The state-funded walkway connecting a public park to the Main Street of a small Montgomery County borough was not a big project. But the project and the community’s positive reaction were enough to hook Greg Welker on the world of economic development.
“It really spoke to me,” said Welker, who was then working for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
This week, Welker traded his state job for a role as economic development director with the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp., which is focused on one of Pennsylvania’s fastest-growing counties.
“It was a very hard opportunity to pass up,” Welker said in an interview this week with biznewsPA.
What’s the opportunity: Welker hopes to apply his knowledge and experience from the state level to promoting economic growth and development in Cumberland County.
Before joining CAEDC on July 1, Welker managed programs administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, an arm of DCED.
He said he brings an understanding of the funding programs that would be the best fit for county projects.
“Greg’s experience at DCED will provide CAEDC with knowledge and skills we need to support our organizational goals,” CAEDC executive director Janet Anderson said in a statement.
One of the agency’s potential projects is redevelopment of the former Frog, Switch & Manufacturing Co. plant in Carlisle.
Welker succeeds Katie Gray, CAEDC’s workforce development manager who was filling in on some elements of the economic development side, according to CAEDC spokesperson Aaron Jumper. Gray recently moved out of the area.
What’s the focus: Welker noted he is still new to his role but outlined some of the areas getting his attention.
They include affordable housing and childcare, which are pressing issues statewide.
Workforce development and retention are additional areas of focus, he said. “That’s a challenge really anywhere in the commonwealth.”
Welker said he also sees opportunity to connect Cumberland’s agricultural sector to the technology industry, also a priority at the state level.
And he is eager to help the county make the most of its recreational resources, which include a section of the Appalachian Trail.
“I’m just really looking forward to getting my hands dirty and trying to help out the business and residential communities across the county,” said Welker, who grew up across the river in Elizabethville and is a graduate of Shippensburg University.