New business groups aim to grow their communities
Over the past few months, some Butler County businesses have been banding together to form business groups within their respective communities.
The goals of these groups are one and the same however, which is to work together to help build upon what they have and bring more people into their hometowns.
Jeff Cuny, owner of LaserTek Solutions, 1328 Mars-Evans City Road, Unit 8, is also the founder of Mars-Evans City Business Group, which he started about six months ago.
He said the group meets at 8 a.m. on the first Thursday of each month at Back Home BBQ & Brew Co, 1328 Mars-Evans City Road, Suite 6 with a set agenda for each gathering.
“Each month we designate one new business to speak and tell us more in depth about their business or they can pick a particular topic to talk about related to their business,” Cuny said. “Then we all go around and share things going on with our businesses. Maybe highlight a particular product.”
Getting like minded business people in the same room also provides networking opportunities for them as well, Cuny said.
“The main thing is to try to network with each other to share more connections that help us grow our businesses,” Cuny said. “If I'm out at a social setting and someone says I'm looking for a new bank or somewhere to eat, I'm more inclined to suggest someone within the group.”
Cuny said he has previously belonged to similar business groups in the past and he has always wanted to start one in the Callery region because he fell in love with the area and wants to help promote the businesses that reside there.
The group is comprised of about 20 businesses at this time and it welcomes in businesses from Evans City and Mars as well as Callery.
“There is a good vibe around here,” Cuny said. “I want to eventually do some fundraising events for local charities. We are going to expand upon that and have mixers in the evening and fundraisers on the weekends.”
Putting on community events is also something Colleen Coulter, manager at Family Tradition Restaurant, 531 S. Main Street in Harrisville, is attempting to do with her group, the Harrisville Borough Business Association.
“Our goal is to reinvigorate the Harrisville community,” Coulter said. “About 20 years ago we had a huge Fourth of July thing. It was a community day event and it was awesome. For a variety of reasons it has faded away.”
Coulter said she wants to start small with her community events, starting with two events, one of which would be a new Fourth of July event and she hopes to have it in 2025.
“Our goal is to make it the largest fireworks show in the county,” Coulter said.
Turner Insurance Agency in Harrisville also has been putting on an Easter egg hunt over the past couple years and Coulter said they do a great job with it, but she hopes to help them and expand upon it for next year as well.
“Members of the business community knew we needed something like this,” Coulter said of the association. “We need more businesses involved. I don’t want to do it if the same three or four people undertake the events. It just won’t last. It’s unsustainable and they will get burned out.”
Coulter said she also stressed that networking is a large part of the association, which has about 20 members.
“We have also had great interest from businesses in Slippery Rock, Clintonville and Boyers,” Coulter said. “I would consider them members of the local community. We encourage those businesses as well because it promotes the community where we live and brings more people in.”
The members have met once a month over the past couple months at the Family Tradition Restaurant, and Coulter said they are looking to hold regular meetings at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month.
“I keep it short and sweet,” she said. “People’s time is the most valuable commodity we have.”
The next meeting for the Harrisville Borough Business Association will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Coulter said anyone in the Harrisville region interested in joining can find out more information by reaching out to Family Tradition via its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FamilyTraditionRestaurant/.
Cuny said any business in the Mars, Callery and Evans City region who are interested in joining can do so by emailing him at jeff@laserteksolutions.com, or by calling him on the business phone at 412-244-9505.
