By Jamie Hunt

This aerial view shows the Clarion County Courthouse and county park in the foreground as well as Clarion Borough’s downtown business district in the distance. While dealing with the economic blow of the coronavirus, county leaders found ways in 2020 to work on programs and initiatives that benefit the people of the region. See story on Page H-5.

Section H of the Business Review and Forecast focuses on the business-es and organizations that fuel the economy of Clarion County.

There’s a story inside that outlines how the Clarion Area Chamber of Business & Industry faced the im-mense challenges of continuing to support businesses in the wake of pandemic-related shutdowns.

Leaders at the Clarion County Economic Development Corp. also weathered the pandemic storm, but kept its focus on building the coun-ty’s economic growth and prosperity.

Several Clarion-area companies are featured inside, including Car Mate Trailers, which saw a surge in business last year when it earned the designation of being an essential business.

Manufactured and modular home builders, which also saw their sales numbers go up in 2020, are featured here. And, the Carpet Barn and Terry W. Kahle, both of which are marking their 50th year in business, are high-lighted in this section.

Section H — Clarion County Section

H of the Business Review st focuses on the business-

anizations that fuel the f Cl i C

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CLARION — The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in “unprecedented challenges” for families, organizations and businesses in the region and around the world, said John Hansford, president of the Clarion County Economic Development Corp.

He said pandemic-related shutdowns have obviously re-sulted in less patronage for businesses and, therefore, fall-ing revenues.

“Unemployment claims across the commonwealth skyrocketed and Clarion County is not immune,” said Shannon Barrios, executive director the CCEDC.

“We have developed a

strategy that seeks to address the short- and medium-term needs of Clarion County’s economy following the pan-demic,” Barrios said.

The CCEDC has developed an economic recovery strate-gy called “Clarion 2030.”

The strategy, according to Milissa Bauer, CCEDC secre-tary and treasurer, “seeks to address the short and medi-um-term needs of Clarion County’s economy following the pandemic.”

Bauer said the top-level priority for the CCEDC in 2021 and beyond is to get Clarion County people and businesses connected.

A “Clarion Connected” plan will expand internet ca-

pacity to unserved and under-served areas, Barrios said.

The infrastructure will be improved with multi-modal projects to expand industries and recreation with trail ini-tiatives and tourism opportu-nities.

The three-year plan will fund a county-specific broad-band study, locate feasible implementation projects, de-velop an implementation plan and begin broadband imple-mentation projects, according to Barrios.

Simultaneously, there is a strategy to seek COVID stim-ulus and competitive grant funding for the study, plan-ning and design of broadband expansion projects.

In the short term, Barrios said, the plan is to establish defined roles in the distribu-tion of business aid, to reach out to existing businesses to determine what their short-term needs are, to position Clarion as a “close-to-home” social distancing-compliant vacation destination, and to preserve scheduled events to comply with state and federal health guidelines.

As part of the plan, over the next six to 12 months, the CCEDC will help businesses in the region to reorient their sales techniques and target new clientele.

The organization also will encourage post-secondary education opportunities at the Clarion County Career Center and Clarion Universi-ty for workers in industries that have been affected by the pandemic and resulting restrictions.

Barrios said the CCEDC will regularly apply for grant money and loans to help with recreational and tourism capi-tal improvement projects.

Other longer-term parts of the plan include helping busi-nesses and manufacturers to expand and grow their com-panies through technical as-sistance, and to develop a new marketing campaign that is

geared toward the attraction and retention of new residents in the region.

Despite the harsh blow of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hansford said the CCEDC had some positive news to re-port from 2020: three new companies were planted in Clarion County.

This created 10 temporary jobs and should lead to 130 permanent positions over the next two years.

Hansford also reported that $85,000 was awarded in grants to local businesses over 2020. He noted that $6.75 million in grant money is “awaiting award decisions.”

“In a year of unparalleled hardship, the CCEDC has re-mained committed to serving the local business communi-ty,” said Barrios.

“Despite an international pandemic that brought un-precedented economic and social disruption to our com-munity and the world at large in 2020, the CCEDC has broadened our scope of ser-vices, increased outreach, augmented financial invest-ment in the county, created jobs and begun to implement a long-term, executable, strat-egy toward Clarion County’s economic growth and pros-perity,” she said.

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‘We had to put events that fund us on the shelf’

CLARION — Like many other organizations, the Clar-ion County Chamber of Busi-ness and Industry was deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What COVID did to the chamber, as it did to the world, was to put everything on hold,” said Tracy Becker, executive director of the Clarion chamber.

“Some events were able to take place but our bigger events were not because of the mitigation that was in place.”

“We had to put events that fund us on the shelf,” she said.

Becker said the one major chamber event that did not take place in 2020 was the annual wine walk.

Some other events like the I Love Clarion day and the annual golf outing were held, but they were far from nor-mal.

“We had been on a three-month shutdown by July 3 when we held the event so it was all still new to us,” Beck-er said of the mitigation ef-forts required by state and federal leaders.

The chamber’s biggest and brightest event, Autumn Leaf Festival, was held in August but was drastically pared down to accommodate the state’s health guidelines of social distancing.

The nine-day festival usu-ally features up to 55 events, Becker said. But the 2020 edition of ALF had only six events.

The minimalized festival was held at the parking lot of the Clarion Mall, and it drew crowds, Becker said, but ef-forts were taken to abide by the state’s rules about the size of public gatherings.

“Some of the events were brand new like the concert, fireworks and the cornhole tournament,” said Becker.

“These community events

are important because they bring people together. We are proud of what we have here and we want to showcase it. If people see something go-ing on, they may stop and like what they see. They might even want to move here one day,” she said.

Becker said her goal as leader of the chamber is to champion the businesses in the area and she remains committed to doing what she can to keep shoppers coming to the shops, restaurants and hotels that dot the Clarion area.

“Everyone has been finan-cially impacted by this pan-demic,” said Becker.

“The chamber, like every-one else, was unprepared for a pandemic. Unfortunately, businesses were forced to close. My hope is that they will be able to reopen,” she said.

The chamber was forced to lay off workers in the wake of the pandemic shutdowns. “I became an office of one,” Becker said, but noted some workers have started going back to the office part-time. “We work as a team and we need them back,” Becker said.

“I talk to my executive board more than I ever have before,” she said. “Often they call me just to see how I am doing.”

During the slowdown, some chamber services were eliminated and some things were turned off.

But the chamber did con-tinue to offer support for its members, Becker said.

“We provided our mem-bers with information relat-ing to COVID through social media and an email blast once a week,” she said.

“Communication has al-ways been important. We talk to our members about what is going on with them. If we see legislation that might impact them, we call them,” Becker said.

The COVID shutdown

caused the chamber director and board to take a closer look at its existing programs and determine what are pri-orities.

“We are going to look at every one of the 15 events we do and see if those events should continue,” said Beck-er, noting that sponsorship from local businesses will also have an impact on deci-sions to hold or cut pro-grams.

“These businesses have been hit by the virus and so we will need to look at that. I just don’t know how they have been affected,” Becker said.

“You have stores like J.C. Penney closing but you have new businesses opening,” she said. “So there is some light,” she said.

“We have a very strong downtown business climate. It is my hope the businesses we have can continue to be there. We do have a few emp-ty storefronts but we are working to fill them,” she said.

Becker said she continues to look forward and has her eye on the chamber hosting a woman’s leadership confer-ence.

“You are seeing more and more women in the role of an owner, manager or director,” she said.

“We are also looking at a leadership program for new emerging leaders. A lot of chambers take this on. It is usually an eight-month-long program, and we are still in the planning stage,” Becker said.

“This program would in-clude on-site visits to facili-ties in Clarion County rang-ing from agriculture to health care.

