Economic Development

June 10, 2022

Celebrating our Partners: Economic Development Districts

The PA Wilds region is served by four Economic Development Districts, or EDDs, also called Local Development Districts, or LDDs (alphabet soup, we know!): North Central PA Regional Planning and Development, Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, SEDA-COG, and Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission. Learn how they support our mission.

June 9, 2022

Celebrating our Partners: Gear Manufacturers

A huge part of the PA Wilds outdoor rec cluster are people and companies who make things, from artisans, to producers, to manufacturers. Learn more about Organic Climbing (a global producer of gear for rock climbing, based in Philipsburg) and Equinox (a soft-goods manufacturer based in Williamsport, specializing in backpacking and hiking products).

June 6, 2022

The Wilds are Working: How WFH could change the PA Wilds job landscape

This summer, remote workers are flipping the script on livability with a new program called "The Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience." Where else can you go mountain biking before your first Zoom call? The new program could mean big growth for the PA Wilds, along with a fresh outlook about what Work From Home employees truly value.

April 5, 2022

Remote work initiative launches in Pennsylvania Wilds community

Piloting in summer 2022 in the PA Wilds community of Bellefonte, The Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience will allow remote workers to live, work, volunteer, and explore all that the rural area has to offer. Applications are now open through April 30 to participate in the July 2022 Remote Lifestyle Experience.

January 20, 2022

‘Healthy Invisible Roots’: The Brick Block of Johnsonburg

In the Elk Country landscape of the PA Wilds, there is new life being breathed into the historic structures of Johnsonburg. Healthy Invisible Roots weave through this blog about a historic-structure triage situation stewarded into rejuvenation, in a Pennsylvania Wilds mountain borough.

October 21, 2021

‘We’re just happy to be in Bellefonte’: PA Wilds-based shop relocates to Bellefonte

“There’s a movement for people wanting to shop small and local,” says shop owner of Smith + Front Staci Egan. Step inside one of Bellefonte’s most historic gems — the Gamble Mill — and you’ll find a shop that’s been a longtime staple in the Pennsylvania Wilds. It’s just in a new spot. Smith + Front, a retail store previously based in Philipsburg, has opened in a new location in Bellefonte.

September 4, 2020

Collins/Kane Hardwoods in the PA Wilds:  Where You Can See the Forest for the Trees

The history and culture of our scenic Pennsylvania Wilds are deeply rooted in the forests and the vast timber resources and wood product industries that have flourished around it. Here in the Wilds, Collins/Kane Hardwood is a major economic player.

July 6, 2020

Recovery efforts support small businesses across the Wilds

Across the Pennsylvania Wilds, communities are working to find ways to promote economic recovery following many, many weeks of shutdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the initiatives differ from community to community, the message is the same: Support small businesses in your own neighborhood. 

May 28, 2020

PA Wilds businesses share stories of hardship, resilience in WCO Series 

Across The Pennsylvania Wilds, businesses and organizations are turning obstacles into opportunities. In an effort to share the stories of hardship and resilience amid the Wilds business community, The Wilds Cooperative of PA launched “The Wilds Are Working: Rural Entrepreneurship in Uncharted Times.”

March 30, 2020

PA Wilds businesses learning to adapt amid COVID-19, finding support in community

Across the state, businesses have been forced to change the way they’re doing business — or close temporarily — as a result of the spread of COVID-19 across the entire country.