December 15, 2023
Dear Greensburg,
2023 was a tremendous year for the Greensburg Community Development Corporation (GCDC)! In fairness, I can only speak to about half of the year as I was named Executive Director in August. So, I want to start out by thanking Mr. John Stafford for acting as interim Executive Director and being so kind and generous in helping me transition into this role. Good luck at law school!
What is the GCDC (a.k.a Think Greensburg!)? Simply put, we are a Community Development Corporation operating in cooperation with the City of Greensburg with the mission to assist in economic development for the community. We operate events and programs – such as Restaurant Week, Hometown Hero Banners, Small Business Saturday, Façade Improvement Program, and a tax incentive program (to name a few) – throughout the year to help achieve this mission, all with the intention to help grow Greensburg.
This year’s efforts culminated with our Development Conference that was held on October 10th at the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center in Downtown Greensburg. This event brought together over 150 people from all economic sectors to highlight the opportunities in Greensburg. It was a powerful event that featured government, business, and community stakeholders highlighted by keynote speaker, Mr. Bill Arrowood, Field Services Specialist, from the PA Downtown Center. We are grateful to our 17 Conference Sponsors, including our Main Street Level Sponsors: Architecture Design Collaborative, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Fotorecord, Progressive Property Investments, S&T Bank, Seton Hill University, and Somerset Trust Company.
We also partnered on an internship project with three Seton Hill University students through the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Collegiate Research Initiative to address regional challenges. The students worked with GCDC to study economic conditions in Greensburg and gave a presentation during the Development Conference. They then traveled to Washington, DC to present their research. A big thank you to everyone involved with this project for making it such a success.
As we move into 2024, there is plenty on the horizon for GCDC. With the many different events that we currently operate and plan, the most exciting news we can share is that we are planning to hire a second staff member to assist with events and grow those fundraising efforts. This new staff member will help manage all current events, and new ones, as we look to further our partnership with Friends of Summer Sounds who operate Friday night concerts at St. Clair Park throughout the summer. These are phenomenal events that provide great economic impact to the City and region, and the GCDC is extremely excited to be a part of the process.
Other ongoing economic development projects include leading the steering committee in the redevelopment of 226 South Main St., otherwise known as the former Advanced Furniture Building. The building was demolished this past summer, and the steering committee has been meeting regularly to discuss opportunities for the site. We have raised $25,000 in contributions from the GCDC, the City of Greensburg, the Westmoreland County Land Bank, and the PA Realtors Association. We then used these dollars as match for a DCED grant and began soliciting consulting firms for a Site Master Plan to redevelop this vacant piece of land in the heart of Greensburg’s downtown district. We are very eager to develop both a short-term and long-term plan for the site that helps bring immediate activity to the site, while starting to lay the groundwork for the development of a new building.
Lastly, the City of Greensburg recently received a grant to develop an Active Transportation Plan, and GCDC has been asked to help with these efforts and with community input. We are happy and proud to be part of these planning processes. It shows both developers and residents that Greensburg is evolving and moving in a positive direction.
In the spirit of GCDC’s successes over the past year and for the momentum we have for 2024 and beyond, I am asking for your consideration of an end of year donation to support our work, which is critical to Greensburg’s future growth. Since its inception in 1975, GCDC has completed tremendous projects for the City. Your contribution will aid us in continuing our mission and to further help develop our beloved City.
Many thanks to our current Board of Directors, especially those whose terms are expiring, and welcome to the new board members coming on! And special thanks to current Board President, Ms. Elsie R. Lampl, Esq., who has positioned us for growth, and has personally been beyond helpful in my role as Executive Director. To a great 2024!
Sincerely,
Alec Italiano
Executive Director, GCDC
