Main Street Uniontown planting day has been set for May 19th. We will meet at Story Square at 9a.m. This year, colossal urns will be situated on corners and in front of businesses offering a splash of color to motorists and pedestrians who pass by.

Anyone wishing to offer assistance is asked to contact Rebecca Hilton at 724-438-4289 or email rebecca@uniontownredevelopment.com . Main Street is a volunteer driven organization. If you would like to take part in the beautification, historic preservation, or economic development activities, please visit, call, or email.

We have begun planning for the 2012 Storey Square Summer Concert Series’ lineup and hope to partner with local nonprofit organizations. If you are a 501(c)(3) organization and need to boost your visibility in the community, “entertain” the idea of joining us at Storey Square.

For the past few years, we have had great success in facilitating an alliance between downtown retailers / professionals and our nonprofit neighbors. Every week of the concert season, we match a retail, service, or professional donor with a nonprofit organization that operates in the city. If you would like to be added to the list of nonprofit partners, please email me at jeff@uniontownredevelopment.com or call the Main Street office at 724-438-4289.

The program is simple, but highly effective. Here’s the way it works. Donors provide a gift basket that is then passed on to our nonprofit partners for raffle during the concert. Throughout the evening, guests at the concerts purchase tickets in hopes of taking home the grand prize.  Cheri Provance, Franklin John Realty was the winner of one of our gift basket giveaways.

Cheri Provance - Franklin John Realty

Last year’s donors included First Federal Savings & Loan of Greene County, Circa 1812, Arts & angles, Barrera’s Shoe & Leather Repair, Coldwell Banker / Laurel Ridge Realtors, Fayette Chamber of Commerce, Joyce’s Fine Jewelry, John & John Attorneys at Law, Neubauer’s Flowers, Reflections by Ray, Sew Special, State Theatre Center for the Arts, and Tonsorial Parlor.

Retailers were then matched with nonprofits including the Uniontown Arts Fellowship (UAF), Fayette County Community Action food Bank, Uniontown Lions Club, United Way of Fayette, State Theatre Center for the Arts, Big Brothers / Big Sisters, Interfaith Caregivers, domestic Violence Services, Crime Victims Center, and the National Road Heritage Corridor.

In total, the ten nonprofits netted over $1,700 that will surely help offset the rising cost of providing humanitarian services in our community.  We are thankful for everyone who attended the concerts braving the sizzling temperatures and intermittent raindrops. Your enduring support of the Storey Square Summer Concerts Series and our nonprofit partners keeps up energized and ready to take on another season. Hope to see you all in 2012.

 Joe Giachetti from the Uniontown’s treasurer’s office was on hand to light the tree in Storey Square which was provided by the City of Uniontown. The tree was decorated by the Chestnut Ridge Rotary Interact Club.  The Green Gardeners and the UDBDA Design Committee decorated light pole baskets with greenery, donated by Cellurale Landscaping, and old fashioned colored lights which provided a very festive atmosphere.

A small tree was placed in Eberly Square for the children to decorate. This location was also the depot for the Fayette County Railroad train rides which were only $3 – sponsored by First Federal and Loan of Greene County.
Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted the children, gave away candy canes, and read stories in the State Theatre.  There were craft tables for making and decorating tree ornaments.  United Way and The State Theatre collected socks, gloves, and hats for the “Gifts of Warmth” program as well as food for the Fayette County Food Bank.

 There was fresh popcorn courtesy of the YMCA, cookie decorating sponsored by Eat N Park, and Third Presbyterian Church had hot chocolate, soda, and cookies to give away at three locations along Main Street. Children could write letters to Santa and drop them in a special mailbox at the Chamber of Commerce. 

Entries for the parade included  Uniontown Fire Department’s fire truck with Santa, Fayette Honda with a vehicle, Uniontown Red Raider Marching Band,  Dairy Queen with a float, Fayette County Chapter of A.B.A.T.E., a float and elves from Carlo’s Pizza Palace, Brownie Troop #51020, Girl Scout Brownie Troop #53020,  Fayette Friends of Animals, War & Veterans, Inc., Laurel Highlands  Jr. ROTC, Christ United Methodist Church, Keith Charles Second Opinion Insurance Company with two decorated vehicles, Ben Franklin Jr. High Band, Koza & Company Dance Studio with a float, Fayette County 4-H Dog Club, Shooting Stars Twirl Team, Little Miss Fairchance, A G Amedysis Hospice, Sheriff Brownfield, and Geary Gehring.

Uniontown Main Street has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center. Each year, the National Trust and its partners announce the list of Accredited Main StreetÒ programs that have built strong revitalization organizations and demonstrate their ability in using the Main Street Four-Point ApproachÒ methodology for strengthening their local economy and protecting their historic buildings.

