Seton Hill students target Greensburg's empty storefronts as part of regional initiative

If Greensburg eventually finds a way to fill vacant storefronts in downtown, the city may have three Seton Hill students to thank.

Jake Starek, 20, of Harrison City is one of the trio at Seton Hill University participating in an initiative designed to study the potential for a health care education corridor in Greensburg.

As part of their research, Starek, Sarah Gilliam and Trifol Headman have been considering options for filling empty buildings in downtown Greensburg.

The goal, Starek said, is to “bring more people to live and work in Greensburg to make it more prospering.”

Seton Hill was selected to participate in the Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative for the first time this fall. The university was one of three selected in Pennsylvania, along with Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh. There were 13 institutions selected in all.

Starek, a junior majoring in communications; Gilliam, a senior majoring in business administration; and Headman, a sophomore majoring pre-law/political science, will collaborate with the Greensburg Community Development Corp. and other economic development agencies on the project.

Faculty sponsor Lyzona Marshall, director of the Wukich Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunities and assistant professor of business and entrepreneurship, is helping to lead the initiative.

The students are enrolled in a for-credit academic course to design and lead research projects in Appalachian communities to address regional challenges.

Starek said he has looked at other co-working spaces to compare pricing and talked to people in the community to see what they think would be useful. Specifically, he is working on a business report addressing how the former PNC Bank building on Main Street could become a co-working space or private offices to foster collaboration.

“We’re just hoping it kind of just generates more ideas through … the decision-­makers and to kind of give them … a good idea of, ‘Hey, you know, this would be something really cool,’ ” Starek said.

He emphasized attracting more college students to the city as well, with the possibility of adding attractive, community-based elements, such as more coffee or tea shops.

Following the coursework, students will travel and present their work to other student delegations, Appalachian Regional Commission leadership and community leaders.

On Tuesday, the students will present it at the Greensburg Development Conference. At the beginning of December, they will travel to Washington, D.C., to present at the Appalachian Regional Commission’s conference as a culmination of the internship experience.

Through the internship, Marshall said, the students learn what it takes to run and plan a city such as Greensburg.

“What we’re hoping is that community leaders and other stakeholders will look at this information to see (the student) perspective,” Marshall said. “We want (students) to see this as a future place for them.”

Marshall said the Wukich Center focuses on industries such as tourism, health care and real estate at the center of community engagement, through an entrepreneurial lens.

“We’re looking at what type of businesses or entrepreneurial opportunities will spin out of the work that we’re doing here,” she said.

She hopes the center will continue to look at things from a perspective of longevity, as well as strategize to see how Seton Hill has a part in making Greensburg a “vital place.”

“This is bigger than what we can do alone,” Marshall said.

Career-driven

Alec Italiano is executive director of the Greensburg Community Development Corp. He said he couldn’t have asked for better students to be interning with the nonprofit.

“They’re all very career-driven and focused,” Italiano said.

He said he believes there is momentum in Greensburg, giving the students the perfect opportunity to “take their project and roll with it,” especially during their upcoming presentation.

“I just think it’s a great example of how Seton Hill is partnering with Greensburg-based organizations and really truly being a part of the community,” Italiano said.

Starek said his favorite part of the internship has been meeting people because he gets the chance to see what they’d like the future of Greensburg to look like, as well as gather career advice.

“It’s really good experience for me to see where I want to take my career after this,” Starek said.

Though he’s not sure where he’d like to go for graduate school, the experience has influenced his career path, he said, as he possibly wants to get a degree in community development.

“But I know whatever I do, I want to be in a community helping to try to better that community as much as I can,” Starek said.

The university is looking forward to applying to the grant again in the future so there’s an “opportunity to continue this work,” Marshall said.

“No matter what their major is,” Marshall said, “these are lifelong skills that will help them to be better people — better leaders.”