TheBurg captures 5 awards in annual press association advertising contest

February 28, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

There’s an old saying in journalism that there’s an award for everything.

That’s right: it’s not just reporting and writing. There are also awards for editing, for community service and even for newspaper delivering.

Advertising has its own awards, and I’m delighted to report that TheBurg has received five awards in the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Foundation’s annual “Advertising Contest.”

This is actually the first time we’ve entered this peer-reviewed contest, so we were delighted to be honored to win the following awards in our category:

First Place: Best Single Ad (Rubicon ad) (pictured below)
First Place: Real Estate Ad (Olde Uptown Lofts) (pictured below)

Second Place: Special Event/Vendor Support Idea (Harrisburg Mural Festival)

Honorable Mention: Best Single Ad (Sculpt Pilates ad)
Honorable Mention: Self-Promotion Advertising (TheBurg Daily)

I would like to give a special thanks to our team behind the ads: Megan Caruso, TheBurg’s creative director, and our sales team, Lauren Maurer and Kelsey Tatge.

Below, we show our two first-place awards. Great job, Burg staff!

Burg Blog: Historic Credits

February 28, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

The long-shuttered Swallow Mansion in Harrisburg is currently under restoration.

As it does each year, Historic Harrisburg Association this past week presented its “Preservation Priority” list.

This is a summary of some of the Harrisburg area’s most threatened structures, and many of the buildings on the 2020 list should come as no surprise to anyone who cares about historic preservation locally.

On it, you’ll find such notable structures as the J. Donald Cameron Mansion (up for sale), the Riverside Firehouse (slated to be sold), several abandoned churches and a few structures, victims of negligent owners, that may be lost forever if not shored up soon (among them, the pre-Civil War Balsley House downtown and the former Gerber’s Department Store—aka the “Carpets and Draperies” building—in Midtown).

The old Harrisburg Moose Lodge, now the home of StartUp Harrisburg and Union Lofts

Each year, HHA uses this list to make the public aware of the area’s historic heritage crumbling around them—and maybe even hold owners’ collective feet to the fire.

But I’d like to use this blog post to highlight something else. In its presentation, further down, following the bad news, there is this—hope.

HHA lists a section called “prior listings,” which consists mostly of buildings that have been preserved or are otherwise no longer threatened.

The fully restored North Street building, which now houses Elementary Coffee Co. and apartments

I think it’s important to highlight the buildings that have been saved and the people who have done the expensive, hard work, often against the odds and against financial logic, to preserve them. It wasn’t long ago that these buildings were endangered.

So, an enormous thanks to:

Mike and Sally Wilson, who transformed the decrepit Mary Sachs and Hull mansions into the stunning Manor on Front Bed & Breakfast
Chris and Erica Bryce, who restored the General Henry and Elizabeth Gross Mansion next door to Manor on Front
Harristown Development, which saved the old Fox Hotel/Santanna’s Restaurant, turning it into a boutique apartment building
Vice Capital/LeRon and LeSean McCoy, who are finishing up a total restoration of the Swallow Mansion on N. 6^th Street
WCI Partners, which restored the boarded up former Moose Lodge and several commercial buildings on the 900-block of N. 3^rd Street
Matt Krupp and Harrisburg Commercial Interiors for saving and rebuilding two North Street buildings that now house Elementary Coffee Co. with apartments upstairs.

The Bridge, the former Bishop McDevitt High School

And, as they say, the best is yet to come.

This year, The Bridge plans to begin to transform the old Bishop McDevitt High School into co-working space and an “eco village,” Matt Long/Harrisburg Commercial Interiors has received permission to begin work restoring the Jackson Rooming House, and andCulture is completing a restoration of the Old Waterworks on Front Street.

There’s also hope that, this year, the Harrisburg school district may finally sell the William Penn building and property and that the Zembo Shrine building will change hands and find a new use.

Lastly, a million thanks to David Morrison, Jeb Stuart, Calobe Jackson and everyone at HHA for reminding this community of its historic heritage—and how important it is to preserve it.

To learn more about Historic Harrisburg Association, visit their website.

