Written by Chamber Intern Britton Heim READ HIS BIO HERE
I recently ended my internship at the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce as an entrepreneurship intern. One might ask, “what in the world does an entrepreneurship intern do?” Well, I’ll tell you! Basically I became a creative mind for the Chamber that researched various entrepreneurial and start-up communities and then devised ways in which the concepts used by other organizations could be altered and adapted to promote an entrepreneurial, start-up community right here in Wilkes-Barre.
I began to realize all of the great resources we have here in Wilkes-Barre. We have incredible academic capital coming out of Wilkes University, King’s College, and the other surrounding schools that have the potential to really drive the economy here. We also have prime transportation location as we are positioned right along I-81 and very close to I-80. There are also very many larger corporations in the area that have the ability to help small start-ups grow.
I started to realize these things through the research I was doing and this inspired me to begin to explore Wilkes-Barre a little more. As I walked around on different occasions I noticed all of the empty store fronts on Washington St., Northampton St., and many others, but with the knowledge I had gained at the Chamber I could see the big picture. I pictured what it would look like if these store fronts were filled with innovative little specialty shops and student start-ups. I could see the image of the college town I have heard so many local leaders talking about and it inspired me to become part of this future.
Wilkes-Barre is an amazing little city with great potential, and it’s getting there as we see more and more businesses pop up; Franklins on the Square, the Wilkes University Business Incubator in the Luzerne County Bank Building, and so many other small businesses that are up and coming. We just need more people to see the big picture. When you walk the streets and see those vacant shops don’t think it’s just a vacant building, think of all of the different businesses that would thrive with the store front and how great it is that that store front is there for the taking for that perfect store. Soon enough Wilkes-Barre will return to its former glory, but we need more people to see the potential this city has. Through my internship at the Chamber and all of the amazing people there I got to see a whole new side to Wilkes-Barre I never would have otherwise. My internship was an invaluable experience that gave me a whole new insight on this city and really motivated me and inspired me to stay in the area and help push this city in the right direction.
I would like to thank everyone at the Chamber for the experience they gave me and I look forward to working with you in the future.
Want to become a Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber Intern?
Apply NOW for Summer 2015 at internships@wilkes-barre.org