What’s next for The Nittany Lion Inn and The Penn Stater
By Gracie Mullan In the last 10 years in Downtown State College, two new hotels have opened, another refurbished, and another closed. That’s quite a lot of change for the region in a short time. The Hyatt Place opened in 2017 inside the Fraser Centre and the renovated and renamed Graduate Hotel followed suit shortly […]
Lee Industries generating new jobs and economic growth for Moshannon Valley region
By Gracie Mullan Image: Uncovering PA Philipsburg, Centre County, is getting a makeover. Lee Industries President Joshua Montler purchased four properties in downtown Philipsburg as part of the ongoing effort to continue diversifying the region’s economy, which once relied heavily on coal mining. In addition to Lee Industries, a Walmart Distribution Center, PMG Pennsylvania Corporation […]
Sensor Networks joins the Previan Group, enabling higher growth rates for their sensor technology
By Gracie Mullan Image: Sensor Networks In June, Sensor Networks announced that the team will be joining the Previan Group, a private industrial technology company, with all of Sensor Networks’ NDT technology powered through the Eddyfi Technologies business unit. Sensor Networks was founded in 2014 in Happy Valley as a tech company focused on creating […]
Penn State-created LionGlass will cut carbon emissions in half, create energy-efficient options
By Gracie Mullan Image: Adrienne Berard / Penn State One of the largest challenges facing the glass industry today is the immense amount of carbon emissions produced by the production of glass. At least 86 million tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere each year from glass manufacturing. LionGlass engineered and researched at […]
Agtech startup Croptix announces landmark investment by advancing eco agriculture
By Gracie Mullan Croptix, a leader in tech sensors that detect plant diseases right in the field, announced that a significant investor and stakeholder in agriculture care and research Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) has granted the Croptix team a major investment to fuel their research. With the ongoing support from Penn State, Ben Franklin Technology […]
Turning big ideas into viable business
By Gracie Mullan Have an idea or invention that is poised to change the world? Unless it answers one giant question, there’s not a very big chance of success, according to Roger Dagen. Dagen is the Executive in Residence for Transformation Business Services Network (TBSN) at Ben Franklin Technology Partners, which is widely considered one […]
Happy Valley infrastructure: investing in Penn State
By Gracie Mullan Are there 5½ square miles anywhere else in the country enjoying more investment dollars than Happy Valley? With Penn State bucking the national trend of declining enrollment—University Park enrollment grew 2.7% in 2022, boasting higher numbers than fall 2019 pre-covid enrollment—the university is investing heavily in campus renovations. Want an overview of […]
Happy Valley Infrastructure: innovating Downtown State College
By Gracie Mullan The 5½ square mile radius that includes State College Borough and Penn State has attracted billions in investment over the last decade and with good reason. Happy Valley is in demand. As part of an initiative to grow State College, numerous 12-story highrises have popped up in downtown State College in recent […]
The benefits of highrises in downtown State College
By Gracie Mullan The HERE building seen from Beaver Ave and Garner Street. Image: Chuck Fong. With Penn State’s rapid growth in recent decades, faculty, staff, students and visitors continue flooding into Happy Valley. As you’d expect, both housing and visitor accommodations are areas that have required particular attention downtown. According to the Downtown State […]