Women in Business: The Twila Glenn Group

February 28, 2020 | by TheBurg Editor

Twila Glenn, SRES®, CNE ®, Realtor/Team Leader
Amy Kieffer, Realtor
Allyson Musili, Realtor/Transaction & Operations Manager

The Twila Glenn Group at Joy Daniels Real Estate Group
Glenngrouprealty.com
717.695.3177

Why did you decide to go into your profession?

I have always been interested in design, decorating, architecture and just homes in general. I loved looking at homes when we were buying our first home and found myself attending my friends’ showings at their request when they were buying their first homes. I didn’t want to be limited by corporate America and wanted a business that could grow based on my personal efforts but would also allow me to be home with my kids when we decided to have them. So, with all of that, real estate seemed like a good fit for my personality. After working a 9-to-5, I took real estate courses from 5 to 9 and loved them. So, I passed my test, put in my two weeks, and the rest is history.

What makes your approach to your job different or unique?

On our team, we have the motto “The Relationship is more important than the Transaction.” So, we are always on the lookout for the next relationship. The majority of our business is referral-based, so we take our relationships very seriously as our goal is to make the people who refer us look good. We are professional realtors and back up our reputations with sound business and marketing systems that are constantly evolving to best serve our clients, as we want to create “raving fans” throughout the marketplace. All of our marketing is geared towards relationship-building events that support local businesses and charities and remind our past clients and supporters that we love and appreciate them years after the sale.

What’s the most fun or gratifying part of what you do?

I love so many aspects of my job, but the most gratifying is reconnecting with my clients after the sale and having them rave about the experience, whether it was helping them find a home or assisting with the sale of their property. When they have a referral for us, it is the biggest compliment we can receive, as it shows that we have their trust and that they are willing to put their name and reputation on the line for us, which we take to heart. It makes the stress and hard work that they often do not see all worth it, as we did everything with a smile and a plan.

Run Hear: From their Carlisle home, couple hosts popular running, marathon podcast

February 28, 2020 | by Karen Hendricks

Angie Spencer

It’s possibly the most-listened-to podcast produced in the Harrisburg area.

The stats are impressive: 8.4 million total downloads, including 100,000 monthly downloads to a worldwide audience, and a banner 10th anniversary this month. In podcast years, that makes Marathon Training Academy the old man on the block.

“When we first started, we didn’t know how it would be received,” said Angie Spencer. “We figured there would be an appetite, but we’ve been blown away.”

Her partner, at Marathon Training Academy and in life, is her husband Trevor. From a home base of Carlisle, the couple records three monthly podcasts, offering marathon training and running advice, plus interviews with health and fitness experts, authors and runners. Guests run the gamut, from elite athletes like Shalane Flanagan, Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi to trailblazing novice runners like the Philadelphia area’s Gene Dykes—who recently became the fastest marathoner over the age of 70.

Running advice and stories, it turns out, are perfect for podcasts.

“No matter how famous or accomplished, most runners have gone through struggles that are very relatable,” Trevor said. “They’ve questioned why they’re putting themselves through suffering, they’ve had breakthroughs that are amazing, and it’s all inspiring.”

And they tend to be great podcast guests.

“Most people in the running community are humble and caring, approachable and down to earth,” Trevor said.

Chemistry, Community

Angie and Trevor, married for 16 years, are as authentic and real as their guests. In fact, tune into any one of their 300 podcasts, and you’ll quickly realize that, like many couples, they are opposites.

Angie, a certified running coach, is organized and disciplined. Morning runs are her jam, and she offers much of the podcast’s practical training advice. Trevor, a self-proclaimed couch potato, doesn’t always stick to his training plans. He’s the comedian or color commentator playing off Angie’s straight man podcast role.

“A lot of people relate to my story because they aspire to run marathons but don’t necessarily stay on top of their training,” Trevor said. “But Angie is really faithful with her running, and some people relate to her.”

One thing they have in common is that they both discovered long-distance running later in life. Angie, hoping to lose weight after having the couple’s second of three sons, ran her first marathon (26.2 miles) in 2008 but was plagued by injuries.

She was determined to learn how to train properly and succeed. She earned her USA Track and Field Level 1 and Road Runners Club of America Level 2 coaching certifications. And the couple realized there weren’t many resources, especially podcasts, to help the ever-increasing number of everyday runners attempting marathon runs.

So, they started one, launching Marathon Training Academy as a part-time venture.

