4 — Indiana Gazette / The Blairsville Dispatch / Shopper’s Guide - Business Indiana - January 2023
Many moving parts contribute to county’s prospects
By PATRICK CLOONAN pcloonan@indianagazette.net
represented as one of the few remaining indepen- dent community hospi- tals in Pennsylvania,” said longtime IRMC President and CEO Stephen A. Wolfe. “With strong ties to Punx- sutawney Area Hospital, cancer care in partnership with the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, interven- tional cardiology services in partnership with Butler Health System, and most recently, a joint venture for orthopedics in Richland with Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center @ Windber, IRMC continues to position itself as a destination, and it is through these affiliations that we can offer a broad range of advanced medical services.” • The county’s highway network.
the final year of a $19.83 million widening of a mile and a half of state Route 286 (Oakland Avenue) and the U.S. Route 422 interchange near Windy Ridge in White Township. • Its prospects for expand- ing broadband. “The work to deliver In- ternet service to every household, business, farm, municipal office, etc. that wants to have service will continue until the job is done,” said Indiana Coun- ty Office of Planning & De- velopment and Indiana County Development Cor- poration Executive Director Byron G. Stauffer Jr. “This can only be done through public-private partnerships and funding. There will be contract awards over the course of the first quarter of 2023 up to at least $7 mil- lion.” • How the county’s natural
resources are being utilized. State Rep. Jim Struzzi, R-Indiana, said he hopes incoming Gov. Josh Shapiro considers the area’s abun- dance of coal and natural gas and realizes the need for “a balanced energy portfo- lio to meet the needs of our society.” • And how the county is coping with a declining population, from 88,000 in 2010 to 83,000 in 2020. “Those numbers are not unique to Indiana County,” said Indiana County Cham- ber of Commerce President Mark Hilliard. “Except for a couple of outliers, popu- lations are decreasing ev- erywhere. It could mean fewer jobs ... or more likely continuing the trend of job hopping, where people go from job to job, just look- ing the next best opportuni- ty,” and putting a strain on small business.
There are other factors, including COVID-19 that has been a challenge for the past three years. “The decline in student numbers amongst sever- al Indiana County insti- tutions has been a chal- lenge,” Stauffer said. “A lot of local coordination with our municipalities, elect- ed officials and Indiana University of Pennsylvania during the 2020 U.S. Cen- sus, at the beginning of COVID-19 when students were sent home, was so important as it could have been a lot worse in terms of the population num- bers. There continues to be help wanted signs and job openings in various in- dustries. There have been both in-person and virtual job fairs to assist both job seekers and employers to find talent.” • Efforts continue to bring
new employers into Indiana County. “We can’t change the pop- ulation numbers overnight but we can do our best to attract new families into this area,” Hilliard said. He pointed out that there is a lot of economic activity going on, both in attracting new businesses and in help- ing to expand current busi- nesses. “A number of new busi- nesses have shown interest, especially in our business parks but also in other areas around the county,” Hilliard said. “And these are busi- nesses in different indus- tries.” Also, the chamber pres- ident said, there are pros- pects, some close to an an- nouncement and others in which significant progress is being made. “We also have a couple
An assessment of the eco- nomic situation in Indiana County has to take in a lot of moving parts, including: • Indiana University of Pennsylvania. “IUP’s employees bring diversity, experience, dif- ferent perspectives, and are involved in churches, orga- nizations, service groups, politics, etc. that Indiana County just wouldn’t have without IUP as one of the top employers,” said Mi- chelle Fryling, the univer- sity’s executive director of media relations. “Frank- ly, I can’t imagine Indiana County without IUP, and es- pecially, without IUP’s peo- ple who care deeply about this community!” • Indiana Regional Medi- cal Center. “IRMC is proud to be
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