The Complete Guide to Startup Resources in Cambria County

Are you dreaming of opening your own business, but don’t know how to get started or what it will take to succeed? Here’s our reference guide full of resources and tips to help you turn your dream into a reality.

CambriaCounty.com asked some of our area’s business leaders which obstacles stood out to them the most from their startup phase. We’ve compiled a list of resources to help other entrepreneurs facing those same obstacles.

I. YOU DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TO DO IT ALONE

So you’ve got a great idea, and you’re confident you can set yourself apart from the competition. Your adrenaline is pumping, you’ve run the idea by ten friends (they all love it). All that may separate you now from achieving your dreams could be: funding, location, time, resources, know-how, business plan, and scaling a legitimate business! While we can’t necessarily buy you time, we’ve tried to save you some by putting all of Cambria County’s helpful business resources here in one place.

The chances are that the business owners you plan to emulate had a mentor and someone advocating for them at crucial moments during the business development process. Our area offers a wide variety of resources for entrepreneurs looking to startup, and many of these resources are also available to established businesses looking to expand.

We spoke with Don Bonk, an economic consultant from Carnegie Mellon and an active contributor to the Cambria County business community. While Bonk believes having a marketable concept is essential, he says “new business owners need to find influential people to advocate for them” during this critical stage. By seeking guidance from mentors and meeting with other business owners, entrepreneurs increase the chances of finding someone in a position of influence who can help get them on the map.

Where can new business owners find such champions and mentors? Of course, relying on your existing contacts is useful. But there are other ways to make new contacts or rekindle old business relationships.

Networking Groups

Cambria County has an active and affordable Chamber of Commerce. They have regular events, are active on social media, and send out a monthly newsletter. They’re also directly partnered with Vision 2025, Visit Johnstown, and other groups making a difference in the county.

Sometimes small “think tank” groups are what you need when you have a burning question or are looking to brainstorm with peers. The free monthly Entrepreneurial Alchemy Johnstown Region Startup Meeting at UPJ coordinated by Don Bonk and Problem Solutions’ owner Mike Hruska is just that. Guest speakers often attend, such as new startups and funding options.

If you’re part of a volunteer or service organization or plan to be, these are rewarding ways to make the community a better place. They can also offer an opportunity to sponsor an event, team, or speak in front of a group. There are many organizations in Cambria county that you may already be a part of or be interested in joining.

Social Media

Leverage existing contacts on social media or reach out to contacts of your friends (even better if you ask for an introduction first) on LinkedIn or Twitter. Are you already receiving an e-newsletter or social media content from someone you value? Contact them to tell them you appreciate their work and ask for advice or any contacts you should meet. Everyone enjoys a pat on the back, and they might return the favor.

Online Content

If not in-person, hands-on training isn’t an option at times, you can learn just about anything online.

Bonk recommended SCORE, America’s largest network of volunteer small business mentors. You can request a free mentor from their website, and they have all kinds of helpful content for business owners.

There are also tutorials, ted talks, and online content, both free and paid for just about anything if you have the desire to track it down. If at 11 pm on Sunday, you realize that you don’t know the first thing about how your 8 am customer’s product works, rest assured there’s a video or pdf somewhere online about it.

This dilemma brings us to our next obstacle.

II. GET HELP WITH PLANNING UPFRONT

The Cambria county area has plenty of resources for startups and existing businesses that need assistance in the planning process. New business owners don’t know what they don’t know until sometimes it’s too late. What might too late mean? Maybe you’ve hit the market with a disruptive product and a catchy marketing campaign and end up with too many orders to fill and lack the time and resources to fill them. Or perhaps you have a good product, but you’ve entered a saturated market way over budget, and it’s too late to turn back.

When you connect with people who have experience working with businesses like yours, you can lean on their knowledge and connections during the crucial startup process.

What kind of resources does our area have to guide you?

Business Incubators

Incubators are initiatives explicitly created to help startups and entrepreneurs grow, often but not always associated with schools or government entities. They can assist with filing paperwork, developing business plans, market research, workspace, acquiring funds; you name it. Some business incubators specialize in specific industries, and others are generalists.

Don Bonk suggests you cast a wide net and contact multiple incubators before moving forward. His goal for any new business is to find a representative who believes in you and with whom you feel comfortable working. If that person is not at the first place you contact, try others until you find the one that’s the right fit. Here are some of the incubators in our area.

