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Allegheny Together
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Allegheny Together endeavors to encourage well-planned, well-designed and geographically-focused investment in the established, urban commercial districts of Allegheny County while respecting the unique history, character, and built environment of each. The program aims to help organize and empower each community to fulfill its collective vision.
Allegheny Together is a
program of:
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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Please Forward this E-Newsletter!
Spread the word about the great things happening in YOUR downtown by clicking on "Forward Email" located at the bottom of this column. Thank you!
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2ND QUARTER DOWNTOWN RECOGNITION AWARD
BP Gas Station Elizabeth Borough, PA
Sutaria Family
The Elizabeth Business District Advisory Committee has chosen The BP Gas Station located on McKeesport Rd in Elizabeth Borough as its 2nd Quarter Downtown Recognition Recipient for 2011. This business is a family owned and operated business.
The owners Chuck and Nita Sutaria are very community oriented and are always lending a hand helping with nonprofit organizations such as the Fire & Police Departments, and the schools. One example of their generosity and community involvement was the help they gave during the big winter snow storm, they cleaned out the coolers at the BP and gave the emergency shelter all the food and drink items. It was a great help to the community and everyone at the shelter really enjoyed the simple things such as just having milk in the coffee.
Nita and Charles enjoy being in Elizabeth Borough and serving the community; their store has a variety of drinks and snacks, Lottery and gasoline. Their store hours are 6am-11pm. The mother (Nita) and son (Charles) are considering future renovations at the BP station, they started with 4 other gas stations and also own a tobacco shop all of which are located in the Mon valley area. Nita's husband Dale is also a business owner of a manufacturing company located in Washington, PA.
"Every time I see Nita, Chuck or Dale they always have a smile on their faces and are happy to see you. They are great people and I love having them in Elizabeth Borough," says Robin Miller of Elizabeth Borough Council.
The Elizabeth Business District Advisory Committee commends and thanks Chuck and Nita for their commitment to Elizabeth!
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NEW ENGLAND PHOTOGRAPHY Photography was a teenage passion for Ronn Both. He was inspired by the finding of a camera along the side of the road. Ronn turned that camera into the local police department and then was rewarded, one year later by receiving that camera because no one had claimed it. Ronn's photographic journey was launched. Many friends and acquaintances continued to tell him he had real talent and should make a living by being a photographer. New England Photography started out 13 years ago as a part time venture for seven years, and then became fulltime for the past 6 years.
Mary, Ronn's wife assists in the management duties, making appointments, accounting, client consultations and especially enjoys the opportunity to assist with the newborn, children and high school senior portraits. Additionally Mary works full time at UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. Ronn and Mary have been married for 21 years and have one daughter, Vannessah Renee who will be starting third grade at William Penn.
New England Photography specializes in family pictures, newborns, children, high school seniors, pets, sports, school portraits, dance portraits, special events and weddings. They are open Monday through Saturday, by appointment, usually beginning at 10am and continuing until the client's needs are met. Depending on the season, some days can go very late!!
What Ronn and Mary have to say about photography and living in Elizabeth: "Photography is both a passion and an art. It is a great experience to bring a smile and a memory to all of our clients. We appreciate all our customers and customer service is very important to us. We love making memories for families to cherish for a life time and beyond. We love living and having our business in Elizabeth. It is a beautiful and friendly place to live and also very scenic."
Contact New England Photography at 412-384-7272.
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| FIND DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES....FAST!
Thanks to the Downtown First business directory, it has never been easier or faster to find what you are looking for in your downtown. Downtown First provides a free and easy-to-use online AND printable business directory for your downtown as well as approximately 20 other business districts in the region.
You can search for businesses by:
- Downtown: including your downtown and many nearby communities!
- Business Type: such as antiques or restaurants and cafes
- Keywords: such as the business name or a specific services you are looking for
Downtown First is leading the movement to support local businesses by making it possible for you to narrow your search to include only local, independent businesses....and making it easier for you to support them!
Remember to "put your money where your house is" by supporting your downtown businesses...first!
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FREE POSTERS TO HELP MARKET YOUR VACANT/AVAILABLE PROPERTIES!
Help to market the vacant and/or available properties in your downtown with TCA's FREE DowntownProperties.net poster! Placing the colorful DowntownProperties.net poster in your window will let everyone passing by know that it is available, whether your property is vacant or still being occupied.
Most importantly, the poster can direct those interested in your property to DowntownProperties.net, where they can access important information about the property, such as contact information, address square footage, a photograph, community demographics, and more!
