PHILIPSBURG- The Moshannon Valley Economic Development Partnership and Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation held a combined Annual Awards Dinner on May 1, 2008 at the Philips Hotel in Historic Downtown Philipsburg. This is the 20th year the MVEDP has been presenting awards and the 6th for the PRC. Ten awards were presented honoring outstanding individual and organizational contributions to the Moshannon Valley.
Cathy Payne presented two awards on behalf of the Main Street Promotion Committee to National Furniture for Excellence in Advertising, and to John Streno for Philipsburg Spirit. Since their Philipsburg Store opened in February of 2007, National Furniture’s presence in the world of advertising has not gone unnoticed. Whether through television or through their in store flyers, it is hard not to know that National Furniture is open for business. Streno, a corrections officer with the Moshannon Valley Correction Center in Philipsburg, serves as board President of the Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation, as well as serving as the Mayor of Philipsburg.
MVEDP board member Bill Harkins presented the MVEDP award for Contribution to Quality Life to Jim Burns and Andy Coleman for the newly constructed Moshannon Valley Super Bowl. The Super Bowl opened in July of 2007 and is already one of the most popular spots for recreation in the Moshannon Valley.
Jim Pollock MVEDP board member and Main Street Economic Restructuring Committee Chairman presented two awards. The first, Main Street’s Retail Business of the Year award, went to Cathy Payne, proprietor of JH Philips and Company Café and Gifts. The café is known for its outstanding customer service, unique products, and inviting atmosphere. The second, the MVEDP’s Contribution to Economic Vitality, was presented to the Moscone family. The Moscone’s own and operate the Drucker Company and QBC Diagnostics. They manufacture centrifuges and hematology blood analyzers which are sold on a global market. Drucker Company and QBC are large contributors to the area’s economic vitality by employing over 100 Moshannon Valley residents and intentions to add an additional 20 positions by the end of 2008.
Main Street Design Committee Co-Chairperson Walter Swoope presented the Sandra Dewey Martin Historic Preservation Award to Philips Hotel partners Shelley Brugel and Faith Lucchesi for their efforts to revitalize the 1921 hotel. This award was renamed last year to honor former PRC President and Philipsburg Mayor, the late Sandra Dewey Martin.
The MVEDP Entreprenuer of the Year award was presented by MVEDP board member Gene Wardo to Brian Hoopsick of Professional Satellite Repair. Started in 1989, PSR relocated to downtown Philipsburg in 2006 and since has continued to expand. They currently employ 20 full time employees and are on target to add an additional 20 positions in 2008. The company’s expertise is repairing high tech electronics such as DirecTV satellite equipment, video game consoles and robotic vacuums. Their clients are corporations such as Best Buy, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Sam’s Club to name a few. The company’s customer base spans from the East coast to the West Coast encompassing every state in the country.
Karen Blair, chairperson of the Main Street Organization Committee and board member of the PRC and MVEDP, presented two awards. The Philipsburg Kiwanis Club received the Volunteerism by an Organization award. The organization has been serving the needs of children in the Philipsburg area for 85 years. Some projects include distributing dictionaries to local elementary students, reading to preschool children, and donating time and money to local organizations.
The final PRC award of the evening was presented to Nancy Henschel as Volunteer of the Year. Henschel donated over 150 hours to the Main Street Program in 2007 through committees, events, and office tasks.
Stan LaFuria, Executive Director of the MVEDP, presented the evening’s final award, Employer of the Year, to Fred Grauch of Grauch Enterprises. Grauch Enterprises has been in the Moshannon Valley since 1992. A manufacturer of parts for our nation’s military equipment, they were awarded a long term contract with the Defense Supply Center in 2004. Since then they have grown from 3 employees to 13, updated their machinery, and expanded their facilities. Fred plans to expand their facilities again and add additional jobs in the next 2 years.
The ten award winners were presented beautiful plaques made by Front Street Jewelers in Philipsburg from the MVEDP and PRC.
“We are extremely delighted to be able to recognize certain individuals who have made a positive difference in the Philipsburg/Moshannon Valley region,” said Jeff Mitchell, President of the MVEDP. “A review of the list of award winners clearly indicates the importance of these people and organizations to this area,” he said.
The Partnership is a private, non-profit corporation whose mission it is to further the economic development of the Moshannon Valley area by getting involved in real estate projects, housing improvements or other community development efforts. The Partnership works to stimulate job creation and job retention by working with existing businesses, entrepreneurs, and companies that might be interested in locating to the Moshannon Valley.
April marked the twentieth anniversary of the Moshannon Valley Economic Development Partnership, Inc. The MVEDP was formed in April 1988 from a merger of the Philipsburg Chamber of Commerce and the Philipsburg Association of Commerce. The Partnership is a combination economic and community development and chamber of commerce organization.