Johnstown Area Regional Industries (JARI)

Linda Thomson, JARI’s CEO, provided us with a detailed account of the 40-year-old nonprofit’s ability to assist startups and existing businesses within the Cambria county area. JARI’s approach is to provide business owners with a personal entrepreneur coach, a local business owner who has experience navigating the area’s unique challenges. Blake Fleegle, the owner of two successful area movie theaters, is the Cambria County coach. Fleegle helps entrepreneurs create a business plan, identify ideal customers, complete paperwork, and do other necessary steps.

One valuable benefit to JARI is that besides comprehensive loan consultation, they can also provide microloans up to $50k to their entrepreneurs. Additionally, as part of the Alleghenies Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, if there is anything that JARI cannot offer to their entrepreneurs, they will use their network to find it.

Learn more about the coaching process, or contact Blake Fleegle here if you want to get started.

University of St Francis Small Business Development Center

Located in Loretto, the Saint Francis University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a convenient option for Cambria county startups and established organizations looking to expand.

Their experienced professional consultants assist with startup procedures, business plan development, cash flow analysis, and financial proposals. While they are not a direct lender, they provide guidance on which federal, state, and local loan programs will work best for the business owners. And yes, they offer essential market research and marketing assistance.

Check here for some of SBDC’s success stories and apply here.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners CNP (Tech and Manufacturers)

As the region’s largest early-stage investor, Ben Franklin Technology Partners CNP provides technology and manufacturing startups with funding and business support services, including their 10-week TechCelator startup boot camp in State College. Jose Otero, BFTP’s portfolio manager for the Southern Alleghenies, explained that the TechCelerator provides participants access to an e-learning center, marketing materials, legal and accounting advice, and more. As part of the 10-week program, participants receive one-on-one mentoring from Ben Franklin’s Transformation Business Services Network, the division that BFTP uses to direct their new investments.

Participating in the TechCelerator comes with the added benefit of potential prize money. At the culmination of the boot camp, a panel of local professionals awards either 1 or 2 winners $10,000 at “Pitch Night.” Previous winners include area custom footwear company Mark Albert boots.

BFP also hosts a “Big Idea” contest in which it distributes a total of $50k in prize money. Otero stated, “Big Idea participants should have less than $1m in yearly revenue but have market traction. No guarantees, but these are companies that Ben Franklin is more than likely willing to invest in.” The deadline for this year’s contest is April 18, 2022.

If you are with a tech or manufacturing company and would like to start the application process or are interested in a contest, you can contact Jose Otero here or call him at 814-525-3283.

Intuit Small Business Success Center

Intrignia’s Mike Artim and Sourceree’s Dan Parisi talked to us about two more opportunities coming to Cambria county in 2022.

Fortune 500 tech giant Intuit is bringing a Small Business Success Center to the Park Center

building in downtown Johnstown as part of their Intuit Prosperity Hub Program. This program empowers local economies by creating job opportunities, preparing students for jobs of the future, and supporting local businesses in areas of our country that need it the most. As of late January 2022, Intuit had invested $250,000 in upgrades, furnishings, technology, and other resources necessary to support small businesses and entrepreneurs using the space. The Success Center will provide local entrepreneurs with co-working spaces and training by Intuit’s expert staff. They expect to open their doors in Q2 2022.

Contact Mike Artim if you’d like to learn more about the center.

Sourceree R&D (anticipated Q2 2022)

Sourceree, an innovative high-tech government contractor, will open up a subsidiary company called Sourceree R&D in the same building. Sourceree R&D is a nonprofit incubator and venture capital firm that will match startups with fresh ideas, new revenue streams, and active social media presence with legacy companies that have cash, a loyal customer base, and collateral. It’s a nonprofit business matchmaking program focused on building disruptive startups in growing rural markets like ours.

Companies will participate in a comprehensive six-month accelerator program conducted by Sourceree, culminating in angel investment. This accelerator program includes unique benefits such as free housing, an electric vehicle, memberships at local resorts, and more. After the accelerator, the legacy companies invest in the startups, and the multi-year incubation partnership begins. Both companies will benefit from each other’s strengths during the incubation period. One of Sourceree’s primary goals is for the startups to bring and keep jobs in the area at the end of the partnership period.

