Allan Walzak, President, StrongLand Chamber of Commerce

You are quickly at ease when you meet A. Allan Walzak President of the StrongLand Chamber of Commerce. Conversation flows easily and you sense a man who is very interested in you and your ideas. This is a result of being dedicated to community service for the last 36 years. “I was raised in a time [where I was taught] to help people,” he said.

That wanting “to help people” led to a fulltime career in the Keystone Tall Tree Girl Scout Council for 21 years and the StrongLand Chamber for the past 14˝ years. Even though these are career positions, Allan’s drive to help people has led him to be a member or board member of another twelve organizations. He is a strong believer and dedicated to working for the “overall wellness of the region,” as he put it.

It’s hard to believe that Allan is involved with a dozen organizations. But, he is and he isn’t just a passive member. He firmly believes in making an investment. As an example, Allan joined the Casino Theatre Restoration and Management, Inc. in its beginning days, worked hard, did manual labor and today he is their President. He sees the Casino Theatre as a unique facility and recognized for its historic importance and restoring it contributes to the community today. In 1994 he joined with Bill Kerr to conduct a Planning Charrette developing a program for revitalization of Apollo. Today he still is a member of the Apollo Area Economic Development Council. He was invited to be a board member of the Armstrong Education Trust and that led to being on the board of the Environmental Center at Crooked Creek. Other boards he is on are the Leadership of Alle-Kiski Valley, Kiski Valley Enterprise, and the new StrongLand Foundation.

Somehow, in the middle of all this, he is a member of the Rotary in Lower Burrell and the Kiwanis in Vandergrift. By virtue of his involvement in economic development he is a member of the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association.

Allan is a facilitator and wants to help to “get people involved”, he said. He fills a leader’s roll by being an example himself. He not only joins these organizations, but stays with it through out the years. At home in East Brady he is on the board of the East Brady Historical Society and contributes time to St. Eusebius Roman Catholic Church work. One wonders if he gets any personal time, but he assured me that he owns a boat on the Allegheny and does get away. He also exercises and is about to become a grandfather.

Allan gained the ability to work with people and volunteers during his early years with the Girl Scout Council, based in Kittanning. He attended many national training courses for the Council and sat under great names such as Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis (University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California and the founding chairman of USC's Leadership Institute). He had joined the Council in 1969 as an entry level District Executive.

His career at the Girl Scout Council moved through several positions leading to being appointed Executive Director. He became responsible for overseeing a staff of 24 paid persons and 2,400 adult volunteers. Keystone Tall Tree Girl Scout Council is one of the largest in the country and serves nearly 7,400 girls in 12 Pennsylvania counties. The council is comprised of all of Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Cameron, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Venango counties and parts of Clearfield, Crawford, Potter and Westmoreland counties. While there he was responsible for a major shift from camps to Program Centers, one of which he established, the well-known Sky Meadows Program Center in Avonmore. Prior to his leaving, he had successfully built the reserve founds to approximately $500,000.00.

Allan was engaged to lead the StrongLand Chamber of Commerce in 1991. He is only the second person to head the chamber. The Chamber had been formed in 1984-5 out of four small chambers in Leechburg, Apollo, Lower Burrell and Vandergrift. The new Chamber had approximately 200 members. Today the Chamber covers 17 municipalities in two counties representing a population of over 70,000 persons. Allan is pleased that the Chamber now has 450 members and is still growing. With seven operating committees the Chamber has made significant contributions to the community. The founding of annual Home Show has been a major success. The Tour de StrongLand, a major bike race is another major success. These are two of the more visible programs, but there are many others that reach education, business, industry and the community. Allan is right in the midst of it all continuing to build and encourage others to press ahead.

If you are business, organization, church or even as an individual, consider joining the StrongLand Chamber of Commerce, 1129 Industrial Park Road, Box 10, Suite 108, Vandergrift, PA 15690-9646 724-845-9646 or visit: http://www.strongland.org/

Watch the video interview with A. Allan Walzak at: