Leaders make moves to keep future bright
Jack Cohen said the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau's continued success and bright future rely on two ingredients: The dedication of the bureau's staff and the county's growth.
Ongoing creation of facilities and amenities attract new people and events, he said.
“As we (as a county) continue to grow, there are some new things we can do and offer,” Cohen said.
As a good example, he pointed to the county's recent selection as host of the 2024 Can-Am Police-Fire Games.
It is anticipated the event will draw more than 1,000 firefighters, police officers, emergency medical providers, Homeland Security and Border Patrol employees, corrections officers and other emergency responders from across the United States and Canada.
The Olympic-style games feature sports competitions such as cross-country races, cycling, ultimate Frisbee, ice hockey, power lifting and archery. Those activities will take place July 15 to 21, 2024, in various venues throughout the county.
Cohen notes the site selection process was competitive and among those cities Butler County bested was Savannah, Ga.
Crediting community support and commitment, Cohen noted that some of the county's biggest advocates are right in his own office.
“I can't tell you how blessed we are. There is no one on my staff who doesn't have the same commitment, any less than I do,” he said. “That's what makes it work so well. They truly care and promote our community.”
Neupauer excited about BC3 future“Can you believe it? 2020?” said Nick Neupauer, president of Butler County Community College, “seems like only last month we were preparing for Y2K.“BC3 is excited for the new year — and the decade as a whole!“We're planning to:“Continue to raise money for the planned Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health building in anticipation of matching state funds for the $18 million project on the south of our main campus.“Further leverage collaborations and partnerships. This is the norm of a 21st-century institution of higher education. Long gone are the days of working alone.“Advance our college's role in the City of Butler. We are honored to roll out the next phase of our town-and-gown partnership. I couldn't be more proud of our work with those facing addiction problems, our employees volunteering and giving back in the city, and our Lunch & Learn series of professional skills workshops.“Contribute as a member of the Butler County Growth Collaborative, whose unified plan has been embraced by our Butler County board of commissioners. We are delighted with our role in helping to turn this decade-long concept into reality under the leadership of Butler County Chief of Economic Development Mark Gordon.“And, finally, we're planning to:“Continue to do what we do best: provide an affordable education whose accessibility and quality are made possible by our incredible faculty.“Happy New Year!”
Kosciuszko touts chamber's new directorPresident Stan Kosciuszko says the “new beginning” at the Butler County Chamber of Commerce started last August with the addition of Executive Director Jordan Grady.“He's bringing a lot of new energy and new initiatives to the chamber with additional programming. Our social footprint is greatly expanding, including our Facebook page and website. We are increasing the ease of making reservations and improving our calendar of events.“We are, overall, becoming more user-friendly for our members.“We also are partnered with Butler County Community College on the Lunch & Learn educational series, Sandler training and the Coffee Club at Springhill Suites by Marriot.We have great partnerships and a lot to look forward to.”
The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber is excited to celebrate a milestone year. President Jim Boltz said, “2020 looks to be an exciting year at the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber.This year is the 10 year anniversary of the merger of the Cranberry and the Northern Allegheny Chambers. That merger created the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber. Those two chambers both had a solid foundation with histories that went back to the 1990's. The merger created one of the largest, most active chambers in the state of Pennsylvania.The PNRC will be celebrating our anniversary during the entire year. We plan special recognition of the more than 200 current members that were affiliates at the time of the merger.In addition to being acknowledged throughout the year, those “founding members” will also receive special benefits to honor their dedication to our organization.The chamber will have another event-filled calendar for 2020. In addition to the long time favorites like our Annual Meeting, the Taste of Cranberry, the Innovation Pittsburgh speaker series, the Social Media and Marketing Conference and our Holiday Social, we have added new and exciting events while transforming some others.Our traditional golf outing will be replaced this year with an outing at Top Golf. The success of our Health and Wellness Fair has prompted us to add a second one in the spring.During the summer, we will be introducing the “Corporate Challenge.” Teams will compete in fun and games in order to win the Chamber Trophy. In the fall, we are initiating a Young Professionals Award ceremony.2020 looks to be an exciting year!”
President Susan Hoolahan says anticipate initiatives this year by UPMC Passavant to bring specialty care “closer to home” for those in the Butler County area and create a hub for the entire Pittsburgh region.Service expansions already are under way at UPMC Passavant — Cranberry, UPMC Passavant — McCandless, UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex and UPMC Outpatient Center in Hampton Township.For example, UPMC Passavant in McCandless recently introduced new technology enabling earlier and more accurate diagnosis of lung cancer.“In January 2020, UPMC Passavant-McCandless will become the first hospital in the Pittsburgh region with robotic bronchoscopy for early lung cancer diagnosis,” Hoolahan said. “This technology is going to save lives.”In Cranberry Township, UPMC Magee-Womens Specialty Services will partner with UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex to offer a new woman's care center there.“We recognize a growing need for woman's health care,” Hoolahan said.That center should open toward the end of summer.Also on the woman's health side, UPMC Passavant-McCandless will add a full-service breast screening program with advanced digital mammography and related diagnostic services. And new screening mammography capabilities will come on-site at UPMC Outpatient Center in Hampton Township.UPMC Passavant-Cranberry will remain the location where breast surgery is performed.Also this year, a comprehensive OB-GYN center comprised of physician offices, diagnostics and a specialized midwifery program will open. The location will also house a full-spectrum breast program including screening and diagnostic mammography, advanced diagnostics, minimally invasive stereotactic breast biopsies and reproductive endocrinology services.Already boasting a robust heart and vascular center, UPMC Passavant recently added WATCHMAN, an advanced cardiac procedure that lowers the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. And within months, the hospital will begin performing TAVR, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, a sophisticated alternative to open heart surgery for patients with aortic valve disease.“We also are continuing to consider other specialties,” Hoolahan said, who noted the area also hosts an outpatient center in Wexford and a medical home model on Route 8 in Hampton Township.
Concordia Lutheran Ministries is about to embark on three building programs in three separate counties, said Keith Frndak, president and CEO.This spring, construction will start on a $12 to $13 million project in Beaver County.A project Frndak described as “even larger” in Westmoreland County will begin in 2021.And in 2022, Concordia will begin another building project in Butler County.Frndak said due to being in an initial phase, he could not disclose the details of the plans for Butler County.At the same time the organization's physical footprint is increasing, Frndak said, “We are always looking for ways to grow and upgrade our services in the region.In addition to working closely with churches and collaborating and supporting nonprofit organizations, Concordia Lutheran Ministries aspires to collaborate with high schools and colleges to on workforce development.“We have 3,100 employees, and we are constantly looking for ways to enhance our staff,” Frndak said. “With every person hired, we believe we either become a better company or a worse company. So we really want to work to improve one team member at a time.”
