Butler County tourism continues to thrive
Tourism is alive and well in Butler County. I am proud and honored to share this spotlight on what is the county's No. 1 industry.
Though the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau employs just nine full-time employees, there are thousands of hoteliers, restaurateurs, shop owners and purveyors of fun involved in the industry.
Every day, my staff works to bring even more to the county, both in private events such as sports tournaments and meetings and public events such as Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland, PyroFest and Tough Mudder.
Over one weekend in 2015, Tough Mudder brought an economic impact of $4.3 million, and it will return for at least another four years.
Bringing in groups of visitors really pays off.
In line with the influx of visitors, three new hotels are expected to open this year — one in Butler and two in Cranberry Township.
In addition, our foundation is working hard on the restoration of the Kaufman House.This project will not only bring the restaurant and hotel rooms back to life, but it will create dozens of new jobs and educate future generations of hospitality employees through a partnership with Butler County Community College.Completion is anticipated for next year.Last year, our Farm Tour event highlighted the diversity of products made in the county, the hands that work hard to make them and the importance of buying local. From vegetables to cheese to wine to animal fiber, there is so much the county offers not only to its residents, but also to visitors as well.A trendy new facet of this is the advent of local microbreweries. In addition to the North Country Brewing Co., ShuBrew and the recently-opened Reclamation Brewing, two other breweries are operating in the county.Butler's brews are even going further now with North Country's canning facility that makes beer for all of Pennsylvania, parts of Ohio and soon, Florida.
There's even a new distillery in Slippery Rock, DR Distillery.There is actually so much growth in the county that infrastructure is an issue. With all of the new hotels and businesses coming to Cranberry, there are a lot of jobs; while in Butler, there are many people in need of jobs, but no access to Cranberry.Better transportation is something we could really use. It would solve multiple problems, from unemployment to morale.Aside from this major issue, the future is bright.On behalf of Butler County tourism, I declare that the sun is shining over us (metaphorically — sorry), and that we will continue to work hard bringing people to explore our home, which spares each and every one of us from paying more tax dollars.Jack Cohen is president of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau.
