PART ONE – Summer is make-or-break time for many of the small businesses in our towns, along the trails, and in the city’s most festive neighborhoods. This summer, many entrepreneurs are thinking big. For the next six weeks, The Progress Fund – which has helped 311 businesses over 21 years – is going to take you into the heat of an entrepreneurial summer.
Borrower Stories
Years in the making
Gavin Archer and Dee Stephen, both trained archeologists and avid cyclists, wanted to create a business in Pennsylvania that incorporated the sport that they love.
Worn out by popular demand
Tommy Medley and Amber Kunselman never predicted that customers would beat a path to their pastry cases. “I thought: We’re a little coffee shop in Greensburg, we won’t be that busy,” Tommy recounts.
Pittsburgh’s first hostel opens Easter Sunday, April 1st
Pittsburgh natives, Paul Kletter and Mary Beth Karabinos, are opening South Side Traveler’s Rest, with help from The Progress Fund.
From coal towns to trail towns: rebuilding Appalachia
The Allegheny Front dug into our impact along the trail towns— and the stories of the lives it changed. Like Rod Darby, who had a great idea, but hit a snag when banks “weren’t sure about […] Continue Reading
Three cheers for the winners!
A well-crafted plan for economic development Local favorites, Butler Brew Works and Straub Brewery brought home the Gold this week from the 2017 U.S. Open Beer Championship amongst international competition. Butler Brew Works in Butler […] Continue Reading
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