STATE COLLEGE — After hitting major milestones in 2024, the Chamber of Business and Industry Centre County, an organization dedicated to driving economic development, supporting businesses and fostering a thriving community in Centre County, is now setting its sights on reaching new goals in 2025.
“At the start of 2024, CBICC staff and our board of directors laid out the goals we hoped to accomplish over the course of the year,” Greg Scott, CBICC president and CEO, shared. “Two of the most notable were to continue providing excellent services and support to our members and to the business community in Centre County as a whole, and to significantly advance economic development in the region through targeted efforts and leadership.”
At the end of 2024, CBICC’s membership included 743 organizations which, as Scott shared, is comprised of “leading organizations in higher education, local government, health care, emerging technologies and all other corners of our community.”
“Our members create a vibrant, sustainable network of over 80,000 engaged professionals working to make an impact in our region,” Scott added.
In 2024, CBICC unveiled a new Centre County Economic Development Strategic Plan, “comprehensive, collaborative plan representing the county’s shared vision for economic growth, resilience and sustainability,” according to the plan’s web platform, centrecountyforward.com.
“Launching Centre County’s Economic Development Strategy stands out as something that had significant impact on our community in 2024 and will continue to do so in the years to come. CBICC acted as a convener of and liaison between the many organizations involved, but the entire community has been involved from the early development stages all the way through to launch and now implementation,” Scott shared.
“This is important because the benefits of building and diversifying our economy through the many goals set forth in the strategy will extend beyond the CBICC member network, beyond the Centre County business community, improving every aspect of life in our region — everything from the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem to our outdoor recreation industry will benefit from targeted economic development planning.”
Additionally, through CBICC’s Revolving Loan Fund five local businesses were given funding for business growth in 2024. The RLF has been available to the community for 22 years, over which, CBICC noted that 34 businesses have been given support and $6 million in funding, plus another $30 million in leveraged financing, has been allocated to local businesses.
And while CBICC had multiple other notable moments in 2024, the chamber is now setting its sights on new goals in 2025.
“Our goals for 2025 center around continuing the good work that was done in 2024,” Scott said. “We aim to continue supporting our vast membership through community engagement, strategic partnerships and dynamic events. We also have some work to do toward the goals we laid out in Centre County’s Economic Development Strategy and we will be laser-focused on those with the support of key players in the business community.”
In 2025, CBICC will work with Ben Franklin Technology Partners of North and Central PA and SEDA-COG to develop the sensor technology industry in Centre County — a key goal of the Centre County’s Economic Development Strategy.
The organization also plans to host community career fairs, public roundtables on relevant projects and discussions in the area and its networking series, Networking in the Valleys, in partnership with the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau.
While CBICC hosts multiple member-exclusive events and offerings throughout the year, Scott noted that the community is welcome to “come to [CBICC] events, make connections and learn more about our community’s focus on forward motion and improvement.”
“The work we are doing to support businesses in Centre County through advocacy, connections and economic development is not just limited to CBICC members,” Scott emphasized. “While we do invest a great deal in membership experience and benefits, investing in Centre County’s business ecosystem and building a thriving economy will impact everyone who lives, works and plays in Centre County — whether they are a CBICC member or not.”