“Hopefully our first grad-uating class would be in March 2022. We hope to an-nounce the program this spring,” she said.

Young leaders are also in Becker’s purview.

“We also have our Clarion

Area Young Professionals. Unfortunately, in 2020, they were unable to meet since February. We hope to grow that organization,” she said. “We need to keep our young leaders.”

Becker also wants to ex-pand the current programs.

“I would like to start an ambassador program. The program would develop peo-ple who can assist us by talk-ing to businesses and spread the word. It could be two people or eight people just reaching and saying the chamber is having this or that,” she said.

“I think, in 2021, people are going to want to see one another. I think people are going to have a thirst or a hunger for contact,” she said. “We want to be ready to meet that need.”

Although the federal CARES Act did not offer any help for the chamber, the new relief package does. “The CARES Act II makes 501-C6 organizations like the cham-ber eligible for some help. That is some good news,” said Becker.

CCEDC develops strategy to address ailing economy

Tracy Becker, director of the Clarion Area Chamber of Business and Industry, and Jenna Beichner, an administrative assistant at the chamber, stand with some of the shirts and other souvenirs offered by the chamber.

While learning how to navigate the state’s corona-virus mitigation efforts, the Clarion chamber held its annual “I Love Clarion” event in early July.

A sign outside the Clarion chamber building announces a Christmas event at FL Crooks & Co., one of Clarion’s longtime downtown retailers.

Autumn Leaf Festival Miss Junior Teen Ava Orcutt, left, and Miss Petite Reese Cornecki were featured at the chamber’s “I Love Clarion” event in July.

Clarion chamber focuses on futureBy RANDY BARTLEYStaff writer

By RANDY BARTLEYStaff writer

By Jamie Hunt

CLARION — For the Clarion Borough community, the downtown business area serves as the heart of the town. The shops that line Main Street are crucial to the health and well-being of the town.

Tracy Becker, executive director of the Clarion Area Cham-ber of Business and Industry, explained the downtown business are a full-fledged part of the community.

“The business owners are also our neighbors,” she said. “If they don’t have their businesses, they won’t be in town.”

Becker explained many shops have a long history, making them integral parts of the community.

One of the largest advantages these shops have is the per-sonalized and friendly service customers receive.

“You are able to go into a business were the managers and employees know you, and if they don’t, they want to get to know you,” said Becker.

Becker said both business owners and employees care about doing a good job, ensuring high satisfaction.

Alongside this emphasis on customer service, Becker stated each downtown business offers something different.

“You’ve got unique shops and restaurants,” said Becker.Becker stated this past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has

affected each business differently.“Some businesses got hit very hard. They took huge finan-

cial losses. Some other businesses did well,” said Becker.Becker also noted the pandemic is not over, and she is un-

certain about the future. However, she was hopeful that the downtown businesses would rebound in 2021.

According to Becker, the key to a rebound is for the com-munity to band together and support local businesses.

“As long as we support each other, we will get through this,” she said.

We asked owners and managers of some Clarion stores to provide some information about their shops that draw people to the downtown business district.

Following are the responses we received.

Craig’s Barber PlaceCraig’s Barber Place, located at 538 Main St., is a barber

shop owned by Janie Montgomery. The shop has four full-time employees.

Daddy’s Main Street Hot DogLocated at 513 Main St., Daddy’s is owned by Dana and

Jean Troese and is managed by Darren Troese.The restaurant employs seven full-time and six part-time

workers. Because of a slowdown in catering, Daddy’s has in-creased its daily specials and takeout orders as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daddy’s added new dishes to its menu, including a cheeses-teak, wings, a hamburger, burritos, pasta dishes, a prime rib dish, turkey dinners, meatloaf and fried chicken.

Dan Smith’s Candies and GiftsDan Smith’s Candies and Gifts is a retail candy and gift

store located at 612 Main St. The store’s home office is located in Brookville.

The company is owned by Joe and Amy Scarnati and man-aged by Lisa Heller. The shop specializes in candies and treats. Its staff includes one full-time and three part-time workers.

For 2021, Dan Smith’s is rolling out new food products from Stello Foods as well as local honey and syrup.

Most products sold at the store are made in the U.S.

DE Sports Inc.Found at 527 Main St., DE Sports Inc. is a custom apparel

store owned by David Estadt. DE Sports employs two full-time workers.

For 2021, DE Sports plans to improve its website, expand its team and enlarge its local apparel selection for Clarion Uni-versity, Cook Forest and the town of Clarion.

FL Crooks and Co.FL Crooks and Co. is a retail men’s and women’s clothing,

shoes, outdoor wear and accessories shop located at 539 Main St.

Owned by James M. Crooks, the store employs seven full-time staff and three part-time staff.

The store is updating its website, www.flcrooks.com, which has been online since 1998.

The staff is always on the lookout for new clothing lines and fashion trends with which to stock the store.

The staff at FL Crooks operates by the mantra of “Look Good – Feel Good – Do Good!”

Michelle’s CaféSituated at 611 Main St., Michelle’s Café is owned by Kait-

lyn Nevel and Chas Mease. The coffee shop and café employs one full-time worker and five part-time workers.

It specializes in various caffeinated drinks, gelato and food.

For 2021, the shop will begin to use the Square Car Reader point of sale system. As the new owner of Michelle’s, Nevel is settling into the business and is enjoying meeting the commu-nity. She is excited to work with the same staff to provide the “home away from home” feeling that Clarion has come to ex-pect from Michelle’s Café.

As it becomes safe to gather in larger groups, and as things return to normal, Nevel said she looks forward to extending the shop’s hours and offering small parties and private events.

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Main Street shops are at the heart of Clarion

Photos by Jamie Hunt

By LEANDRO ARISTEGUIETAStaff writer

CLARION — The Clarion Blueprint Community Inc. will start work on a new com-munity park in the spring.

A purchase agreement was signed in June to secure land along Second Avenue for the multigenerational park, which will feature a playground, sports courts, splashpad, ice skating area, outdoor games and plenty of space to gather and play, according to the Blueprint panel.

The land purchase was a major step forward for the project, which has been in the works for nearly two years, since borough resident Janice

Horn began developing a plan to fund the creation of addi-tional parks in the borough.

The purchase price of the roughly 2.5-acre parcel of land across from the Clarion cemetery was listed at $153,000.

The majority of the money came from Horn as well as donations adding up to $40,000.

The plans for the park in-clude a water feature, a skat-ing rink, tennis courts, basket-ball courts, a walking area, a seating area, a small building for restrooms and water foun-tains, among other amenities.

A fundraising committee has been formed and the group will collect donations from

the community to help with the project.

The committee has applied for grant money as well.

The CBCI was awarded the USDA Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge grant through the assistance of the Pennsylvania Downtown Cen-ter. The grant will allow CBCI to reassess community per-ceptions, evaluate its vision,

create a new five-year action plan, develop new annual work plans and put those plans into action.

A community perception survey can be found on CB-CI’s Facebook page.

More information about the CBCI is available by con-tacting Jessica Funk, program manager, by email at clarion-blueprint@gmail.com.

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Mall manager looking for reboundCLARION — Situated in the

Clarion Business District by Inter-state 80, the Clarion Mall has passed another eventful year as one of the area’s foremost retail locations.

The mall features over 350,000 square feet of retail space, much of it open and ready for new businesses to move in.

Clarion Mall General Manager Dennis Hill said he believes the mall will rebound from the past couple of years.

“The last few years have been dif-ficult,” Hill said. “But Clarion Mall is still hanging in there. We have plans to some day be back were we were.”

Though some might say the mall has stagnated, Hill doesn’t agree with those sentiments.

Hill mentioned receiving bad news is just a part of regular busi-ness, and you can’t let it take away from the positive aspects there are.

This past year, the COVID-19 pandemic was the largest challenge the mall faced.

