Local customer service

Maybe it shouldn't be surprising, but sometimes I'm still taken aback when I run into great customer service. The other day, I was calling a state government office about a couple of business related questions. While the written information hadn't been the easiest to understand, getting to talk to a real live person made the process a lot easier. But the best part was that there was a local office... and the person who answered the phone took my questions, answered them thoroughly, and essentially provided quality service. It saved me time and hassle (or at least frustration) by being able to get what I needed easily (and without feeling like I was an annoyance to the person on the other end of the line).

In any business, restaurant, etc., customer service really does make a difference. My most-frequented restaurant has almost as much to do with the friendly service than it does with the food.

It's interesting to think that how we act around others reflects to a large degree on the things we represent. People get first impressions of families by the behavior of either kids or parents. Certainly how people feel about restaurants and businesses can be affected by any staff person. Out-of-towners judge Altoona in part by the interactions they have here. Were the locals friendly? Suspicious? Helpful?

On this Monday morning, I'd like to give three cheers for GREAT customer service in Altoona PA. If you know of a business that provides that kind of service, make sure you give them a little positive write-up in Altoogle.

- Matt

ILoveAltoona.com needs your help

If you haven't yet, please answer the poll at the right side of the home page! Our team will be taking the poll results into consideration as we begin to add "missing" features back to ILoveAltoona.com! Because ILoveAltoona.com is a grassroots website run by local residents, and because of the mission of the site, we have a lot of flexibility in pursuing features that will help inform, challenge and inspire the Altoona PA community. We want many of you to take part in this. We need some volunteers, and some business sponsors, to help us fulfill our threefold goals of (1) helping residents and visitors enjoy Altoona PA, (2) helping people and businesses find needed resources and information, and (3) encouraging people to take action to "love thy neighbor" and serve their community.

I was born in Altoona in the 70s and grew up in Altoona (Fairview) and in Bellwood, where my parents are from and moved us when I was a kid. I left the area for college, but during those years, I experienced a growing desire to return to Altoona. I wanted to be involved in ministry here and I wanted to make a difference in the Altoona community. Thus, I see ILoveAltoona.com as more than just a website -- it is a place where good ideas can be aired and (hopefully) turned into effective plans, resulting in helpful action.

To get to that point, ILoveAltoona.com is going to need some help. If YOU are interested in participating in some way at helping us serve the Altoona area community, please contact me. If you are a business owner and would like a solid (and very low cost) advertising deal, drop us a line and we can get you information. Have a great week!

- Matt

Great way to help

Did you see the recent news report about Meals on Wheels? They are experiencing a shortage of volunteers for the Meals on Wheels program. A number of years ago I worked for the summer at Blair Senior Services. One of the first things I did was go experience the Meals on Wheels delivery. It was really neat way to help people while getting to know some very tremendous individuals in the County. One of the things I enjoyed most about my job that summer was being around the stories and knowledge of some of Blair County's seniors.

Blair Senior Services (located in downtown Altoona) is designated as the Area Agency on Aging for Blair County. They handle numerous services for senior citizens and for the community, of which Meals on Wheels is one. To find out how you could volunteer with the program, call Lois Link at 946-1235. You can be involved daily, weekly, monthly or whatever suits best! They need dozens of additional volunteers, so consider calling today!

Reviews Wanted

Good morning Altoona PA!

Have you been over to Altoogle lately? Our business listings and reviews there get almost a third of our website traffic! The easy "tag" system on the right side of the Altoogle page lets you search for businesses by category. For example, just click on "Downtown" and you'll get a list of dozens of downtown businesses.

We've been getting some good business reviews but we're always up for more. So... do you frequent a local business that you could write a sentence or two of feedback about? Go to Altoogle and add your 2 cents :-).

- Matt

Some Old Photos

Do you like local history? Enjoy some old Altoona photos at a webpage called Altoona Archives. I haven't spent a lot of time on that site lately but they have some interesting shots. Check it out!

How Was Memorial Day Weekend?

Good morning Altoona PA! Hopefully you had a great Memorial Day weekend. Sunday, my family and I, as well as relatives visiting from out of town, were able to spend a lot of the day at Delgrosso's Park in Tipton. Yesterday, I was able to take part in the Juniata Memorial Day parade. The ceremony afterward, held next to the Juniata Ballfield, was brief but was, as usual, a pertinent reminder of the fact that our freedom has not been, and is not, free. I am thankful to God for providing our freedoms: to live, to have a fair trial, to own property, to travel, to worship without fear. I am thankful to the men and women who have served so faithfully to protect these freedoms.

As you know, summertime brings a great season to enjoy Altoona PA. I hope you will keep in touch with us at ILoveAltoona.com this summer. We are hoping to soon bring back some great features of the website that some of you are missing. Thanks for hanging in there with us as we remodel and reorganize.

Have a great day!

Matt

Amtran

Did you know that public transit is considered an important component of making cities attractive for young professionals who are looking for places to locate? While many residents don't take advantage of their services, AMTRAN continues to enable many people to work, shop and enjoy the community. Today, WRTA.com reports on progress on a major effort AMTRAN is making to use capital money (money that has to be used for infrastructure) to redevelop the old Roaring River Mills building. Parts of this project will be used to provide bus storage and part will be used to lease retail and/or office space to generate additional revenue for AMTRAN.

- Matt