Dec 21, 2015 3 min read

Jason and Laura Koon relocated to the Mon Valley nearly a year ago from Seattle, Wash., where they owned a successful construction company.

This past summer, Jason, who was drawn to the old and historic homes in the Mon Valley, opened Steel Dog Construction, a full-service general contracting company that focuses on residential and commercial restoration.

The Charleroi company received a boost last week when it was selected as one of three Mon Valley businesses to win $10,000 each from the SMAART Business Plan Contest.

Full Armor Fitness of Charleroi and Chaney’s Natural of Monongahela also won.

The Mon River Town Program, in partnership with the National Road Heritage Program and its River Town Coalition, announced the winners.

The purpose of the financial award is to help small companies grow their businesses.

The SMAART Business Advisory Council judged applications on their relevance to the economic development of river towns, viability of the business idea and economic impact on the region.

Full Armor Fitness, owned by Samuel Sokol of Charleroi, is a gym that promotes a healthy lifestyle for young professionals, students, families and seniors.

Sokol started the business Dec. 5 and is using the award to operate the gym 24 hours a day, seven days a week and to purchase additional equipment.

“I’m pretty pumped,” said Sokol. “I can engage a lot wider audience being open 24/7. In the Mon Valley, there are a lot of people with blue-collar jobs with varying shifts, and they might only be able to work out at 1 or 2 a.m., so anyone with a difficult schedule can get to the gym whenever they can.”

Chaney’s Natural is a salon and spa that offers services and products including massages, aromatherapy, nails, weight management and herbal supplements.

Owner Tanya Chaney said she applied for the award in order to expand staff, inventory and web presence.

“I was excited to be selected. I think this is going to be great for my business because we’ll be able to add additional services,” said Chaney.

The business owners also attended a seminar or workshops led by business coaching professionals, who provided information on how to improve their businesses.

An awards ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 14 following a meeting of Mon River Valley Coalition at California University of Pennsylvania, Kara Alumni House, 611 Second St.

The Entrepreneurial Business Contest was made possible through a grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.