For Hill and his staff, this has been a trial they’ve had to over-come.

Hill stated they had some planned store openings at the mall which were delayed because of health con-cerns and current economic condi-tions.

However, he said as a point of pride the mall never closed during the pandemic as many essential busi-nesses are located in the mall.

Hill stated he remains optimistic about the future of the mall, even with the departure of JC Penney, which is slated to close its location at the Clarion Mall in March.

“We remain positive that we still have a wonderful building and facil-ity,” Hill said.

“We’ll get back on track and get

things to where we want them to be,” Hill said.

According to Hill, 2021 is the year the mall will turn a corner.

“It’s a little tougher than it was in the past, but we’re very optimistic that we can fill stores,” said Hill “We’ve got some great ideas and a great team behind us to make this all happen. I can’t stress enough that we’re not going anywhere.”

The primary item on the list of improvements to the Clarion Mall is to bring new tenants to the mall.

“At this point we’re moving cau-tiously,” said Hill. “We don’t want to have any setbacks. We don’t want to put something together and not be able to fulfill our end or the tenants either because of current business restrictions.”

Alongside new tenants, Hill stat-ed existing mall tenants could be receiving upgrades soon.

“Expansion is a possibility for existing tenants,” said Hill.

According to Hill, one of the largest advantages the mall has is his staff.

“Most of our work is done in house by my staff, a great staff,” said Hill. “We try to maintain everything we can. If we can do it ourselves, we do it ourselves.”

Malls in the United States have seen dramatic changes over the past 20 years.

Hill’s thoughts about malls point to a nuanced understanding of the retail industry.

“One thing didn’t slow down the malls and shopping centers. It wasn’t one single thing. You can’t blame it on a separate company. You can’t blame it on the internet. It was a lot of things that came together over time, and people found the malls less important,” said Hill. “Still,” he continued, “we have the interior mall and we have many events.”

These events have been an impor-tant factor driving people to the mall.

Hill believes events serve an im-portant function for the mall’s devel-opment.

Hill said there were a number of Red Cross blood drives at the mall in 2020, up to two or three a month, he noted.

Calling them, “very successful,” Hill said they were able to accom-modate the blood drives when many other locations could not. The rea-son for this is the availability of large open space at the mall.

“The mall tried to do its part,” said Hill.

The mall also hosted a twice-monthly free children’s dental health clinic and it worked with Charitable Deeds, a Knox-based nonprofit, on their toy drives.

Both the blood drives and the dental clinics have been scheduled for 2021.

Hill said the mall has always col-laborated with organizations like the Red Cross and Charitable Deeds.

“It’s important because we can, we always have,” said Hill. “We’ve always had programs, shows, job fairs and community serviceevents.”

Hill stated the existence of the mall is of great importance to Clari-on, mentioning employment as well as opportunities for locally owned businesses as key reasons.

“At one time there were 450 em-ployees in the mall complex,” Hill said.

Penney to close mall store

The announcement in early December that JC Penney in the Clarion Mall will be closing its doors in March deals yet an-other blow to a community that has seen businesses depart throughout recent years.

“It is always sad when a business closes,” said Tracy Becker, executive director of the Clarion Area Chamber of Business and Industry. “JC Penney has been a member of the chamber for a long time.”

The company recently announced its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but it wasn’t enough to spare the Clarion Mall store. In April 2016, the company closed its loca-tion in the Cranberry Mall.

JC Penney has been at the Clarion Mall since it opened in 1980. Before the pandemic, the store employed about 10 full-time and 30 part-time employees.

What is particularly devastating about the announcement, Becker said, is that it marks the departure of an anchor store.

Blueprint Community plan calls for new park

Building projects drop in countyCLARION — While building projects

were curtailed last year, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its result-ing shutdowns, there was an increase in the value of building permits issued in Clarion Borough during 2020.

In 2020, the borough issued 62 build-ing permits with a total value of $2,070,743, according to Scott Sharrar, zoning and code enforcement officer for the borough.

In 2019, the borough logged $1.3 mil-lion in building and zoning permits. That number was down from $6.7 million re-corded in 2018. The Regency Square senior high rise, a $6 million project in 2018 boosted those totals.

As in 2019, the biggest permit of 2020 was for a private dwelling — a $950,000 single-family residence on Tippin Drive.

Other large building projects in the borough during 2020 included:� A $350,000 project to remodel the

former Haskell Furniture store into the Haskell House� A $250,000 project to remodel the

Wendy’s on Eighth Avenue� $138,000 for the new security en-

trance at the Clarion High School on Liberty Street� A $122,600 project to renovate of-

fices at 8 W. Main St. for the county’s housing authority.

Other projects from last year that were worth more than $10,000 include the following:� A new parking lot for Alpha Stu-

dent Housing at 990 Main St. ($84,450)� A new garage on North Third Ave-

nue ($18,000)� A basement remodeling project

along Wilson Avenue ($15,000)� Renovation work at offices in Clar-

ion Area High School ($20,000)� Pavilion erected at Clarion Area

High School ($18,000)� Installation of new ramp and stairs

with a roof at Jandeni Apartments at 133 Main St. ($13,700)

The borough charges a flat fee of $25 for smaller projects such as installing a fence, building a new shed or demolish-ing an old one, installing a small parking area, installing a deck or fencing and other small projects.

The borough assesses a fee for per-mits. The money realized from these fees varies widely from year to year, depend-ing on major projects. For example, in

2013, the borough realized $2,193.52. The following year, the borough received $24,191.31 due to a huge construction project at Clarion University.

In 2019, the borough earned $3,972.75 from permit fees. In 2020, that number soared to $24,095.

Sharrar said the revenue the borough receives from the building and zoning permits depends on what type of permit is requested.

He said the borough charges less for a zoning permit than for a building permit and many projects with a high dollar amount only require a zoning permit. Those fees can be as low as $25.

Sharrar said there are many factors that determine which permit is applica-ble.

Bureau Veritas, a third-party inspec-tor, does all of the inspection work for the borough.

In Clarion Borough, a permit must be secured prior to the construction, altera-tion or change in use of any structure. This is to ensure compliance with all lo-cal building codes and Americans with Disabilities requirements.

Special requirements are involved with any construction within a floodplain area.

By Jamie Hunt

Management at the Clarion Mall, shown at the top right corner of this aerial photograph, is looking for ways to bring in more tenants to the retail center. “We’re not going anywhere,” said general manager Dennis Hill.

By LEANDRO ARISTEGUIETAStaff writer

By RANDY BARTLEYStaff writer

Miles Brothers LLC provided this rendering of a new community park to be built in Clarion.

By RANDY BARTLEYStaff writer

SHIPPENVILLE — Route 66 Sporting Goods is looking to celebrate its 17th year in business under the ownership of Linda and Lee Dechant.

The store is located on Route 66, 1.5 miles north of 322 in Shippenville.

Route 66 Sporting Goods employs a knowledgeable staff made up of Lori Gadley, Wayne Gadley, Steve Schill, Cole Wolbert, Mike Bever-idge, Chris Zacherl, Joe Winger and Mindy Maurer. They pride themselves on be-ing able to answer any ques-tion about their vast selection of merchandise for the great outdoors. They will work one-on-one with the customer to give them the ultimate per-sonal experience.

The company has some-thing to meet the needs of hunters, fishermen, reload-ers, campers, archers and trappers. It carries many high-quality brands and is the largest retail trapping supplier in western Pennsyl-vania. If there is something not found in stock, the store will order it in for the cus-tomer. Layaway and gift cer-tificates are available.

The store is always ex-panding and adding to its large inventory to better suit the customer.

