50 Years of Economic Success
With the turn of the New Year, the Community Development Corporation entered its fiftieth year of economic development in Butler County.
In the beginning, prior to year 1959, the CDC of Butler County was an affiliate organization of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce known as the Butler County Industrial Development Corporation. It wasn’t until 1959 when the articles of incorporation for a non-profit were filed with the Prothonotary’s Office and the CDC of Butler County became its own entity and a non-profit corporation governed by a board of directors. The CDC of Butler County was formed by a group of interested civic and industrial leaders of the community and its board members were drawn from this body.
The founding Board of Directors included John J. Chiprean, Vernon L. Wise, Willis A. MacDonald, Sidney L. Jaffe, Edward W. Wentworth, Floyd S. Allen, Samuel E. Phillips, Roy K. Fowler, Allen D. Greene, Dean B. Copeland, Dr. E.C. Lutton, G.A. Benz, B. Chandler Huselton, Anthony Johns, Ray Andre, Harry N. Wilson, Allan S. Davis, C.T. Dumbaugh, M. L. Bouch, Louis C. Krueger, and Frederick B. Tyler.
The Butler County community and businesses have supported the CDC from its inception. Original working capital was generated by two major fund drives in 1960 and again in 1962 in which the CDC of Butler County sold debenture bonds. These debenture bonds were twenty year bonds that accrued two percent interest per year. These two fund drives of selling debenture bonds generated over $400,000 dollars of working capital for the CDC of Butler County to face economic development head on. The Butler County businesses that purchased debenture bonds, some of which are still around today, included The YMCA, The Salvation Army, Howard Burt & Hill, Hutchinson Dry Cleaning, Butler County Motor Corporation, A.E. Troutman Company, Friedman Supermarket Inc., and Miller Insurance Agency. After the twenty years most bonds were donated back to the CDC and only $4,400 dollars went to the state as unclaimed property because the bond owners were unable to be located.
In 1982 the CDC board members realized the Butler County economy had been steadily deteriorating for the last three years with unemployment climbing to the twenty percent (20%) mark. One of the main causes for this increase of unemployment was the closing of the Pullman-Standard Plant leaving 3,000 employees unemployed. CDC of Butler County recognized the severity of this problem and began to seek solutions. It became clear that it would be necessary to attack economic development even more aggressively than in the past. After some deliberation, it was decided that there was a need for a single source of management and direction for the CDC. October, 1982, a local company (Armco) offered to lend one of its executives to the CDC to serve as Executive Director. W. Patrick Burns was placed on loan for up to two years with all his wages and benefits paid by Armco. Mr. Burns immediately established offices at the Chamber of Commerce and hired a full-time staff consisting of Marthann Duffy Rettig, Administrative Assistant and Linda Ordy, Secretary. In April, 1984, Marthann Duffy Rettig becomes the new Executive Director for the CDC of Butler County. Including Burns and Rettig the CDC has had seven Executive Directors, George B. Howley, Thomas Hartswick, Frank Bogan, Arthur Cordwell, and Diane Mintus Sheets.
Today, the CDC of Butler County is attacking economic development even harder and continues to develop and maintain an environment that creates and retains jobs, improve the quality of life, establish a positive image and business climate. As the CDC of Butler County looks forward to the next fifty years of economic excellence, let’s say Happy Birthday CDC and celebrate the past fifty years.
