Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrates 140 years
Mar. 30—WILKES-BARRE — As the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce prepares to celebrate its 140th anniversary, President and CEO Lindsay Griffin-Boylan said the milestone isn't just about the Chamber — it's a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved with the organization's start from the beginning to today.
"As we gear up to celebrate our Chamber's 140th birthday this year, I couldn't be more inspired by how much this community has helped our organization to achieve," Griffin-Boylan said.
The actual historical date of the founding of the Chamber is March 24, 1884.
Beginning in 1884 as the Board of Trade, the Chamber has historically helped this community recover in times of economic downturn, spearheaded revitalization, prioritized economic growth and development projects, and led with innovation to make regional progress.
Today, Griffin-Boylan says "your Chamber" is dedicated to local businesses and organizations of all sizes, to the diversity of our workforce and industrial base, and to the vitality and quality of life in our community, with a mission to innovate, connect, and elevate the Greater Wyoming Valley.
"Our work each day is geared toward business and community advocacy, sustainable workforce development, regional connectivity, and elevating the quality of life in our region," Griffin-Boylan said. "Our businesses, workforce and community are core to who we are and where we stand and that will remain as we move towards our next 140 years."
Griffin-Boylan said the Chamber will highlight its milestone year at all its events, with historical highlights and features throughout the year, and encapsulate this with the Annual Dinner in late fall and the opening of their new building and community space — "Project Elevate" — by the end of 2024 into early 2025.
"This will mark our dedication to staying a committed part of our community through a permanent physical presence in the heart of downtown Wilkes-Barre in our Wyoming Valley, and it will be our home and a regional economic and community development hub to continue to deliver our mission for decades to come," Griffin-Boylan said.
Ahmad Ali, Director of the Chamber of Commerce, said he couldn't be more excited that the Chamber is celebrating its 140th milestone this year.
"To celebrate, we're bringing all that history and excitement to our Annual Dinner in November," Ali said. "Get ready for a celebration that honors our past and sets the stage for an even brighter future, and, in the meantime, we encourage you to get involved with us this year through an upcoming event, program — Chamber Councils — or by exploring our membership options."
Ali said the Chamber team would love to explore how to help your company thrive, as its members and community businesses are at the core of why the Chamber has accomplished so much over the last 140 years.
Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber Timeline
1884: Wilkes-Barre Board of Trade is incorporated.
1911: Board of Trade changes its name, becoming the Chamber of Commerce.
1916: Chamber leads effort to create a Penn State extension engineering night school in Wilkes-Barre — the basis for today's Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus.
1921: To address a postwar housing shortage, the Chamber's Community Housing Corporation develops Commerce Park, a 47-home model housing development in Forty Fort.
1927: Chamber leads successful effort to develop Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort.
1950: Committee of 100 created to address unemployment caused by the decline of the anthracite industry, launches Operation: JOBS, a campaign to attract new businesses to Greater Wilkes-Barre.
1950: Committee of 100 purchases 750 acres in Wright Township and creates the Crestwood Industrial Park, now home to 22 companies and more than 3,000 jobs.
1953: Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund, Inc. launches as revolving fund for industrial development. Of the 3,000 acres ultimately developed by the Industrial Fund, 60% is reclaimed mine land.
1958: Chamber advocates for Keystone Shortway (Interstate 80) and Anthracite Expressway (Interstate 81), which make Wilkes-Barre a highway transportation hub.
1958: Chamber welcomes then-Senator, John. F. Kennedy, as keynote speaker for its 1,000-attendee Annual Dinner. Concurrently, the Industrial Fund launches a $750,000 campaign.
1971: Industrial Fund purchases 350 strip-mined acres in Wilkes-Barre Township and begins reclamation, leading to creation of Highland Park and Exit 168 of Interstate 81.
1972: Following the devastation of the Agnes Flood, the Chamber serves as a primary advocate for the rebuilding of the Wyoming Valley.
1973: Industrial Fund begins development of Hanover Industrial Estates, now home to 63 companies and more than 5,000 jobs.
1981: Chamber leaders form Leadership Wilkes-Barre, an organization committed to developing the region's future leadership.
1983: Committee on Economic Growth is created to market Greater Wilkes-Barre. More than 18,000 people are working today in jobs that can be traced to 210 different CEG-assisted business location or expansion projects from 1986 to 2010.
1985: Chamber presents inaugural ATHENA Award for Women's Business and Community Leadership.
1986: Chamber of Commerce, CEG, and Industrial Fund combine under the umbrella of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Partnership — now known as the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business & Industry.
1990: Chamber creates the Luzerne County Business Incubator Center in Wilkes-Barre which operates until being replaced by the Innovation Center in 2004.
1992: Chamber creates the Corporate Center at East Mountain, now home to 18 companies and more than 4,000 jobs.
1994: Chamber study leads to the rehabilitation of vacant Stegmaier Brewery as a Federal office building.
1995: Chamber purchases and renovates the vacant Pomeroy's Department Store on Public Square, now home to the Chamber, the PA Department of Environmental Protection's regional offices, and LCCC's Wilkes-Barre Center.
1997: Chamber donates 51 acres in Highland Park to Luzerne County Convention Center Authority in order to provide a site for the Civic Arena.
1999: Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena opens to the public.
1999: Chamber provides funding to obtain an American Hockey League franchise, bringing the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to Arena.
2000: Chamber begins development of Hanover Crossings Business Park, attracting anchor tenant CVS Caremark (then Advance PCS).