“I started running about the same time of our early episodes, so I was sharing my evolution as a runner,” said Trevor. “Angie would debrief me, and my lack of training was the topic of a lot of episodes—confessions of a lazy runner training for a marathon.”

The message, and their on-air chemistry, resounded with listeners.

“The podcast is what built the MTA community,” Trevor said.

Change Your Life

During the first four years, sponsors came on board then Angie began accepting coaching clients. MTA grew from the Spencers’ side hustle to their primary, full-time source of income for the past six years. Today, Angie is joined by a team of 10 coaches who provide one-on-one coaching to several hundred runners of all abilities, from first-time marathoners to seasoned runners attempting PRs (personal records).

Their previous careers? Trevor was a pastor, and Angie worked as a registered nurse.

Throughout the podcast’s evolution, Trevor has finished 25 half marathons and 17 marathons—“something I’d never thought I’d say,” he adds. He’s headed to the Jerusalem Marathon this month.

Angie recently completed a longtime bucket-list goal of running a marathon in all 50 states. And when she crossed the finish line at Hawaii’s Revel Kulia Marathon in January, she also finished first in her age group and notched a PR. That brings her total number of marathons completed to 58.

Speaking of states, Trevor is from California while Angie hails from Montana. At the time of their podcast launch, they lived in Missouri.

“We were doing the business full-time and realized we could live anywhere with an internet connection,” said Angie, whose sisters and mother were living in Pennsylvania.

“We did some exploratory visiting, and people kept telling us, if they could live anywhere in Pennsylvania, it would be the Harrisburg area,” Trevor said.

They made the move in 2017 and chose Carlisle for its “great schools, great hills and the Appalachian Trail,” Trevor said.

Since their move, Angie’s mother and one sister relocated to Carlisle, too.

The Spencers record the podcast in their home studio—which can take up to 20 hours per episode—while their sons (ages 15,13 and 9) are in school. They have also taken the show on the road, even podcasting throughout three cross-country family trips. In the summer of 2018, the family logged more than 10,000 miles from Carlisle to Alaska, and back, doing numerous marathons and races along the way.

“The ‘pinch me moment’ is getting to meet listeners everywhere we’ve gone, because you realize you’re making a difference in people’s lives,” Angie said.

During every podcast, the Spencers remind listeners of their tagline, “Run a marathon and change your life.”

Angie admits it may sound corny, but insists the process of running 26.2 miles provides valuable life lessons.

“It spills over into other areas of life,” she said. “People tell us how running a marathon gave them the resilience needed to get through tough times, a job loss, relationships. The mentality of listening to your body, developing a long term love affair with running—I try to model that in my own life, how running helps me be a better person, a better wife and better mother. Running adds to your life.”

Advice, for the long run.

For more information on Marathon Training Academy, visit marathontrainingacademy.com. You can find the MTA podcast on their website and podcast platforms, including iTunes.

Count Us In: It’s go time for the 2020 census.

February 28, 2020 | by M. Diane McCormick

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Census.

Census who?

It makes “census” to get an accurate head count.

Sorry. Best I could do. It’s just our way of saying the decennial enumeration is hot on our heels. Starting this month, homes across the country will begin receiving invitations to complete the 2020 census, with instructions on how to respond.

But many localities, including in Dauphin County, are making their own special efforts to encourage voluntary response, before an in-person census taker, beginning in May, does the real “knock-knock” on your door.

From city to countryside, partnerships are the key to reaching every resident in Dauphin County, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

What’s at stake if undercounted communities stay undercounted? About $2,000 in federal funds is lost per year for every person overlooked, according to a George Washington University study. Miss, say, 10,000 people, and that’s $20 million diverted from roads, schools, health facilities, housing and food aid in a single year.

There also are fewer heads counted when legislative and congressional lines are drawn, creating a representational imbalance in Harrisburg and Washington.

The Census Bureau has baseline population numbers, but forging those baselines into statistical data demands accurate counts, said Angela Gregg, Census Bureau partnership specialist within Dauphin County.

“For grant funding, you have to prove that you are servicing that population number in order to back up that the funding will be used in that area,” she said.

Trusted Voices

The numbers give communities and businesses demographic insights that inform planning for housing, commerce and other needs, said Harrisburg Planning Bureau Director Geoffrey Knight.

“Are large households growing? Are single households growing?” he said. “What does that mean for the type of housing we provide? What does that mean for economic development and for our transportation system?”

Dauphin County’s officially hard-to-count neighborhoods are in parts of Middletown and Harrisburg—Allison Hill and South Allison Hill, plus the blocks of Uptown just above Maclay Street. (Find them at www.censushardtocountmaps2020.us and the www.census.gov Response Outreach Area Mapper, or ROAM.)

But a closer look shows other slow spots, including the Hershey area (all those transient medical students) and northern Dauphin County, said Steven B. Deck, executive director of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission.

The Dauphin County commissioners tapped Deck to chair the county’s Complete Count Committee, a voluntary Census Bureau initiative meant to reach every pocket of every community.

Dauphin County fashioned its committee as a “facilitator,” said Deck.

“We’re not trying to do anything on our own,” he said. “The idea was to pull together a good group of organizations and municipalities to get the word out.”

So, there are townships and business groups; Latino organizations and the NAACP; government offices and libraries; faith institutions and colleges.

“The idea was to find groups that people would trust—that if they send out information saying that it’s safe to fill out the census form and why it’s important to fill it out, then they’re more prone to fill it out,” said Deck.

Community partners “are our trusted voices within the community to get the word out,” agrees Gregg. The partners also contribute ideas that help the bureau target its ad buys and media dollars.

Each Complete Count Committee member brings its own network. For instance, Tri County Community Action is partnering with the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness to reach the homeless population. Residents of every community, undercounted or not, should care, said Jennifer Wintermyer, Tri County Community Action’s executive director.

“It impacts how much federal funding is available for LIHEAP (heating assistance) and weatherization,” she said. “The Community Development Block Grant is an incredible pool of money for community resources and physical improvements. We all like to complain about our roads and congestion and bridges being safe. How the federal government determines where that money goes depends on how many people live here.”

Not to mention the vibrancy of congressional representation.

“If Pennsylvania loses congressional representation, then we have fewer people who know about us and care about us standing up and fighting for us in Washington, D.C.,” Wintermyer said.

Use Their Voice

In northern Dauphin County, a robust count will help fight the “big five” of rural challenges, said Bonnie Kent, Dauphin County operation manager and community liaison— hunger, homelessness, transportation, unemployment and health care. She is educating residents “on the whys and the how and the when and the where” of the census.

“I’m planning to cheerlead in northern Dauphin for everyone to be counted, knowing it’s going to have a great impact on our communities,” she said. “We just need to encourage people to use their voice to be counted.”

So, residents visiting the Northern Dauphin County Human Services Center for access to one of 14 human services are met with bonus census messages. Census information will be “visible in public places with high frequency,” such as the Friday night Gratz Crossroads Auction. Parents are being tapped through early childhood events and a support network. The region’s large Amish community is hearing the message through newsletters.

Like others, the city of Harrisburg is employing a “trust the messenger” strategy. Working with places of worship and other groups sends the message to the places where people congregate, instead of expecting them to show up for special events.

“It helps bring it back home a little bit more to the public when you’re hearing it in places and from people that you see on a daily or weekly basis,” said Knight.

Undercounts can result from language barriers, transience or even misunderstandings. Some people mistakenly believe that children and senior citizens aren’t counted.

“Everybody counts, so let’s count everybody,” said Wintermyer.

Safe Place

New this time is an online filing option, created to encourage “self-response,” the term for filing before the Census Bureau needs to send out enumerators. But community groups see a “significant barrier” among those who only access the internet by phone or lack broadband access or lack computer literacy, said Wintermyer.

“There’s a strong feeling that, with the modernization of the census, we’re going to have a strong undercount,” she said.

To avert that possibility, Tri County Community Action, the Northern Dauphin County Human Services Center and county libraries are among those groups offering free computer access in their offices.

“We are a safe place for folks to come and use internet access,” said Wintermyer. “If you’re here, we want you counted.”

As for concerns that the now-scuttled citizenship question could dampen turnout, Deck said, “I don’t doubt that that’s part of the heavy sales pitch.”

Wintermyer agrees the question remains a specter in fears of an undercount, along with concerns over confidentiality.

