Chamber set schedules

■ The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce meets at noon today at Froso’s Restaurant. A presentation on “Four Generations in the Workplace and How to Navigate It” is planned. RSVP to 262-9814.

■ The Kenai and Soldotna Chambers of Commerce will host a joint meeting at noon on Dec. 3 at the Kenai Visitor Center. Superintendent Sean Dusek will give an update of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. RSVP to 262-9814 or 283-1991.

Alaska Berries opens testing room

Alaska Berries, located on West Poppy Lane off Kalifornsky Beach Road between Kenai and Soldotna, now produces wine, jams and syrups from its berries. The new tasting room is open from 2-7 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. For more information visit www.alaskaberries.com.

CPH welcomes new Chief Nursing Officer

Central Peninsula Hospital recently announced the addition of Karen A. Scoggins, MSN, MBA, RN as the new Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for Central Peninsula Hospital. Scoggins has more than 25 years of health care experience and is a strong leader who will oversee all aspects of the nursing program at CPH.

Scoggins comes to CPH from Portsmouth Regional Hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where she was the CNO for the 200 bed hospital. She was responsible for operation oversight of Inpatient Nursing, Emergency Services, Behavioral Health and Cardiovascular services.

“We are excited to welcome Karen to CPH,” said Rick Davis, CEO of Central Peninsula Hospital. “Karen has an established record of building strong teams who work together to provide quality care and an enhanced patient experience. Her depth of knowledge and commitment to patient quality and satisfaction make her an excellent fit in our Planetree hospital environment.”

“I am excited to have an opportunity to contribute to an excellent hospital where patient centered care is the hallmark for the nursing staff. My husband and I are excited to be back in Alaska where we can resume a life of hunting, fishing, riding snowmachines and enjoying the outdoors,” said Scoggins.

Karen earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Nursing as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, all from the University of New Hampshire. In addition, she holds certifications in Nurse Executive – Board Certified (NE‐BC) and Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS). Karen began working at CPH on Nov. 10.

Job Center hosts training

The following job skills workshops will be offered at the Peninsula Job Center the week of Nov. 24:

Tuesday, Nov. 25 — 10:30 a.m., Career Ready 101 Lab

Wednesday, Nov. 26 — 1:30 p.m., WorkKeys® Testing

Thursday, Nov. 27 — Job Center closed for Thanksgiving

Friday, Nov. 28 — No workshops offered

All workshop are free of charge to the public

Those interested in attending any workshops offered at the Peninsula Job Center can reserve space by clicking on the “Schedule Workshops” option located on the main screen in your ALEXsys account (www.jobs.alaska.gov), call 335-3010, or visit the job center located in Kenai at 11312 Kenai Spur Hwy., Suite #2. Business hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. excluding state and federal holidays.

SBA accepting Small Business Week Award Nominations

The U.S. Small Business Administration – Alaska district office has announced the opening of SBA’s online portal and is ready to accept nominations for its 2015 National Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year award.

SBA has been following the mantra – Smart, Bold and Accessible in the way the agency conducts business. This is now the third year SBA has been using the online portal submission process, a great and smart improvement from years past. The improved dedicated web portal http://awards.sba.gov provides all the guidelines and has made it much easier to submit and track submissions of nominees for National Small Business Week.

All nominations must be submitted online, postmarked or hand delivered to the SBA no later than 3 p.m. EST, Jan. 5, 2015. In addition to the portal, nominations can also be sent directly to SBA’s Alaska District Office. For contact information and other District Office information visit online at www.sba.gov/ak, call 800-755-7034 or visit in person at 420 L Street, Suite 300, Anchorage, Alaska.

Business announcements may be submitted to news@peninsulaclarion.com.