The large archery section is run by Lori Gadley, daugh-

ter of owners Lee and Linda Dechant, and Mike Beveridge. This section features a wide range of compound and cross-bows by Mathews, Mission by Mathews, Bow Tech, Dia-mond by Bow Tech, Bear Ar-chery, Excalibur, Ten Point and Hoyt.

Route 66 carries recurve accessories as well as a wide selection of recurve bows.

The archery section also includes many accessories in-cluding 3D targets, arrows, sights and much more.

Route 66 Sporting Goods carries a vast selection of pistols, rifles, and shotguns from Browning, Weatherby, Ruger, T/C, Christensen, Remington, Winchester, Smith & Wesson, Mossberg, Walther, Taurus, Savage, Heritage, Sig Sauer, Kimber and Beretta. It also carries black powder equipment. There is a fine selection of Inline and Flintlock rifles as well as black powder pistols.

The store is a full line deal-er of Browning products, which includes gun safes of varying capacities.

It also stocks a vast selec-tion of scopes by Leupold, Bushnell, Hawke, Vortex, Simmons and Redfield. There’s also an extensive se-lection of bases and rings by Weaver, Leupold, Talley and Browning.

New for 2021, the store has brought in Trijicon Optics.

It carries an extensive se-lection of equipment for any

type of fishing including fly fishing. There is a marine sec-tion featuring boating sup-plies and the store is an offi-cial dealer for Radisson ca-noes

The camping section is stocked with tents, Palmer cast iron pie irons, flashlights, Coleman fuel and propane, and so much more.

The clothing section at the store is stocked with the larg-est Carhartt selection in the area. There is also clothing by Under Armour, Gamehide and Rocky. Route 66 also has boots and shoes from La-Crosse, Rocky, and Muck boots.

A new hunting apparel line, DSG, has been added to the store. This clothing line is designed by women for wom-en.

Route 66 is also a Kenetrek Boot dealer for “those that take the trail less traveled.”

Hunting and fishing licens-es can be purchased at the Shippenville store. Allegheny National Forest ATV/OHM trail permits are also sold.

“We would like to con-gratulate our shooting team, Alexis Dehner, Greg Dehner, Tom Prody, Larry Shindle-decker, Ryan Beichner and Kevin Gensler, on a great sea-son,” said owners Linda and Lee Dechant.

“The year 2020 proved to be an interesting one and we are thankful for all of our cus-tomers’ continued support,” the Dechants said.

CLARION — While most of the nation was stuck in the COVID lockdown for much of 2020, Clarion County found a way to move for-ward.

A great deal of the work was tied to the federal CARES Act that provided money to the county for specific proj-ects.

“We spent a lot of time try-ing to find the most legitimate way to spend $3.4 million that would benefit everyone in the county,” said Clarion County Commissioner Ted Tharan.

“With that money we pur-chased digital radios for all of the fire companies, police and ambulance companies. That benefited all of the citizens of Clarion County,” he said.

“The next thing we wanted to do was our broadband tow-ers,” he said. “That filled a dual purpose, broadband and 911. The entire county bene-fits from an improved 911. When you need the police, ambulance or fire company you need to be able to reach them. This will improve our emergency communication network.”

The county recently opened bids for the construction of a 150-foot monopole at East Brady, a 118-foot self-sup-porting tower in Shippenville and a 250-foot self-supporting tower at Cottage Hill (New Bethlehem). A new tower was built in Leeper and the East Brady tower is being moved to the overlook above the town.

The CARES Act specified that projects funded by the money had to be completed by Dec. 31. “That was an impos-sible deadline,” Tharan said.

The county filed for wage reimbursement for eligible county employees including deputy sheriffs and correc-tional officers. That money was placed in the general fund and used for the tower proj-ects.

“We did it all according to their rules,” said Tharan. “We have the money sitting in the general fund and we can fin-ish the projects. We used our wages to garnish that money to make sure it wasn’t going back to the state,” he ex-plained.

“We just learned that the federal government extended the deadline until Dec. 31, 2021,”said Tharan. “That came too late to help.”

The county met the long-standing need for a new 911 emergency dispatch center. A portion of the Sorce building in Paint Township will be used for the 911 center. The build-ing meets the needs of the Emergency Management Agency, Public Safety De-partment, storage for personal protection equipment, records storage and other storage needs. All of the EMA trailers will be stored inside,” said Tharan.

The county purchased the former Sorce warehouse for $670,000. About half of the purchase price was CARES Act funding. A portion of the building will be converted into the county’s new 911 and Emergency Management Ser-vices Center. “Once that is completed we can sell the Holobaugh building,” said Tharan. The former beer dis-tributor on River Hill was purchased before the Sorce building became available.

“We will be getting our re-cords storage facility ready so we can get the jail cleaned

out. The records will be stored in the Sorce building,” said Tharan. County records are currently stored in the old jail’s cellblock.

“Krause is still using part of that building and we would like to have them continue to use part of it. We like to keep our businesses here and we will do whatever we can to keep them here,” said Tharan.

The county is not waiting for a broadband vendor to come to it, Tharan said. “We are working with Delta devel-opment on broadband devel-opment. We are working on a plan of attack for rural broad-band. That is the wave of the future,” he said.

In 2020, the county pur-chased a new building for the district attorney. “We did pur-chase and renovate a new dis-trict attorney’s office. They are in there and operating. Everything in there is 99.9 percent done,” said Tharan.

“We are also working on the front of former Goodwill building,” he said. The build-ing, which houses district court and probation was dam-aged by fire last year.

The windows in the court-house were replaced in 2020, and there is more work planned for 2021. A lot of the

changes will begin in Court-room 1. “The courtroom will get new benches, new carpet, lighting and a new jury box so we can have social distanc-ing,” said Tharan.

“The judge would like to have (the) domestic relations (agency) in the courthouse,” said Tharan. “Now that public safety has moved to the Sorce building, that frees up space in the basement of the court-house,” he explained.

The restrooms in the court-house are decades old. “We have an architect currently de-signing the courthouse bath-rooms. We will be installing a second-floor bathroom,” said Tharan. Presently there is a men’s room on the second floor and a small ad hoc bath-room outside Courtroom 1.

With the COVID restric-tions, tourism advertising was reduced and, like in all re-gions, visitors to the area were greatly reduced in 2020.

“We have several hundred thousand dollars in the hotel tax fund that we were not able to use in 2020 due to the COVID lockdown,” said Tharan. The tax money is lev-ied on rooms rented in the county. The proceeds are used to encourage tourism in the county. “ I want to get every-

thing ready so that when the pandemic ends we will be ready to advertise,” Tharan said.

He said he wants to plan for the future. “I want to start

having regular meets with all of the elected officials and department heads on a regular basis this year. That way, we will learn what their concerns are face-to-face,” he said.

Friday, February 19, 2021 THE DERRICK. – H-5

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Clarion leaders move forward

The former Sorce building in Paint Township was purchased by Clarion County in 2020. A portion of the warehouse building will be used to house the county’s 911 emergency dispatch center as well as for storage of the county’s personal protection equipment and county records.

The new 911 and broadband tower in Leeper is near completion but a shortage of materials has delayed the project. The tower is part of the coun-ty’s broadband initiative.

Route 66 Sporting Goods enters 17th year in business

Commissioners take steps to improve county’s 911

system, broadband serviceBy RANDY BARTLEYStaff writer

Photos by Randy Bartley

FL Crooks & Co., located in downtown Clarion, has been a staple of the commu-nity for decades.

“It’s where fashion meets Main Street,” said Jim Crooks, third-generation store owner.

He said, “We are going to have a new mantra for the year 2021! Look Good - Feel Good - Do Good!”

“We have a greater appre-ciation of what we have,” Crooks said. “The year 2020 has taught us how much peo-ple genuinely care about our business and our community,” he said.

FL Crooks & Co. will con-tinue to strive to offer the best in men’s and women’s cloth-ing, shoes, and accessories with top-notch service.

