[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12047]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             PENNSYLVANIA WILDS CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, in August, I was proud to 
announce a grant of $500,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission 
to the Pennsylvania Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, located in 
Warren County in Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District.
  The Pennsylvania Wilds region includes 2 million acres of land in the 
north central and northwestern portion of Pennsylvania and includes 12 
counties. Tourism in that area has increased dramatically in recent 
decades, with plenty of opportunities for fishing, hunting, kayaking, 
and canoeing, not to mention plenty of forestland for hiking.
  This grant will be dedicated to the Center's Nature Tourism Cluster 
Development in the Pennsylvania Wilds, which is intended to develop a 
network of small businesses to support the increased need for products 
and services in the Pennsylvania Wilds region.
  The Pennsylvania Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship currently offers 
two business development programs, assisting prospective businessowners 
one on one to connect them with lenders, technical assistance 
providers, marketers, public lands managers, and other resources needed 
to start a business.
  Mr. Speaker, tourism is one of Pennsylvania's largest and most 
vibrant industries. I look forward to seeing what this initiative can 
do to help grow the industry in the communities of the Pennsylvania 
Wilds.

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