40 Years Reflection: Gulla Credits Greater Collaboration
HERMITAGE, Pa. – When Gary Gulla joined the city administration in Hermitage, Pa., in 1996, collaboration among communities and public officials across state lines was rare.
“When we, the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, hit the wall with the steel recession … everybody was into survival mode,” says Gulla, today Hermitage assistant city manager. “And they were very isolated on their own island.”
That started to change about 2007.
“The five-county area came together and was designated as an interstate region by both governors,” Gulla explains. “That led to a lot of collaboration, which was very important at the time.”
From there, more resources became available for America Makes in Ohio and the eCenter at LindenPointe in Hermitage. The center is a startup incubator that works in three areas.
“They have the incubation lane,” Gulla says. “They have a cybersecurity program that they’re running there. And they have the high school Entrepreneurship Academy. The funding that came at the federal level was a $4.2 million EDA grant, which was matched by a $1.25 million Pennsylvania grant to help build that facility.”
The eCenter has become an anchor for the region, he says.
Representatives across the five counties of Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull in Ohio and Mercer and Lawrence in Pennsylvania learned it benefitted the whole region to collaborate.
“The commerce, the businesses, the residents, they don’t see the community lines, the county lines or the state line,” Gulla says. “So it was very important that these agencies began to collaborate and work together. And I think that has changed significantly.”
Gulla says most people from outside of the city know Hermitage for its commercial corridor, the intersections of state route 18 and U.S. 62 or the industrial corridor off Interstate 80.
“Those are very important to us,” Gulla says. “But our base is really our residential community. We’ve invested in things that we believe have resulted in people wanting to live here.”
He lists investment in parks, recreation and trails.
“We’ve provided amenities over the last 30 years under [City Manager Gary] Hinkson’s guidance,” Gulla says. “It’s been a passion of his and he has led the community in that direction.”
Pictured at top: Gary Gulla says Hermitage, Pa., invests in quality-of-life amenities for residents.
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