2001: Chamber leads community effort to develop a revitalization plan for Downtown Wilkes-Barre, and underwrites the establishment of the Diamond City Partnership, Wilkes-Barre's downtown management organization.
2004: Chamber renovates and opens the "Innovation Center" technology incubator in the former Woolworth's store at 7 South Main Street. The Innovation Center has been home to over 16 businesses and more than 180 jobs not including Barnes & Noble.
2005: Development Corporation purchases the Irem Temple for $1 million.
2006: Chamber develops Downtown's 125,000 square foot mixed-use "Northampton & Main" complex, featuring anchor tenant Movies 14, retail space, and 21 loft condominiums.
2006: Chamber brokers development of the Barnes and Noble Wilkes-Kings Bookstore, the first of its kind in higher education.
2009: Chamber joins with its counterparts in Scranton and Hazleton to create the NEPA Venture Partnership to create resources for startup companies.
2011: Hurricane Irene causes devastating flooding in the Wyoming Valley. Chamber establishes the Flood Recovery Fund and Task Force, a regional effort resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars of aid and B2B relief and assistance to affected organizations.
2015: Chamber ATHENA program celebrates 30th anniversary.
2016: Chamber launches Wilkes-Barre Connect. Acting as a catalyst for business development in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Wilkes-Barre Connect formulates strategic partnerships with the academic and business community to spur business and job creation and retention.
2017: Chamber revolutionizes their membership structure to allow for a more customized membership experience to enhance member value.
2020: Chamber responds to the COVID-19 pandemic by working with regional chambers, economic development organizations, and partners to develop a regional resource site, launch a COVID-19 recovery plan, assist in managing and disbursing COVID-19 response funding, and pivoting events and programs to a virtual platform to support the business community
2020: Chamber re-brands the organization and changes its name to its original — the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber, and debuts a new logo, branding, and website.
2021: In partnership with the City of Wilkes-Barre, the Industrial Fund launches The Spark Wilkes-Barre Grant Program to generate economic development activity in our region by facilitating the growth of new companies and relocation of existing businesses to the City of Wilkes-Barre. This program was funded through the City of Wilkes-Barre's American Rescue Plan Act's Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
2022: Wilkes-Barre Connect launches Connect Inclusive to address systemic and historical barriers to entrepreneurship and business growth that individuals from minority communities experience, by providing accessible and inclusive resources specifically tailored to their needs, providing them with all stages of education and technical resources to start-up or continue to grow their business.
2022: Wilkes-Barre Connect launches Connect Inclusive to address systemic and historical barriers to entrepreneurship and business growth that individuals from minority communities experience, by providing accessible and inclusive resources specifically tailored to their needs, providing them with all stages of education and technical resources to start-up or continue to grow their business.
2023: The Chamber announces the purchase of a 6,965 square-foot building located at 35 E. Northampton Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701. Through Project Elevate, the building will be fully renovated and will serve as the organization's physical location in the heart of the Wyoming Valley. The building will be a launching pad for the re-imagined, post-COVID, economic, and social revitalization of northeastern Pennsylvania, as part of Project Elevate. This accessible location will allow businesses and community members to gain access to resources in a collaborative setting while also being a part of the revitalization efforts in downtown Wilkes-Barre. This project was funded through a FY22 Congressional Community Project Award and a RACP Award.
2023: Chamber launches Luzerne Learns to Work (LLW). LLW is a program that gives 11th and 12th grade Luzerne County students the power to explore potential career pathways through free access to LinkedIn Learning video courses, Metrix Learning video courses, Luzerne County Library courses, several local workforce and career development tools, and work-based learning experiences with local companies.
2023: Chamber assists in launching the Small Business Sustainability Grant Program, along with the Greater Pittston and Greater Hazleton Chambers, to help mitigate the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses, keep their doors open, protect local jobs, support community economic recovery, and increase resiliency across Luzerne County. This program was made possible by is made possible through federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds.
A message from president/CEO Lindsay Griffin-Boylan:
The Greater Wyoming Valley is my home, and I hope that if you are reading this, it is already yours or will soon become yours.
Whether you are looking to become connected within the community, are relocating your home and family, or are looking to establish a business here in the Valley, we have a wonderful story to tell with a future that is bright and strong.
The Wyoming Valley's manufacturing, arts and entertainment, and health care sectors, coupled with a solid foundation of higher education institutions and a growing visitor base, make our community vibrant and progressive.
With year-round recreation and entertainment, residents and visitors enjoy skiing, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, golfing, casino gaming, arena sports, and local parks, trails, forests, streams, and lakes.
In addition, proximity to the interstates has also helped make Northeastern Pennsylvania a destination point and a distribution center for industry. Our region is located 120 miles from New York on the East and Philadelphia to our South and within a four-hour drive from Boston to the North and Washington to the South.
While challenges remain, those challenges also offer opportunity, and, coupled with its existing assets, our business dynamic has the capacity to revitalize, grow, and sustain. This growth has been seen over the past few years and we are proud to be the home of several world class businesses right here in our backyard, both large and small.
As we move into 2024, we will continue to provide information, resources, and innovative ways to not just survive the challenges of the past few years, but to thrive, as we build a stronger and more resilient re-imagined future.
My journey with the Chamber began eight years ago, and, through those years, I have had the amazing opportunity to learn, grow, and now go into my third year of leadership at an organization and within a community that I am deeply passionate about.
We encourage you to get involved with our networks and various committees and to take a seat at the table alongside of us.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle
