Mid-Mon Valley Economic Symposium focuses on Mon Valley’s progress

State Sens. Camera Bartolotta and Pat Stefano were among the featured speakers this year.

Before the first slide lit up the screen, the most important work was already underway — quiet handshakes, early-morning coffee and familiar faces reconnecting in a crowded room.

Nearly 200 people packed the cfsbank Event Center on Friday for the third annual Mid-Mon Valley Economic Symposium, not just to listen, but to move.

The message was consistent from start to finish: the Mon Valley isn’t waiting for change — it’s building it.

With a full slate of speakers, the event focused on where the region is heading, what’s standing in the way and how collaboration — not just vision — will determine the outcome.

A region in motion

Washington County Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Kotula helped set the tone early by asking a question that hovered over the morning like a challenge: “How do we define the Mon Valley?”

“Is it by its geography stretching from Allegheny County to Greene?” he asked. “Do we define it by its people, or its communities — or even its economy? I propose we don’t limit ourselves by definitions. We think about opportunities.”

That theme carried directly into the opening presentation from Jamie Colecchi, CEO of the Mon Valley Alliance and Mon Valley Alliance Foundation, who delivered an ambitious, detailed progress report that spanned new developments, policy partnerships and long-term infrastructure goals.

“We’re growing — and we’re growing with purpose,” Colecchi said. “What we do here is not just economic development. It’s community development.”

Alta Vista Business Park, a 256acre KOZ-designated site off Interstate 70, is now nearly full, with just two lots remaining.

One of the newest tenants, Spälik USA, is establishing its North American headquarters in a 14,400-square-foot facility built in under 10 months.

“They walked through with no questions. They got exactly what they wanted,” Colecchi said, recounting the moment when international partners toured the completed space.

The MVA also announced a new use for Lot 1 — a solar farm capable of producing 2.5 megawatts, enough energy to power an estimated 3,500 homes per year.

Colecchi said the project would feed back into the grid and help support future development while generating steady revenue for community reinvestment.

Momentum is also building around a proposed 542-acre industrial site at State Route 136 and PA Toll 43.

The site recently received a $250,000 PA SITES grant to conduct a feasibility study — the first step toward what Colecchi called a potential “transformational project for the Mid Mon Valley.”

“Just like Alta Vista, this is going to take federal, state and local support,” he said. “But if we do this right, we’re not just talking about a study — we’re talking about a jobs engine.”

Foundation Work: From infrastructure to inclusion

While the Alliance continues to chase large-scale industrial development, the Mon Valley Alliance Foundation is investing in small businesses and municipal capacity — often from the ground up.

The centerpiece of that effort is the Business Resource Center in downtown Monongahela, built in the former Community Bank building.

The renovated space — made possible by nearly $400,000 in funding — now functions as a hub for workshops, business support and community networking.

Since opening, the BRC has hosted everything from broadband technician training and tax credit seminars to small business roundtables and leadership workshops.

The Alliance is also ramping up its educational and entrepreneurial programming, including a partnership with Washington & Jefferson College’s Ignite incubator, now running its third Mon Valley cohort in less than a year. Additional workshop series are planned for 2026, expanding spring and fall offerings to meet community needs.

Colecchi also unveiled this year’s cfsbank-funded mini grant recipients, a mix of arts, environmental and veterans groups. Among them is a $1,000 award to the Mon Valley Academy for the Arts, whose fife and drum unit has been selected to represent the Valley in the 250th national birthday celebration in Washington, D.C.

A strategic vision

As the Mon Valley Alliance looks toward 2026, Colecchi shared the organization’s newly refined strategic plan, shaped with input from board members, community leaders, and a few hands-on team-building exercises — including a vision board made entirely out of LEGO bricks.

The plan lays out three key pillars: Community: Small business and neighborhood development Growth: Regional connection and opportunity-building Industry: Large-scale manufacturing and infrastructure This approach, Colecchi said, reflects a dual reality: the Mon Valley can’t afford to choose between grassroots and big business. It has to do both — and bridge the two.

He closed by highlighting new partnerships with Leadership Pittsburgh and Leadership Washington County, both of which will be engaging directly with Mon Valley communities in the coming year. Monongahela has been chosen as the community impact project for Leadership Pittsburgh’s cohort.

“We’re excited to see what outside eyes and experienced leaders bring to the table,” Colecchi said. “But none of this works without local buy-in.”

Before wrapping his remarks, Colecchi welcomed representatives from cfsbank to the stage for a special announcement that drew enthusiastic applause. The bank unveiled a new long-term partnership with the Mon Valley Alliance Foundation that will bring new resources — and a new name — to the cfsbank Business Resource Center in Monongahela.

On the heels of that announcement, the spotlight then turned to a guest who knows the mechanics of regional development inside and out: former Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, now serving as executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. With characteristic energy, Fitzgerald delivered the keynote address, laying out both the scale of opportunity across southwestern Pennsylvania and the urgency of acting together to seize it.

Data, development and a defining moment

Fitzgerald opened by congratulating the Mon Valley Alliance on its progress — and cfsbank on its new partnership — before offering clarity on what exactly the SPC does.

“Every dollar that flows into the 10-county region for transportation and workforce development comes through SPC,” he said. “It’s $39 billion in investment — roads, bridges, broadband, training, job creation — and every single project gets voted on.”

But beyond the numbers, Fitzgerald brought a clear message: the Mon Valley is positioned for a real economic revival — if it stays ready.

With industrial land, skilled tradespeople and access to energy and water, he said, the region checks every box that major employers are looking for — from manufacturing and logistics to AI and data centers.

“The opportunities for young people growing up here today are probably better than they’ve been in four decades,” he said.

Referencing a recent $2 billion data center project announced in Greene County, Fitzgerald described how southwestern Pennsylvania’s industrial bones — once considered economic baggage — are now competitive advantages. Legacy infrastructure, power generation, proximity to rivers and trade talent are drawing renewed interest from global tech and energy players.

“We have what these new industries need — land, water, power, workforce,” he said. “And we have it right here in the Mon Valley.”

He urged local leaders to continue working with SPC and tap into its resources — from grant support to broadband planning — to make sure they’re not left behind as the region’s economic landscape shifts.

“I’ve never been more optimistic about this region’s future,” Fitzgerald said. “But we have to act. We can’t let this moment pass.”

He closed with a nod to his Pittsburgh roots and a reminder that while the Mon Valley spans five counties, it’s one community — and needs to function like one.

“Whether you’re from Monongahela, McKeesport or Uniontown, we all root for the black and gold — and we all want the same thing: for our kids to stay here and succeed.”

Fitzgerald’s remarks capped off the morning program, which drew close to 200 attendees from across the Mon Valley and southwestern Pennsylvania.

The event hosted by the MVA was presented by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agency, Pennsylvania American Water and numerous other sponsors and partners.

From industrial development to small business support and infrastructure planning, the message throughout was consistent: the Mon Valley has the tools — and the people — to shape its own future.

“We all share the same goal — to see a thriving Mon Valley,” Colecchi said. “If today sparked new ideas, new connections, or just reminded people what’s possible, then we’re already moving in the right direction.”