The Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County (CBICC) is teaming with Success With Honor – the preferred NIL collective of Penn State athletics – on an exciting and groundbreaking platform that will harness the power of Penn State’s student-athlete influencers and connect them with businesses and organizations looking to boost their brand, promote their products or fire up their next event.
 
The strategic partnership follows last year’s decision by the NCAA to allow the nation’s student athletes – across all divisions and sports – to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) through endorsement deals, public appearances, social-media campaigns, sponsorships, and more.
 
“The CBICC believes it is vital to support and elevate NIL-outreach efforts on behalf of Penn State’s student athletes,” said CBICC President and CEO Greg Scott. “The university is Centre County’s top employer and driver of the local economy – when Penn State succeeds, we all succeed.”
 
Success With Honor (SWH), a not-for-profit organization formed by a group of notable Penn State alumni, works with all 850 Penn State student athletes in 31 sports to help them navigate and maximize their NIL opportunities while maintaining a commitment to excellence in their academic and athletic careers. All monies that come into SWH in excess of expenses are paid to the student athletes to maximize their opportunities.
 
Jason Belzer, CEO of Student Athlete NIL, manages the day-to-day operations of SWH, including fielding requests from brands and individuals looking to partner with Penn State student athletes.
 
“Penn State is looking to NIL to help the university compete at the level it has always competed on, but the university also wants to make sure its student athletes are engaging in NIL activities
the Penn State way – with quality, integrity and honesty,” said Belzer. “Success With Honor strives to set the national standard of NIL excellence.”
 
The CBICC and SWH have designed a tiered-NIL subscription model to help businesses and organizations reach audiences through social medial promotion, in-person appearances, commercial endorsements, and much more. The subscriptions provide unparalleled access to Penn State’s student athletes and allow easy and flexible collaboration on a wide variety of marketing opportunities. A dedicated SWH representative works directly with participating businesses to determine athlete selection and availability, endorsement content, and other benefit fulfillment and customer-service needs.
 
The program launches with multiple Centre County and Pennsylvania businesses on board, including Geisinger and Snap Custom Pizza. As early adopters of the platform at the highest tier, the businesses now have the designation of “Official Health Care Network” and “Official Pizza Restaurant Chain” of Success With Honor and will have the opportunity to offer their target audiences exclusive opportunities to engage with their organizations.
 
“Strong Penn State athletic programs support stronger Pennsylvania economies and communities,” Don Stanziano, Geisinger’s chief marketing officer, said. “Geisinger is happy to support our communities, Penn State and its student athletes in this innovative program.”
 
Since launching in March of 2022, SWH has generated more than $500,000 in NIL opportunities for more than 150 Penn State student athletes across 22 different teams.
 
For more information on CBICC-SWH business subscriptions, contact the CBICC at 814-234-1829 or register for a virtual information session on Sept. 22 from Noon to 1 p.m. at www.cbicc.org or visit https://successwithhonor.com/business-subscription/
 

Congratulations to Dr. Cat Radtke and her team as they celebrated the grand opening of Abington Equine Hospital's new surgical facility in Patton Township.

Abington Equine Hospital provides the growing equestrian community in central Pennsylvania with immediate access to state-of-the art, life-saving surgical and medical procedures and treatments.

“We’re going to be able to not only provide surgical procedures and medical care but also job and educational opportunities, including externships and internships for young professionals trying to further their careers and find their niche in the veterinary industry,” said Radtke.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house were held on Wednesday, Aug. 10 at the new facility at 156 Abington Lane in Port Matilda.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Benner Township) was in attendance, along with leaders from the CBICC and other stakeholders.

“The growth of the horse industry and what it has meant to Centre County is very exciting,” said Corman.

Corman praised Radtke for having the “vision and courage” to make “Centre County a little bit of a better place,” and noted the facility will boost the agriculture industry in the region by improving animal health.

The 63,000-square-foot-space includes surgical suites, treatment rooms, an area for lameness examinations, and a reproductive-management unit.

The $2.4 million expansion project was supported by a $370,000 grant from the Keystone Communities Program, which is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Greg Scott
CBICC President and CEO

(Note: The following op-ed by Greg Scott appeared in the Centre Daily Times, StateCollege.com and the Lock Haven Express)

Centre County is a place of history, opportunity and promise.   

Farmers, academics, entrepreneurs, business owners and working men and women have called this special place home for generations –respecting and appreciating the past, while also planning for and investing in the future.   

The Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County first became the “voice of business” and a catalyst for connection, influence and economic opportunity in the region in 1920. 

Although our mission, a century later, remains the same, we now find ourselves facing unprecedented challenges that include economic disruptions on a local, regional, national and global scale.  

As home to Penn State, one of the top research universities in the world and Centre County’s top employer and economic driver, we have long enjoyed a stable economy and an unemployment rate lower than the state average.   

Those who live here also benefit from a rich cultural heritage, quality health-care facilities, award-winning schools, and breathtaking and abundant natural resources.  

There’s so much to be grateful for, it’s easy to understand how the comfort and security we enjoy here in “Happy Valley” might lead to a sense of complacency and make us reluctant to lean into our current economic headwinds. 

Now, more than ever, it's important to be smart, bold and strategic in our efforts to diversify our economy, expand our tax base and create job opportunities to better control our destiny. 

The CBICC is committed to:

-Convening stakeholders in the development and execution of a strategic economic plan for Centre County.
-Diversifying our economy by protecting and growing existing businesses while competing successfully against other markets for much-needed investments and new job creation.
-Investing resources and supporting community programs for talent development to ensure a strong and highly skilled homegrown workforce.
​- Facilitating real-estate development projects to ensure equity and create prosperity in our shared communities.

A strong economic-development strategy is about empowering people and communities by supporting businesses, supporting workers and supporting a high quality of life.   

It’s about helping existing businesses stay and grow, while also attracting and welcoming new companies.   

It’s about enabling individuals to gain the ability to provide for themselves and their families through high-wage, value-added jobs.  

It’s about providing workforce-development opportunities and job skills to compete in the new innovation economy and technology-driven industries.  

It’s about increasing economic prosperity in every corner and neighborhood in Centre County for the benefit of all. 

And it’s about building on the incredible quality of life we already enjoy by providing new services and amenities and making Centre County an even better place to live, work and play.  

We’re poised to make it all happen.   

To be successful, it will require collaboration between the private sector and government – a proactive partnership in which the CBICC, community leaders, businesses, organizations, and elected officials develop and nurture policies to ensure measurable and sustainable economic outcomes.   

The CBICC, along with its economic development arm, the Centre County Industrial Development Corporation (CCIDC), is among many community resources – businesses, utilities, educational institutions, banks, real-estate developers, neighborhood groups, nonprofit organizations, foundations and more – shouldering this responsibility and playing central roles in the process. 

​The CBICC is committed to leading the conversation, and to sharing knowledge that will help others advocate with confidence for smart growth.

Momentum is building, and you’ll want to stay tuned because significant investment opportunities are coming our way.

By working together to embrace robust, resilient and thoughtful economic-development strategies, we will persevere and win in the workplace, win in the marketplace and, most importantly, win with vision and integrity.
​
Here’s to much future success!