“That’s part of the message we’re trying to get to the community and community partners—that filling out the form is safe and confidential,” she said.

Gregg said that citizenship-question controversy has not been a hurdle.

“Everyone’s been great about that and realizing how important it is to respond,” she said. “We focus our goal around how safe it is and how important it is.”

City officials urge everyone in the Harrisburg region to “stand up and be counted,” especially because electoral district lines are drawn after the census is final, said Knight.

“The closer we get to a full and complete count of our communities, the better off we will all be,” he said.

For more information on the U.S. Census, visit www.2020census.gov, www.pa.gov/census or the groups mentioned in this story.

Women in Business: Nell McCormack Abom

February 28, 2020 | by TheBurg Editor

Nell McCormack Abom, Owner
Nell McCormack Abom Communications
Nellmccormackabom.com
717.514.6301

Why did you decide to go into your profession?

Curiosity is an integral part of my nature. I am fascinated by people, places and things, and that innate curiosity about the world led me to my first passion, journalism. I devoted nearly 20 years of my professional life to reporting, anchoring and producing award-winning television news programs around the country. Amid that path, I took a 10-year detour and drove the news as a senior communications advisor to Governors Bob Casey and Tom Ridge. That bipartisan and proactive communications experience deepened my understanding of effective messaging and potent storytelling to bring about behavioral and policy changes. My career has come full circle now as an accomplished, award-winning public relations entrepreneur. Through my PR firm, and in collaboration with skilled partners, we help clients promote their products and services, and better the world through their philanthropy.

What makes your approach to your job different or unique?

We’re small but mighty! When you hire a PR professional, you want to build a trustworthy relationship and see a strong return on investment. We are highly responsive and strive to deliver excellence every day with attention to detail, creativity, enthusiasm and teamwork. Clients benefit from our active listening to their concerns and expectations, and they appreciate our customized, multi-faceted, strategic messaging plans. We keep them apprised and engaged every step of the way. I love the Farmers Insurance tagline, “We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.” As seasoned media training and PR professionals, our team thrives on calming tense situations; making complex subjects relatable to people; and producing visual events that motivate audiences to act. We’ve even overcome international custom and language barriers to deliver world-class results while managing media on government trade missions. Here in Central PA, our talented and experienced team represents a diverse portfolio of nonprofit and commercial clients who trust our character, connections, expertise, judgment, and passion to achieve success.

What’s the most fun or gratifying part of what you do?

Work is a four-letter word, but we make it F U N! I’m most gratified advocating to the media on a client’s behalf; crafting stories and videos; and training individuals how to find and use their voice to bring their vision to life. Whether promoting the protection of children from abuse or flipping the switch on the first local hotel to go 100-percent solar-powered, our joy comes in helping clients make our communities a better place to live, play and work. Together, let’s Be Brilliant in all we do!

Knead More Pizza: Popular market pizzeria opens a slice shop in the shadow of the state Capitol.

February 28, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

Terry Hanley & Jennie O’Neil

You might have a memory of that slice you grew up on, the first one you can remember—in the pizza shop your parents took you to or the one you hung out at with friends.

Whatever that flashback looks like, you will always hold that pizza in high esteem, maybe knowing it can’t quite compare to the brick oven flatbreads you’ve tasted since, but still remembering it with fondness.

For Jennie O’Neill, it’s the memory of going to Pepe’s, the pizza shop near her grandparents’ house in New Haven, Conn.

“I loved it,” O’Neill said. “It was the whole family sitting around the table with pitchers of soda. That New Haven style is where I always go back to. But it’s funny because we don’t make that kind of pizza here.”

Three years ago, O’Neill and her husband Terry Hanley opened Knead Pizza in the Broad Street Market. O’Neill had wanted to open her own restaurant for a while. Working at another restaurant, she met cook Bow Phrachansiri and, over the years, they have consistently worked to tweak their recipes and make something customers want to keep coming back for.

For a lot of kids, Knead may become that “nostalgic idea of pizza,” as O’Neill calls it.

“There are kids that we’ve watched grow up since they were babies where we were their first bite of pizza and now they’re like 5 year olds,” O’Neill said. “I hope we are here 20 years from now when they are adults.”

The Knead team now has taken a step in that direction, a path that leads right down 3rd Street, in the direction of the Capitol complex.

Our Way

In January, Knead Slice Shop opened on the corner of N. 3rd and Boas streets in Harrisburg, just a few blocks down from their market stand. Knead is housed in what was formerly Mercado’s Pizza, famous locally for its late-night hours satisfying cravings for a post-midnight snack.

Matt Caylor, a Midtown resident, frequented Mercado’s for years, as he lives just down the street.

“It’s tough to replace Mercado’s, but I think Knead is going to fill that same niche with this slice shop,” he said.

While O’Neill and the team set up shop in a building that housed a pizza restaurant for multiple decades, they were ready to make it their own.

“We were like—we would love to get in there and do the pizza shop thing, but our way,” she said.

The market and storefront locations may be in close proximity, but the pies served are as unique as the spaces they’re in. Each uses different flour to make a dough fit for the environment. O’Neill explained the market-style pizza as Neapolitan. It is hearth fired and has a thinner crust. The slice shop makes a classic New York-style pizza and “grandma pizza,” which has a thicker crust.

No matter the site, Knead cooks have a unique way of crafting their pies, starting from the bottom up.

“A question we get pretty often is what makes you different from any other pizzeria,” Phrachansiri said. “It starts right with the dough.”

For at least 48 hours, dough is fermented and aged to enhance flavor, Phrachansiri explained. Once the dough is made, they use fresh products for their sauce and toppings.

“We get excited about our pizza,” she said.

New Tastes

Last year, O’Neill and the team signed the papers and officially began work on the building. However, this would be no short process.

“It took a lot of time to clean 40 years of a business out of here,” O’Neill said.

They replaced windows and doors, painted and re-worked plumbing and electrical. The only things remaining from Mercado’s are the pizza oven and mixer.

Once a hole-in-the-wall shop that seemed to be lit primarily by the neon beer signs in the windows, the shop became bright and fresh with plenty of places to sit. You can even find a nod to Mercado’s as the marble bar is made from the old shop’s pizza prep station.

“I love the new location,” Caylor said. “It’s a nice addition to Midtown.”

The slice shop is open for lunch and dinner, but the real question on everyone’s mind is— will they open for late-night hours?

The answer is yes. Sometime this spring, those late-night munchers will have their way again.

“It should be a spot for everybody to mingle,” O’Neill said.

Over the years, there have been “dough explosions” and “mixer meltdowns,” a building in need of big renovations and many other challenges, but Knead’s team has stayed focused on their goal.

“We want to serve food to the masses,” O’Neill said. “Pizza is a pretty good way to do that.”

Knead Slice Shop is located at 937 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. The original Knead Pizza is located in the Broad Street Market. For more information, visit www.kneadhbg.com.

Hard Work, with a Smile: PR pro Anne Gallaher makes it look easy.

February 28, 2020 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Anne Deeter Gallaher has a knack for putting people at ease.

With her twinkling eyes and easy smile, it’s hard to conceive of her working in a field other than public relations. Those who meet the affable Gallaher may believe that her success comes naturally, but she’ll tell you otherwise.

“You need grit, resilience, tenacity and a contagious optimism because people respond to how you make them feel,” said Gallaher, CEO of the Camp Hill-based Deeter Gallaher Group,

This year, she celebrates 20 years in the business and feels blessed to have beaten the odds to achieve that milestone.

“Considering that 30 percent of new businesses fail in the first two years, 50 percent fail during the first five and only 25 percent make it to 15 years, I feel pretty good about it,” she said.

Ramping Up

Right out of college, Gallaher put her bachelor’s degree in communications to work and took a job as an editorial assistant, later promoted to director of editorial services at the publishing house of the Christian Missionary Alliance, which was long located on S. 10th Street in Harrisburg.

After five years there, Gallaher took time off to raise her three sons. As her children got older, her thoughts turned again to communications when she noticed a service organization that could use a little community support.

“My brother-in-law, who is a minister at Camp Hill United Methodist, had a youth ministry called Salt and Light,” she said. “So, I pitched the idea of a quarterly newsletter to share all the great things they were doing.”

One of the first moves Gallaher made was joining the West Shore Chamber of Commerce, where she took a seat on the public relations committee.

“That catapulted me into the business world,” she said.

