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Cool Stuff About Business and Entertainment in the Greater Harrisburg, PA Area. |
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Cool Stuff About Business and Entertainment in the Greater Harrisburg, PA Area. |
| Success Stories Of The Young And Hearty By Interviews by Andrea Riso MODE KNOWS there are terrific reasons to open a small business in Harrisburg. Since opening our doors almost two years ago, we’ve seen an explosive growth in new businesses. So, we set out to discover what encouraged other young business owners to settle on Harrisburg as their home. Here’s what they said about:
A Market in Need... PORT DARE, Owner
Port, a native of Harrisburg moved to Hyde Park, New York, to study and graduate from the world famous Culinary Institute of Art (CIA) as a master chef. Four years ago, at age 27, as National Sales Manager for a manufacturer and distributor of high-end fruit-juicer machines, he became tired of the “grind” and decided to invest his savings in his own business. The loyalty and repeat business of greater Harrisburg retail customers has allowed Petland to achieve unprecedented success. The onslaught of large pet-stores in the area has not hurt his business—it has added more interest to his category and actually increased business. Additionally, the residential growth in the area continues to create new-business clientele that has exponentially increased revenues and profit margins. Port feels “Harrisburg is the best possible place to open a retail store like mine…great value for money spent here, the business resources offered by the city and state, and the high quality of life and safety make it a business-owners’ dream.” SUSAN BEAR FREEMAN, Co-Proprietor
Susie, age 31, regards Harrisburg with high morale and a freshly positive attitude, citing the recent renaissance of younger people staying in the area, relocating to the area, and especially starting or purchasing businesses locally. She finds it to be “a great place to start a business as a younger person because of the small amount of capital investment it takes, as compared to a large city, as well as the availability of low overhead in operations. It makes return on investment a reality for a new business owner, instead of just a dream”. She recalls how the area was “hungry” for new restaurants, and how welcome Café on Market was—and remains— the result of customer loyalty and word of mouth praise. Reflecting back on how smoothly the experience of signing the lease for their building, and consequently opening the restaurant six weeks later went, Freeman attributes this to the “integrity one can only find in a small town, where people know and respect each other, almost like family.”
Family Values, Ethics, and Loyalty... STEPHANIE BROWN STENCE, President and CEO
As a child, Stephanie received an early education in the world of food service and entertainment as the daughter of local restaurant and nightclub owners. Her family moved to Florida when she was a child. Homesick, they returned some years later, continuing the family restaurant/nightclub legacy to this day. Her brother Donnie, 36, recently opened The Firehouse on Second Street in Downtown Harrisburg. Ten years ago, at age 21, Stence decided to pursue her entrepreneurial spirit and ideas in a different nature of restaurant business than her families’. She concurrently married Edward Stence, who runs the businesses with her, and they started a family. What started out as a small catering company grew into a large enterprise as a result of Premiere’s high standards for the best ingredients, most delicious recipes, and tactful, diplomatic, and infinitely polite, friendly service with clientele. The last ten years have been “wonderful”, according to Stephanie. “This town really knows what it likes and needs, and lets you know it, without the snobbery or contrivances that caterers in larger markets generally endure. Developing a business and growing in sync with the growth of the area is the best possible scenario for a young business owner. The strong family values, beautiful and affordable real estate, and consistency in taste and activities, along with the loyalty of friends and family” are but a few examples of the reasons why she and her family continue to own and operate businesses here. Churchill Hall, according to Stephanie, “has been a great enhancement to the business, and is drawing national media attention for the innovative use of historic architecture, preservation of style, and imaginative recycling of a beautiful building for a progressive need that is attractive and beneficial to the community.” CHRIS GREEN, President
The couple thought long and hard about whose job to relocate for, finally deciding that the best place to continue their careers and raise their family is Harrisburg. They are able to own a nicer home, have more discretionary time and money to do the things they enjoy, and cite regional accessibility and family as key factors for staying here. Both love to golf, and the number of quality golf courses in the area was also an attractive feature, in addition to the many friendships and relationships they have developed here.
