While I am not a native of Blair County or the First Frontier region, I have called this area my home for over 15 years and cannot think of a better place to live. I grew up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania then my family moved to the northern Virginia area where I graduated high school and lived for 10 years after graduating from Penn State University.

Growing up my father started his own picture framing business in a spare room in our home and named his venture Fox Framing. Everyday we answered the phone “Fox Framing headquarters how may we help you” to which all our friends and family had a good laugh, but it was instilled at a young age what professionalism and hard work meant. Like many entrepreneurs their companies start as side projects and while my father never left his full-time job to conquer the custom picture framing world, we did meet a lot of people and grew the business every year.

All my jobs post college have been with smaller companies with the maximum number of employees at 12 which allows someone to experience and be involved with as many facets of a business as they want. I have been fortunate to have bosses that have embraced my enthusiasm for learning more and more about each business, vendors, clients and more.

Born and raised in Somerset, I attended Somerset Area High School.  When I was 15 years old, I got my first job at the local movie theatre, The Palace Theatre.   It’s gone now, but that first job lit a spark in me that has been the drive behind my success for so many years.

After high-school, I knew I would like to one day own my own movie theatre.  Looking back, it’s funny that I used to think it would be my dream RETIREMENT job! With Entrepreneurship in mind, I moved to Pittsburgh to study Business at Duquesne University.  I graduated from Duquesne in 2008 and started to work in Canada.

While in Halifax, Nova Scotia (birthplace of Sidney Crosby for all you Pens fans!) I received a newspaper cutout from the Tribune Democrat.  It was an announcement that a local movie theatre was for sale.  I jumped at the opportunity and moved back home to see if I could turn my dream into a reality.

Although I had no money to invest, I had just the right experience and education to convince a bank to give me the loan I needed to purchase the Westwood Plaza Theatre & Café in June of 2009.   It was difficult at first but after logging a lot of hours, I was able to make the business successful enough to launch a second location.  In June of 2012, the Latrobe 30 Theatre & Café opened and both locations have been showing movies and serving customers ever since.

Running a business is fun, fast-paced, and very rewarding.  I love every minute of it and want to share that feeling with local entrepreneurs who want to make their dreams come true as well.  I am happy to help anyone and everyone launch and grow their ideas into successful businesses.  So whether you have an idea just starting to germinate in your mind or if you already have a business that is running into headwinds… and everyone in-between, reach out and let’s work together!

With the love of business (and Penn State… WE ARE!), I attended Penn State University to study business management, marketing, and entrepreneurship.  During my time at Penn State, I was in the inaugural class of the Sheetz Fellows Program. The Sheetz Fellows Program is an experience that offers “an education for leadership.” As a fellow you are mentored by Steve Sheetz, of the Sheetz Corporation. My tenure in the Sheetz Fellows program provided me with considerable education and several experiences to help me excel in any business venture. I studied abroad in Europe, where I received a taste of international business and their ideals.  I graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Marketing and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

I spent the last 7 years owning and operating All American Pizza and Subs, LLC in Huntingdon, PA.  For the last 4 years I have been busy being a “mompreneur” with 2 little girls as well. Many would think running a business at the age of 22 is a huge success. However, as time went on I realized that my idea of success could only be measured by the help and success I could supply others.  I am still involved with All American, but knew my team was ready to handle the daily operations. This allowed me to move into the entrepreneur coaching position that would allow me to pursue my forever passion of helping others and stimulating small business right here in my hometown!

In my opinion, there is nothing better than seeing dreams ignite into amazing business ventures.  So, whether the idea just popped into your head, you’re midway through the process, you’re almost done, or you’re ready to scream… reach out to me! I know that it takes a village, and I cannot wait to be here and help you through every dimension of building your dream, right here in Central PA.

In my time at JARI I have assisted in a handful of roles. I started right out of college in a Communications/Administrative role handling internal marketing and design for JARI. As our small business programs grew, I was able to use my graphic design knowledge to help many businesses expand their marketing and design capabilities. In the process of this I’ve been able to assist businesses with thinking through their business plan and how their marketing and brand plays a huge role in the future of their success.

When I thought about what career path I was going to take after graduating college, I never thought a role like this existed. To be able to witness and help so many small businesses in this area get started or expand is a rewarding experience and when a small business in the community celebrates a win, that’s a rewarding win for us too.

Although I am often out and about in the community meeting with small businesses where they are, you can usually find me in our Somerset office, located inside Uptown Works on the diamond of the beautiful Uptown Somerset.

In addition to my role at JARI, I also serve on the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce Board and have recently joined the Somerset Inc. Chalk the Block Committee. I’m excited to engage with entrepreneurs across Somerset County and help you make your mark in your community. Whether you have the start of an idea, or you already exist and are looking to expand, please reach out and see how I can help you!