What makes Happy Valley a great place to do business? We asked a few local entrepreneurs and business leaders. Here's what they had to say.
Actuated Medical CEO, co-founder and owner Maureen L. Mulvihill: “The people that work in central Pennsylvania are working individuals; they love coming to work and they love where they live. When you’re happy at home and you’re happy at work, life is good.”
HigherEdJobs co-founder Eric Blessner: “While we work with colleges and universities across the United States and abroad, we have stayed committed to our values by growing our business in smaller communities like State College, so while we have spent the last 20 years supporting and serving the academic community, we have also worked hard to a build a company that supports our local community.”
Xact Metal CEO Juan Mario Gomez: “We have access to the university, students, faculty and outstanding resources — we have a world-class 3-D printer right at our doorstep. It would be difficult to have this same level of success if we were not as close to Penn State. There is a huge amount of talented, hard-working people who are committed to making our company succeed. I don’t know if it would have been as easy to start up in a larger city and attract the same amount of talent.”
L4IS founder Benjamin Hall: “The school is a tremendous resource for expertise in a wide breadth of fields, and has a population of bright-eyed and motivated students. The business incubator, in conjunction with Ben Franklin Technology Partners, allowed us to develop a basic skill set and understanding of this new startup world, and provided opportunities for getting initial funding to launch.”
“I can’t imagine a scenario where [launching L4IS] could have been possible without these key resources in place; the support and environment were critical to get my company off the ground.”
OGOVO co-founder President Michael M. McCarthy:“There is so much support for entrepreneurs to get started and get growing. We have a strong loyalty to the Centre region. Luckily for me, and so many others, Penn State and State College is one of the most innovative and supportive town and gowns in America — and at the top of the list in the entrepreneurship conversation.”
KCF Technologies CEO Jeremy Frank: “Just a few hours from 20 percent of the country’s manufacturing and industrial infrastructure, a few blocks from campus, and a bike ride away from home, there’s no place else KCF Technologies would rather be.”
KCF Technologies VP of Sales and Marketing Ben Lawrence: “The schools are good, the area is beautiful, and you get to enjoy small-town living with the perks of a university town.”
Morgan Chief Technical Officer Mike Murray: “For us, the decision to work with Penn State was a natural one. As a world leader in carbon-related research, Penn State has an unrivaled reputation for innovation in this field, which we believe will add real value for our customers. We hope the partnership will help accelerate our development of new products and capabilities, enabling us to continue to meet the future needs of our customers more quickly, efficiently and comprehensively.”
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