Julia Foster, and Natalie Jacobs who will attend, respectively, the University of Delaware, Goucher College, and Shenandoah University;
• Fallston High School graduates Marley Downes and Andrew Nicolaus, who will be attending Drexel University and Christopher Newport University, respectively;
• Cassidy Finnerty, a graduate of Perry Hall High School who plans to attend York College of Pennsylvania;
•  Jonathan MacGregor, who graduated from Manchester Valley High School and will attend the University of Maryland College Park;
•  Bonnie Medtart, an Institute of Notre Dame graduate who will be attending Stevenson University;
• Regina Pilar, a graduate of The Catholic High School of Baltimore who plans to attend Washington College;
• Sophia Rupkalvis, who graduated South Brunswick High School in North Carolina and plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;
•  Emma Swartz, a graduate of Conrad Weiser High School in Pennsylvania who will attend Susquehanna University;
• Allison Vance, an Archbishop Spalding High School graduate who plans to attend the University of Maryland College Park; and
• Conner Verrett, who graduated from Loyola Blakefield and will attend Washington & Lee University.

To be eligible for the scholarship awards, students must be graduating from high school in the current calendar year and owners, joint owners, or named on a custodial account in good standing with Point Breeze Credit Union.  

Scholarship awards were presented to students on Thursday, June 20 at Point Breeze Credit Union’s Hunt Valley office, 11104 McCormick Road, Hunt Valley, MD.

About Point Breeze Credit Union

Point Breeze Credit Union is one of Maryland’s largest credit unions, with more than 57,000 members and assets exceeding $781 million. A full-service financial institution that is member-owned and not-for-profit, Point Breeze offers easy, reliable banking through offices in Hunt Valley, Rosedale, Bel Air, Westminster, and Owings Mills, as well as more than 5,600 Shared Branch locations and 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide. Membership in Point Breeze is open to individuals who work, worship, or volunteer within 20 miles of a Point Breeze location. Point Breeze is federally insured by NCUA and an Equal Housing Opportunity lender. For more information, visitwww.pbcu.com. 

The Hunt Valley Business Forum is the primary organization that represents
the business and professionals in the North Baltimore Area. 

Visit us online at www.HVBF.org

I love the month of June. The temperatures are getting warmer and the days are getting longer. Thoughts turn to time at the pool and countdowns to vacation. It’s a great time to relax and rejuvenate after cold weather and busy schedules.

April and May were very busy months for the Forum. April brought many educational and networking opportunities including a Google My Business Learning Seminar and Workshop, the second class in the Hard Facts About Soft Skill series and our networking happy hour at Best Friends Fur Ever.  Our Annual Meeting was held May 1st.  We elected 5 new members to our Board of Directors and 2 members to our Executive Committee.  Two members were also honored at the annual meeting for their continued support and dedication to the forum.  Point Breeze Credit Union was honored as the 2019 Business of the Year and Kerry Lidard was honored with the 2019 Chairman’s Award.

June is a great month!  We have some great opportunities for education and networking coming up.  Please continue to check the website for updates and events.  

I wish you all a great start to June and your summer. 

Best, 

Karen Cook
Executive Director
Hunt Valley Business Forum

Did you know that members who volunteer create stronger business relationships? and generate more business? It's true! The Hunt Valley Business Forum has many committees, and we are looking for talented business professionals that want to make a difference. Consider joining one of the following committees:

Membership Committee
Program & Events Committee
Finance Committee
Marketing Committee

For more info, contact Karen Cook

Public Policy Committee Update... 

The Public Policy Committee’s mission is to influence and communicate policy issues about traffic, public safety, transportation and legislation affecting businesses in Hunt Valley. It was formed in late 2017 in response to congestion caused by the tremendous growth during the previous 20 years.  Operating under the tag line “making it easier to do business in Hunt Valley,” the committee seeks to facilitate communication and understanding between governmental organizations, companies, and all others with a stake in the Hunt Valley and northern Baltimore County business communities.