FL Crooks & Co. is one of Pennsylvania’s oldest cloth-ing and shoe stores. A Toast to Century-Old Stores by MR Magazine at the Chicago Collective in February in-

cluded FL Crooks & Co. as one of two dozen menswear stores throughout the USA which have survived and prospered for more than 100 years.

Along with this prestigious honor, the year 2020 brought challenges but also great

promise and hope and confi-dence for the future. The staff of FL Crooks & Co. remained

consistent with seven full-time and three part-time em-ployees.

Promotions and sales high-lighted the major holidays of Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day and Fa-ther’s Day, 4th of July and more.

Santa Claus in the store window was a huge success

for two December weekends.Rather than send out the

annual Christmas promo-tional booklet, FL Crooks & Co. gave twenty-five $25 gift cards to twenty-five lucky winners at a live Face-book drawing on Dec. 23. The gift cards are being re-deemed at the Hollenbaugh Hometown Meat Market, O’Neil’s Quality Foods, Port’s Clarion Farms Premi-um Beef, and the Red & White in Shippenville. Win-ners chose whether to utilize the cards themselves or “pay it forward” and give the card to someone else.

The FL Crooks StoryFL Crooks & Co. has been

family-owned and family-oper-ated since the early 1900s. Founder Frank Leslie Crooks took his experience in retail sales and opened a clothing store in downtown Clarion in 1905. His brother, James Crooks be-came a partner after 12 years as an on-the-road salesman.

James’ son, Donald, joined the family men’s clothing busi-ness after returning from World War II in 1945. His wife, Ber-nadette, added the Tree House, filled with current women’s fashions in 1969.

Donald and Bernadette’s son, James, majored in mar-keting at Clarion University and made the business his livelihood and passion.

An online presence for over 20 years, James’ son, Nathan, developed the store’s website, www.flcrooks.com, while a teenager. The online store experienced 30% growth in the year 2020.

FL Crooks & Co. contin-ues to draw shoppers from all over northwestern Pennsylva-nia and beyond.

A strong sense of purpose and vision with a commit-ment to excellence pervade all we do in the type of service provided and quality of prod-ucts offered. With an eye to the future, Jim Crooks stated, “Just be the best you can be every day.”

STRATTANVILLE — Last year brought its share of chal-lenges to the building industry. Since Structural Modulars (SMI Homes) has been building custom modular homes for over 30 years, the company’s modular advantage is the key to survival and success.

While using only the best builders, architects and profes-sional construction companies, SMI’s modular advantage means more — more design flexibility, precision engineering, quality assurance in a controlled environment, faster construc-tion times, superior strength, and beautiful homes.

The Modular AdvantageWhat is the Modular Advantage? Building custom modular

homes and buildings is what makes SMI Homes unique. Every customer, architect or builder gets to choose exactly what prod-ucts go into each project.

Building green, air quality, sustainable energy, technology, efficiency, comfort, and quality are all factors that influence each and every design at SMI Homes.

Not only does SMI produce beautiful homes, but also de-signs and manufactures multi-family homes and professional buildings.

During the summer of 2020, SMI manufactured the mod-ules for the new The Dickinson Center (Tri-County Homes) in Hazen and the new Marienville Area Library (Delta Contrac-tors & Design).

The Marienville Area Library was a community-funded project using builder Delta Contractors of Clarion with SMI’s modulars.

“SMI was there for us from the very start, even before we hired them, to answer all of our questions. They were great to work with,” said library director Jacklyn McLaughlin.

Secret to SuccessExperienced carpenters and craftsmen and in-house sales

and design teams set SMI above other modular companies. SMI teams have years of experience, allowing them to adapt to new housing trends and customers’ requests more quickly than standard building companies.

Personnel changes in 2020 included the retirement of Jo Bullers after 17 years of service. Angela “Angie” Niederriter joined the team in December.

2020 service awards at SMI include Dave Allison for his 10 years of service, Will Miller and Ron McMaster for their 15 years of service each, Rick Boozer for his 20 years of service, and Alan White for his 25 years of service.

According to CFO Lori Miller, “Our team pulled together this year. It was definitely a group effort at times.”

Building a better wayThe need for custom, eco-friendly, high-efficiency modulars

grew in 2020 as more home owners ask for sustainable and renewable energy options.

Even electric vehicle charging stations were included in the Pittsburgh Triplex at 238 East Jefferson St. by the K Bennett Development Group.

SMI is proud to be currently working on the construction of the Jefferson Street Triplex. Ultra-modular homes, condos, and apartments are becoming more and more common.

Other local SMI builders enjoyed a robust market in 2020.Customers moved into beautifully designed modular homes

even if work stoppages and product shortages stood in the way at times.

SMI in the newsWorking closely with the Mon Valley Initiative in Pitts-

burgh, six new family homes were constructed on the former UPMC Braddock hospital site.

The two-story homes, on what used to be a vacant lot, were constructed and are currently for sale to income-qualified home buyers.

Affordable new housing in the area was identified as a real need for the community and SMI was proud to be a part of this endeavor by the Mon Valley Initiative.

2020 endsWrapping it all up, 2020 provided a year of speculation,

challenges and changes for both the home buyer and the builder.

Because of over 30 years of past construction experience, Structural Modulars has emerged from 2020 even stronger.

The need for custom homes will only increase in 2021 as customers demand modern floor plans, energy efficiency, and enjoy record low interest rates.

People may visit the company’s website at smihomes.com for more information and sample floor plans to start planning their new home.

The company is headquartered at 101 Southern Ave., Strat-tanville.

H-6 – THE DERRICK. Friday, February 19, 2021

This article was submitted by the company.

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Fashion meets Main Street at FL Crooks & Co.

Karen Alberg Grossman, editor-in-chief of MR magazine, presented Jim Crooks of FL Crooks & Co. a Century Store Award in recognition of the Clarion store being one of only 24 menswear stores in the U.S. that has been in business for over 100 years. Crooks received the award at the Chicago Collective held Feb. 17, 2020.

The store along Main Street was all decked out for Christmas.

Joseph Croskey and Kathleen Ellwood Croskey helped customers celebrate the Christmas season by dressing up as Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The Dickinson Center at Hazen(built by Tri-County Homes)

This article was submitted by the company.

Marienville Area Library(built by Delta Contractors & Design)

238 Jefferson Street Triplex(built by K Bennett Development Group)

Mon Valley Initiative(Six new houses for sale)

Interior of a Windfall Custom Modular Home

LongtimeClarion retailer has new mantra

for 2021

How to Survive 100+ Years!Wise advice from Jim Crooks of FL Crooks & Co.:1. Build a team that cares for the customer, for the mer-

chandise and for each other.2. Be who you are — don’t pretend to be something you

are not.3. Always close on Sundays for refreshment and rest.4. Never take the customer for granted — even family.5. Treat everyone equally — no cutting prices for

some.6. Give back — be generous, even when the pressure is

on.7. Pay your vendors FIRST before you take a dime.8. Get to work early.9. Be the best you can be each day; don’t obsess about

beating last year.10. Own your own building.

Store owner provides tips

Pennwest Homes and Man-orwood Homes, located along State Route 38 in Emlenton, is a single-family modular home factory that builds a wide array of Ranch, Cape

Cod and two-story style homes.

Pennwest Homes and Man-orwood Homes are a division of The Commodore Corp., whose corporate headquarters are located in Elkhart, Indi-ana.

The Commodore Corp. is the largest privately owned

system-built home manufac-turer in the country, with plants in Pennsylvania, Indi-ana, North Carolina and Wis-consin.

Pennwest Homes and Man-orwood Homes are commit-ted to being a premier em-ployer in the area by investing in automation that makes cer-tain jobs easier to perform while also improving quality. Its primary focus is: “safety and quality before quantity.”