Soon, her business grew from an office in her bedroom and meetings at Cornerstone Coffeehouse to her own Camp Hill office, where she works alongside communications strategist Marisa Corser, who has been with the company for 13 years.

Gallaher was also able to open up an office in Nashville, which she visits about every two months and where her daughter-in-law, Monica Bishop Gallaher, works as a content strategist.

Today Gallaher’s clients run the gamut across every industry, including retail, financial, commercial, real estate development, health care and entertainment.

Resilience

Gallaher said that, as her business grew, she had to make sure that she was staying current and bringing clients along to social media platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

“Back in 2000, when I started, everything was print, direct mail, brochures and newsletters,” she said. “To survive 20 years, I had to be nimble enough to realize that print was struggling and the quicker we ramped up, the stronger and more diversified we’d be.”

Bringing on her first hire was necessary, but not without its worries.

“Now I knew I had to be responsible for an additional person, not just myself,” she said.

And one important thing about being in business for yourself—you can never really take it easy.

“There’s really no rest as in, ‘whew, I made it,’” she said. “You’re always thinking ahead.”

One of the greatest challenges, she said, is trying not to take things personally. Resilience is key.

“Sometimes, I have to re-read my own chapter in the book about that,” she said with a chuckle, referencing a 2013 book she co-wrote called “Women in High Gear: A Guide for Entrepreneurs, On-Rampers and Aspiring Executives.”

The dedication, hard work and talent have paid off.

“She has helped us promote our unique properties and our tenants, which has driven retail traffic,” said Richard E. Jordan III, president and CEO of Smith Land & Improvement Corp. “She has been a great strategic partner for Smith Land and has contributed greatly to our operating philosophy and vision for the future.”

Patricia Husic, president of CEO of Centric Bank, praised Gallaher’s ability to turn a phrase.

“I always joke about her having a ‘magical pen,’” Husic said. “Her writing gift is unsurpassed, and she always makes us feel as if our company is top priority.”

Despite her busy schedule, Gallaher has been able to give back through community service.
“You have to be a community champion,” is her motto. For instance, she has served for 10 years on the advisory board of the Salvation Army Harrisburg.

“You often hear the term ‘servant leader’ bandied about, but Anne defines it,” said Kathy Anderson-Martin, the Salvation Army’s director of resource development. “She willingly lends her time, talent, treasures and heart to the Salvation Army and other organizations to make a difference in the community and provide a voice for those who have none.”

As to her future, Gallaher plans more of the same—growing her client base and contributing to the community.

“I think central Pennsylvania is a fabulous place to start a business and it’s also a great place to grow—you get a lot of the benefits of a big city like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh,” she said. “There’s also access to financing with community banks like Centric. They are completely in tune with female-owned small businesses.”

Gallaher hopes that young women are inspired by her story.

“Some think they can’t make it beyond the tech industry, and I tell them there are so many ways to make it as a female in business,” she said. “One of my favorite quotes is from Jonathan Winters, ‘If your ship doesn’t come in, swim to it.’”

The Deeter Gallaher Group is located at 1822 Market St., Camp Hill. For more information, call 717-525-8042 or visit www.deetergallahergroup.com.

Women in Business: Jane McMinn

February 28, 2020 | by Admin

Jane McMinn, Senior Vice President, Regional Credit Officer
S&T Bank
STBank.com
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Why did you decide to go into your profession?

When I graduated from a liberal arts college with dual majors in mathematics and business administration, it was more about what I didn’t want to do. I knew that I didn’t want to be a math teacher or an actuary, but I wanted to use my math aptitude in my career. As a newly graduated student, like many young and eager college grads, I wanted to move out of the area. Fortunately, the job market in Florida was soft, and I received two offers from banks in PA. Rather than go the retail path, I chose to join a commercial credit training program, which led to becoming a commercial middle market lender, manager of a lending team and now a Regional Credit Officer at S&T Bank. And looking back, I now know that I made the right decision to stay in PA.

What makes your approach to your job different or unique?

I try to put myself in the “other person’s shoes.” As a regional credit officer, my job is to protect the assets of the bank, mitigating risk, but recognizing that loans need to be made, to grow the bank. I’m new to the position, having been on the sales and management side of commercial lending for most of my career. This is a benefit—remembering how competitive the marketplace is—so my approach is to try to reach a compromise. While not every opportunity can or should be approved, throughout the course of my career, I have seen many missed opportunities by the credit officer not listening and keeping an open mind to different approaches.