“We congratulate this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for meeting our established performance standards,” says Doug Loescher, director for he National Trust Main Street Center. “Accredited Main Street programs are meeting the challenges of the recession head on and are successfully using a focused, comprehensive revitalization strategy to keep their communities vibrant and sustainable.”

The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, which works in partnership with the National Trust Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet 10 performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four-Point Approach to commercial district revitalization. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress, and preserving historic buildings. For more information on the national program accreditation program, visit http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/about-main-street/the-programs/national-programs.html .

Looking back, we realize how busy the office has been. Main Street Uniontown partnered with Elm Street and hosted the Western Region Managers’ Meeting in Uniontown in October.  In response to the PA Downtown Center’s movement toward property ownership and becoming stakeholders in the downtown, We have  studied the principles and practices of real estate and joined the Keystone Core Services as one of its Board of Directors. “2011 is even more promising”. “The level of activity continues to grow exponentially. We’re proud of the program and all we have been able to accomplish. Main Street Programs are volunteer driven. We couldn’t do it without the help of PLENTY of committed people.”

Uniontown Main Street’s Promotions Committee, chaired by Sue Quinn, is the promoter of the Storey Square Summer Concert Series. The committee also hosts Uniontown’s Lite Up Nite celebration that received the Herald Standard Community Choice Award for “Best Winter Event”.  The committee, also administered the Gifts of Warmth collection for donations of gloves, scarves, hats, socks, and coats, and hosted the 6^th Annual Magical Cookie Tour.

 The Design Committee, chaired by Donna Holdorf completed a downtown banner project, and partnered with the Green Gardeners to decorate the streets lights with pine boughs, gold ornaments, and twinkle lights for the holiday season. The Façade Challenge Grant Program assisted with plans and grants for Frank’s Auto Supermarket, The Tonsorial Parlor, John & John Law Office, Neubauer’s Market House, The State Theatre for the Arts, Pepperberries, Cantalamessa’s formals, and Mill Street Square.

The Economic Restructuring Committee, Chaired by Brandon Katzeff compiled and analyzed a comprehensive intercept survey with the help of Boy Scout Troop 602 and George Teslovich III, an Eagle Scout. A total of 307 respondents provided the Main Street Program with data about customers’ perceptions, downtown workers’ preferences, and merchants’ wishes.

The Organizational Committee, then chaired by Bernard John welcomed six new businesses including Caporella’s Restaurant that located in the train station on Pittsburgh Street, Arts & Angles on Peter Street, Graft Unlimited on Fayette Street, Kimberly Kovach on Morgantown Street, and Plus Sexy Clothes on Gallatin Avenue. Under the director of Sam Shaaban principal at NuRelm and Peggy Grimes, Main Street’s IT specialist the Main Street website was launched. The Organizational Committee, being responsible for program sustainability, received grant funding through the Community Foundation of Fayette County, PA Partner in the Arts and local businesses like Senior Life.  We’re profoundly thankful for the support from our colleagues. Their generosity bolsters Main Street Program activities.

For more information about the Main Street Program and associated volunteer opportunities, contact the Main Street Program at 724-438-4289 or email at mainstreet@uniontownredevelopment.com . Check out the website at www.mainstreetuniontown.com .

Harold Betters Jazz

The renowned Harold Betters wrapped up Storey Square this week with an exhilarating performance. Betters has spent the last four decades entertaining locally and across the nation. Betters, a Connellsville native has been a regular at Storey Square since its inception.  He has appeared on programs such as The Tonight Show, Merv Griffin, and Mike Douglas. Betters has been classified as one of the best trombonists in the country attaining monikers like Mr. Versatility and Mr. Trombone. The Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce elected him Man of the Year in Music.

Harold Betters Proclamation

In recognition of his incredible talent and appreciation for his willingness to share those gifts with us here in Uniontown, we hereby convey a symbolic Key to the City where our doors will always be open.

Exit strategies or succession plans need to be discernible to all stakeholders long before they are needed. Succession planning is always in order. Even if it will be years in the future, it is essential that the plan be shared with those who will eventually bear the brunt of decisions.

Transparency in planning chiefly promotes favorably ethical behaviors which in turn positively influence the organizational cultural. How often we hear stories about one who wholeheartedly believed that he / she was “next in line” only to see the coveted position hijacked by the boss’s nephew. Many otherwise stable organizations are put in a tailspin when the CEO abruptly retires or leaves for health reasons. The unexpected can cause a ripple effect wiping out the entire senior staff if plans are not candidly shared as part of the organizational ethos.

Neither exit nor succession is a subject to be entered into lightly. Plan ahead! It takes an average of two to four years to sell a small business. Keep up-to-date financials, a detailed business history, and above all, openly share the plan.

