Bedford County Chamber of Commerce introduces money-saving app for members | WTAJ

BEDFORD, Pa. (WTAJ) – The Bedford County Chamber of Commerce has launched a money-saving app as part of their “Buy Local” initiative.

Officials said this move will have a positive impact on more than 2,000 members and employees.

When you have the app installed, cell phones will receive notifications for new offers, including discounts for advantage card holders when passing by businesses.

Isaac Arnold, a junior at Robert Morris University, is interning at the Bedford Chamber of Commerce. He was tasked with creating a digital version of the chamber’s advantage cards.

Gwen Querry, the workforce specialist at the chamber, tasked Isaac with finding a paperless solution.

“So, when Isaac came in and we tasked him with finding a way to make this readily available to all of our over twenty-two thousand members. He just started experimenting and it was great because the finished product, and he, exceeded our expectations,” Querry said.

Arnold aims to pursue a career in information technology, specifically working on computer information systems. He developed his app in just under two months.

“Finding something that worked took a really long time because it was a lot of trade-offs. Finding what works well and what didn’t; some apps worked really well but lacked in certain other areas. I think I was eventually able to find something that worked really well for both Apple and Android users,” Arnold said.

The app will provide residents and store owners with easy access to their advantage card, “making their lives easier,” Querry said.

“Especially with the location-based notifications where if you walked by a store that is offering a discount it will let you know on your phone. That you have a discount from that store and it makes me feel great to know that people aren’t going to just have these membership cards. They forget about [the cards] in their wallets and they’re actually going to remember to use these cards and save money at these stores,” Arnold said.

Arnold improved his communication skills through the community while learning to create the app.

“The project was a great experience to me since it was the first thing that I got to actually release to the public for use and I got to do everything from making the cards, I had to do documentation, I had to do creating the instructions to teach people how to use the cards as well,” Arnold said.

For more information on the new advantage card app, click here.