The company believes that putting the safety of its em-ployees and the quality of its homes is much more impor-tant than the number of homes produced.

Over the past year, the firm has made significant invest-ments in new machinery for the plant to take extra work out of certain tasks and im-prove the quality of the work environment, as well as the homes it builds.

A Eurovac System to im-prove the air quality of the fa-cility and provide for a cleaner environment was installed. This system has an outside vacuum system that is piped into the plant with connection points all throughout the plant. These connection points attach to different tools, such as dry-wall sanders and vacuums, to help eliminate dust in the air and on surfaces.

By helping to eliminate much of the dust created, the plant becomes a better place to work, the employee’s health is improved and the homes come out much cleaner.

Another investment made

this past year, was on the pur-chase of a new CNC machine for the cabinet department. Pennwest Homes and Manor-wood Homes is one of the few modular factories in the Northeast that manufacturers produce their own cabinets. By doing so, it allows them to offer custom quality built cab-inets in various colors and at a much better value than other factories who purchase their cabinets through a third party or distributor. This allows for the work to be completed much more easily and at a higher quality.

In addition to utilizing the CNC machine for cabinets, Pennwest and Manorwood will also be utilizing it for the production of their counter-tops. The addition of this CNC machine allows workers to move large pieces of materials easily, make precision cuts, reduce unnecessary waste and

take additional labor out the production process.

In addition to the Eurovac System and the CNC ma-chine, Pennwest / Manorwood are also looking at other forms of automation to improve manufacturing operations. One of those items is a Gantry Nailer for the floor depart-ment that would nail the floor decking in place quickly and precisely, without the need for someone bending over with a nail gun repeatedly through-out the day. They are also looking in a laser system that would project an image di-rectly from the CAD comput-er system onto the floor sur-face showing exactly where all of the cutouts and penetra-tions go. This would eliminate someone taking the time to reference paper prints where they would have to use a tape measure to manually mark the floor by hand. Again, both of

these items would take pre-cious labor out, allowing it to be utilized elsewhere and im-prove quality, while also eliminating human error.

The need for skilled labor will always be important in the manufacturing of a new home.

By utilizing technology and automation, the processes can be made easier allowing the workers to work smarter, rather than harder to get more done.

More information about Pennwest Homes or Manor-wood Homes is available on-line at www.Pennwesthomes.com or www.Manorwood-homes.com. This includes floor plans, features and ame-nities that are available. There are also virtual home tours of-fered at the websites.

Tours of the plant can be arranged through a local builder. Builders can be found at the company’s websites.

Friday, February 19, 2021 THE DERRICK. – H-7

This article was submitted by the company.

Hetrick’s Farm Supply, Inc.

772 Olean Trail, New Bethlehem

814-275-3507 Since 1952

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Emlenton builder makes investments

Terry W. Kahle stands with some of the Kubota equipment that is offered through his Knox business. Kahle started his shop in 1971, serving as dealer for Terra Jet, Tri Rod and Arctic Cat snowmobiles.

Terry W. Kahle shop marks 50th year in business

Terry W. Kahle is celebrating its 50th year in business.

Although business itself has changed since the business’ opening, common courtesy and customer service have remained hallmarks at Terry W. Kahle.

Kahle and his daughter, Tiki Kahle, are dedicated to the community and the relation-ships they have developed with their custom-ers throughout the years. Customers to the Kahle family are more like close friends and extended family, they said.

Located in Knox, Terry W. Kahle started as a dealer for Terra Jet, Tri Rod and Arctic Cat Snowmobiles in 1971.

Kahle began carrying, selling and servicing the Kubota brand in 1978. To this day, Kahle’s

features a full line of Kubota tractors, mowers, excavators, wheel loaders, attachments and implements.

In 2002, Terry W. Kahle also became a Takeuchi dealer, carrying track loaders and excavators.

The store also carries CAM Superline and Eager Beaver trailers along with Land Pride, Sweepster, Harley Power Rakes, Bush Hog and Bradco. The company also services and carries parts for the many equipment lines it offers.

Terry W. Kahle has two locations. The main office is located at 423 E. Railroad St., Knox, and a storage facility is located along Route 338, outside of Knox.

More information about the business can be found online at www.twkahleequipment.com.

Variety is key for Shoup’s hardware

store(Editor’s Note: This ar-

ticle was first published July 21 in the Clarion News.)

MARIENVILLE — Shoup’s True Value Hard-ware store on Cherry Street (off of state Route 66) in downtown Marienville has served the area since the early 1930s.

In that time period, it has been independently owned and operated by the same two individuals.

Shoup’s Hardware of-fers a variety of products designed to accommodate many daily tasks such as automotive jobs and clean-ing projects. It also carries pet supplies, grills and ac-cessories, hand and power tools and, of course, hard-ware.

The store also supplies products such as house-wares, lawn and garden, electrical, patio furniture, outdoor power equipment, paint, plumbing, sporting goods and more.

This hardware store is a full-service store providing key and pipe cutting ser-vices to its customers. Pro-pane is also available.

Special orders are ac-cepted at the store.

A new Eurovac System was installed at Pennwest Homes and Manorwood Homes over the past year. The system improves the air quality inside the Emlenton plant.

A new CNC machine has been added to the equipment line at Pennwest Homes and Manorwood Homes. Workers use the equipment to build cabinets and countertops, enabling them to move large pieces of materials and make precision cuts more easily.

Skilled workers use technology and automation to build home sections in-side the massive Pennwest Homes and Manorwood Homes factory.

A worker cleans dust from drywall at the Pennwest Homes and Manorwood Homes plant. The compa-ny took steps last year to improve air quality and worker safety at the factory.

Pennwest, Manorwood Homespurchases air quality equipment and CNC machine for cabinet department

Champion Modular Inc./New Era Building Systems is located at 451 Southern Ave-nue in Strattanville.

For decades, Champion has served as a leader in the manufactured housing indus-try and one of the largest modular home builders in North America. Champion of-fers many factory-built solu-tions, from single-family and multi-family homes to com-mercial and government buildings.

Its manufactured homes, modular homes, mobile homes, park models and com-mercial modular buildings can be found throughout the United States and western Canada.

Integrity and respect are important at Champion/New Era. The company takes pride in its craftsmanship and builds strong relationships with its customers, suppliers, and em-ployees.

Most of the raw materials that we the firm uses in its manufacturing process are sourced locally from vendors such as Open Joist, Universal Forest Products, Clarion Bath-ware, Kronospan, Carter Lumber, Luton’s Plumbing and Heating, and Shirey’s

Overhead Doors.“We know that we would

not be successful without our team. In return for their hard work and dedication, our goal is to provide a safe, produc-tive, and enjoyable workplace for every employee,” a com-pany representative said.

Champion/New Era strives to be one of the leading em-ployers in the area, offering full benefits, including a 401(k) with employer match, medical, dental, vision insur-ance, life insurance, paid holi-days and vacation time.

The firm looks to hire local skilled employees, including recent graduates from Trian-gle Tech in DuBois and the Clarion County Career Center in Shippenville, where the company’s general manager, Ryan Bish, serves on the lead-ership board.

Employing an average of 175 full-time production team members, Champion Modular Inc. continues to grow in pro-duction, even during the most trying year of 2020.

One of most recent accom-plishments included complet-ing a housing development complex in Detroit, Michi-gan.

“Every member of our pro-duction team is a key contrib-utor to the process of making manufactured housing by fo-cusing on maintaining the

highest quality, safe work be-haviors, solid teamwork, and continuous improvement of the manufacturing processes,” said Bish.

Many of the vital team members have been with ther company for 15 years or more and recently the firm celebrat-ed the retirement of its quality assurance manager, Dan Rhoads, after 27 years of ser-vice.