Not so today. Google the word synergy and a multitude of paradigms rush to our computer’s screen. Wikipedia speaks of synergy in the context of organizational behavior, but the model embraces a multi-disciplined approach to teams of cerebral benefactors rendering, with certainty, the belief that a cohesive group is more (much more) than the sum of its parts. Synergistically, a group has the capacity to outperform any individual member. Synergistic technology, entertainment, or investigation manifestly outperforms and over-powers its obsolete counterpart the solitary mastermind, the virtuoso performer, even the pioneering researcher.

Another new term, “locavesting” has been coined and is now beginning to emerge in Main Street communities across the country. Amy Cortese, author of  “Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It” describes a culture where communities are rebuilt and sustainability is secured through homegrown support. According to Cortese, Americans have about $26 trillion dollars in investments. Consider the ripple effect if a small portion of those funds was reinvested locally. A seasoned local investor can realistically, and with financial savvy, deliver the keystone that completes a financially feasible package to a budding entrepreneur.

If just one percent of America’s investments were retained at the local level, within 50 miles of home, a phenomenal $260 billion would yield the financial bedrock needed by small communities to aid in their quest to rebuild historic Main Streets across this great nation. Micro investment, the pooling of cash by small investors in backyard investment funds; co-op investment funds, most of which are owned by workers or consumers; or a local stock exchange, encouraging micro-business stock options generating a pool of resources retained for the benefit of the local economy are all prudent investment vehicles.

August 11^th the Main Street Program will welcome Brass Knuckles to the stage at Storey Square. Once again, the Knuckles will be playing in support of our nonprofit partner, Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers. Interfaith is a local nonprofit that helps to fulfill the vital needs of the elderly in our community providing transportation, visitation, grocery shopping, light housekeeping, help with personal finances, minor home repairs, etc.  

Main Street is pleased to match top notch entertainers such as Brass Knuckles with nonprofits like Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers. Last year, items donated by The State Theatre for Performing Arts and raffled by Interfaith generated funding that is used to continue meeting the objectives of their mission: Believing that God calls us as people of faith to minister to those in need. The Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of Fayette, Inc. will, through an interfaith network of trained volunteers, provide supportive services and outreach to meet the needs of the elderly.

When I asked Rich Miller about the relationship between the two, he said, “Four years ago, when Carol Ashton of Interfaith Caregivers was looking for a group to headline their Dinner/Dance fundraising event, she contacted us.  She knew about the BKB, but had not heard us perform.   She booked us, was extremely pleased with our efforts and the crowd’s response to us, and we have been working with and supporting each other ever since.” We love marriages that are “born in heaven”.

All of the Storey Square Summer Concerts are free to the public. Mark your calendar and join us every Thursday through September 1^st at 5:30 PM at Storey Square located on East Main Street in Uniontown. Rich Miller and company of Brass Knuckles has extended a special invitation. Don’t forget to join us on August 11th.

This season, we will have another great line-up of performers including Stereotype, a youthful group who will be playing songs from the 70’s, 80‘s, and 90’s. Boston Beanery will provide the food, and the Uniontown Lion’s Club will be selling raffle tickets for a $100.00 gift certificate donated by Joyce’s Jewelers.

Next week, Black Dog Hollow, a contemporary group will likewise play music from the past three decades. Caileigh’s of Uniontown will be serving up delectable foods and the United Way will take the stage to thank another of Uniontown’s generous retailers for their support of the program.

On July 28^th, High Rider will play to the satisfaction of country western fans. Fittingly, the Stone House Restaurant will supply a hearty meal, and the State Theatre will work their way through the crowds offering a chance to win another fabulous gift.

Every Thursday evening, rain or shine, the performance must go on. In the event of rain, we will move into the State Theatre, so don’t let those clouds deter you. The Fayette County Buy Local campaign and Senior Life are among the major supporters who have contributed to the expenses associated with Storey Square. Please let them know how much you appreciate the support for the community events their dollars provide.

Anyone wishing to donate may do so by sending a check to the Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority at 65 West Main Street Suite 110, Uniontown, PA 15401. Collection containers may be found at several downtown establishments and banks.

Thanks for joining us for a summer of fun and good music.

Speakers at the week-long training include national organizers;  Mike Kruglik, Executive Director of Building One America, Paul Scully, Executive director of the New Jersey Regional Coalition, and Reverend David Casey, Executive Director of BRIDGE, Inc.

Topics to be covered include recognize and defining your self-interest, and how to conduct one to one conversations. Other subjects include public vs. private relationships, issues vs. actions, and power analysis.

Sharpen your skills and learn a new leadership model. The seminar will be held at the National Christian Conference Center in Valley Forge beginning at 7:00 PM on August 14^th and concluding on August 19^th at 4:00 PM. Register early! Applications submitted by August 1^st will receive a discounted rate of $600.00.

For more information, contact Jeff McLaughlin at the Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority 724-438-4289 or Mary Jo Lincoln at 330-853-6263