The co.space: An Ongoing Experiment in Connection, Community, and Becoming
Over a decade ago, we started an experiment in downtown State College.
It began with a few simple questions:
What might be possible if people were more intentional about how—and who—they lived with?
What if housing wasn’t just a place to land at the end of the day, but a place that actively shaped who you were becoming?
What if we could retain creative young professionals in our town—through a unique housing model—who were passionate about making Happy Valley an amazing community to call home?
Those questions became the seed of the co.space.
Guiding Guests to Connection, One Room at a Time
At its core, Connect Happy Valley has a simple goal. We aim to connect guests into the community assets that make this place work. Those assets are our hosts. The locally owned venues, educators, creatives, nonprofits, and gathering places that quietly hold the town together.
This past week, that idea moved from concept to proof.
We’re Not Building a Media Platform. We’re Building a Tailgate (All Year Long)
by Greg Woodman Let’s talk about tailgates. Not just football. The human kind. Because after a year of building, listening, and dreaming with people across this region, I’ve started to believe tailgates might be the whole thing. People think tailgates are about football. But they’re not. Tailgates are about belonging.They’re about the shared rhythm of […]
Penn State Students Help Power a Shared Solution to Happy Valley’s Longstanding Calendar Challenge
For years, people across Happy Valley have been trying to solve the same frustrating problem.
“Oh, I wish I had known about that event.”
Or worse, spending an hour searching through eight different calendars just to plan a decent date night.
From alumni and retirees to students, local business owners, and longtime residents, the sentiment is universal. Great events happen every week, yet too often people hear about them only after the seats are empty and the moment has passed.
What If a Community Could Run With Heart?
We live in the most connected generation in history, yet many of us feel more alone than ever.
Phones buzz. Feeds scroll. Yet somehow, real connection feels rare. We see everyone’s highlight reels but not each other’s eyes. We call it connection, but it often leaves us empty.
Something deeper is missing.
Discovering the Living Filter: A Hidden Gem of Sustainability in State College
Just beyond the quiet curve of Cricklewood Drive, behind the familiar trees of Toftrees, there’s a place where water works a little harder—and nature responds in kind. It’s called the Living Filter, and while it’s not marked with signs or paved trails, it’s one of State College’s most quietly remarkable spaces.
Necessity Is the Mother of Invention: How WPSU Can Rise, Not Fall, in the Age of Reinvention
WPSU is not dying. It’s waking up.
Yes, the headlines are sobering: $1.4 million in lost federal funding. Another $800,000 cut from Penn State. That’s a $2.2 million hit for a local media powerhouse that’s been serving 24 counties for over 60 years.
But what got buried in that story is this: Penn State has still budgeted $3.35 million for WPSU this year—and again next year.
That’s not a funeral fund. That’s a challenge grant from reality. It says: We believe in you—but it’s time to evolve.
Speak to Someone, Not Everyone: How to Create Meaningful Reach in a Noisy World
We’re all chasing attention these days—but what if the goal wasn’t reach but impact?
That’s where the humble eletter still shines: one thoughtful tactic that can break through the noise and actually build connection.
The $80,000 Question: Not Just Noise—But a New Way Forward
By Greg Woodman I’m in the business of communication. Of storytelling. Of building trust between a brand and its people. And every day, I talk to exhausted founders, nonprofit directors, and marketing teams who are all asking the same thing: Why isn’t this cutting through? They’re spending more than ever—often around $80,000 a year (average […]
