Hospitality Industry Serves up Happy Valley

Every day in the kitchens of local restaurants, chefs and cooks sharpen their knives and serve up creations that make life that much tastier for those who work and play in Centre County. In hotels, concierges greet the growing number of people who come to stay and see what this area has to offer, all year long. In the establishments that are part of the fabric of this town, servers greet customers with a smile, and bartenders shake and stir specialty drinks made with an ever-increasing number of local products.

Yep, these folks and others who work in the hospitality industry are a big part of what makes Happy Valley, well, such a happy place to live and visit.

Before the pandemic, these hard-working people were often overlooked and underappreciated. A change in that attitude came for some when we were all forced to live without their services for a while during lockdown periods. Many of us came to a greater appreciation of all that hospitality workers do to make life special in Happy Valley. 

During that time, the service industry found inventive new ways to serve the public while staying at work during an uncertain time. 

Now, as we move into a world that seems to have learned to live with the coronavirus, the hospitality industry is booming again. But that boom comes as many hotels, restaurants, and bars are still working to recover from impacts of the pandemic. Many remain short staffed even as the world clamors to go out again. So, while waiting a little longer for a table or a drink, remember that folks in the hospitality industry are doing their best to serve up the best of our region.

The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau is working to help people in the area get know the many faces of the hospitality industry a little better in the blog series Happy Valley Hospitality. 

“Hospitality employees at all levels are front-line ambassadors to those who visit and live in Happy Valley. The HVAB invites our visitors and our community to get to know the people working hard to provide the best possible dining, lodging, and entertainment experiences, and to appreciate their efforts,” says HVAB President and CEO Fritz Smith.

With so many hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and entertainment venues, along with the impact of Penn State, hospitality in Centre County has a big pull, bringing in workers from around the area.

“Centre County businesses attract workers from a 16-county region. Many of our hospitality businesses provide employment not only for Centre County residents, but for those in the adjoining counties as well. Additionally, when there are events that sell out our hotels, like home football games, the overflow business goes to hotels in surrounding counties, generating economic impact,” says Smith.

Prior to COVID-19, the hospitality industry generated nearly $824 million in annual visitor spending in Centre County. All that tourism money helped generate, and sustain, jobs.

Now that we have finally recovered, Smith says, it is time for the hospitality industry to go into growth mode. 

“Visitor spending over the past 12 months is running 23 percent ahead of 2019. Hotel room revenue is at record levels, despite our inventory being down 13 percent. We are aiming to reach $1 billion in travel expenditures in the very near future. We want to see Centre County in the top 10 Pennsylvania counties for visitor spending. We are at No. 16 now. We are aiming as high as No. 8,” says Smith.

Even during the pandemic, entrepreneurs have been opening new restaurants, breweries, and agritourism businesses.

The uncertainty of the pandemic didn’t stop Megan Marcaurell-Jones and her husband, Cody, from moving to Bellefonte to open The Republic inside the renovated Gamble Mill in 2021. Marcaurell-Jones says in HVAB’s Happy Valley Hospitality blog that setting up shop in the historic mill has been “so rewarding.”

“We have truly enjoyed getting to know the community of other small-business owners and love living in this area,” says Marcaurell-Jones.

The Republic is just one example of what makes this area so special. “These businesses appeal to visitors and contribute to a great quality of life for our residents,” says Smith. That high quality of life also helps attract people in the service industry to the area.

“There are a lot of opportunities here. Happy Valley is also a special place to many—an area that offers an exceptional quality of life. We have some very talented people whose hospitality journeys initially took them away from Happy Valley, only to return. Others are making a mark in the industry after finding their way here,” says Smith. 

It is that kind of opportunity that 19-year-old Mike Houser is looking for in his career. Houser started in the hospitality industry at 14, working for HFL Corporation, whose portfolio includes Sleep Inn and Comfort Suites in State College. Today, he works full-time at Comfort Suites and also is a full-time student at South Hills School of Business & Technology, majoring in business management and marketing.

“In the future, I see myself in a sales and management role, either in the hospitality industry or somewhere else that fits me. And I definitely want to stick around Happy Valley, as the overall environment is like no other. The area is amazing with all of the small businesses, local restaurants, and of course the diverse Penn State student atmosphere,” Houser tells HVAB.

In Bellefonte, tasting-room manager Lucy Rogers has been a part of Big Spring Spirits since the day it opened eight years ago. Her life in the hospitality industry has taken her all over the country. She says to HVAB that after moving to the area in 2003, she has seen her career move forward. 

“Before I came to Happy Valley, all of my steps were kind of lateral,” she says. “There’s been a lot of evolution here for me, and it’s been really nice learning.”

Still, even though this area is a great destination with lots of opportunity, all around town you can see the signs: “Help wanted.” Some restaurants in the heart of town, like Cozy Thai, and on the outskirts, like the Port Matilda Hotel, have had to close dining areas at times and only offer to-go orders because they just didn’t have enough staff to operate at normal capacity.

“We still have more than 400 open and unfilled hospitality jobs in Centre County. While that is an improvement from the 1,600 jobs lost during the pandemic, it still presents a challenge. Some of our establishments are turning business away because they do not have enough workers to meet the demand,” says Smith.

The lack of affordable housing in the area needs to be addressed in order to close that employment gap, says Smith. 

“We also need to get both political parties to re-think our immigration policy. Our visa programs that allow international workers in for a specified period of time need to be expanded,” says Smith.

At State College Area High School Career and Technical Center, culinary arts instructor Zach Lorber is helping to grow the next generation of service workers in Happy Valley.

“While working at Penn State, I was invited to join the occupational advisory committee at State High, and that led to my jump from full-time chef to full-time teacher. I love teaching. The hospitality industry taught me so much, coming up, and I want to help keep the industry vibrant and develop the next generation of professionals and leaders,” Lorber tells HVAB. “Not all of our students will go on to become professional chefs, but many will continue into another area of the hospitality industry,” he says. “Every student will learn a ton of transferable skills and be able to care and cook for themselves and their families.”

In the meantime, Smith says, “We encourage people looking for a career change or part-time work to consider hospitality. It is an industry that can take you as far as you want to go, and that can help develop skill sets that translate into any career field. I really believe we are entering a time of great promise for the community in terms of growing the visitation economy. That makes now an excellent time to become part of Happy Valley hospitality.” T&G

Vincent Corso is a staff writer for Town&Gown and The Centre County Gazette.