Bish also noted the com-pany has multiple generations working along-side each oth-er, “making us a true family workplace,” he said.

The manufacturing plant operates one shift on week-days, which entails all aspects of the process, from commer-cial and residential buildings designed by the firm’s engi-neering team, a sales staff, fi-nal finish and cleaning teams and then a transportation team that delivers the finished prod-uct to locations across the na-tion.

Champion Modular in Strattanville has seen an ex-treme spike in the housing market. Its backlog and order intake have grown 40% year over year. “While servicing 17 different states we feel this increase in sales will not be short lived. There is a demand for housing and Champion Modular has the products to meet this demand,” Bish said.

CLARION — The Carpet Barn is proud to be entering its 50th year of service to Clarion County and surround-ing areas. The business opened as a collaboration of brothers-in-law Tom Shreffler and Jim Wilshire in 1971. While a lot has changed in 50 years, The Carpet Barn holds true to its original objective of “Excel-lent Service at Affordable Prices.”

Along with owner Bud Wilshire, there are two full-time, in-store employees, Steve Fabry and Caleb Shref-fler.

Reflecting on this 50th an-niversary, Wilshire credits and appreciates the many custom-ers who made the business successful through all those years. He is very optimistic about the future and looks forward to continuing to pro-vide the best service possible with every transaction.

As part of the 50th anniver-sary, customers should look for an exterior facelift includ-ing a new color scheme for the building with a matching sign, plus new television ads and website improvements.

The Carpet Barn offers thousands of styles, colors and textures of carpet, vinyl, hardwood and laminate from which customers may choose. It also offers free estimates and consultations as well as expert installation.

The company’s Red Carpet Treatment assures customers that whatever needs to be done to complete the installa-tion will be, including vacu-uming upon finishing. Re-cently, the business has ex-panded its installation man-power to include four to five separate crews, providing cus-tomers with speedier turn-around times for installation.

As the area’s largest stock-ing dealer, the store also of-fers the “do-it-yourselfer” lots of options, with huge selec-tions of LVP and LVT and over 400 rolls and remnants of carpet and sheet vinyl in stock, the Barn has material ready to go. Free padding is offered with Cash and Carry in-stock carpet or remnants.

When asked what tip he would offer to prospective buyers, Wilshire said, “My advice would be (to) find a local dealer.”

“Service is as important as price, you want someone who offers good service, and is go-ing to stand behind what they sell,” he said.

The Carpet Barn usually

serves customers within a 30-mile radius.

This includes the areas of Marienville, Brookville, East Brady, Seneca and farther if necessary.

H-8 – THE DERRICK. Friday, February 19, 2021

This article was submitted by the company.

Full Mechanical ServiceLifetime Collision Repair Warranty

Free Pickup and Delivery

814-226-9468 • Mon.-Thurs. 8-5, Fri. 8-4:30Along Route 66 in Lucinda

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Family Owned and Operated for 70 Years

‘50 years of floors’

Clarion Ford Chrysler bounces back from shutdown

CLARION — The year 2020 was a difficult and try-ing year for everyone in the United States and it was no different for Clarion Ford Chrysler.

The entire car industry stopped making new vehicles in mid-March and didn’t start again until June.

When the Clarion dealer-ship reopened after the March business shutdown in Penn-sylvania, it installed plastic safety shields in all public ar-eas, began social distancing and everyone on side began wearing face masks.

“It took a lot of effort by all of our employees, and espe-cially by our general manager Dave Eggleton who coordi-nated it all, to make sure our customers and everyone here would be safe,” said owner Tracie Morris Kriebel. “But taking every safety measure we possibly could was really a no-brainer,” she said.

The Clarion dealership struggled in the summer with a nationwide shortage of product, and every effort was made to find a variety of all car brands late model used and increase the number of vehicles on the lot to better serve the local community, Kriebel said.

By the fall, the auto indus-try was back into full produc-

tion, new vehicles began fill-ing the lot and the dealership was able to focus on the up-grades to both its Ford and Chrysler lineups.

Ford introduced the rede-signed Explorer, the best-sell-ing third row SUV in the country; the newly upgraded Escape, bringing back the Es-cape Hybrid; and a 4x4 Tran-sit Van.

The Transit continued Ford’s lead in the commercial van market with its 42nd year as its best seller.

The F150 continued its to-tal dominance with its 44th year as the best-selling truck in America, and the 39th year as the most popular vehicle.

Chrysler replaced the Dodge Caravan with the all-new Chrysler Voyager and added an all wheel drive mod-el to its Pacifica minivan, the most awarded minivan in the

country over the past four years.

The Jeep Gladiator truck doubled its sales in 2020, and was named North American Car of the Year.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, Jeep introduced the Wrangler Hybrid and the 702 horsepower Ram TRX off road truck. It was named Mo-tor Trend’s Truck of the Year, giving Ram a “three-peat” with Motor Trend: Truck of the Year for 2019, 2020 and now 2021.

Jeep also announced the reintroduction of the Wag-oneer in early 2021.

Ford also saved the best for last, debuting the all-new Bronco Sport, which is the precursor to the larger Bronco due in the spring.

It also introduced the com-pletely redesigned F-150, re-built from the ground up. It has dozens of first-in-segment innovations, most significant-ly an optional hybrid engine. It is able to travel 700 miles before refueling is necessary. The hybrid engine also fea-tures an optional 110-volt out-let that will power an entire work station.

“As always, we wouldn’t still be here without the sup-port of our local community,” said Kriebel.

“This year has been tough for them and they have still supported us, and we really, really appreciate that,” she said.

Steve Fabry, Bud Wilshire and Caleb Shreffler are the three full-time workers at The Carpet Barn. The company is celebrating 50 years of business this year.

This newspaper clipping from The Clarion News shows Jim Wilshire and Tom Shreffler, the broth-ers-in-law duo who opened the flooring business 50 years ago.

A worker at Champion Modular fastens pieces of material to a home section at the Strattanville factory.

Champion Modularhomes can be foundall across the U.S.

Champion/New Era is a leading employer in the region, and looks to hire graduates of local training programs like the Clarion County Career Center and Triangle Tech in DuBois.

This article was submitted by the company.

This article was submitted by the company.

The Carpet Barn credits customers for longevity

‘‘It took a lot of effort by all of our employees ... to make sure our customers and everyone here would be safe.’’

Tracie Morris KriebelDealership owner

(Editor’s Note: This article was first published Dec. 11 in The Der-rick and The News-Herald.)

CLARION — Between 50 and 130 new manufacturing jobs are coming to Knox as a result of Mod-ern Living Solutions’ purchase of the former glass plant building, where it will build a line of “bath-room pods.”

Modern Living Solutions, a fully integrated modular construction company founded in 2020 and based in the borough, confirmed in De-cember that it had purchased the 256,000-square-foot industrial fac-tory site that sits on more than 40 acres of land. The sale price was not disclosed.

According to company spokes-person Andy Mest, the site will be “repurposed to execute the precon-struction and assembling of luxury modular bathrooms to fast-track the costly traditional construction se-quences the industry has become accustomed to with outdated con-struction methods.”

Modern Living Solutions is ex-pected to create more than 50 jobs in

its first year of full operations, ulti-mately creating about 130 perma-nent jobs with future planned phases of expansion.

The newspaper first learned of the plan when the company applied for a building code variance through the borough in November. The variance sought relief from a code require-ment regarding roof insulation, as remodeling efforts include plans to install a new roof over the existing roof of the former glass plant.

Knox Borough Council granted the request and expressed optimism about the potential for numerous family-sustaining jobs.

Mest said the purchase marks Modern Living Solutions’ first in-vestment in off-site manufacturing.

