My visit with our group to Fayette County, Pennsylvania, was pivotal in my understanding of our project and the scope of its impact. Our trip helped to strengthen team dynamics and establish a common goal, now put into perspective through our interaction with the community.

Michael and Dan’s presentation at lunch highlighted important asset to Fayette County: the Redevelopment Authority. The Redevelopment Authority has played an essential role in bringing new businesses to previously abandoned areas, specifically in Connellsville. The presentation also identified the county’s history as a key asset. There is a rich history of historical figures, events, and industry that has formed the area of Southwest Pennsylvania that we know today. Leaning into the history of Fayette County helps to draw tourists in and keep the stories of local families alive. Tourists are also drawn to Fayette County for the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), which garners the attention of thousands of tourists a year. The GAP trail helps small business owners thrive in the hospitality sector and highlights Fayette County’s small-town charm to those who stop along their journey. The trail showcases the natural beauty that the county holds, another identifiable asset.

While many of the assets identified were easy to understand after our group’s visit, there are still a few assets that we need to research to understand the full scope of the county. To start, understanding the healthcare systems offered in Fayette County is not something we had much exposure to. Education is another area of improved asset understanding, specifically in relation to the Penn State Fayette campus closure. Understanding the impact of the closure is difficult to grasp, but it is important to identify what higher education opportunities remain, if any, for students residing in Fayette County.

Of all the assets identified, the greatest we encountered was the people. Meeting Michael and Dan and immediately being welcomed into the Canteen, generously being granted permission to pick out a piece of glass from one of the only remaining manufacturers in the world, and hearing the personal stories behind the county’s coal families truly highlighted the importance of community. It is easy to imagine the close-knit community in a small town, but I was truly surprised to see it in action. Many members of the community care about development, preservation, and each other. Abby Tancin, Coal and Coke Heritage Center Archivist at Penn State Fayette, provided me with the most exposure to community care. While Abby’s professional future is in jeopardy with the recently announced campus closure, she was far less concerned with personal matters than she was with preserving the voices of the county’s history. Her comments on historical preservation spoke volumes to the overall attitude of the town: people in Fayette County care about the past in order to build a better future.

Our in-class readings did an incredible job at preparing us to identify the links between the University and the County’s collaboration. One reading that continuously populated in my mind was “Building an Ethical Partnership” by Dawn Lipthrott. She discusses respect in an ethical partnership, a virtue I continued to see demonstrated in our collaboration with the Fayette County Cultural Trust (FCCT). Beyond our class cohort, this project has been built of five years of strong communication, demonstrated equality in value, and endless efforts to continue a positive rapport. It is simple to discuss our relationship with the FCCT in the classroom but was on full display during our site visit.

Personally, the next step for my portion of our project is to continue connecting with Brenda, my assigned business owner. I had the opportunity to connect with Brenda via email prior to our meeting at the luncheon but had an impactful experience during our first in-person visit. Brenda is the owner of Salon Layne LLC, a fully functioning hair and nail salon in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She wants to expand her service offerings to include wellness treatments, create a loyalty programs, and potentially utilize her second-floor space to create a dedicated bridal suite. Brenda is partaking in the STEPP program to clarify her ideas of expansion. When discussing priorities, Brenda was mostly concerned with competitors in her area. My next steps for the project based on our discussion is to create a competitor analysis, specifically in the wellness sector that she is looking to expand into.

One challenge that I have experienced with my business owner so far is our knowledge gap. Along with owning Salon Layne LLC, Brenda also works in sales in the beauty industry. She is well-established, very knowledgeable about current trends, and has a clear vision for what she wants. As someone entirely unfamiliar with the industry other than my own engagement as a consumer, it has been a learning curve to understand the technical “ins and outs” necessary to conduct a competitor analysis. Further, Salon Layne LLC is located in Westmoreland County, not Fayette County. My local research has had to shift slightly to understand the regulations and economics of the salon’s location instead of the STEPP program’s location. All of the challenges presented have only made me more excited for the future of my partnership with Brenda.

My initial thoughts to spur economic development in Fayette County as a team are to continue this ongoing partnership with small-business owners but consider expanding the reach of the program in future years. To tie work from previous years, it would be excited to get local high school students involved with the STEPP program, too. There could be an in-person lesson that devotes time to marketing the business, with high school students being the initial test subjects to conduct market research on. The students could be used for consumer feedback and would gain the exposure of what it takes to open a small business in a wide variety of industry sectors with varying entrepreneurial experience. Further, continued support and collaboration with the Redevelopment Authority will continue to revitalize the town and highlight its most important assets. There were many exciting upcoming projects presented, and continuing to foster an environment of community support to ensure the success of these projects is vital.

To conclude, our first site visit showed me that Fayette County’s greatest strength is its incredible community of people excited about the potential for positive change. Each spot we had the privilege to visit was full of natural beauty, caring people, and rich history. I am excited to continue our group’s work in this five-year partnership built noticeably on trust, care, commitment, and mutual respect. I am counting down the days to our next visit to Connellsville to present our research findings to the community.