By Sarah Taylor
Penn State alum Steve Koval moved back to the Happy Valley region in 1986. Almost 40 years later, he’s the founder of Nittany Strategic Solutions LLC and plans to stay in the area for the long haul.
His reasoning? Simple — the combination of “community, outdoor adventures, PSU events and family,” made his decision easy.
Koval is hardly an outlier. Happy Valley offers a blend of natural beauty, a warm community spirit and convenient access to numerous large cities that appeals to residents of all ages, calling transplants to the region and keeping them here long-term.
Even as the area has admittedly evolved over the decades, long-time residents like Koval see the benefits of this evolution (with the growing number craft breweries and wineries being one of Koval’s favorite improvements).
As we covered in a past article on Happy Valley transplants, AccuWeather’s founder, CEO and chairman, Dr. Joel N. Myers similarly fell in love with the region after he attended Penn State University. Although he came for college, he stayed and built AccuWeather here, citing that “State College is not your average college town. Fine businesses and tech companies have been established here and have pumped millions of dollars back into the local, state and, in AccuWeather’s case, global economy.”
Image Credits: Downtown State College Improvement District
“[Happy Valley] has the merits of a larger city in a small town. There is a thriving high-tech industry, very competent workforce, companies that compete globally, amazing culture and arts scene and all the entertainment and sports that you’d expect from a larger metropolis.”
Happy Valley’s strong ecosystem and resources for startups have inspired other entrepreneurs, like brothers Stephen and Nick Wells, founders of TZero, to move and stay in the region as well.
Juan Mario Gomez, co-founder of Xact Metal, tells a similar story, noting “[Happy Valley] has the merits of a larger city in a small town. There is a thriving high-tech industry, very competent workforce, companies that compete globally, amazing culture and arts scene and all the entertainment and sports that you’d expect from a larger metropolis.”
Happy Valley, PA’s blend of community, recreation and entertainment make it a truly exceptional place to live, whether you’ve been here a few years or a few decades.
Did you relocate to Happy Valley and decide to stay? Tell us why you love Happy Valley below and, if you enjoyed this story, sign up for HappyValley Industry’s free weekly newsletters, covering all things industry, innovation and entrepreneurship in this incredible local region.