Parisi was clear that Sourceree R&D pairings will be resource-specific rather than industry-specific, so they’ll be looking at a wide range of applicants. Contact Dan Parisi if you’re interested in learning more about joining their Legacy Network or becoming one of their startups.

III. GET ADEQUATE FUNDING

You can’t get off the ground without adequate funding. Without mounds of cash available, you’ll need to seek outside financing, and there are plenty of grants, loans, and investors available in the area to assist. Some of the resources we’ve discussed offer funding as part of their package.

Here are some of the funding options in the Cambria County area.

Banks

A long-term, low-interest SBA (Small Business Association) loan might be a fit for you if you need your money for a wide variety of purposes. Term loans, business lines of credit, equipment loans, factoring, and credit cards are all options that might fit as well. Many banks in the area offer some or all of these options, including Somerset Trust, Ameriserv, First Commonwealth, 1st Summit, Northwest Bank, S&T Bank, and First National. It may be worth having a detailed conversation with a representative in your bank’s commercial lending department to see if any of these funding tools are a match for you.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners CNP (Tech and Manufacturing)

Ben Franklin invests in tech-based startups and small manufacturers developing innovative products or processes. For tech startups, Ben Franklin provides yearly cash infusions totaling up to $500,000, and manufacturers can qualify for a one-time investment of up to $250,000. After funding their startups, they bring them into their expert Transformation Business Services Network program to provide marketing, HR, accounting, strategic planning, and more. Otero said, “We work with companies from ideation all the way to legacy companies. We invest in innovation.” Contact Jose Otero if you’d like more information.

Community Foundation for the Alleghenies

Over the last 30 years, Johnstown’s Community Foundation for the Alleghenies has distributed over $15 million in grants and $665k in scholarships. They’ve partnered with their many donors to create a wide variety of funds, and there may well be one that fits your cause. Contact Donor and Development Services officer Katrina Perkosky if you see one on their site that matches your business or if you have any additional questions.

JARI

In addition to providing businesses with an entrepreneur coach, JARI can assist with funding. They provided 2.8 million in funds to over 284 companies in 2020 alone. They can offer direct loans through their microloan program and their Growth Fund. Follow the links to see if your business qualifies for either or both of these loans. Contact Michele Clapper at 814-262-8368 with questions about your eligibility for these loans.

1889 Foundation (For Tax Exempt Organizations)

Dating back to 1993, the 1889 Foundation was the philanthropic arm of Johnstown’s Conemaugh’s Health System. After Duke LifePoint purchased Conemaugh, the Foundation split off into a nonprofit organization that provides grants to organizations that improve the health and well-being of the citizens of Cambria and Somerset counties. They are particularly interested in initiatives that involve multiple organizations working together for the common good of the area.

Keep in mind that their focus is on tax-exempt organizations only. Here is more information on their grant policies.

The Progress Fund (Tourism and Food Industry)

There are niche lenders out there, and the Progress Fund is one of them. Lending from $5,000- $1m+, the Progress Fund is a nonprofit that primarily specializes in tourism and food-related businesses. They provide business coaching to their borrowers as well, which is helpful. In many cases, it makes sense to select specialty lenders who understand the challenges of your industry for specialty businesses. If funding sources you have approached have bright-line rules against your industry or the person you’re speaking with does not seem confident in your business, specialty lenders like The Progress Fund may be your best route.

You can contact the staff here or inquire here.

Angel Investors

Angel investors are wealthy private investors that invest in small businesses in exchange for equity in your company. You can find angel investors on the PA Angel Network, or you can look in your backyard at the Alleghenies Angel Fund. We spoke with Tyler Trimbath, one of the leadership team members, to learn more about what they look for in their entrepreneurs. Trimbath said, “We’re agnostic as far as where we put our investment dollars,” discussing everything from a home inspector training company to a snowboard manufacturer. For more information, you can contact Tyler Trimbath at 814-312-7529 and get your application process started here.

Sourceree R&D

As part of their six-month accelerator program, angel investment is made into your business. Contact Dan Parisi for more information about their program, coming Q2 2022.

Takeaways

Making key business contacts, upfront planning, and maintaining sufficient funding throughout the startup phase are some of the top challenges entrepreneurs run into. If you’re an entrepreneur facing these obstacles, feel free to reach out to any of the resources in this article. Let us know how it goes!

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