What’s the most fun or gratifying part of what you do?

Helping companies grow and be successful, which trickles down to their employees and families. Many years ago, I questioned whether I was making an impact and helping society. I’ll never forget when a fellow graduate student and I were having a conversation, in the parking lot at Penn State Harrisburg following class, about the direction of our lives. He was the one who opened my eyes and helped me understand the significance and importance of my career to the local economy and its citizens. This came home during the recession, when I structured loans to help companies survive and keep people employed in their local communities.

Houses & Home: Twila Glenn warmly embraces the term “realtor mom.”

February 28, 2020 | by Diane White McNaughton

Twila Glenn

Twila Glenn is chatting easily on her cell phone in her expansive home in Lower Paxton Township while her 5-year-old son plays video games beside her and she puts last-minute touches on a sleepover party for her daughter—all while working to top last year’s $8 million in real estate sales.

She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I wanted a career that allowed me to be present in the lives of my kids and to make good money doing something I loved,” she said.

Glenn is part of a group she lovingly calls “The Realtor Moms,” leading the powerhouse team under Joy Daniels Real Estate.

After graduating from Messiah College with a degree in international business 14 years ago, Glenn embarked upon a career in banking as a portfolio manager. She rapidly realized that sitting in front of a computer all day, managing trades, was not her passion.

At that time, many of her friends were buying their first houses and were asking her to come to showings with them, knowing she had always embraced architecture and interior design. It was her husband Ryan who suggested she consider getting her real estate license.

She decided to cross that threshold, working full-time at the bank by day and then attending four-hour classes at night. While most trainees find the classes to be dull, she loved them.

Taking a leap of faith, she quit her day job, opting for a commission-based lifestyle. She started working for Century 21, and after three years, moved to RE/MAX for eight years.

Throughout, she knew she wanted to assemble her own team. Two years ago, award-winning realtor Joy Daniels reached out to her.

Under a new arrangement, agents now work for Daniels’ company, not directly for her. It allowed Glenn to do all she did before, and more.

“The Realtor Moms” are governed by the philosophy, “The relationship is more important than the transaction.” That mindset is working, because referrals have been pouring in, Glenn said.

Her relationship-builder acumen also has earned her a spot on the board of Harristown Development Corp. and drawn offers to join several other boards. She is also a Sunday school teacher at the Harrisburg Brethren in Christ Church.

It’s the icing on the cake for a woman who used to play “office” as a child and is a DIY home decorator.

She mentors other realtor “moms,” who often think they have to wait until their children are in school to sell real estate. “You can do this too,” she urges them.

Recently, she earned her designation as a “senior real estate specialist.” While many of her older clients have moved into assisted-living communities and will probably never move again, she still remains in touch, and the referrals still come.

She has succeeded, in part, because she communicates with her clients constantly, and in the form her clients prefer. She knows most of her older clients don’t want emails and texts. She often visits them personally and calls them often.

“The more you stay in touch, the better the entire transaction and their entire relationship is,” she said.

“What sets our team apart is we know our strengths, and we try to bring in team members to supplement our weaknesses,” she said. “As a team, we are strong.”

Glenn estimates that 95 percent of her marketing is event-based, not calendars and magnets. She and her mom-realtors throw “client appreciation parties,” offering, for example, a free showing of “Aladdin” and free concessions, for recent and long-ago clients.

They give away pie at the holidays, do a free “Coffee on Us,” and host housewarming parties for buyers for up to a year.

They now attract four to five referrals a week. Her goal this year is to give out three times as many referrals as they receive and to hit $13 million in inventory.

Personally, she wants to travel more and take her family on a Disney cruise. Her daughter is a fan of “Moana,” and her son is into all things “Star Wars.” Although she admits to some workaholic tendencies, she will readily turn off her phone and be the “force” her kids and husband need.

“At the end of your life, it’s not about the number of transactions you did,” she said. “It’s about the people we impacted and the memories we made.”

For more information on the Twila Glenn Group, call 717-695-3177 or visit www.glenngrouprealty.com.

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