Stability and Sustainable Growth... JEFF WALTERS, President
When asked what he finds most attractive about practicing his businesses in the Harrisburg area, Jeff readily answers “stability is key. There are great values for the money here, in terms of businesses and real estate. The regional accessibility affords a low cost of living and a very high quality of life, combined with the luxury of being able to travel to major metropolitan areas quickly and affordably.” Walters also praises the “low-profile, unpretentious nature of the area, great friendships and family” as other important reasons for his commitment to the area. Jeff Walters has been a board director for many area non-profits including the Historic Harrisburg Association and the Second Mile. He feels that the opportunities to work in scenarios such as these would not exist for younger or start-up business people in larger cities. He sees this as another of the many advantages and opportunities that are unique to the progressively upward economic transgression in the Central Pennsylvania region.
Big Fish in a Small Pond… John Norton, President
Upon reaching his thirties, he started to tire of the effort it took to live in the city, as well as the stress, the competition, the grossly high cost of living, and the lack of space in general. He enjoys the “laid back” nature of Harrisburg, with a “great climate for business as well as social networking.” Initially, when researching his idea to start an investment banking company for small-to mid-sized family businesses, he found a great need in the greater Harrisburg region, and has enjoyed immediate success. In Manhattan, as well as in other large cities, there is a glut and it is difficult—even impossible—to carve a niche and built long-standing relationships in that arena. So, there you have it. Now you know why so many people have made the decision to stay in Harrisburg to start their new businesses. Sounds like it was the right choice to us!
LOCAL RESOURCES Below are a few of the hundreds of local contacts and organizations to help pave the path if you are living in, moving to, or starting a business in or around the ‘Burg: The MidTown Market District: Historic Harrisburg Association: Mayors Office of Economic Development 255-3027 Capital Region Economic Development Corporation: www.go2pa.com/credc Venture Investment Forum: Kutztown University Small Business Development Center: 720-4230 PA State Data Center: The Capital Region Chamber of Commerce: 232-4099 Harrisburg Young Professionals— The Susquehanna Alliance: Capital Area Minority Coalition: The Entrepeneurial Development Center: 232-4099 SCORE—Service Corps of Retired PA Technology Center: www.centralpatech.com Dauphin County Office of Economic Development/Industrial Development Authority: 257-1550 IDA of Central PA: Manufacturers Technology Center: PA-IDA: PA MILRITE Council: Pennsylvania Business Roundtable: www.paroundtable.org The Governors Action Team: www.go2pa.com |
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A full-service retail pet and pet-supply franchise
located in Silver Spring Commons, Mechanicsburg, Petland’s merchandise includes
hundreds of species. They also sell several types of accessories, educational information
and related services.
Three years ago, Susan Freeman, and her
husband Russell opened the doors of Café on Market to business that “blew away our
projections in the first three weeks!” Combining their love for food and entertaining
with Chef Russell’s lifelong dream of owning a restaurant, the Freeman’s felt
the need for a consistently high quality place to eat in the greater Harrisburg area. 
Premiere Caterers, a West
Shore-based, full-service off-premise catering company, offers menus and logistics for
parties of two to two thousand people. Churchill Hall is a former Catholic Church in
Enola, which Stence beautifully restored into a banquet hall.
Chris purchased MACK about two years
ago. Not unlike his parents, he aspired throughout his life to own his own service-based
company and to marry and raise his children in the greater Harrisburg area (his family
owns Allied Products and Services in New Cumberland). He recently married DonnaMarie
Zotter, Esq., a Philadelphia environmental attorney, formerly practicing with the Buchanan
Ingersoll office there, now Senior Legal Analyst for McCormick Taylor and Associates, Inc.
Montgomery, a national engineering company with Harrisburg-based 
Walters, a 31-year old Penn State
alumni, is a native of the West Shore. A certified general real estate appraiser and
licensed commercial real estate broker, he has owned appraisal companies since 1993. Two
years ago, he purchased the former M.B. Stewart Mansion in the Village of West Fairview, a
7,400 square foot stone historic mansion overlooking the Susquehanna River. He converted
it into seven full sized residential apartments and renamed it “Mansion Hill”.
Norton recently moved to Harrisburg
from New York City to find a most receptive and welcoming business as well as social
community. Born and raised in Selinsgrove, he went on to study investment banking and
moved to the Big Apple to become better educated and more experienced in his field.