Mon Valley Alliance pledges unity
Mon Valley Alliance Chairman John Easoz and Trish Brickner, administrator of CareerLink in Donora Industrial Park, converse during the MVA launch party Thursday.
BELLE VERNON – Seven weeks after conception, Mon Valley Alliance has arrived.
The consolidation of two venerable economic development groups became official Thursday at a “launch party” at the most opulent of birthing suites, the Willow Room in Rostraver Township. About 280 guests attended the soiree, which celebrated the merger of Middle Monongahela Industrial Development Association and Mon Valley Progress Council, entities dating to the mid-1960s.
Mission statements, objectives, introductions, awards and visual unveilings dominated the hourlong event, which crystallized details of the merger announced March 24.
Unity is MVA’s backbone.
“These were both healthy organizations, but there was a need to be more efficient and to do things better,” John Easoz, chairman of MVA board of directors, said in his opening remarks.
“We’ve joined leaders from both, and we’re here now in a united effort for the greater good of the Mon Valley.”
Vice Chairman John LaCarte echoed those sentiments.
“It’s about a louder voice,” he said. “We can promote assets in the region more effectively together than apart.”
The group’s snappy logo, introduced Thursday, attests to that. Under the large blue letters MVA, it states: “Mon Valley Alliance” and “Building Our Future Together.”
LaCarte touted the importance of large-scale, long-term projects such as completion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway.
Yet, he stressed that smaller undertakings, which create jobs and energize communities, also are vital.
“We have to stay focused on long-term projects, but there is a lot of down time with them,” he said.
“You can fill spaces with smaller projects that take six, 12, 18 months. We’ve had a lot of home run projects over the past 50 years, but if we can get singles, we can do so much.”
Easoz and LaCarte are the top officers of the unpaid 15-member board, and linchpins of the consolidation. They started discussing a merger two years ago, an initiative that gained momentum.
“John and I are different people, but we are synergetic,” Easoz said.
Ten members have been selected, and all were introduced Thursday. Mike Thornton, the treasurer, and Tim Urda, the secretary, are the other officers on a board that also features Bob Burke, Bill Lee, Ed Mendola, Randy Patterson, Louis Quarto and John Swallow.
The remaining five members will be named after a CEO is appointed July 1.
MVA also honored an agency and two longtime local legislators.
Bob Irey presented the Frank Irey Jr. Join in Progress Award – named after his father – to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for announcing in October it will resume planning and design for the Mon Valley Expressway.
Retiring Democratic Reps. Pete Daley and Ted Harhai were praised for their collective 53 years in Harrisburg. Daley, of California, was there 34 years, and Harhai, of Monessen, 19.
A slickly made video, with scenes from throughout the Valley, was shown near the end of the program. It was brief, only a minute and six seconds, but appealing, a series of shots taken from a drone 40 feet up.
LaCarte, who grew up in Charleroi and is president of Model Cleaners, watched the video again and talked about “the opportunity and potential” that exist in the Mon Valley.
“When our ancestors came here,” he said, “we had assets like rivers, railroads and coal. The assets have changed. They’re not coal, but education and health care, infrastructure. We have bridges, highways and an abundance of water, an abundance of energy. We have industries, and the great thing is they’re diversified. They’re creating jobs, and many are headquartered here.
“A key asset to be successful is the people in this room. We need your energy and ideas. We love what you are doing.
“We also need every one of our communities to work together, not individually.”
Another pledge of unity.