By Greg Woodman (Phil Donahue impersonator)
Last Tuesday night at 3 Dots Downtown, something simple happened.
A diverse group—retirees, business owners, nonprofit leaders, Penn State students, and community champions—came together for the first-ever Connecting the Dots: A Community Conversation. We didn’t have hundreds of attendees. We didn’t need them. What we had was heart, honesty, and 27 people, ready to engage.
And all night long, a phrase kept surfacing:
“I didn’t know that.”
Not in a dismissive way—but in a curious, eye-opening, energized way.
Some of the “I Didn’t Know That” Moments
- Keri Miller, shared that her team supports businesses across all of Centre County—not just College Township. CTIDA helps companies access loans, capital, and investment tools that fuel real, lasting growth. Among her examples shared were Xact Metal and X-Hab 3D
- Xact Metal Predicting and improving the future – Happy Valley Industry
- The former Saloon, Hi-Way Pizza, and The Deli corner downtown is being completely reimagined—with a Brooklyn-style deli, a noodle concept, and a cidery. The heartbeat of downtown is shifting, and many of us hadn’t yet heard it.
- The Saloon is now Manny’s, drawing 180 people dancing on Monday nights. That’s not just nightlife, that’s cultural revitalization.
- “I’ve walked by 3 Dots for years and never stepped inside. This space is incredible—I’m planning to rent it for my next company event.”
It wasn’t just a night of discovering places. It was a night of rediscovering people.
In the crowd was Char Morett-Curtiss, a Hall of Fame youth coach whose mantra “Play with Heart” has inspired hundreds in our community.
Carolyn Donaldson was also with us—someone who has helped shape this region for decades through her leadership in broadcast journalism and deep involvement with local nonprofits.
Also in the room: leaders from Discovery Space, the Central PA Festival of the Arts, PA Business Central, Dan Leri of Innovation Park, local business owners, and curious Penn State students—all adding to the energy, insight, and potential in the room.
These weren’t just names, they were stories, legacies, and sparks of local leadership.
The Doers We Put on Stage
We spotlighted four leaders who are shaping Happy Valley’s future today:
- Keri Miller, Executive Director, CTIDA
Supporting business development and smart growth through public-private partnerships. - Lee Anne Jeffries, Executive Director, Downtown State College Improvement District (DSCID)
Reimagining downtown’s future through beautification, retail recruitment, and small business support. - Jessica McAllister, Executive Editor, Centre Daily Times
Leading the newsroom that keeps our community informed—through protests, public meetings, and stories that matter. - Erica Quinn, Executive Director, 3 Dots Downtown
Curating one of our most vibrant civic spaces where conversation, culture, and community collide.
“Follow the money. Follow the doers. That’s who’s shaping the future.”
— One guest’s reflection
Why This Night Mattered
We live in a time with better tools than Thomas Paine ever imagined. He sparked a revolution with a pamphlet.
Today, we have smartphones, social media, newsfeeds, and inboxes—and yet we’re often less informed about what’s happening five miles from home.
250 local nonprofits
7,500+ businesses
Thousands of emails, posts, and alerts—every single day by each of them!! Every one of us has created our own printing press. The local entrepreneur eco-system is now writing pitch contest checks to students who are rock stars at social media not for product innovation but for cutting through all the clutter and noise!
And still…
We continue to tighten our spam filters and delete in mass.
Our best local journalism is often behind a paywall and reaching an ever decreasing readership.
The Food Bank’s biggest challenges don’t always break through even when the story is covered.
“The more we post, the less we connect. The more we send, the less we receive.”
This paradox kept Jessica McAllister and me awake after the event.
We both care deeply about getting important stories into people’s hands—and yet, even with all the tools at our disposal, the signal often gets lost in the noise.
Maybe the Goal Isn’t Filling a Room—It’s Planting a Seed
We had 27 people show up. Not a large crowd. But it felt like more than enough.
Because it was real, intentional, and filled with people who care.
And it reminded me of something I saw firsthand at KCF Technologies—one of Happy Valley’s fastest-growing companies. Their secret sauce? Not just smart sensors or solid tech. It was their annual customer summit, bringing prospects and clients to State College, face-to-face. No gimmicks. No algorithms. Just real people connecting, sharing, learning.
That model helped fuel 10X growth. Because of human connection? Still the most powerful “influencer” there is.
In a world obsessed with clicks, followers, and influencers-for-hire, it turns out the most lasting influence still happens in rooms, not feeds.
So yes—we’ll keep hosting these events.
We’ll keep spotlighting the doers.
We’ll keep reconnecting you to the people and possibilities shaping Happy Valley.
Want to help shape what’s next?
And let’s recommit—not just to growing our businesses and local partnerships—but to nurturing something deeper: a shared community soul.
Because when we stop competing and start collaborating—nonprofits, businesses, and neighbors alike—we rise together.
This isn’t a race. It’s a shared effort.
All boats rise when we row in the same direction.
Who has next?
One Response
1993 I was a mid grade officer in the US Navy working at the newly formed Naval Doctrine Command. I was invited to sit in with our boss’s (Rear Admiral) meeting with Vice Admiral Jerry Tuttle. VADM Tuttle is recognized as one of the leaders in moving the Navy into the high tech age.
I remember him looking right at us and highlighting the value of personal interaction regardless how high tech we become. He was spot on then and I think that still applies.