If you are interested in a free poster for your property, please contact Town Center Associates at 724-728-9400 or tca@towncenter.info. |
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ALLEGHENY GROWS
Good things are growing in our Allegheny Together communities! In 2010, Allegheny County Economic Development started a community-food gardening initiative called Allegheny Grows. In partnership with Grow Pittsburgh and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy this program provides technical, organizational and planning assistance-along with materials and supplies-to communities interested in getting a community gardening effort off the ground. With community driven enthusiasm and participation, we assist residents with growing their own food, generating a green civic space for long-term use, creating a platform for civic participation and economic development activity, re-imagining vacant underutilized land, and stimulating conversations about local sustainability. The program targets low-to-moderate income populations that demonstrate the following: an appropriate gardening site, strong community leadership, interested participants, and willingness to learn and work together. This is a two year program providing intensive start-up services and materials in the first year and continuation planning and seedlings in the second. Important Information: Applications available August 15th, 2011 (anticipated) at this web address: http://economic.alleghenycounty.us/applications/CommunityApp.doc . A mandatory information session is to be held in September. Applications are due: September 30, 2011. For additional information, please contact Iris Whitworth at (412)350-5594, iris.whitworth@alleghenycounty.us |
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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS DESIGNATION PROGRAM
Allegheny County Economic Development and Town Center Associates (TCA), in partnership with Sustainable Pittsburgh, offer an innovative "Sustainable Business Designation Program" to recognize downtown-based businesses that are making efforts to implement sustainable business practices. Through the support of Allegheny County Economic Development, the program has been launched in all the Allegheny Together communities and will be introduced to the newest communities, Carnegie and Dormont this summer.
The Sustainable Business Designation recognizes businesses for implementing actions that are simultaneously good for their bottom line, the environment, and the social fabric of their communities. Businesses that incorporate sustainable practices into their operations are showing their intentions to improve their performance, and as such, stand out as valuable contributors to their local community business districts.
This Sustainable Business Designation is reflected for each qualifying business in the business directory for their town, available at DowntownFirst.net. The "Sustainable Business" designation helps consumers to identify and choose businesses who are committed to sustainability and who view sustainability as core to their mission and business model.
Sustainable Pittsburgh staff will be visiting each business owner to personally let them know about the program. They will provide the business owners with information on resources available to businesses to assist them in implementing more sustainable practices: ultimately saving the businesses money, and having a more positive impact on the environment.
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RIDE THE OHIO RIVER TRAIL Taking advantage of our region's resources is one of the most valuable ways we can participate in our community. The Ohio River Trail Council and Western Pennsylvania Wheelman have paired up and designed several programs to do just that. Combining exercise and the outdoors, biking the Ohio River Trail has never been easier. The ORTC and WPW invite the community to participate in the brand-new Trail Ride Series in the tri-state region. Beginning Saturdays in April, twice-monthly rides are being held along Western Pennsylvania's beautiful 'Rail Trails,' typically within 2 hours of the city of Pittsburgh. The rides range in terrain difficulty and typically run between ten and forty miles long and involve a stop at a local restaurant for lunch. It is the hope of the ORTC to encourage involvement in the beautiful outdoors that surround our local communities in a spirit of adventure and physical wellness. Partnerships in our region are underway with new programs rapidly developing to include a number of interests. Canoe & Kayak Club, Walking & Hiking Club, Running Club, Fishing Club, Birding & Butterflying Club and a Photography Club are all beginning to grow in popularity as our region continues to flourish. The Ohio River Trail Cycling Club promotes fitness and recreation in our community, and the club invites riders of all abilities to explore our region on 2 wheels! For questions or comments, contact Vincent Troia or Nathan Peluso and refer to the ORTC ride calendar for event dates, visit their website at www.ohiorivertrail.org or call their offices at 724-728-2625.
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STAY UP TO DATE ON DOWNTOWN ELIZABETH
With Our Quarterly E-Newsletter
You are reading the Elizabeth FOCUS: your quarterly downtown e-newsletter. By using e-newsletters instead of print newsletters, we can send the information about our downtown revitalization efforts to a greater number of people and save paper--a win for the community and the environment!
To receive your copy of the e-newsletter via email, simply send an email to tca@towncenter.info and indicate your email address, as well as the name of the town or towns for which you'd like to receive the e-newsletters. You can also call Town Center Associates to sign up at 412-577-7447.
Please also take a moment to forward this email along to your friends, colleagues, family and neighbors, and encourage them to sign up today! This will help to inform (and involve) more citizens about the revitalization efforts taking place in our downtown.
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This e-newsletter was created by Town Center Associates for the Allegheny Together Program of Allegheny County Economic Development. For more information about the Allegheny Together program, please visit www.alleghenytogether.com.
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