Could a Happy Valley startup revolutionize food delivery?
By Holly Riddle With nearly two decades of experience in the restaurant industry, Zee Elhaj was the perfect person to launch his latest venture, Ontime Delivery. As the owner of downtown State College’s Are U Hungry, as well as Chrome Lounge (which was also in downtown State College, but closed during the pandemic), Elhaj knows […]
Student perspective: don’t use AI to do the work, use it to make the work better
By Kanika Gupta In a January 2024 report on the use of ChatGPT in the classroom, 43% of college students report having used ChatGPT or similar AI tools: 89% used it for homework, 53% for essays, and 48% for at-home tests. The report also revealed that 82% of college professors are aware of ChatGPT, compared to […]
The county’s top 3 employers on the Happy Valley HR advantage
By Holly Riddle As HappyValley Industry has covered, recruiting and retaining top talent to work in Happy Valley is a unique task. On one hand, the region is not immune to statewide and nationwide recruiting and retention trends. On the other, Happy Valley enjoys advantages that many other regions do not. As we hear time […]
DEI in Happy Valley: Making strides but still room to improve
By Holly Riddle Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts have received substantial attention over the last several years, both within and beyond the confines of private industry. According to McKinsey & Company, in 2020, the global DEI market was expected to more than double by 2026. All of these nationwide trends are reflected on a […]
Building a high-growth, high-performance bank
By Holly Riddle “When you talk about a real, true, community bank based in Central Pennsylvania, you can’t replicate this story,” said John “Jack” M. Infield, President of Centre 1st Bank, in a recent conversation with Happy Valley Industry. Infield, born and raised in State College, has been involved in banking for more than four […]
Penn State funding passes with no increase in general support appropriations
By Staff Writer Last Thursday, November 17, Governor Josh Shapiro signed the approved appropriations bill to fund Penn State and other state-related universities. Despite advocacy efforts that Penn State described as its ‘best overall advocacy year ever,’ noting 35,000 advocacy actions taken throughout the budget process, the university will not see an increase in its […]
How one local township is prioritizing business development
By Holly Riddle Anthony Fragola is a College Township Council Member and a local entrepreneur. The owner of Fibrenew Alleghenies has served the Happy Valley community in some capacity for nearly two decades. Fragola told us there’s ample opportunity for business growth in the area, with opportunities for both existing companies that want to move to […]
How a new-to-Happy Valley company is helping to conserve water with big benefits to businesses and the environment
By Holly Riddle Fluid Conservation Systems (FCS) is a 40-year-old company that specializes in leak detection; it recently relocated to Happy Valley and is the latest player on the area’s sensor scene. FCS got its start when it invented and filed the first U.S. patent for the leak correlator that it still offers today; and […]
Mount Nittany Health’s investment in community, growth and innovation
By Nikki Ciecierski Patient Tower In the heart of Happy Valley, Mount Nittany Health stands as a pillar of unwavering commitment to the well-being of the community it has served for over a century. With a vision firmly rooted in serving the community’s evolving healthcare needs, Mount Nittany Health is making generational investments by constructing […]
