Downtown Rebound: Our best days are still to come

The heartbeat of any community is its urban center, and Luzerne County is no different. We are fortunate that Wilkes-Barre, with its long history and having survived the residential exodus into suburbia decades ago, is our urban center. Like the flowing water in the Susquehanna River, Wilkes-Barre, too, is moving forward in a kind of renaissance.

Private investors are adding downtown residential units and entrepreneurs, who could build their businesses anywhere in the country, have set up shop in the downtown. Many of the new downtown residents are young people happy to be within walking distance of work, dining, shopping and entertainment, as well as the nearby levee system where they get some exercise.

Thanks to the city’s entrepreneurial climate, Wilkes-Barre’s heartbeat is getting stronger. We’ve been building the infrastructure for more than two decades and coordinating resources to support job-creating entrepreneurs. The downtown is home to the Innovation Center on South Main Street, a business incubator that includes the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Launch Box. The facility provides entrepreneurs access to a world-class conference room, networking space, meeting rooms and technology. The downtown also hosts Wilkes University’s incubator, as well as other successful entrepreneurs.

The Chamber’s Wilkes-Barre Connect program and its strategic partners are well positioned to assist every type of entrepreneur, from technology to shop owners to restaurateurs. This group includes Ben Franklin Technology Partners NEPA, Wilkes University’s Small Business Development Center, the Family Business Alliance, Diamond City Partnership, the Launch Box and Institute.

The fruits of their collective labor include companies that have long been celebrated, from Pepperjam to Solid Cactus to Mobiniti. The next group of technology-based start-ups include studioBe Mindfulness and planguru, along with LSEO and Special Guest, studio Be, located in the Accelerator, is quietly gaining momentum, and planguru can be found looking out over Public Square next to the Innovation Center. Both companies received investments from Ben Franklin Technology Partners along with venture capital or angel investment as they position themselves for significant growth.

Many may not realize Wilkes-Barre has been home to world-class manufacturing companies for decades, including but not limited to Mountain Productions, InterMetro and McCarthy Tire. You may have noticed the Mountain Productions truck trailers on Wilkes-Barre Boulevard, “staged” (pun intended) to be delivered to famous concert venues including Lollapalooza. InterMetro makes sophisticated shelving and cabinetry that can be found in top pharmaceutical and university research labs globally, and McCarthy truck tires are found on every major trucking company’s rigs as they move goods and cargo across the United States. We can take great pride in the entrepreneurs and families who continue to grow their businesses in our city.

In addition to private investments, others have been rebuilding the city’s historic landmarks from the Stegmaier Building to the Sterling. I’m proud to be part of a group of people working to breathe life back into the Irem Temple. As part of the Irem Temple Restoration Project, we are eagerly raising funds to bring the dormant venue back to its vibrant glory days. We hope the building will offer live entertainment in the not-too-distant future, presenting acts that require a large, open floor so as not to compete with the Kirby Center, and also a museum designed as a destination for visitors who want to gain an understanding of the significance our region has played in our country’s history.

For more information on the Irem Temple project and how you can help, visit https://iremtemplerestorationproject.com.

The City of Wilkes-Barre is on the rebound, a growing college town, home to strong internationally recognized manufacturing companies, a growing technology sector, breweries, entertainment and restaurants. Everyone knows we have some of the best pizza in the country, with Wilkes-Barre recognized on the 2019 Top 10 list of best cities for pizza lovers by Apartmentguide.com.

The future is bright for our region and the City of Wilkes-Barre’s heartbeat is strong. We still have room to grow, but we are blessed with a city built on a riverfront with many people investing in our community. Entrepreneurs old and new, who could grow their businesses anywhere, chose Wilkes-Barre and are proud to do business here.

For those who wax poetic for the good old days, I say enjoy the memories, but I believe our best days are still in front of us.