The productBathroom modules are factory-

made turnkey bathrooms that are sized, designed, and accessorized to specific architectural plans delivered to site, fully tested, and ready for immediate connection.

“The interspersion of bathroom modules into traditional construc-tion consolidates more than 10 trades into one prefabricated product,” Mest said. “The benefits of using bathroom modules (“bathroom

pods”) are well-documented in the modular construction industry, in-cluding higher quality products, shortened schedules, immediate cost savings, less general contractor over-head required on-site, sustainability benefits and safer construction proj-ects.”

Mest said Modern Living Solu-tions is committed to sustainable development and construction by

reducing material waste, while de-creasing material delivery transpor-tation emissions associated with tra-ditional construction.

Mest, a Pennsylvania native and off-site construction expert, will lead all investment and construction op-erations for the company.

“Attentive planning is the founda-tion upon which all successful proj-ects are built,” Mest said. “We have

built a world class team of expert professionals across the modular construction industry to support this venture.”

Working with the company’s partners from a project’s earliest stages, Mest said, ensures “a seam-less transition” from the design phase to the project site, resulting in fewer construction-phase changes and schedule impacts.

Car Mate Trailers, located in Leeper, began 2021 in its 39th year manufacturing the highest quality enclosed and open trailers since 1982. Car Mate continues to focus on providing American made, high-quality enclosed and open trailers for its dealer net-work in the northeastern Unit-ed States and eastern Canada.

The year 2020 began with a booming economy and promise of another very busy year. With the advent of the COVID-19 outbreak, that sunny outlook quickly began to come into question in March of 2020.

Per the Pennsylvania gov-ernor’s orders, Car Mate Trail-ers shut down operations for several weeks. An application for “Essential” status was ap-plied for and granted in early April.

Operations at Car Mate re-sumed in earnest on April 13. Dealers also resumed opera-tions and saw a steady con-tinuation of sales throughout the summer and through the remainder of 2020.

Production of trailers for essential services such as fire and police departments, res-cue services, city govern-ments, landscape businesses and similar agencies were a priority for 2020, and the main reason for achieving “Essential” status in Pennsyl-vania.

There was also a surprising surge of end-user customers wanting to convert cargo trail-ers into campers also gave the 2020 year another production boost.

Due to increased demand for trailers over the past few years, Car Mate began ramping up manufacturing for 2020 with the addition of a third produc-tion line in the cargo shop.

The increased output gave rise to the need for a second shift for the paint shop.

This resulted in the addi-tion of 20 new full-time pro-duction positions at Car Mate. The company employs 105 full-time workers.

The increased demand for trailers kept the bolstered pro-duction at full capacity for all of 2020 and it has continued into 2021 with the production of trailers for dealers’ spring inventories.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the overwhelm-ing need for towing solu-tions by businesses and con-sumers resulted in a 20% increase in sales for the 2020 year over the previous 2019 sales year.

Car Mate Trailers teamed up with NATM (National As-sociation of Trailer Manufac-turers) for a virtual “Trailer Safety Week” to help raise awareness for local dealers, trailer owners and local gov-ernment officials. The week-long event was held June 7-13, 2020.

Trailer safety tips and edu-cational resources were made available through social me-dia outlets such as Facebook and Linked In.

The 2021 Trailer Safety week is scheduled for June 6-12.

Former Car Mate president and co-owner Greg Snyder retired on Sept. 30, 2020, af-ter 31 dedicated years.

“Greg has been integral part of the Car Mate story, and his contributions will al-ways be valued. Greg’s hard work, commitment, and dedi-cation are worthy of our ad-

miration. It is with the great-est gratitude that we wish Greg a sincere departure and hope that the greatest of ad-ventures await him and his wife, Deb” said Michelle Hughes, co-owner.

The remaining co-owners at Car Mate Trailers are Fred Ochs and Michelle Hughes.

Car Mate would like to remind potential buyers that an open or enclosed trailer is considered a motorized vehi-cle which requires register-ing and titling in Pennsylva-nia. Please use caution when purchasing a used trailer

from a private party unless they have all of this docu-mentation available prior to the sale.

Anyone interested in pur-chasing a Car Mate trailer is encouraged to visit their local dealer. Visit the Car Mate website at www.carmate-trail-ers.com and use the “dealer locator” to find your closest dealer.

Some local dealers include J&J Trailers in Shippenville, Tom’s Auto in Titusville, Kurt Johnson in DuBois, Altmey-er’s in Kittanning and McCa-ndless Trailers in Mercer.

Rest Assured, a sleep shop located in New Bethlehem (southern Clarion County) has been in business since 2001.

Rest Assured has added rockers, recliners and power lift chairs to its sales floor, ac-cording to owner Vernon Hi-lyer.

“I am very grateful for all the new customers that I see looking to shop local,” he said.

Hilyer said many of his customers refer his store to their friends and families.

Hilyer said the mattress

store became his sole source of income after losing his union job at Owens-Illinois in 2010. He said the store has grown every year since then.

Hilyer said Rest Assured had a record year of sales in 2020.

Rest Assured started out selling factory “seconds” mat-tresses in July 2001, but with the closure of the local Sealy factory near Clarion, Hilyer realized he needed “to change things up.”

So, in 2004, the store’s in-ventory included all new sleep sets including 19 different mattress styles. The mattress-es vary from the basic starters to comfortably firm sets. They

include luxuriously soft, hard to find, two-sided pillow tops to Hilyer’s favorite, the all new gel-infused memory foams “that take your aches and pains away,” the store owner said.

Rest Assured also offers adjustable bedding units that raise your upper body and/or legs and feet to where you are most comfortable.

In the spring of 2020, Rest Assured added economically priced chairs to its sales floor.

More new offerings are coming in 2021, Hilyer said, noting top-quality chairs from ORT Furniture in Ohio have been added already this year.

Hilyer said makes custom-ers’ purchases personal since he is the owner, salesman and delivery person.

Rest Assured offers mat-tresses from Page Bedding Co. in Johnstown and Gold Bond Mattress in Hartford,

Connecticut. “The reason I have chosen these two com-panies is simple: they are both independent companies that build a better product than the major names that build in a fast production atmosphere,” Hilyer said.

Hilyer delivers mattresses to the Oil City, Franklin, Parker, Clarion, Brookville and Kittanning areas on a reg-ular basis.

The mattress store is lo-cated at 353 Broad St. in New Bethlehem.

Friday, February 19, 2021 THE DERRICK. – H-9

This article was submitted by the company.

to all our employees & customers!Thank You!

WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE

CLARION COMMUNITY FOR 48 YEARS, SINCE 1973.

814-226-537444 Amsler Ave. • Shippenville, PA

16273 Rt. 208 • Marble, PASuite 103 • Carrier Administration Building at Clarion University

(814) 226-9045 • Email: info@clarioncountyedc.comOr visit us on our website: www.ClarionCountyEDC.com

Facilitating Sustainable Economic Advancement in Clarion County by:

Call or email and see how we can help you!

• Partnering with local businesses• Connecting organizations with resources• Promoting Clarion County regionally, nationally,

and globally• Assisting companies with financing, workforce

development, and site selection

Car Mate earns ‘essential’ status

Former glass plant purchased, new jobs expected

Mattress store adds rockers and recliners to its lineup

Car Mate Trailers ships up to six loads of trailers a day to keep up with demand. The Leeper company added 20 full-time production positions last year, bringing its workforce up to 105 employees.

The former Knox glass plant, as seen from Route 338, has been purchased by a new Knox-based company that will build “bathroom pods” in the facility. Modern Living Solutions could employ as many as 130 people within a couple of years.

Leeper firm sees surge in orders,

adds to workforceThis article was submitted

by the company.

By RODNEY L. SHERMANClarion News editor

H-10 – THE DERRICK. Friday, February 19, 2021