JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Amy Bradley has spent much of the past year leading the Cambria Regional Chamber of Commerce and running for elected office, sacrificing some personal time to fulfill those duties.
Bradley lost her bid for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ 72nd District seat in November against incumbent state Rep. Frank Burns, D-East Taylor Township.
Now that the election is over, Bradley said, she can “free my mind from other things” and focus on room and family life.
“I find I have a little more time now in the evenings and on weekends, which is great to be back working out, and my church, and my son getting married; my parents – I love spending time with them, they are both in their 80s and I have a new granddaughter,” Bradley said.
In the meantime, in recent weeks she has returned her full professional attention to being the chamber’s president and CEO.
“I’m happy to be in the room,” Bradley said. “I really love this job and I would have missed it.”
Bradley, along with the chamber’s staff and board, is already shaping their goals for next year.
“What we’re really focused on in 2025 is education,” Bradley said. “We did a lot of (artificial intelligence) work in 2024, which went over really well with our members and they found it very useful. We will continue to do marketing and branding as that is an area where many of our members turn to us for help with our expertise.
“We discussed a number of topics (human resources). Last year we worked with the (United States) Small Business Administration on training for entrepreneurs, and I believe they have some additional things that we’re going to work with them on. The other big thing is providing networking opportunities.”
Bradley said the chamber also wants to expand its reach to current students and future business leaders at St. Francis University, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
The organization plans to continue hosting government and business forums, Women’s Information Network events and the annual Showcase for Commerce expo for the defense industry.
Another main goal is to increase local participation. Bradley said 50 new organizations have joined the chamber so far this year, bringing membership to more than 600.
“It’s such a diverse group that it gets really interesting,” Bradley said. “The goal is: How can we provide what all these businesses need to thrive?
“This year we had a tattoo parlor, a funeral home, the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, non-profits, fitness providers, retail stores, Shamrock Sporting Clays, restaurants and healthcare (join us). It’s nice when all these different companies come to us as a chamber and want to join. The goal is: how can we help them?”