In 2018 we focused on acquainting ourselves with and communicating our message to officials holding elective office and those running pertinent State and County agencies.  We made these officials aware of major and minor traffic “hot spots,” resulting in positive traffic flow changes at some of the smaller intersections. As a result of our efforts, County Executive Johnny Olszewski included 2 key projects on his 2020 Transportation Program Priorities request list:

• Realignment of Ashland and Paper Mill Roads to connect directly with Shawan Road
• A feasibility study on realigning and widening York Road between Shawan and Phoenix Roads.

The committee’s goals for 2019 are:

• Add to the Hunt Valley priorities on the County’s CTP request list (due fall 2019). Todd Huff is leading that effort.

• Improve communication with all Hunt Valley stakeholders, such as this newsletter.  Greg Pierce, committee vice-chair, is overseeing that.

• Increase participation of all Hunt Valley businesses, especially the larger ones, and to add new members.  Eric Benzer is the leading that effort. 

We will be sharing more information in future newsletters.  Meanwhile, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sumner Miller
Committee Chairman

Business Spotlight

Benzer Insurance Agency - Farmers Insurance

How long have you been a member of the Forum?
Benzer Insurance Agency has been a member for 2.5 years. 

Tell us a little about your company
Benzer Insurance Agency is an attorney owned insurance agency which specializes in personal and commercial insurance. Farmers Insurance is our main brand, but we also sell many other brands depending on the risk of our respective client. We provide a comprehensive and holistic approach to representing our clients to manage their risks and protect their assets. Whether for your family or your business, we have what you need. 

What benefits have you received from being a member of the Forum?
The Forum has provided me tremendous value in terms of meeting fellow business owners and positioning myself to have access to decision makers impacting my business and employees. I have had valuable networking and social opportunities which have provided measurable results for my agency. There is no other organization which has attributed to my top line more so than HVBF.

What prompted you to join the Forum?
As a new member of the Hunt Valley Business Community, I needed immediate access and exposure to develop the relationships essential to building my business through strategic partnerships with my fellow business owners and community leaders. I wanted to become a member of the community where my business is located and HVBF provided me with a seamless transition to my new role.

Why would you tell other businesses to join the Forum?
The membership is full of amazing businesses small to global made up of wonderful people eager to welcome new members to their community. There are numerous educational, social, networking, and leadership events offered throughout the month providing opportunities to learn, meet new people, make friends, and grow your business. 

News and Community Updates

Point Breeze Credit Union Golf Tournament - The Second Annual "The Harvest" Golf Tournament will benefit the Maryland Food Bank

YES: Your Extended Success - Want to achieve significant, sustainable success? Contact them today to say YES to their comprehensive approach. 

Cockeysville Precinct Crime Updates  - BCPD's online portal provides latest events and statistics

Does your company have news to share with the Forum?
Please send all items to News@HVBF.org by the 15th of each
month to be included in our newsletter.

Membership

IT Roundtable Development

The HVBF is looking to develop an IT Roundtable Group that will meet monthly. If you would be interested in this addition to the Forum, please complete a brief survey. Your feedback is greatly appreciated! Click here to access the survey. 

Exclusive Groups for HVBF Members!

The following groups are open exclusively to Members. View our Events Calendar for upcoming meetings. 

The Cockeysville Police & Community Relations Council is holding their Annual Officer Appreciation Picnic for the officers of Precinct 7 on Wednesday, July 3, 2019 as a way of thanking them for their hard work and commitment to our community. 

They are asking for help in showing the officers that they are appreciated.  There are several ways that you can help:

• Gift card(s) / gift certificates(s) in any amount – to be given as door prizes to the officers.  Gift cards/certificates can be mailed to the address below.
• Monetary donation to help defray the Officer Appreciation Day picnic, for the Cockeysville PCRC to support requests from the precinct or department which are not provided for in the Baltimore County budget and/or for support of Police & Community Relations Council projects to promote improved relations between the community and Police Department.
• Please make checks payable to “PCRC 7” and mail to the address below.

If you are able to help, or would like additional information, please contact Norman Zickuhr, PCRC Director, Precinct 7, at 410-666-4254 or 5 Amesbury Court Cockeysville, MD 21030.  Whatever you are able to contribute would be greatly appreciated.